Local Vendor Spotlight: M.Ellen Designs

Thanks to one of my summer '09 brides, Kelly, I've met sweet Mary Ellen in Lexington who is living her dream to be a stationery designer! This young entrepreneur has some adorable original designs if you're looking for something different for your invitations or announcements. I encourage you to check out her website! The samples above are some of my favorites from her 'wedding whimsy' collection.
Note: she will also create a custom design for you at a very reasonable rate!

Famous Last Words necklaces.

Fun.






Etsy :: lionessden :: Literary and Photographi Jewelry with a Worlds-Eye View

Happy Thanksgiving, kids!

Enjoy your day, where ever you are.

(photo via Thoroughly Modern Merrill)

Laptop sweater.

It made me giggle. They also have patterned sweaters and track suits.


The Post Family Store :: Laptop Accessories

Happy Thanksgiving!

Irritable vowels.

The Morning News Store :: Irritable Vowels t-shirt

Bacon press.

I'm just posting this because it made me laugh.


Williams Sonoma :: Bacon Press.

(via one of my fave new blogs, Misosouper or @misosouper)

House Blocks

Very cute.


PommeNYC :: House Blocks

Great type gifts.

Nice gifts for the type geek.




Three Potato Four - A mom and pop shop with an inspiring and curated collection of unique vintage and modern treasures for your home.

Envirosax for kids.

I'm a huge fan of Envirosax. I bought a set of them about a year ago - I keep them with me and use them all the time. They're sturdy and carry almost twice as much as a regular plastic bag, but they tuck away quickly and weigh almost nothing. So, I got a little giddy looking at the kid's versions. SO cool and fun.

ReusableBags.com

Whirl Ornament.

I love holiday ornaments that you can leave up all year 'round.*



Each one has been hand thrown on the wheel then hand formed to create these whimsical yet sophisticated forms. Although they appear delicate, they are actually quite strong and durable. They’ve been left unglazed and I’ve sanded the surface so they also have a very soft, appealing feel and a very sculptural appearance.

Supermarket :: Whirl Ornament from Kim Westad

*I have a ceramic origami bird that my sis gave me last year. It's been up since since December 2007.

FM3 Buddha Machine 2.0

A co-worker just turned me on to this. It appeals to me on so many levels - my weaknesses for Buddhist chants, transistor radios, sound machines... I couldn't press "Buy" fast enough.

Check out the sound samples. Very cool, if you like this sort of thing. At $23, it could be a nice little gift for your fave gadget geek, music nerd or new age-y pal.




The Buddha Machine is a little plastic box that plays music.

Specifically, FM3 constructed nine drones, varying from two seconds to 42 seconds, which repeat endlessly in the listener’s ear until the “track” is switched to the next drone (or the two AA batteries run out).

The machine has its own built-in speaker, in case one would like to fill a room with the drones, but there is also a headphone jack for more personal meditative experiences. There’s a switch on the side that allows for traversal of the tracks, and a DC jack (though an adapter is not included) for those who would like the Buddha Machine experience be truly endless.

In a way, it’s like the cheapest pre-loaded iPod you’ll ever be able to buy.


FM3 BUDDHA MACHINE

(Thanks, Jim!)

*gulp*

Great, simple, clever illustrations by Paul Kreitmann.


I Believe in Advertising | Advertising Blog & Community :: Alka Seltzer - Paparazzi, Bear, Mafia, Magician, Prison

(via The Skinny)

The beer bottle Buddhist Temple.

This is kind of fascinating. It doesn't seem like the most practical building material, but I'm guessing the monks know what they're doing.


The Wat Pa Maha Chedio Kaew temple has found a way to bottle-up Nirvana, literally. The temple, which sits in Thaisland’s Sisaket province, roughly 370 miles northeast of Bangkok is made of more than a million recycled glass bottles. True to its nickname, “Wat Lan Kuad” or “Temple of Million Bottles” features glass bottles throughout the premises of the temple, including the crematorium, surrounding shelters, and yes – even the toilets. There’s an estimated 1.5 million recycled bottles built into the temple, and as you might have guessed, they are committed to recycling more. After all, the more bottles they get, the more buildings they are able to construct.

As Green as it gets...The Beer Bottle...Buddhist Temple. - MyarchN

Robot!

I do love me a cool robot.


Etsy :: bluebellbazaar :: Vintage Gort die cast Robot Space toy

Lunasaurus.

I'm glad to see that Aesthetic Apparatus reprinted their glow-in-the-dark Lunasaurus poster.


We decided to revisit our old friend "Lunasaurus." This time it's a bit larger and twice as likely to satisfy! Here's the old story we like to tell:
You see, this dinosaur has been exiled to the moon for reasons we won't get into. But the big guy wants to get back to ol' momma Earth so badly. So, each night he offers a teary good night to her. (in case you can't see it in our crappy image here it says "good night" in the little talk bubble coming outta his mouth) Anyway, he needs a home! IT GLOWS IN THE DARK! You know for kids...or extremely grown up adult types. Oh, and the blue is sparkly metallic.

Aesthetic Apparatus

Aminals! Cute aminals!

So fab.





Etsy :: SharonMontrose

(via Swissmiss / Chris Glass)

Cow soap.

Lovelove this packaging.


Maxam Cow Milk Soap from China

Holiday flashcards.

A nice alternative to traditional holiday cards. Or an educational tool for those who need a lil schoolin' on their holiday vocab, I suppose.


Etsy :: BrambleberryLane :: HOLIDAY FLASHCARDS

Amazing macro photography.

Brian Valentine

(via Eugene's Blog)

Dustin and Kelly's Engagement Slideshow

Yaaaay, Swissmiss!

My long-distance roommate and little Swiss sister, Tina, is in TimeOut NY this week.


*sniff* I'm so proud *sniff*

Tina Roth Eisenberg - Time Out New York

Kris & Katie's Wedding Slideshow

Baseball-playing nuns.

I love these. They made me giggle.


Etsy :: junkculture :: Vintage Hand Painted Japan Porcelain Nuns Having Fun Figurines

I had no idea they still made these.

The things you learn on twitter. I'd love to see these come back.


Whether displaying genuine interest or upper-class disdain, peering through a hand-held monocle is the quintessential victorian affectation.

Our 5X brass rimmed hand monocle comes with matching 32 inch chain and black velvet storage pouch. Very similar to the simple, hand-held monocles of the mid-nineteenth century. Please note that the magnifier measures 1.75" in diameter and will not fit everyone as an eyepiece.

Glass Monocle with Chain

Knitted animation.

Lovely and amazing song and vid.



(via drawn!)

Brooke & Brandon's Engagement Shoot

Have you ever walked through an airport and wondered if the people you are walking by know people you know, or if you've ever passed them before at the mall or a concert -- you know, the whole six degrees of separation thing? When meeting with Brooke and Brandon for their engagement session, I discovered that I've seen Brandon before as he's brings our deliveries when our regular UPS driver is on vacation! How cool is that?

Another cool thing is how much I enjoyed spending time with these two. They met her first Sunday visiting his church and as Brooke said, he snatched her right up and they've been dating ever since! I can't wait for their June wedding!