Miss Modish- Mojo Maker

Handmade Gift Guide: I felt that...

Felt is a can't-go-wrong-with material as it always ends up being cuddly and cute and tends to put a smile on anyone's face!  If you know someone that needs a snuggly little pick me up this holiday season or something to keep them warm in the winter chill, then consider some felty goodness- it makes for a wonderful gift!  Just take a look!

{an impossible to resist a-doe-able deer and Sonny the golden squirrel by Girl Savage}

{whimsical yet practical felt pouches by Jennifer Gibbs, at Zanisa}

{really contemporary and unique felt and silver jewelry by Colleen Baran}

{beautiful felted scarves by Alyson Fox, at the Reform School}

{adorable hand embroidered felt i-pod cases by Charcoal Designs}

{an oh so cute wee woody sprigs brooch by Keri Rounding, at Copacetique}

{cute little bloom hairpins by ginger & lime}

{classic styles with a modern twist, cute felt hats by RetroRepro Handmade}

{incredible and beautiful rose scarves in lots of wonderful colors, by Harlequin Feltworks}

Handmade Gift Guide: Gifts for workaholics

Is there a workaholic in your life?  Whether you're admitting your own workaholic tendencies or trying to help a workaholic friend, modish is here to support you through it; we have gift ideas that will make a workaholic's day, handmade gifts for the desk obsessed, the task inclined, the all-day chair planted.  Gifts that will make that poor humpback posture straighten up and near-sighted eyes be able to see more than the distance of their computer screen away.  Gifts that will help organize and inspire and add a little whimsy to their everyday.  Hi, I'm Jena, and I'm a workaholic.  I'm here to help. 

{Handy dandy pin + pockets by Sally Shim, at the Reform School}

{Some mini mushroom paper clips and a deco tape and ribbon holder by The Cupcake Girls}

{A Deer in Forest woodburned corkboard and Owl Cute Owl woodburned pencil case by Cabin + Cub}

{An octopus to-do list and polka dot letter pad by Boy Girl Party}

{Vintage fabric push pins by Bethany's Designs}

{A Little Otsu Weekly Planner, printed on recycled paper with soy based inks}

{the cutest stamp sets by the small object}

{A vintage bakelite business card holder and handmade wooden pen}

{Dessert inspired erasers by Edesse Designs}

{And for the super organized, mini file folders for 3x5 size goodies, by Donovan's}

Wrapping it up...

Oh so nice handmade gift wrap to give your presents more, er, presentation! 

Made from 100% recycled paper, these gift wraps from Blossom Creations are stylish and earth-friendly- you just can't go wrong!

There's still time for Hannukah Gifts!

Modish reader Ziva has started a great new design blog called Designist Dream that focuses on art and design from Israel.  Ziva is an expat American who now lives in Israel and found herself fascinated with the sophistication of the art she found there.  She decided that it's a great and unexplored niche, so she decided to share her discoveries with blogland and show just how universal the language of design is, no matter where it's from. 

She's focusing now on a Hanukkah gift guide, so take a peek at Designist Dream and her gift ideas as Hanukkah fastly approaches and discover the world of Israeli design!

Tie a red ribbon 'round the old Spruce tree...

I've found more ornaments that Mr. Tree would be lucky to have adorn him:

Handmade by Megan Auman from sheets of pressed steel, these ornaments would not only pretty up your Christmas tree this year, they'd also be perfect for wine charms or just to decorate your home somewhere.  Regardless, they'll surely be keepsakes for years to come.  Find more colors and nature inspired designs at Megan Auman Home!

Handmade Gift Guide: a girl can NEVER have too much jewelry

I used to be the type of girl who never really wore jewelry, until I started making it myself; I had to, of course, show off my own creations, but then I started to not leave the house without some jewelry on- earrings at the least, or some bangle bracelets or an eye-catching necklace.  Now I'm at the point of addiction and don't feel quite right without some pretty little thing adorning me, basically at all times.  For all the other women out there who feel the same, or just like some pretty jewelry to dress up every once in awhile, it's a gift you just can't go wrong with.  So, here's some of the most unique and luxurious jewelry I could find to make any lady feel all the more special. 

{An incredible anemone leaf cluster necklace and anemone earrings by Abigail Percy}

{A gorgeous, one of a kind, amethyst stalactite necklace by Natural Historie}

{A funky and awesome felt and crochet necklace by kjoo}

{Beautifully revamped vintage space age betty earrings and you are my nectar necklace by Pequitobun}

{The fused glass Saturn ring by Amy Burhoe and crocheted Virginia ring by Recycled Rings, at Cut + Paste}

{Eco friendly crysanthemum earrings and honey locust necklace by Prismera Design, at Modishoppe}

{The simple but oh so sweet Devendra necklace and palm leaf earrings by Erica Weiner}

{Fun and funky, one of a kind, after school special earrings by Mood Swing}

{The centipede bracelet by Sweet Thunder and the swim, swam, swum bracelet by Nek, both made from vintage pieces)

{Classic vintage intial necklaces by day-lab}

We have a winnaahh!

