sweet birthday gifts

I just had to share these fantastic birthday treats! My incredibly talented friend, Liz, crafted a snazy patchwork pouch with a hand drawn dancing cupcake card. Jon sent me a gorgeous desk cady from Peg and Awl, and my darling mom discovered these amazing owl nesting dolls in a Massachusetts antique shop. Thank you to my friends and family for all the birthday love and thoughtful gifts!

the vamoose

Independent designer, Kathryn Blackmore, just opened a new online jewelry shop! Check out her new collection inspired by nature and take a peek at her blog where she posts inspirations and experiments. It's wonderful to see how her work constantly evolves!

handmade gift giving

Support independent designers this holiday season and buy handmade gifts for everyone on your list. Some of my favorite handmade goodies on Etsy include statement jewelry pieces, cozy cowls, nature-inspired artwork, desk calendars, and playful puppets. Handmade gifts offer a unique and special touch that everyone will appreciate.

• wood rings, somethingshidinginhere
• pom-pom cowl, yarnovermovement
• mossy wall art, elinart
• perpetual calendar, orangebeautiful
• arctic animal finger puppets, babyanimals

BeanTownHandmade

Today Beans received two gorgeous hand-knit sweaters from our favorite doggie apparel site, BeanTownHandmade. The designer, Anne, custom makes each sweater and also designs some pretty amazing dog hats! We just had to share how sleek and sophisticated Beans looks romping in the leaves.

amazing knits

It's been a while since my last posting, but I am still scouring the web and streets for great inspiration and design. Yokoo, based in Atlanta creates amazing sculptural accessories. Although it's still in the 90s here in Austin, I couldn't resist imagining cold weather and wearing one of Yokoo's oversized cowls. Talk about a statement piece! Absolutely gorgeous wearable art (oh, and very inspiring photography).

inspiration: fabric manipulation

I love the idea of transforming bits of fabric into soft sculptures. These etsy finds inspire me to get out the sewing machine and start playing!

• layered cartwheel collar by ArtLab
• ruched handknit cushion by strikk
• striped and pleated dress by Nicole Gade
• sketchbook with ruching and gathers by Natalie as is
• secret garden top by Lirola

i love MUD

I am obsessed with MUD australia's beautiful porcelain dishware. We carry their hand made line at Finch in Austin and I constantly play with the color samples. Pigment is added to the porcelain at the slip stage to provide colour depth. Clear glaze is then applied to the interior of each piece leaving the exterior with a vitrified stone-like surface that becomes smooth with handling and use. The dishes have a wonderful delicate feel and the textural contrast between the interior and exterior invites you to continually touch, hold, and interact with them.

new! paint by number note cards

I just added note cards to my etsy site. Each card transforms the original paint by numbers into abstracted scenes and color forms. Recipients a can frame or display the card as mini artwork.

BlaBlas

I love blabla dolls even though they're for kids, I want one anyway. Check out this amazing Boogaloo named Watson! See more here: www.blablakids.com/welcome