Emily Ryan ~ Sculptural Softness

I can’t say enough about this Northwest designer from Portland, Emily Ryan.  I absolutely love her sculptural pieces made of soft comfortable fabrics, such as organic cotton.  Her designs are so defined and detailed, yet so wearable for everyday. Each piece is custom ordered and made by Emily in house. Check out her amazing work here.

Hand Over Fist ~ Obama Bandanas

When I saw these Obama Bandanas from Hand Over Fist on Design*Sponge the other day I had to have one. But-I had to make it into a pillow of course! Some chocolate brown thread and white fabric and Voila, a memorable pillow. Get you Obama Bandana here for only $8.00.

[above is my Obama pillow]

WasteNotSaks ~ keeping baggies out of landfills

I love the concept of these eco-friendly reusable bags for lunch items such as sandwiches & snacks from WasteNotSaks.  Handmade with super cute fabrics lined with water restistant nylon and they are machine washable too!  I gave up using baggies about a year ago, and reuse plastic containers.  But these are so much better, your not risking any chemicals from unknown PVC substances and whatever other nasty stuff they put in plastic to make it.  Plus you will save so much money using these instead of baggies! Prices are nice too, ranging from $5.50-$16.00.  Ode to no baggies floating in our oceans!

Under the Sea ~ from Supermarket

I have to mention these fellow “Supermarketer’s” for my love for sea creatures. Go to Supermarket to see all the other lovely goodies from indie designers.

Pufferbot art print by Hamburgerpanda. So cute! 8.5″ x 11″ $22.50

Silver Seahorse cuff bracelet from Swizzlet. Cast from a vintage swizzle stick! $70.00

Urchin bowl from Heather Knight @ Element Clay Studio. Perfect for votives or to hold desk accessories. $ 45.00

Lure Catalog.02 by Sub-Studio. I love this collection of fresh water lures! My husband is an avid fisherman, so this is stylin’ art for us both, definitely on my wish list. 17″ x 7″ $30.00

Organic Seahorse Pillow from Humble. With Kapok or Bamboo insert. 18″ x 18″ $82-$96

Octopi Cup by CAKE. Good for drinks, flowers or pencils. $14.00/each

Manabot & Robatee card set from Hamburgerpanda. These are just simply adorable. (2) cards per pack, $20.00

SusyJack* ~ Contemporary Desk Goodies

I came across these perfect paper products today, Susy Jack has created these lovely clips to keep all your papers in tack and other colorful desk accessories to cheer up a boring desk.  Everything is eco-friendly (made of 100% recycled paper) and handmade in the US.  Cute, Eco-Friendly and Handmade, what more could you ask for?

Stylin’ Pet Beds ~ Hepper Home

Hepper Home from Vermont has created the worlds coolest pet bed. They knew that there was a better way to live among pet accessories without looking like a crazy cat lady and still keep small critters cozy. I love the Podium bed, it is lined with cozy cotton sherpa and can hold up to 50 pounds of cuteness. Available at Supermarket.

Fun Kitchen Towels ~ Artgoodies

100% cotton dish towels over wasteful paper towels…any day!!  These lovely kitchen towels by ARTGOODIES are hand printed with one of the artist’s original linocut block prints and custom mixed inks.  I think these designs are so perfect for the kitchen and for $15, make a great gift too! At Elsewares.

Alicia Bock ~ Stunning Photography

I love the soft feel of Alicia Bock’s photography.  She uses vintage cameras for some of her shots that creates a vintage look, almost as if the photos were taken 20 years ago.  She also has a special talent for color, I love the soft blues in her ocean and sky shots.  Each print is available in different sizes or in note cards.  Check out her amazing work here.

Solar Panel Totebag

I think this bag is genius! It has a flexible solar panel on one side that charges a battery pack inside which you plug all your devices into when your on the go (or at home). Perfect for traveling or when you are cruisin’ through the city all day. Check it out here.

Vivavi ~ Amazing Sustainable Furniture

I am obsessed with the pieces that Josh Dorfman, founder of Vivavi has chosen for his store in New York.  Everything he chooses is renewable, recycled, toxin free, reclaimed….basically 100% green.  The pieces below wowed me because it proves that you can have eco-friendly pieces without losing the decorative design element that many of us love. Check out his online store and the array of green pieces here.

Jalex Studios ~ Reclaimed Wood Goodness

These beautiful reclaimed wood vases from Jalex Studios are simply the perfect alternative to a glass vase. I love the fact that reclaimed woods (like bamboo flooring) and other recycled hardware (like wood window brackets) are used in all of Jalex Studios products.

Sea Bags ~ Made of Recycled Sails…Brilliant!

