Shipping gifts

Buying online and sending as a gift without seeing the piece first?  Here are a few things to consider when choosing what to buy, and where to buy from:

1.  Does the store offer gift-wrapping?  And is there a charge?  Part of the fun of a gift is the unveiling, and opening a cardboard box to find a wrapped gift inside is so special.  Even if it is just tissue with a sticker, packaging is important!

2. What about a gift message?  If they do, be sure to include one, if for no better reason than so the person you are sending it knows who it is from.  They will want to know to thank you for their gift.

3.  What is their return policy?  To avoid the dreaded fate of ending up in the “re-gifting” drawer, if there is any uncertainty on the gift be sure to buy from a shop with a good return policy.  You’re giving a gift because you want the recipient to have something they like and will use, after all.

4. Where are they shipping from?  For US customers this doesn’t seem to be so much of an issue since customs is seldom collected by the USPS, but for anyone outside of the US it can be an added expense.  It varies from country to country, but across the board I’ve heard that customs are more likely to be charged on parcels shipped from a company, rather than one that looks like it is shipped from an individual, even if it is insured.  If you’re shipping a gift overseas, do some research.  You’d hate to have the recipient of your gift have to pay 10% of the value to get it from the post office!

5. What shipping method do they use? Will it require a signature? If you’re shipping or giving something that will not just be left on the doorstep if the recipient isn’t home, consider sending it to their office instead.  That way you can be sure there is someone there to sign for it.  After all, how many people really want to drive to the UPS, FedEx, or USPS pick-up sites on the weekend?

Just things to consider with the holidays fast approaching!

Happy giving,

C

Leave the tag on

For Father’s Day this year I bought my husband a tie from Gresham Blake in Brighton.  Since we were there for his work and I neglected to pack my wrapping paper, I asked the friendly and purple-haired saleswoman if she could wrap it for me.  She said that they had a bit of tissue she could put it in, and asked me if I would like her to take the price tag of.  I said “Yes, please,”  and asked “does anyone actually say no to that?”  She replied, “You’d be surprised.  Some people want the person to know how much they paid.”

How bizarre!  Well, I guess then I need not have been so embarrassed last I gave a gift with the price tag still attached if some people do that on purpose!

xo,

C

Baby, baby

Putting together a baby gift?  I have some suggestions, and where not all are handmade, they are luxurious and unusual, and would surely be treasured by the new parents.

Possibly the best, and most adorable rattle, of all time is this one by Anne Claire Petit.  I haven’t been able to find it in the US, but it’s worth buying from wherever you can find it.  My daughter first found it in Fortnum & Mason when she was 9 months old, and she would not let it go.  To the best of my deciphering skills, it is a plastic rattle with metal bells inside with either a crocheted pink or blue stripe covering.  The crocheted rattle is soft and light, and easy for baby to make lots of pleasing sounds with!

 

For any Happiest Baby on the Block parents, a good set of swaddle blankets is a must.  We had the best luck with the Aden and Anais muslin swaddles.  They are lightweight and breathable and can make a really tight swaddle to keep baby extra cozy.  I gave a set of these to my brother-in-law and he still raves about how they were the best baby present he got.

 

And last, how about a handmade blanket?  This Mod Blanket by Rowley Baby makes a wonderful newborn gift, and the generous sizing of the blanket means it can start out as a tummy time or stroller blanket, and be used into childhood.  The soft underside gives this blanket a good shot at being the favorite, since it will just get softer with use!

For more baby suggestions, check out this article on SheKnows Parenting and look for a familiar name! 

Happy Monday,

C

Back to school bags

So the little kiddos have gone back to school, but the big kids have not.  The best “back to school” gift for anyone going to college, pursuing a graduate degree, or undergoing a change of careers is a grownup book bag.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Hippo Bags, The Sakanella Satchel – I’d call this the “rugged classic” and it retails for $1060, comes in five colors with four hardware choices.  I like the Tobacco with two straps, horseshoe style in silver.

