We are fascinated by all things vintage and have been known to dabble in many decades. Mid-century is a particular favorite though, as you can probably tell by the recently launched 50’s clothes section and our wedding photo that can be seen there. It was no surprise then when I discovered Miss Brache’s vintage-look Etsy store and promptly fell in love. Halters, wiggle skirts, high waists, and bust/waist enhancing styles: Miss Brache creates clothing that is the epitome of 1950’s glamour and style. In addition to gorgeous pinup dresses and unique separates Miss Brache also designs swimsuits! They are all vintage-inspired as well, ranging from pinup bikinis to reversible monokinis. (I know where I’m getting my bathing suit this summer!) She says that “Her goal is to make women all across the world feel happy in the swim wear or anything they wear. All her items are made by her hard working hands and are limited items.” Some items are pre-made, but most are custom ordered to your exact size and specifications. If you’re a vintage loving vixen, Miss Brache’s is the store for you.

Posted by Lauren in Retro and Vintage, Indie, Clothing and Accessories
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This St. Patrick’s Day, why not keep it green without resorting to the green beer? Mallory at Miss Malaprop organized a 2 day “Go Green and Save” sale that includes 6 Etsy stores that “feature recycled materials predominantly in their work”. Awesome! The discounts will vary by store so check out the full list of participating artisans and get to browsing…

Sunday and Monday, March 16 & 17, 2008

Posted by Lauren in Sale, Indie, Green Living
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Dan Piraro is a multi-talented guy, but he is probably best known for his off-beat cartoon strip, Bizarro. Although I had seen that cartoon in a few various places over the years, it wasn’t until I read about Dan in the debut issue of Herbivore Magazine that I began to take notice of his work. One particular area of his focus really caught my attention: animals. Outside of being a skilled illustrator and comic, Dan is also passionate about animal rights and isn’t shy about using his skills to raise awareness about it. His latest contribution is a bizarre and very cool looking shirt that he designed for Endangered Wear that gives 100% of the profits to Dan’s favorite farm animal sanctuary. There’s a limited run of 750 shirts being produced by indie shirt company Endangered Wear (limited runs are their specialty, hence the name). All of their designs are printed on made in the USA, sweatshop-free American Apparel t-shirts, too. Whether you’re a card carrying member of the Secret Society of Vegans like us (just kidding, they don’t issue cards), or just not a big fan of factory farming, this shirt is a fun way to spread the word and help animals. And honestly, how many shirts do you have that feature a retro-look piggy being flown to safety thanks to a flock of funky birds?
$22.95

Posted by Lauren in Indie, Clothing and Accessories
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Last year, the handmade revolution caught on like wildfire. Giving handmade gifts says so much more than any factory made item, and it supports independent artists, too. We scouted out some unique Valentine’s Day gift ideas that would make a loving and unexpected gift for your special someone.

It’s official: Etsy is the place to get handmade items year-round. They have a beautiful Valentine’s Day Showcase to make it easy for us shoppers to find those truly unique items.

Let’s begin with a couple anti Valentine’s Day gift ideas, because not everyone thinks hearts and candy on February 14th. The one of a kind creations from Snarky Cards make me genuinely LOL. Over the course of about a week, I’ve read every card to Sean, which prompts us to cackle with delight. (I almost wish I had more questionable relationships so that I would have a reason to use these cards. Almost.) They’ll send the perfect message to your ex, or anybody else you want to stick it to this V-Day.

This Anti Valentines Day bracelet from Ben can Dance Creations is similarly blunt and snarky. With such unmistakable missives as DIE, KTHX BYE, and U SUCK, your target will get the message loud and clear. A perfect piece of jewelry that says “I hate Valentine’s Day”, but is still super cute.

For those of you with more traditional- and functional- relationships in mind this holiday, here are our absolute favorite picks from the myriad of handmade cards on Etsy:


Handmade Valentine’s Day cards (from left to right) from Art by Nakisha, Twisted String, and picklehead.