I have to mention this fellow vendor of mine from the upcoming {Unique} show, Sea Bags.  Hannah Kubiak and Beth Shissler create these environmentally conscious bags from recycled sails, that have sailed the high seas.  No two bags are alike and there is a variety of sail designs to choose from.  I love the concept behind these totes and that the owners give back to the community and support causes too (they have a collection of bags with proceeds going to breast cancer research, Cure Bags). The handles are made of thick rope handmade in the Sea Bag studio in Portland, Maine.  I will definitely be checking them at at {Unique}.

Greeting cards that give Thanks ~ to friends & the environment

Happy Thanksgiving! All the greeting cards below are made from recycled materials post consumer waste and/or chlorine free paper. Also they are printed with soy based or vegatable inks. Get your greeting card on for the holiday season!

A set of 2 for $5.00. Designed by Ayumi Piland. Blank inside. Printed with Soy-based ink. Paper is 100% Recycled, 100% Post-Consumer Waste, Processed Chlorine Free. Comes with an 100% Recycled Post Consumer Waste white envelope in a protective biodegradable clear sleeve. 4.25″ x 5.5″. So Adorable! Check out all Ayumi’s work here.

Set of 6 with hand-made envelopes for $10.00. Made by Tommymama. These images are hand-printed using a relief rubber block printing method. The cards are printed using non-toxic vegetable-based ink on recycled, acid-free,chlorine-free, archival 80lb paper. The card is 4 7/8″ x 3 5/8″ and blank inside. Unique and multi-purpose, I love the video camera.

Set of 8 for $28.00. Designed by Michael Bartalos for Branch. Cards and envelopes are made of 100% recycled paper, printed with soy-based inks, 4.5″ x 6″ & blank inside. Packaged in a recycled-paperboard box. Mod graphics and the forever mysterious owl.

Velouria ~ Seattle

Last time I was in Seattle, I came across this lovely little shop in Ballard, Velouria.  A store that only carries merchandise made by independent designers.  Never mass produced and made in the local Northwest area.  They have cute unique dresses, poppy graphic wallets and bags, super cute jewelry by an array of designers.  If you are in the Seattle area, click here for details on Velouria.

Porcelain Coffee Cup

If you bring this porcelain coffee cup to your latte stand in the morning, you can still feel like your having your morning latte in a proper cup without adding to our landfills or not using that old purple plastic coffee mug from one of your Mom’s trade shows circa 1991. Click here to get it and check out the other unexpected finds at the Curiousity Shoppe. Viva morning Latte!

{UNIQUE} Independent Designer Sale ~ Los Angeles, CA

If you aren’t in the So Cal area on December 13-14, you need to be!  The {UNIQUE} independent designer sale is gonna be the one stop shop for all your holiday shopping.  With 165 unique, creative, fabulous vendors to choose from..including Humble! There will also be a {green} area dedicated to eco-fab designers.  It will be  at the California Market Place penthouse in downtown LA.  Everything from fashion, housewares, accessories and paper goods.  For all details about the show, click here and check out the images below, just a sample of some of the amazing finds.

Sea Bags

Sonja Rasula

Humble

Rojas

Porterness

NotNeutral

Tiselle

Jennifier Renninger ~ Classic Illustrations

I love these illustrations by Jennifer Renninger.  Especially the ’08 take on the British poster “Keep Calm & Carry On” to a more eco-version “Keep Calm & Ride On”.   Jennifer also made a vow to make a new illustration each day of the entire year, the “Everyday Image” series. The Paris print is part of that series, you can see her progress it here.

Brookadelphia

I know this is a little off the subject, but I had to mention these laser cut acrylic statement necklaces from sister team Brookadelphia. My faves are in the photos below and you can see and shop the entire collection here. I don’t think I can live without the Unicorn one…must.have.now!

Melissa Borrell ~ Fantasy Shade

This is such a gorgeous idea for a window with a not so pleasant view. Melissa Borrell Design has created these 36″ x 60″ window shades to create a fantasy world outside your window. They keep the harmful UV rays out while still letting in light. She also does custom orders for any size windows. Thanks for creating a beautiful alternative to the standard plastic pulldown!

Earthlust ~ Gorgeous Water Bottles

I can’t believe it has taken this long to perfect the water bottle. Well Allison of Earthlust has done so. She created the bottles when her son was born and she realized protecting her families health, and creating a product good for the environment was top priority. These beautiful H2O bottles are made of #304 food grade stainless steel, which is naturally safe unlined. The bottles are custom design – not stock bottles. Art is printed with non-toxic paints and BPA-free safe polypropelene #5 caps. I can’t wait to buy one at the {Unique} independent designer sale in LA!