JD Leatherworks, The Messenger – Can’t find a price, or much info, only photos on Flickr, but I like it just the same.  I’d call this the “modern” since it has very clean lines and the leather appears un-dyed.  The natural tooling leather will create a beautiful patina over time if you leave it just the way it is. 

 

Laba Bags, Gang of Four No. 2  I am totally in love with these.  I can’t find an online shop for them, but I bet if you asked really nicely, you could have one shipped from the guy in Thailand who makes them.  They have that perfect retro-Asian fusion that I love so much. He makes killer yoga bags, too.

 

Aspinal of London, Calvary Messenger Bag – I am a bit obsessed with English fashion at the moment, so this should be no surprise.  This one I might call “Metro Prep” if I had to call it anything.  The sporty strap with the smooth leather is a sophisticated combination for high school, college, graduate school or even a professional.   Retails for $589.00.

ReLoad, Superluxe – these remind me a little bit of Timbuk2, but not everyone will have one.  And they are all made in-house (my guess is that this means handmade, but no longer by one artist).  Best of all, they indulge custom orders!  Definitely the “sporty” one, but still sophisticated.  Prices start at $215.

Need more ideas?  Design Tavern does a list of 20 Stunning Handmade Messenger Bags, including the Woody Bag by Moxie and Oliver.

Happy shopping.

C

A little scare from the CPSIA

 

A good friend of mine makes children’s clothes and other goodies, some of which we sell on Alere Modern.  Her line is Mama Meah, and for the last few weeks she has been fretting about the CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) requirements, and what this might mean for her handmade baby goods.  At first look, it really seems that the CPSIA standards could eliminate handmade baby goods from the market.   The testing requirements are stringent, and there are no exemptions for small manufacturers/craftspeople.  There are no exemptions for Aunt Ida, or the thoughtful people who knit hats for newborns.  None.

Personally I hate this idea.  The idea that handmade baby goods would just go out the window is horrifying.  As the new-ish mom to a lovely little girl (she is now almost 15 months old!) I truly treasure the handmade gifts that my daughter and I have been given.  Her current favorite is a No-Sew Fleece Blanket made by her nanny.  She loves the soft, soft fleece, and will pretend to take naps on it, and wave “goodnight” to me.  Handmade blankets and other baby gifts – quilts, clothing, and bibs – are, in my mind, inseparable from the experience of bringing a child into the world.  They are an expression of love and devotion to the child, and the kind of carefully crafted life you are introducing them to. I can’t imagine a baby shower where everything is purchased from Walmart. 

So I spent a morning and a half researching the CPSIA standards, and the most helpful thing that I found was an article put out by the CPSIA, and directed at small manufacturers.  Where small businesses are not exempt, there is a list of materials that are exempt.  As long as you, as a craftsperson, a reseller, a grandmother, and a parent, are careful to use only the items in this list, and you sew in a label, it seems as though you are in compliance. 

To be in compliance without sending your pieces out for costly testing is very restrictive, and the testing really doesn’t make sense for a lot of small businesses.  There are groups like the Handmade Toy Alliance who are lobbying for exemptions for small manufacturers. I’m not even sure I want to weigh in – I love handmade, love small businesses, but I also love my daughter.  I try to use common sense in anything that I give her, especially since most of it ends up in her mouth, but I do want to trust that the toys that are marketed to babies are safe for them to use.  Ultimately, I think that there need to be some regulations, and maybe the answer is component certification so that artists/craftspeople could buy child-safe parts, and as long as they only use these (and don’t create crazy small parts out of them) the product would be considered compliant.

I’m by no means an expert on this, but after spending the morning + researching and reading, to find out what it means for me, and the artists that I love and support, I thought I’d share the results!  I was supposed to be blogging about something else, I’m sure, but the desire to continue giving handmade baby gifts seems so important.   I still have the baby quilt that my grandmother made for me when I was born.  My daughter has several beautiful quilts and blankets that were made for her before her birth.  This is a tradition that shouldn’t die, and I’m hoping that by sharing the CPSIA approved ways to make baby clothes and items, that it can continue.