Thanks to everyone who entered yesterday's mini Cyber Monday giveaway!  I've published all your comments, rolled the virtual dice, and the lucky winner is commenter #26, miss Hilary S!  Congrats Hilary!  Please let me know your mailing address and your beautiful posters will be swiftly mailed out to you!

And everyone stay tuned for MORE FREE STUFF than you can shake a stick at, make that, shake a tall tree at!  There will be a HUGE, DOUBLE, HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY announced next week- there's so much stuff, my eyes are crossing at the thought of organizing it all- boo for me, but yay for you!  There will be TWO separate giftboxes for TWO different winners, each filled with fun stuff that you can give away as gifts (or keep for yourself!)

What's a Christmas tree without some sequins?

I just bought these pretty little, sparkly bird ornaments to decorate Mr. Tree:

But all these (and more!) still need homes!

Find them at The Paper Bluebird, it'll lift your wings!

Handmade Gift Guide: Gifts for Tech Lovers

Welcome to the first installment of what will be 2 weeks worth of all handmade gift guides!  Yahoo!  Starting with a type of gift that lies close to my ever-quaking geeky heart, gifts for tech lovers! 

As a techie, digitized, gadget freak, I can stare and drool for hours over ipods, cameras, computers and stereos, oh my!  Although the items themselves are of the large scale mass production kind, it's easy to find wonderful handmade accessories that'll keep them protected and let the owner's personality shine through!  Plus, lucky for us, it's a lot cheaper buying a handmade i-pod case than the i-pod itself, so don't be wary to shop for your techie friends cause even geeks like handmade goods! 

{A sleek felt and leather laptop case by Working Class Heroes- handmade in Austria!}

{Cuter than cute iPod Nano cozy by Annamatic}

{Mousepads featuring artwork from tons of amazing artists, by My Favorite Mirror}

{Cassette tape and vinyl pillow covers for old school music lovers, by pOOm plastick}

{A furry fuzzy iPhone Monster by Marty Flint at Shana Logic}

{Cute enough to eat cel phone charms by Coonies Handmade Gifts}

{cozy felt iPod cases by Suezybees}

{modern laptop bags by Snap Design at Cut + Paste}

{A Super iPod that actually works!  Cuddle up with your music thanks to Electronic Crafts}

A Cyber Monday Giveaway!

Today is supposed to be the biggest internet shopping day of the year, so why not take a little break from spending money and get something FREE today too!  Like a super cool Fungi Poster and Seed Pod Poster from Wolfie and the Sneak for instance?  Why yes, I think that sounds swell!

WIN ONE OF EACH OF THESE POSTERS, WORTH $50 total!

How can you win?

• Go to the Wolfie and the Sneak page in Modishoppe and find the calendar (which is sold out right now but more are coming soon!)
• Take a look at the calendar and note what image is used for the month of September. 
• Come back here and leave a comment with your answer (just be general in your description, "flowers" or "umbrellas" or whatever it may be is fine...)

That's it!  Comments won't actually appear on the post so no one can cheat, but rest assured, I can see them.  And tomorrow morning, I'll publish all the comments and choose ONE winner randomly from those who answered correctly- be sure to leave your email address when commenting so I can contact you if you win! 

Good luck, and have fun shopping this cyber Monday!  It's a great day to support all the little indie shops you see on this blog!

Decking the halls

(<-- Mr. Tree  His future's so bright, he's gotta wear shades.) 

I've been searching around this morning for some Christmas ornaments for our kitschy new Mr. Tree, and other wintery decorations because I'm feeling awfully nostalgic this year and have decided to decorate my house for Christmas for the first time since I moved out of my parent's house (some 7 years ago now...)  I'm always at other family member's homes for Christmas so never really felt the need to decorate before, but now that I work from home and spend lots of time here, not to mention the fact that I now have a little family of my own with live-in boyfriend and kitties in tow, I thought it'd be nice to add some holiday cheer to my office and the rest of the house this year.

Anyway, along my search, I stumbled upon these wonderful yarn wreaths from The Constant Gatherer and thought they were so unique and beautiful, I just had to share, even on a Sunday:

Made from yarn and string and bits o' things with vintage embellishments, silk ribbons and more, these wreaths are sure to add the holiday cheer I've been searching for...the only problem is deciding which one I want...damn these decisions!  Find these along with more wreaths and decorations at The Constant Gatherer.

Sponsor Spotight: Manic Trout

Visit Manic Trout for fun jewelry and gorgeous original art.  Use code "205080100" at checkout for free shipping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm super burnt out and need a little blogging break, so I'm saying my Happy Thanksgiving to you all a bit early, and I'll return to you rested and renewed (hopefully) next Monday with the start of 2 weeks worth of gift guides!  So, happy Tofurkey Day! (or in my case, happy Quorn Turk'y Roast Day- those are SO good!!) 