Although Etsy is increasingly popular, there are still lots of handmade Valentine gifts on eBay, so be sure to check those out, too:

Posted by Sean in So Pretty, Indie
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If you couldn’t tell already Mable’s loves recycling and vintage clothing sold on eBay is a great way to recycle clothing and have a stylish wardrobe. We were recently excited to see a message in our inbox telling us about the Nova Vintage eBay Store. With their high standards, low shipping costs, many sizes, and weekly updates they are another quality eBay store to add to our vintage clothing page.

Remember that shopping at indie eBay stores supports individuals and their hard work at home, so you know where your money is going. So check out the Nova Vintage eBay store, bid on your favorite items, add them to your favorites, and follow their updates via their Myspace.

Posted by Sean in Retro and Vintage, Indie, Clothing and Accessories
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We planned on doing another gift guide this year: something similar to last year’s Green gift Guide. However, the new site design just ended up taking forever to finish and now we don’t have the energy to start another big project. What we’re going to do instead is blog like crazy about our personal favorite gift ideas.

Have you pledged to Buy Handmade this year? Buying Handmade makes for better gift-giving, it’s better for people, and better for the environment. (The BH crew elaborate on these points nicely.) As the purveyor of all things handmade, here come our top picks from a few choice Etsy categories.

Clockwise from top left: Custom Laptop Bag: any size, and print from BlueTwirls, Artist Tote from SuperbKitsch, Echino Wolf Full Size Messenger Bag
You have a LAPTOP; Yay! Now you need something to keep it safe, portable, and stylish. It’s hard to pick a favorite from this bunch, but I sure appreciate all the pockets inside the Artist Tote. And with a name like that, I’m already feeling tempted to carry around some colored pencils. Be sure to look at close-up product shots because these are all made with amazing attention to detail.


Clockwise from left: Four Eyes No. 1 from Lisa Brodar, Fergie plush toy, Chandrea Collection no.46 art doll by Chad Frick. Now these STUFFED CREATURES have some personality. I especially like the geeky cute glasses on plush Four Eyes.


Clockwise from top left: Vintage Shadowbox Art from theArtCreations, Cupcake System print by Kelly Newcomer, 3 painted robot floppy disks by gammaraybots
There is ART for everyone on Etsy. Like lots of other items, the shadowbox and disks are made from recycled materials, making them an even better choice.

Posted by Lauren in Indie
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Example #7,260 of how awesome the Internet is: it allows artists from around the world to get paid for turning their unique designs into t-shirts. The best thing is that, for the most part, it is the community (aka the actual consumers) who get to choose the designs they’d actually buy and wear. Here are some of our favorite artist-fueled and community driven t-shirt sites;

Threadless is definitely the most popular community driven t-shirt site out there with a lot of active users. Basically an artist submits their design and the community votes on which designs should be printed, then Threadless prints the winners. The designers get paid a nice sum of cash, too. Threadless offers adult shirts, kid shirts, and even hoodies.

$15 - $40 but watch for their occasional $10 shirt sales.

UneeTee FREE SHIPPING UNTIL 9/30 The word “unee” is a play on the prefix “uni”, which means “one” so Uneetee really means “One Tee”. Clever, eh? The way it works is that an artist submits a design, and it gets voted on by site users. The design with the most votes is featured for a day. Looking for a super deal? Every Saturday and Sunday they randomly select a One Day Tee that has been printed in the past and resell it for one last chance at a very low price.

$15 - $18

Ten Bills says “We sell exclusive designed t-shirts for $10 always. We feature artists from around the world so our t-shirts have our own unique flair.” Exclusive and stylish, their designs do draw the eye, which is why I like them. Although the catalog isn’t huge, Ten Bills is definitely a site to watch.
$10

Posted by Sean in Indie, Clothing and Accessories
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I’m really in awe of these picture frames made by Rebekah. Big, wide frames can give fantastic contrast to your favorite pictures or art; if they’re also covered in imagery or words, frames can actually be just as expressive as what they’re framing. They become part of the art. She uses a variety of ephemera to decorate with, such as children’s books, street maps and art/design magazines. Each one is handmade and totally one of a kind.

