Scoutie Girl

baubles - basic & beyond

just rec'd a lovely note from Claire about her new online store, little pretty. she has a dangerous passion for sparkly jewelry - which motivated her to put together a collection of talented designers in her shop. striking bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings - mostly in silver and gold, with a few choice semi-precious stones here and there. the items pictured above are from NYC designer Victoria Strevens, who draws upon city architecture & sea life for inspiration. her precious metal designs are fluid and graceful. checkout this new shop on the block for luxuriously simple jewelry.

$50-250 from little pretty

simple inspiration

i've been following the blog berlin's whimsy for about 2 mos. now. her writing and her photography pulled me in immediately. both are very soulful, sweet, poignant and intelligent. she's not had the best year, and she's poured herself and her introspection into a swath of natural linen fabric - creating needlepoint ornaments, smocks, aprons, shirts and other delicates. she was inspired by a bookcover at her library, and this free-motion embroidery panel resulted. it includes 100% wool petals. imagine a journal cover, a pocket, part of a handbag or framed as-is. you decide what it should be! how cool is that. what i secretly like most about her is that she uses Laura Ingalls as her inspiration sometimes, too - and, if you know me, you know Laura Ingalls is my hero. 'nuff said.

$19.99 from berlin's whimsy at etsy

the calm after the storm

aptly titled the "cyclone," this alluring necklace features a big, smoky, quartz bead that's wire-wrapped in a herringbone weave - a very intricate and perfect weave to boot. the entire pendant measures approx 1-½". wire-wrap is sterling, and it comes on a black leather cord with a handmade sterling clasp. choice of length. after another 'cyclone' of a holiday, this necklace really fits my mindset right now - it's sort of like the eye of the storm but in a really calming, focused kind of way. this jewelry artist makes exquisite rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings! Indie Designer: Cari Taylor

$28 from wired originals

out-of-the-box denim

denim jeans funked up with some fabric collage art. the jeans are yours (so the fit will be perfecto), but the designs are pre-determined by the designer. she mixes and matches her collections, and all are really spectacular! love the bold, punchy statement and the utter originality of the concept. dress them up or dress them down. turnaround time is about 2 weeks from the time she receives your jeans. also available: kids' denim, pretty aprons, skinny scarves, and DIY kits for making kids' shaggy mosaic jeans. Designer: Megan

$160 from creative outlet designs

thimbles or rings - you decide

wowie zowie. found these most, most, most amazing thimble/rings on adorn today, in a "gifts for crafters" post. whimsical elements & eye-catching color in such an array of neat designs (you're lucky i didn't say "neato"). she intended for them to be thimbles, but her peers at quilt guilds and sewing get-togethers told her they could be rings - i vote for rings! how about you? i cannot stop staring at them b/c they are just so unbelievably fascinating. i think knowing how tiny these perfect embroidery stitches are makes them off the charts for me. have i been effusive enough now? are any of my family or friends reading this...i have a birthday coming up!

$10.50 for 2 at greigh's layne

a simple 'thank you' will suffice

overdue for a papergoods post, i was just about to start my search. then, as timely as ever, Jena from modishoppe dropped an email. she stocks lovely items and takes such great care in photographing them - it's a pleasure to browse her site! {tip for indie designers with websites: the images you capture of your items are equally as important as the items themselves - figure out a system that works and perfect it - you won't be sorry!}

back to papergoods...
add "thank you cards" to your shopping list b/c soon enough it will be time to send a note of gratitude to your gift givers. here are a few from 2 different designers featured at modishoppe:
the top 2 are from DeLuce Designs. these simple and delicate designs are letterpressed onto eco-friendly, luxe card stock, making the final piece more pillowy and tactile. $13 for a boxed set of 6 cards.
the bottom 2 are from Good on Paper. these cute, sweet, clean-lined cards are handscreened onto high-quality recycled stock with vegetable-based inks. (i included a birthday card in honor of the countdown to my 38th b-day on 12/23!) $4.50 for single cards.