Happy making, and giving,

Caitlin

It Looks Nothing Like Christmas

It’s finally summer in Seattle – it has been hovering around 80 degrees for the last week – so why am I thinking about Christmas?  Easy:  the decorations at Costco are already up!  It is terrifying to be walking around in shorts (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is)and seeing Halloween costumes and Christmas decorations.  It is still summer!  But the holidays are coming sooner than I think, and if I don’t want to stick myself in the same situation I was in last year, I better start planning now!

Last year I made fourteen Christmas stockings and hosted my first family Christmas.  The individual stockings were pretty easy – just felt with little applique pieces on them – but fourteen of them took a while.  Especially when each one is different!

 

So here is your shopping list for stockings:

1.  Felt for the body of the stockings – I used approximately 3 yards for all 14, so if you are making fewer you can get a lot less.

2.  You can buy a pattern for the stockings.  Just look through the pattern books and find one you like the shape of.  Or you can always use a big piece of paper (newspaper would work particularly well) and cut your own stocking shape to use as a template.

3. Different colors of felt for the applique – I just bought a pile of the small squares of felt in the craft section of Joanne Fabrics.  I tried to not use too many colors, and keep them somewhat consistent with the other colors in my home (I’ve since painted my living room, so we will see how they work this year!).

4.  A few yards of ball trim, or other trim, for the bottom of the “cuff” on the top of the stocking.

5.  Some coordinating felt for the “cuff” of the stocking (I cut these from some of the white felt squares I bought at Joanne – that is how I was sure that I could get a straight edge! I got two per square)

6.  Embroidery floss for the decorative stitching, and regular thread (we used white) for the machine stitching.

7.  Some cord or seam binding for the loops at the top. This could match the cuff, but it doesn’t have to.

Once I had all my materials, I set to work.  I cut out all the stocking shapes, as well as the cuffs.  My husband pinned the ball trim to the cuffs, then stitched it on a sewing machine.  I cut out little felt pieces for the animals and pinned them to the stocking fronts.  As you can see from the photos above, I used a really big and quite obvious stitch with the embroidery thread.  I love the way it turned out – but I have kind of a folk art style!  All of the animals looked like they’d already eaten Christmas dinner at least once.

Once I had the applique done, the rest was easy.  I sent each stocking downstairs to my husband where he pinned the top of the “cuff” to the top of the stocking (they are only on the front of the stocking, the back is solid burgundy) and did one machine stitch to attach the two together.  Then he pinned the front and back together with a piece of seam binding in the top, and stitched all the way around the outside, leaving just the top open for inserting goodies.  And voila!  Several days later, here they are -

I love they way they all turned out. Fourteen in all, each with a different animal representing the person whose stocking it was.  Mine is the bunny.  Everyone who came to Christmas last year contributed a handmade item to each stocking, so we all had a little collection of handmade goodies to go home with.   I know it is only the first of September, but I’m already thinking of what I am going to make for the stockings this year.  I made Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt from the Pioneer Woman’s recipe last year and those are going to be hard to beat!

I love this idea for a holiday gathering, and it isn’t just for Christmas.  Any type of holiday gathering could do something similar, you just need a vessel.  Baskets, buckets, bags, boxes – anything you can fill will work.  It is kind of like an unrestrained cookie exchange.  Almost everyone brought something edible – truffles, biscotti, homemade apple butter – except my stepfather, Rob Snyder, who brought us all little glass birds. 

It was a memorable Christmas, so much so that I am already thinking of ways to make this one just as great.  First I have to figure out if I need to start making more stockings!

Happy what is left of summer,

Caitlin

Wrapping in a pinch

Usually I take time to properly wrap presents because I love the look of a huge pile of presents, beautifully wrapped in paper and ribbon.    Sadly, though, I don’t usually think about wrapping presents until it is too late, and I need to rush to find things around the house that will work in a pinch.  My stand-by favorite is the inside of a brown paper bag.  It looks rustic and a little vintage, and you can always write or draw directly on the paper (if, of course, you don’t have a card either!).