But what’s especially noteworthy about these frames is that they’re made with 100% recycled materials. If you’ve ever tried your hand at repurposing an item, you know it can take some ingenuity to avoid using new materials. Rebekah has done a commendable job and made a bit of home decor that’s not just stylish, but totally green. Under the pretty reused paper and behind the frame is cardboard that is embarking on it’s second use. Now that’s a commitment to being eco-friendly!

Since good picture frames are like the Type O blood of gift giving (they’re good for all occasions), scoop up a couple from Rebekah’s Etsy store, or contact her to get a custom frame.

COUPON: Get 10% off your order. Enter coupon MABLE in the “notes to seller” section during checkout.

Posted by Lauren in Indie, Green Living
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It’s difficult in today’s world to find useful products at decent prices that are recyclable, animal friendly, sweatshop-free, environmentally friendly, and from a store you’d actually want to give your money to. Reason #3774 the Internet is great is that people can create stores like The Stanley Family Lodge. They encompass all those beliefs while supporting independent artists so we know where our money is going.

The Stanley Family Lodge is a type of online shop we’d like to see more of; where you can find useful and creative items from artists around the world all in one place. Keep up the good work!

The products pictured above include reclaimed fabric turned into a beautiful retro style apron and a trixiedelicious abandoned plate given new life with some artwork and heat bonded so it’s ready for daily use.

Posted by Sean in Indie, Unique, Clothing and Accessories, Green Living
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Art and products that feature recycled/reclaimed objects are a Mable’s favorite. In our disposable world, it’s refreshing to see people who find creative ways to reinvent castoff goods, and Trixie has made an art of it. At trixiedelicious you’ll find her delightfully twisted take on pretty vintage New Zealand tableware. Pairing dainty prints with bold, black text or images, Trixie creates a unique hybrid that could be equally at home displayed on a wall or at a dinner party. Imagine the reactions of your guests when they eat their way to the bottom of their “Dirty” plate! The tongue-in-cheek designs range from cute and coy to racy and smirk-inducing. Trixie’s “hairdo” illustrations (featured to the right) also regularly make appearances, with saucy retro hairstyles and featureless faces.

Since these “vandalized vintage” pieces are recycled and hand painted, each item is totally one of a kind. You can even customize any plate and add the word of your choice. So if finding words like “filthy”, “deadbeat” or “pest” at the bottom of your plate isn’t your cup of tea, then you can add something more personal or sweet. There are also pieces with themes like sexy (”wink”, “tease”, “pout” plate set), and love (”kiss” and “tell” plate set or the “lovesick” cup and saucer set), which would make fun gifts for a loved one with a cheeky sene of humor. Letter plates (at left) are universally cool for all occasions, and would liven up any wall or dinner table.

Related: Subversive Cross Stitch

Posted by Lauren in So Pretty, Indie, Green Living
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Friendships seemed so much easier to maintain when we were kids. When we grow up things like college, careers, chores, and kids of our own often take precedence over our personal relationships. But even adults need close friends! Step back in time and revive the caring tradition of giving “best friend jewelry” to your closest mates. The My Friend… Sterling Silver Cuff Bracelet bears the meaningful inscription “You are the Sister I Wish I Had”, making it the perfect sentiment for your BFF. Each cuff is handcrafted and signed by the artist, so it’s as unique as your dear friend.

For something more lighthearted, Cherry Dot’s sweet handmade set of 2 PB & J Friendship Necklaces are perfect. You’ve probably already told your best buddy that she’s the peanut butter to your jelly (or the cherry to your sundae, the ketchup to your fries, etc.), but now you can wear a daily reminder of how lucky you both are to have each other in your lives.