I'm so thankful for all of you who read this blog whether it's everyday, once in a blue moon or you just happened to stumble upon it today- you keep me going and I LOVE hearing from you.  Thank you all!

I'm extremely thankful to my sponsors here and customers at Modishoppe who have allowed me to give up "workin' for the man" and make this my full time gig.  It's still scary and stressful being self-employed, but I'm so thankful for the opportunity to at least give it a try!

I'm also thankful for the incredible array of handmade goodness that just keeps on growing, continually inspiring me and giving me fodder for this blog.  Thank you creative wonders for giving me purpose!  And joy!

And I'm thankful for all the new virtual friends I've made over the course of this year, thankful for small hellos and little gifts, hand-written notes and thoughtful emails.  I hope to get the opportunity to thank you all in person someday! 

And finally, I'm thankful that instead of sitting on the computer alllll day, right now I'm going to go do some yoga and then eat pancakes!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  See you Monday!

{Anti-turkey badge :: Crochet Turkey Hat pattern}

Some pre-holiday specials...

Element Nineteen is celebrating their 2 year anniversary with a sale, starting with a range of necklaces that are only $10-12!  New items will be added to the sale section every week throughout December, so check in often!

Henry Road is offering a special on their super cool totes from now thru Dec 20th- they've been marked down to $24.50 and will ship for free with free gift wrapping too!  Hurrah!

And Vitamin (D)esign is offering a special 20% off discount on orders over $50, now thru Dec 24th!  Use code: HOLIDAY2007 at checkout to get the dealio! (do people say that word anymore?  hmm...)

Turkey Day Prepped?

With Thanksgiving and the myriad of other holidays coming up, I can see entertaining in your near future.  And luck has it that Etsy asked me to be this week's trendspotter and find some of the best picks for setting the table and making your guests feel at home, with the added bonus of a little autumnal flair.  Take a peek at my favorite finds and ideas for making your table look oh so inviting in the Etsy Storque!

New goodies in the shoppe!

Have you stopped by Modishoppe lately to see what's new? 

There's cool wood panel paintings by Dolan Geiman:

Gorgeous new jewelry from Prismera Design:

New calendars from JHill and Wolfie & the Sneak:

And new tees and jewelry from Underdog Ink:

There's lots of giftee goodness to be had!

You're super!

Everybody has a bit of a secret identity, you know, that part of you that you consider to be extra special but you can't necessarily share with your workmates, friends or acquaintances.  It's that super part of you that lets you eat the 3rd donut without gaining any weight or allows you to draw a near perfect circle totally freehand, the part that can always tell where the beans from the coffee you're drinking were grown...Nicaragua!  Embrace your super powers, whatever they may be, with this awesome secret identity series by esta sketch:

These one of a kind pieces combine actual vintage comic book pages with simple line drawings for a super duper effect.  Express your inner hero with a cool secret identity print of your own!  Up up, and away!

Blue Ribbon bags and the glow

It looks like Ted and Angie, the brilliant team behind Poketo, were not just having fun on their recent trip to Korea, they were being productive too!  They brought home some in-cred-i-ble new finds from designers they met on their trip, like these awesome, FAKE bags by Zinoo Park:

A critique on "the idolization of brand names and the prevalence of knock-offs", this hot pop art bag (which has a different image on each side and is reversible to a solid blue!) is not only statement making in its design, if you use it as an alternative to a plastic or paper shopping bag, it will be statement making in purpose as well.  Part of only 100 made for an art exhibit, snag yours while you can!

And while you're there, take at look at these brilliantly delicate handmade lampshades by Kouichi Okamoto- just pop in a light bulb and cord, and enjoy the glow:

Look at that sprout grow!

I'm happy to announce that modish sponsor, modishoppe seller, internet buddy, crafter extraordinaire and sweet lady Jenifer of Sprout Studio has a new website!  Yay!  Created by Aeolidia (who also designed modishoppe, yahoo!), the new site highlights Jen's creations and creativity so well and lets her world of wonderful goods shine through.  See what's sprouting up at the new site and congratulate Jenifer with a little "add to cart" action, hmm?

Finnish re-defined

You hear the words "traditional Finnish costumes" and you might conjure up an image of these guys, hmm?

{photo from Finnish National Costumes}

I personally think they're stylin, especially the Finnish version of Dirty Harry there in the middle, but regardless of style, what can be agreed upon is that the patterns and colors in these costumes are very vibrant, and very cool.  Oprikka takes the appeal of those colorful folk textiles and integrates them into bags and accessories that mesh better with today's modern style maven:

Mirka, the designer behind Oprikka goods, wants to bring her Finnish traditions into contemporary lifestyle with fun accessories and home goods, and I think she does just that, in a very lovely way.  Check out more folk fabulous goodies at Oprikka!