Miss Modish- Mojo Maker

Rearing to go!

Gift the gift that every girl loves, jewelry!  But hip, unique, vintage jewelry under $40?  Erica Weiner's got it in droves!  
For starters, check out this cute horse necklace featuring a vintage cameo style plastic pendant with oh so debonair horses on it.  You don't have to ride horses (or even really like them) to think this necklace is stylee, hung from vintage copper colored brass.  It'd go perfect with right now's cute thermals and flannel tops- rustic yet sophisticated, girly yet sporty, for $30 you can have your horse and wear it too!  For more great gift ideas, check out Erica's other lovely designs in her shop!

Featured Sponsor: Supermaggie!

Need to find the perfect accessory, but can't bear the mall? Well, never fear, Supermaggie is here! With tees, brooches, stuffed creatures, their rad Slaughterhead wallets and gorgeous hand-felted scarves, Supermaggie has got what you need this holiday season to stay warm and stylish! 
Check out everything Supermaggie has to offer and get 10% off with the code Modish1206, good thru 12/31/06!

Site of the Week: Gifts Define

For a one stop shop for cute gifts and stocking stuffers, look no further than Gifts Define!  The site features oh so adorable mini dolls called InDOLLgences which are handmade by Irma Niekum- there's a whole range of holiday treats to choose from and the best part?  They're all under $40! 

These "holiday birds" and "o holi trees" would make excellent ornaments or Christmas party favors:

Or, check out these adorable reindeer and decorative little "santa girls":

Or, for a gift someone can use all year round, choose a sweet little doll from the Fun Animals collection!

Each doll is handmade with lots of love and attention and can be used in so many different ways!  Check out the full line of amazing little creatures and put a smile on someone's face this year with a gift from Gifts Define!

Handy Hooks

Giving a gift that someone can actually use is always a welcomed plus.  Something fun, yet functional, eye catching and handy dandy all at the same time.  Something like this "wall art with hooks" by Fluffy Co. perhaps?  Why yes, yes that's exactly it!
Weighing in at only $26 buckaroos, these hooks will pretty up your nook while also organizing it a bit.  Put it by the door to hang your keys, or by a stylish vintage mirror to hang your necklaces, or perhaps keep it in the office for a scissor/plier/crafty thing keeper.  The sky's the limit, and your budget doesn't have to be.  Get one for yourself and one as a gift for someone else!  There's free shipping on all orders over $75.  I think I may have to partake in a little fluff myself!

Detox rocks!

I think that some of the best gifts to give (and receive) are gifts that pamper, because we too often forget to pamper ourselves, yeah?  Biggs and Featherbelle has got us covered on the pampering front with lovely, colorful gift boxes filled with health minded bath goodies, like this Detox Box!

This $30 gift box includes a sampling of goodies that will help clear your mind and detox your body- there's an achy muscles massage bar, muscle soak, detoxifying bar soap and a dry skin body brush to exfoliate.  A perfect gift for the marathon runner/yogaholic/pilates teacher/avid dog walker in your life.  Find this kit at Cut & Paste, and check out more gift ideas at the Biggs and Featherbelle shop!

*Oh, and while we're on the bath and body front, you can find more great handmade b&b products from indie designers all in one spot in the anise & currant gift guide!

Chum up your glum

The winter blues don't have to get you down when you have a lovely scarf to keep you warm (and stylish!) like this one from Alena Hennessy!
This suuuuuper long and luxurious scarf is soft and supple and would be perfect for a "chilly" Southern evening or what's left of these fall days.  And, at only $28, it would make a lovely gift for an even lovelier lady!  I'm diggin' the icy blue against the charcoal grey color combo, but it also comes in your choice of a white print on blue or khaki.  And guess what?  You can get one FREE with a purchase of $65 or more at Alena's shop!  Or, if you're not into scarves, choose a matted print for free instead.  Just let her know you "love modish" in the notes at checkout, and give her the details of what you'd like your free gift to be.  Choose your weapon and may the scarf be with you! 

Deck the halls with art!

Art makes a wonderful gift for just about anyone- whether they're an art connoisseur or not, everyone likes to have some color hanging on their walls.  But to find wonderful art pieces for under $40?  Tough, but not impossible with people like Jaime Zollars around! 