$79.99 & $22.99

Posted by Lauren in Indie, Clothing and Accessories
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Arent these little lovlies amazing? I’ve always been a fan of quirky, whimsical “things that shouldnt be fashion”, and this is a perfect example. These domino necklaces are hand painted and completely one-of-a-kind, which means that you’ll be displaying a tiny piece of original artwork around your neck. Chocosho currently offers about a dozen designs, but since each one is different, you’ll have to snatch the one you like best before someone else does. My favorites are the 14 K, Little bird, and Kitty with Teal Bow pendants, but they have so many it’s pretty hard to chose!

This could be considered a downside, but the pendants are sold without a chain, so you’ll have to provide your own. Of course if you have a pretty vintage chain or a special ribbon that you’ve been wanting to put to good use, then these pretty little pendants are exactly what you need. Another cool thing about being able to make your domino’s chain custom; you can decide exactly how far down you want your pendant to hang. Did you have in mind a sassy choker, or something longer? You could even turn these into a dangly “charm” on a bracelet. Or for those of you, like myself, who are eternally “pet minded” these would make an incredibly sweet pet collar charm! Whatever you decide to use your domino pendant for, you better do it quick, because once a design is sold, it’s gone for good.

$36

Posted by Alison in Indie, Clothing and Accessories
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Strappy Art is still a new company, but I predict that we’ll be seeing a lot more of their products (and the inevitable knock offs). They create artistic charm accessories that wind around the straps of tank tops and bra straps, keeping the bra strap out of sight. It’s the kind of product that is so simple yet necessary that it makes you scratch your head and wonder what took so long. Clear bra straps and strapless bras have been the standard so far, and both of them come with their share of downsides. It’s nice to see some innovation in this area, especially one that allows for some artistic freedom. You can buy one of Strappy Arts charms to attach at the bottom, or add one of your own. As MDIA commented, these handmade, patent-pending accessories would make a fantastic gift for pretty much any female in your life.

Via Mommy Does It All

Posted by Sean in Indie, Unique
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Just like a recycled item, this Aquatic Adventure Weekly Planner has no expiration date. Because the days and months are blank, you are liberated from the date tyranny of standard calendars, and can use it any year you choose. Made of 100% post-consumer recycled paper and soy-based inks, this 54 week planner comes with quirky, beautiful, illustrated sea creatures and imagery. Printed in Portland by Little Otsu, the publishing division of an all-vegan store that collaborates with like-minded artists to make print products using alternative materials.

$15

Posted by Lauren in Useful and Fun, Holiday Green Gift Guide, Indie
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UPDATE: Boutique Oohlala is now called Skirt Spot!

It’s no secret that I favor summer above the other seasons, and that I bid it farewell each year with no small amount of sadness. The main reason is the weather. It’s nice to sometimes wear a cuddly sweater or wrap up in a soft scarf, but I’m a big fan of skirts and I miss seeing new designs during the cooler months. If only I had found Boutique Oohlala sooner. Located in Los Angeles, they design and produce a large line of unique, high quality women’s skirts. No other items, just skirts. This specialization has allowed them to create a beautiful array of skirts that are “fun, classic, exuberant, bold and sometimes retro, and represent an ever-changing variety from season to season”. Most items are less than $75 and the clearance section you can spend less than $30!

Boutique Oohlala’s designs are exactly my style, so I had a very hard time choosing which items to mention. They range from classy and professional to fun and flirty, with lots of styles in-between. On top of the large and varied selection, each skirt is custom made when you order (and delivered within 12 days), which adds a personal touch to each piece. Since all designs are made to sit two inches below your waist, and they only use natural fibers, you will also be comfortable when wearing your sexy new skirt.

COUPON: Use code “my first purchase” and receive 10% off. Good for first time customers only. Enter code “subscriber” and receive FREE shipping.

Posted by Lauren in Indie, Clothing and Accessories
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