Jessica Swift rain boots

Cue girlish squeals! I am soooooooo excited about Jessica Swift's rain boot line coming out! I get her regular email updates and have been watching her Kickstarter page get closer and closer to her goal and voila! It's happened!



Her patterns are super fun, colorful, bright (just like her paintings) and I just love them. Sadly (kind of), we don't get much rain here in sunny San Diego, so buying rain boots isn't exactly the most USEFUL way I could spend my money, but it's one of the funnest!

I think what finally got me to realize that drooling over the wonderfulness of the boot project wasn't going to get me merrily clomping around in a pair was when she kept blogging about painting and being inspired just by getting off the computer and into the studio. I particularly liked the pink whale painting:


I knew that this pattern-making spunky lady of the South is a woman after my own heart and I must, simply must, get a pair of these boots. I eagerly anticipate the next chance of showers (a.k.a. marine layer threatening to spit about a half inch) so I can throw on my bright yellow raincoat and splash around in the "puddles".



You can help too! She's reached her goal, which GUARANTEES that the boots are soon to be a reality! Pledge any amount, and $100+ means you get AT LEAST one pair of your choosing (I'm having a hard time deciding) and larger pledges = more swag! Plus, the more money she gets, the more patterns she can release from the start, so get your friends over there too via Twitter, Facebook, or one of the badges available on her site!

This is a total sales pitch, but whatever. I'm just stoked to see talented ladies pull up their bootstraps and get it dooooooone.

Fingerprint rings

I'm guessing getting engaged, going to a wedding, and picking out wedding rings keeps that particular item of jewelry on the mind, so today I would like to share one of my recent finds that I think would be a totally awesome wedding ring option.

Fingerprint rings by Etsy seller fabuluster are a great way to say I do while keeping a unique momento to commemorate the union. Apparently, via Kaboom this is the latest Etsy trend, but I'm sure by next week Etsy will have come out with some other totally awesome and unique rings for me to pine over.

For the Birds: Luke Bartels & Jeff Canham

"Adorable" doesn't even come close to an accurate description of these handmade wooden birdhouses by San Francisco duo Luke Bartels & Jeff Canham. Admittedly, a bit pricey at $675 each at the Curiosity Shoppe, but if you don't mind shelling out the bucks, these little spaces have got to be the cutest avian nooks of the century. Unique design oozes from every clever quip painstakingly painted upon the collection; clean lines meet with tchotchke humor, and I can't imagine a more wonderful place to fly into and shake the dust of my wings every night!







How can I pick a favorite?! Whatever you do, please don't make me choose!!

King Albino

I love Kidrobot. I love Domo-kun. I love pretty much anything whimsical and modern cartoonish. This new Friendswithyou tee featuring King Albino is all in one!
"King Albino has an insatiable hunger for everything he sees. He can magically eat all your blues away and each little meal he has gives you more and more power.

So go on, give us a hug, and let King Albino eat his heart out."

Visit Friendswithyou to make your wishes come true, and Kidrobot to just buy the wish!

Poketo! Alien mug

Like any creative professional, I have a serious caffeine addiction. I require massive amounts of stimulus in the early morning hours to get me going, and several pick-me-ups along the way. I don't have a very exciting mug collection, and mugs are one of the things that I don't really pay much attention to. Sure, I have my favorites, but it's one of the things that I actually DON'T collect. Still, whenever I see an especially cute one it makes me crazy with happiness! This one by Leah Chun at Poketo is amazing! What a great way to start the day- an alien attack! Just the kind of stimulus I need in the A.M.

Tiny Showcase- Stephanie Specht

It's been awhile since I've looked at Tiny Showcase, but every once in awhile I manage to find my way through the crazy entanglement of the interweb to reach this exquisite site. I was looking through the past few weeks' work and loved this print from Stephanie Specht "Apple Tree". She selected OrcaLab for her donation, which is a research lab located in Canada dedicated to studying marine life without interfering with the natural habitats of these creatures. They also place an emphasis on stopping commercial whaling and rehabilitating the animals who are in need.

I love gray! When it's juxtaposed against bright vibrant colors it's truly a delight to my eyes. And lambs are awesome. The only thing that would make this better is if it were bunnies. But disregarding that (and my obvious insane bias), this is just one great print of many. I highly recommend visiting her site, where you can feast your design-hungry eyes on her really simple, clean line work. She runs the design studio Stipontwerpt in Belgium, so hop over there and give it a peek.

RISD works

My sister emailed this to me, and I fell in love instantly. Seriously, tell me this isn't the freaking cutest thing ever. A totally whimsical touch that is sure to brighten even the gloomiest of mornings.

It's even better because it's part of RISD Works, the Rhode Island School of Design store created and run by RISD faculty and alumni. A great opportunity to get really cute stuff for good prices, and a guarantee that this isn't mass produced garbage. This is straight from the minds of innovators dedicated to passing along creativity and inspiration to continuous generations. "Calf & Half" is the brainchild of Liz Goulet Dubois, who declared that "toys are her true medium", which makes her a woman after my own heart. I'll sign off using RISD's tagline, "It's udderly irresistible!"

kozyndan

I'm trying to be good with saving money for the impending cross country move, but when I saw this print by kozyndan, I knew I must make it mine. I first saw this duo's work in Alicia Duffy's room in VB, and I had to know more. When I finally made it out to the website, I about died. I mean, besides the fact that everything's awesome, japanese-inspired digital prints with an emphasis on bunnies? Have I died and gone to heaven? Basically my brain exploded and that was that.

miracle molar

lovin' this print by blueflip artist Richard Wilkinson. His gallery is quirky and whimsical, full of joy and smiling faces. What could be better than that?

1aeon

Etsy, of course, hosts a plethora of awesome DIY shops. There's one that I've recently become obsessed with though, and that is 1Aeon. I've already gotten 2 shirts from them (with the fastest shipping of any store I've ever dealt with!) and all of my friends are drooling with jealousy. I've decided to stock my wardrobe with more of their delicious designs, and need to share this with the world!
These two are already taken (by me!) but I assure you, there is absolutely no shortage of amazing items available RIGHT NOW.


P.S. The "featured seller" interview in Etsy is pretty interesting. (I also read the Jenna Jameson biography, and was surprised at how fascinating it was!)

i'm needing this.

I need a bulldog puppy in my life.