With her small prints selling at $25 each, you can get a piece for everyone on your list with money to spare (I suggest using it to buy one for yourself!)  I can honestly say I enjoy every piece for sale in Jamie's shop, but I was especially intrigued by this fantastical, "Marmalade Sky" print inspired by an Italian folktale with a diverse flock of colorful birds making up the "leaves" of the trees.  All of her pieces are as imaginative and original as this- check them all out at Jamiezollars.com!

Overjoyed with Bettyjoy!

Another wordly find for you straight from Bettyjoy's little cottage in the north of England, this super cute Rosetti Cutout Clutch by Sugar Cane.   
I love the earth toned color combo and the vintage Art Nouveau style floral print on this great clutch.  Plus the little cutout handle is not only simple, it's unique and stylish.  It has a reinforced bottom to hold all your goods and a vintage button closure to secure them nicely.  And at $17.50 euros, unless there's recently been some huge increase in the conversion rate I'm not aware of, this is well under $40 and well worth the price.  Find it only at Bettyjoy, along with a bunch of other great handmade goods!

Being an egghead's not so bad

First up, both an announcement and a great gift find- Jessica & Nancy Lim, the talented sisters behind Wild Garden clothing and the design blog, modamuse, which features indie designers from Australia and New Zealand, have just opened a modamuse shop!  It too features goods from Australian and NZ designers, including the likes of OMA who made this cute little nesting owl egg warmer!
Made from felt, this hand-embroidered little breakfast buddy is designed to keep your boiled egg warm and comes with the little white egg holder.  Perhaps you're not a boiled egg fan?  (I for one, have never even tried one...) Nonetheless, this cute little creature can keep your kitchen utensils dust free, or can cover up your egg shaped kitchen timer when you're not using it.  At only $18.17 US, this would be a great gift for your food connoisseur or kitchen laden friend.  And, with free international shipping until Dec 31st, I suggest you peruse around the many lovely finds at modamuse!

Gifts under $40 week!

If you're not all shopped out after the long holiday weekend (I for one haven't even gotten started!) than look no further than Modish for all your gift giving ideas!  For the next week, I'll be featuring wonderful handmade gifts under $40.  Why $40?  Because 4 is my favorite number, $40's about the average that I like to spend on people (unless they've been very very good this year) and because it's alliterative!  So there ya go, stay tuned this week for finds from all over the world that'll cost ya no more than 40 buckaroos!  And, starting Mon, Dec 4th, I'll be featuring finds for specific people on your list in all price ranges.  Remember, there's no need to brave the crowded strip malls this season- stick with Modish and shop indie!

Keep your green greener!

A wallet would make an excellent gift for almost anyone, especially that friend of yours who's been carrying around a Hawaiian print Roxy wallet with a hot pink velcro closure for the past 10 years.  Get her something a little more grown up, hmm?  Like this young and hip yet sophisticated wallet from Quiet Doing! 
This Leaves of Grass (which is also the name of one of my favorite books, so that's another plus) wallet can hold your big girl checkbook and all your big girl credit cards as well as the semi-occasional cash that may show up (my cash pocket seems to always have receipts instead, hmmm...)  This vinyl Vegan friendly wallet is all the more welcoming with a fun color combo in forest, mint and lime greens.  Find this and more handy dandy goods at Quiet Doing! 

Cozy cute

For those of you who are back at work today, or have decided to nix the crazy Black Friday crowds in favor of shopping indie (good for you!!) I'll bring you a couple more Etsy finds today.  First up, this super cute scarflette from mmm... fiber!
This unique scarflette is a wonderful alternative to big bulky scarves and would be ideal for wearing indoors along with a flowery thermal top.  Functional and warm, this is made from super chunky wool yarn and features scalloped edges and a great button closure.  It would be an awesome present for your sweater bound friends (like me, who somehow still seems to be cold even in the middle of summer.)  This style also comes in a plum, pink and charcoal gray- try one of each to go with everything in your winter wardrobe!  Check out more scarflette designs and other fun accessories at mmm... fiber!

Gobble gobble!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope you have a wonderful, food filled day!  This year, I'm thankful to have started Modish, to have stuck with it, and to have wonderful readers and sponsors like you all!  Thank you for stopping by, thank you for commenting, thank you for sharing your wonderful talents with me, and thank you for your continued support of Modish and the indie shops that it stands by.  I appreciate it so much, and am grateful for the success that you all have helped Modish achieve.  I hope for it to continue to be fun and enjoyable for everyone!  Thank you thank you thank you for supporting indie art and design!  Now, back to eating!

