Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.
The Paper Addict: I love a whole bunch of aristic mediums, so many that it’s hard for me to decide what exactly I want to do! I love oil paints, fabric, paper, and photography. I dabbled a couple times in making candles. I thought about making soap…. I have sanded down furniture, stained or painted. Pretty much anything I looked at and thought I could make I have tried it or wanted to try it!
The cold winter months can drag on when you’re stuck inside all day, but sometimes the best thing to do is get out and embrace the chilly weather. The ice rink in downtown Chicago has some of the best views of the city and I would try to go at least once a year to take it all in. It was always crowded and I was always wobbly, but, if nothing else, I would have a good laugh at myself and enjoyed some hot chocolate at the end of it all.
If you’re ever looking for an excuse to put on a twirly dress, ice skating is it. This knit dress by Jessica Rose Design features a full skirt that’s perfect for 360 spins or just trying to stay on your feet. The classic design, v-neck and full skirt are figure flattering for women of all shapes. And, since it’s cold outside, the knit fabric is perfect for layering with sweaters and scarves.
These amazing screen-printed leggings by Pretty Penny Designs are truly going to set you apart on the ice. Made of a cotton Lycra blend, you’ll be able to move around the ice with ease and stay warm as well. The blue and white fireworks pattern is a surprising accessory to your classic blue dress.
Of course, your legs are going to need a bit more warmth if you’re going to be out on the ice all day. These speckled blue leg warmers by Uniquely Chic for You are a great accessory, both on the ice and off. Made of wool and viscose yarn, these are sure to keep your legs warm and the relaxed fit ensure that they will fit right over your ice skates.
The cute and eco-friendly ice skates featured at the top of this post were created by Recycled Parts.
Cartoons! I watch tons of cartoons.
That was Mike from Skudfisher‘s response when I asked him what inspired his fun plushies. How can you argue with such enthusiasm?
Everything from Invader Zim to Rocky and Bullwinkle (both of which are responsible for huge chunks of my sense of humour). I also pretty obsessively try to absorb as much cool art as possible from the internet. Flickr has so many amazing independent artists that it kind of blows my mind sometimes. I can spend hours just going from artist or artist on flickr. I have some pretty amazing people on my contact list on there that I really admire.
Mike has been obsessed with drawing silly characters and monsters since he was little. Then 2 years ago he decided to try and make one of his monsters into a toy for his nephew as a birthday gift, lucky kid. It only took that one toy to turn sewing into an obsession and he’s been making plushies ever since. Each monster has it’s own story along with it’s likes and dislikes to ensure monster/child compatibility.
There is something very satisfying about coming up with an idea, cutting out the fabric and sewing everything together, into something you can hold in your hands, that I just don’t get from drawing. I still love drawing though!
Mike’s current favorite is Acorn! He thinks she is just so adorable and huggable and really loves working with faux fur material. And as I was working on this, my 2 1/2 year old son told me he wanted THAT monster – so I guess she’s not just Mike’s favorite!
Currently Skudfisher’s plushies are only sold through Mike’s shop, but after many years of attending craft fairs and enjoying Montreal’s great craft scene he hopes to get involved as a vendor there soon. So if you’re in the Montreal area, keep your eyes peeled.
If you’d like to keep up with Mike’s creations he keeps a blog of all his work at and updates his Flickr very regularly.
I am incredibly goal-oriented and deadline-driven. Give me a deadline and while I may be a procrastinator, I will also be wholly motivated to meet it — even if at the last minute. Give me a challenge that needs conquering and I will become obsessed with accomplishing it.
It’s probably these inward tendencies that make me particularly fond of the Eat Local Challenge, a movement that as of October 1st entered its fifth year.
The time has come for me to restock a few beauty supply items, face moisturizer and body cream. Which means I get to try out something new.
I liked Dress Green’s body creams so much, that I decided to try a new fragrance, White Tea and Ginger. White tea, made from immature tea leaves, is reputed to have a high quantity of anti-oxidants, and the ability to boost the immune system.
Ginger is one of those spa ingredients that I think of as food. But I think of it also as warm, tingly and fresh smelling. And that seems to work well in my mind with the idea that it is healthful. Though in this case I believe the ginger and white tea are more about fragrance than an active contributor to skin rejuvenation. And that’s okay with me. I think it smells fantastic. And the cream is fluffy and smooth.
I was therefore not surprised when it was hijacked by my five year old, and appeared on the floor and several pieces of furniture. She appeared with blobs of it on her skin announcing, don’t I smell good Mommy and thanking me so much for sharing. Her father did not agree and asked what is that odor. He couldn’t quite put together white tea and ginger being a fragrance in body cream and not being part of the meal. I’m a bit sorry for men who do have daughters and don’t have sisters. They have no idea how many bath and spa smells are going to be involved in their lives.
Also of interest is Dress Green’s face moisturizer and nourishing butter. It’s made with and smells like cocoa butter. And it is fragrance free – it just smells like the cocoa butter because that is one of the main ingredients. Cocoa butter smells like coffee. So if you don’t like coffee, this is not the cream for you. I love coffee. But I only put this moisturizer on in the morning. I think coffee is a morning smell.
Smell aside, the face moisturizer and nourishing butter is very, very rich and for dry to normal skin only. I would probably go so far as to say dry skin only, which is what I have in the Winter months. It’s a semi-solid and melts on the fingertips. Like the olive oil and beeswax cream that I previously reviewed (and use in the evening) this cream took a bit of practice to put on in order to avoid an overabundance. It looks greasy for just a moment, then absorbs into the skin.
One word of caution, don’t put it too close to anything warm. It will melt and look quite uninviting. But that doesn’t seem to affect its performance.
I also received a free lip lush with my order, which was a nice surprise. Unfortunately, it contains avocado oil, to which I am wildly allergic. So I immediately gave it away – first asking about any avocado allergies. I hear it’s great.