LOCHER'S Paris

i know, i know, i'm a bad blogger. but i'm back! (i seem to be saying that a lot lately. sorry.)

i've had a few email from readers who make lovely things. monique from LOCHER's Paris wrote to tell me about their irreverently awesome line of tops and accessories. here's what she had to say:

"We create sweet embroidered romantic tops featuring a variety of gentle shapes with wispy embellishments in dusty pastel shades like decadent French desserts. HOWEVER, our clothing is anything but sweet and naive. The embroidery is of the most delicate little florals and sweet birds that may remind you of the needlepoint designs your grandmother used to detail pillows and such, but are contradicted only by discreetly placed playful phrase using very naughty potty-mouthed words.....Its perfect for that girl who wants to say "Come here" and "Go Away" at the same time."

sounds great, no? the website is lovely, the tops sweet and naughty. perfect!

oh, and monique wanted me to let you know that they are currently having a menage a trois sale - buy any 3 items and get 1 necklace of your choice for free!

DIY for the holidays

holy crap, it's almost november. and then it will be december.  and that means christmas and lots of gift giving.  

mr. m  and i are a little cash strapped this year (and every year of my life so far. this is nothing new), so our loved ones will be receiving homemade gifts (also nothing new).

if you're in the same boat, which, thanks to the quality of our economy at the moment, i assume most of you are, i've assembled a little collection of sites that have lots of great projects for the crafty.

and if you're not so crafty, and happen to have put aside some cash for holiday spending, remember to buy handmade!

threadbanger is for the sewing, project runway loving, wannabe fashion designer.

craftster is an online crafting community.  lots of ideas here!

instructables offers just what the name implies.

cut out and keep offers step-by-step instructions.

for the green crafters, there's recycled crafts.  save the planet while being crafty!

white and bright

i want to live here.

elisabeth of fine little day's studio is so gorgeous. it's airy and bright, spacious and immaculately decorated.

i love it!

a way with words

someday i want a little nook decorated just like sweet paul did in a recent article for country living, about using the written word in craft.  gorgeous.  want that globe. badly.

via freshly found.

shim and sons

you must check out shim and sons' beautiful blog. it's full of pretty pictures and loads of their gorgeous work. you can buy it here. isn't it pretty?

flavor paper

flavor paper makes the most fantastic (and generally outrageous) wallpapers.

wallpaper is back in style, you know.

all of their paper is hand screened. and, i shit you not, they make scratch & sniff paper. i am totally not kidding.

even better, a portion of proceeds (from the scratch & sniff paper) goes the the human rights campaign.

way cool.

brag post

i just have to do a little bragging. please indulge me.

when mr. m left me to head west, it was for a job shooting for the arizona republic's magazines in phoenix. he has been doing some really fabulous work lately, and i wanted to share!

check out more here.

precious meshes

check out the gorgeous work of precious meshes, who creates jewelry by actually crocheting the metals. what a cool concept! here's how she describes it:

"Each piece is stitched by hand out of metal, using spools of wire and ordinary crochet hooks. All metal is either fine silver, sterling silver or 14k goldfill."

sweet.

the small object (blog!)

sarah of the small object makes the coolest tiny things. love them! i just discovered her blog today, and wanted to share it with you. but be sure to check out her shop, too!

kristen doran design

i've long admired the work of kristen doran (and read her blog!) so i thought it was high time i posted about her lovely textiles.

i love them all, but especially sweet are her new ladybug designs. enjoy!

necklace love

love these necklaces! i say you can never have too many, right mom? some day i aspire to have a jewelry drawer like you. . .

how striking! by green leaf and owl.

need a little luck in you life? by emily elizabeth jewelry.

this is so lovely! by lauren haupt.

so cute! by kelly lynn raspa.

love this silhouette! by lucky me beads.

tick tock

i love these wall clocks by decoylab design studio. what a great modern twist on the cuckoo clock!

purse lust

i think i'm craving a new handbag. check out this lovely collection, all on my want list!


this pretty clutch is by LouLouBell.


uniques makes gorgeous upcycled bags. she says "Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value." hooray!


pocket carnival makes super cute clutches and coin purses.



anisa of makool has opened an etsy shop, and has some adorable bags for sale.

she also has some gorgeous, unique bags on the makool site.




i LOVE this polka dot clutch by luii. (polka dots, lobo!) she also has a lovely blog.


enju modern & handmade has some fun bags. i recognize that fabric!



i love this clutch by the lonely octopus. it's made of paper and vinyl! cute!