Ring my bell

Pretty jewelry is an essential accessory to add some shine to any holiday party outfit, and with a little jingle added to your jewels, the festivities (and endless compliments) will never end!  Take this Calla Lily Bell necklace that actually jingles as you walk! 
This unique piece by Rachael Sudlow features a silver cone that's polished on the outside and oxidized on the inside, with a hand cut brass stamen inside that acts as a little bell.  It's hung asymmetrically on sterling chain and its cool sculptural quality is sure to inspire lots of wows.  Check out the entire line of fun silver jewelry in Rachael's shop, a surefire spot to find gift worthy goods!

Holla for Holland!

With Scandinavian design all the rage, a hip, modern styled bag from Katrina Kaye would make for the perfect gift for any design fiend!  Made from a vintage army bag with loads of handy dandy compartments (I'm a sucker for pockets/ compartments/helpful organizing tools) this Gyroscope tote has been revamped with amazing, original Scandinavian fabric from the 60's & 70's. 
Eco-friendly and hip, find more bag designs like this in more great fabric choices at Katrina Kaye!  These are handmade in Amsterdam, so you better act fast and cash in on their free int'l shipping deal, good thru Dec 5th!

Green with adorable!

Yeah, that subject line doesn't make much sense.  But, the adorable quotient of this hoodie does! 
It's made from scratch from super soft, stretchy, green sweatshirt material (say that 5 times fast!) and features cute animal print fabric on the chest, the interior of the hood and on the elbows!  Made by sewing extraordinaire, Whitney, of nice face, this hoodie would make an inexpensive, super unique gift for your fashionable friend (I would probably keep this one for myself tho....)  Beware a barrage of compliments from anyone who may be lucky enough to receive such an awesome gift from you!

Am I in Oz yet?

It's been a blustery day, both in the 80 mile an hour winds out and the whirlwind of craziness that's happening in my little world today!  I feel like I should be home, on the couch, watching the tube by now, is it really only 3:30?  Oh man...well, here's a little something to soothe me and any other worrisome, harried people out there, a gorgeous (and super inexpensive!) art print from Manymuses:
Is it a photograph?  A painting?  A little bit of both?  I'm not sure, but I do know that it's lovely.  I love days like this the best- overcast with a hint of threatening orange looming against the sky and the bright contrast of the green grass- it's gorgeous and very moody.  This Horizon print would make an awesome gift for the art lover or art curious friend and would add a subtle and inviting feel to any corner of any room.  Check out more inspired prints featuring trees, crows and old country roads at Manymuses!

The cat's out of the bag...

This is very pre-emptive, but my I can't keep a secret from you all any longer.  There's something a'brewin' beneath the surface of Modish...it's the Modishoppe!

It will be a place to find many of the indie goods we so covet, all in one place.  Look for it to surface after the holiday craziness, early next spring.  Why am I telling you now?  Because a) I'm too excited about it not to tell you and I've been keeping it a secret for too long now b) telling you will force me to actually get it done (yes, I'm that much of a procrastinator) and c) so you can get stoked on the idea!  Of course you'll hear about the release when it happens.  For now, just let it sink into your subconscious...modishoppe is coming...modishoppe is coming....

The time has come...

...to buy a vintage charm necklace from t8designs!
Check out this gorgeous and unique "the time has come for pretty things" charm necklace.  It features a locket at the helm with a pretty floral needlepoint design, a diamond shaped watch pendant that still keeps time, a five leaved brass charm and a cool black cameo with a filigree edge.  Each charm is vintage and has its own little story to tell.  Give a gift that's one-of-a-kind to a friend, sister, girlfriend or yourself!  Check out more swanky sweet jewelry at the t8designs shop!

On the contrary

People like me (writers) tend to have notes scattered all about with little written reminders, story ideas, web addresses, etc.  For some reason, it still seems more pertinent, more real if it's written down and not just electronically floating about in some cyberland calendar or something.  So what's a perfect gift for me or scatterbrains like me?  A cool journal to house all those thoughts!
Like this unique one, handmade by Mary Andrews of Contrary!  This journal, made from paper featuring vintage style letterpress letters is bound with a yellow thread using a Chinese technique, and filled with thick lined paper.  Give the gift of organization this year with a super unique journal!  Check out Contrary for this and more great gifts including jewelry, scarves, pincushions, cards and much more!