**i just bought the top-right design. as usual, i cannot resist a daisy motif. i think she has one more in stock of this particular design.

free your fingers

if you need to have your digits accessible so you can dial, dig for change or drum a tune, these mittens are calling to you (get it: dialing~calling - not so lame, eh?). they are constructed in an ever-so-intentionally ecological way: discarded & salvaged cashmere sweaters are dismantled and refashioned into these functional and tres comfortable mittens. you can tuck your fingers into a hidden pocket for complete coverage. unisex, reversible two-tone, various sizes. they make hats (soooooo many hats!), scarves, cuffs & collars, and select women's and men's clothing. get them while you can - they go faster than you can say, "recycling rocks!" Designers: Charlie and Kathleen Tesnakis

$76 from 'e ko logic

a good cup of joe

this time of year, i can usually be found making a second strong pot of coffee in the late afternoon. the first cup of the day is habitual; the second is purely indulgent - i want the perfect blend, the perfect sugar:milk ratio (or maybe eggnog), the perfect sitting spot, the perfect mug. these mugs would do the trick. i can see how my hands would wrap just so around the bottom of these to draw a little warmth - now who's got the biscotti? this artist is extremely talented, and her porcelain pottery stands alone. not a thing i didn't like! visit her regular site here or her etsy site (below). Artist: Lois Aronow

$35-55 from lois aronow at etsy

pretty posh pillows

these hip and happy pillows are made from 100% sueded rayon, a buttery-soft fabric akin to a heavyweight silk. painted accents are applied by hand with metallic, water-based fabric paints, using a variey of techniques including brushwork, print, resist and silkscreen. other accents include covered buttons, gold cording and coordinating ribbons. many designs, all made to order. these are from her "contemporary collection" in sage, royal purple and black. she also has very pretty rayon scarves with daisies - love them! Designer: Bethanie Brandon

$40-296 from bethanie brandon design

shameless personal plug #6

seam allowances is a new blog i started recently, detailing the "frayed ends of my life and business as a fabric handbag designer." it's a sundry mix of the mundane, for sure. (sounds too good to be true, i know!) i'm s-l-o-w-l-y transitioning from designing handbags to designing fabrics (and just a few OOAK handbags here and there). in the past 2 years, i designed 2 handbag collections with my own fabrics, and the fabric is really where my heart is these days - more closely tied to my painting background. the blog will be the place to get the latest info on prints coming and prints going, some tutorials, some crafty projects and some personal nuggets.

it's very odd to put yourself in the spotlight, so i'm still getting used to that aspect and trying to find my voice. i've been posting regularly enough that it seems "real" to me now. i wasn't sure i'd have time to keep it up, and poor Scoutie Girl has been neglected. well, now that i've announced it, pressure's on! yahooooo! check it out - old friends and new friends welcome!

Daisy Janie still has a ton of great handbags - all items are 50-60% right now to make room for my new fabrics...clear the shelves people!!

with rings on her fingers

i cannot imagine this jewelry designer keeping these rings in stock for very long, can you? especially around this time of year when everyone's getting fancy. each ring is meticulously created by attaching 44-beaded headpins to a sterling silver ringshank. she uses precious and semi-precious stones to create this very romantic, dazzling look. available in various shades of freshwater pearls. one size fits all as the rings are adjustable. complete line of necklaces (wire-wrapped), earrings and bracelets. Designer: Jennifer Eubank 

$100 from j.dell designs

baby, it's cold outside

sorry to all the year-round-warm-weatherites out there, i'm shivering my bleeping buns off in the northeast and a snuggly scarf is a must! found these from a note i rec'd about marmalade pink, an online coop of women-owned businesses. individually created from luxurious velvet, every single one will go well with casual or dressy outer wear...how cool (warm) is that?! some are pieced from many different colored solids, some are burnout velvet with a flocked feel...all are soft and cozy. many other pretty, one-of-a-kind sewn goods to see. Designer: Debra Janin

$52-79 from flying needle gallery