For the wedding I decided to try something a little different – no wrapping at all.  Instead, I cut a number of lengths of ribbon and tied them to the handles of the wine tote.  I curled the ribbon with a scissors, and created a beautiful multi-colored bow at the top:

Great technique for something that is a kind of wrapping itself – a basket, a tote, a decorative box, or the like – but probably not the best technique if you’re giving fine china, silverware, or anything personal (definitely not recommended for underpants!). 

Just so you don’t think I’m totally off my rocker – that’s a half bottle of wine sitting in front of the tote, which is why it is so small.  The bride and groom gave half bottles of their wine for wedding favors, imprinted with the same logo I used for the wine tote! 

Happy giving!
Caitlin

The Wedding Gift: Complete

So here it is – just a few days later – the wedding present!
I struggled a bit with how to format the top, but it came together more organically in the end.  I wanted to make sure it closed somehow. This seemed important to me as if it would be upended at some point and the bottles need not fall out.  Maybe not, but security is important when transporting precious bottles of wine.

So I measured the wine bottles – the dimensions of a wine bottle are about 3.25” in diameter at the bottom by  12.25” tall if you are curious – and planned out my pieces and got to work cutting.

Once the pieces were cut out, I transferred the image from their “Save the Date” card onto the leather using my own version of carbon paper (covering the back of the paper with pencil and then tracing – it worked in grade school, it works now!).

Then I branded and painted the pattern into the leather:

Since my Antique Black leather dye often has a little bit of a grey-brown look to it, I decided that would be the final color of the piece.   The “Save the Date” card was gray and gold, so it was the closest approximation that I had.  Next stop – dying:

After all the pieces were dry, I stitched them together and added the snap closure at the top.  Here are a few pictures of the finished piece:

There is a divider inside, too, to keep the bottles from clanking together.  I decided to make it removable because for some reason it really bothers me when the dividers are fixed.

My husband still says they won’t like it as much as I do, and that I wasted my time.  But really – who wouldn’t like this?  Especially a couple who owns their own winery?  I know I’m taking a bit of a risk here, since I’m giving a handmade present to someone who is in his family and not mine (and theoretically he should know better than I what they like), but it’s really, truly, from the heart.  Choosing their "Save the Date” graphic for the design gives me some assurance that it will be more their style, too, than if I’d just made something up from my imagination.

Now for round two:  As I was making this, I was thinking hard about how to wrap it, and also if I should put anything in it.  It seems really strange to give an empty wine tote, doesn’t it?  And if you’re giving wine to someone with a winery, then – well, that’s just not somewhere I wish to venture.  So I thought about putting a few bottles in there full of notes, a “message in the bottle” sort of thing, but all having to do with marriage and love and relationship, etc.   Or I could fill a bottle with $1 bills.  Everyone likes a bottle of money!  I might just have to leave it empty, though, and focus on wrapping.  I’m afraid my husband would think I’m totally off the deep end if I go with the “message in the bottle” idea.

So then the next step is wrapping, which I will tackle 20 minutes before I have to go to the wedding, like always.

Happy giving,

Caitlin

The Wedding Gift

My sister-in-law is getting married in two weeks.  Or less.  And I don’t have a gift.

I looked at the registry and didn’t see one single thing I was even remotely attracted to.  My sister-in-law has great (and oftentimes expensive) taste, so I’m inclined to think that it’s just the nature of the wedding registry.  You pick household things that you need, or register by tradition, and that is that.

But think on it for a second – if you’ve been married and registered for gifts, do you know who gave you what?  I have a mind like a steel trap when it comes to presents and where things came from, but I don’t have the foggiest clue who bought us which dishes, and to be totally honest, who didn’t buy us a present at all.

I do, however, remember who gave us the gifts that weren’t on the registry.  We have a small tapestry that was given to us by a family friend, and a beautiful cloth that came from my brother-in-law and his wife.  My mom gave us a dragon fountain for the yard (which we still haven’t made spit water… sorry mom!).    Those are the ones that I remember offhand.  Who gave us our glasses? Who gave us our plates?  I couldn’t tell you, and I’m sure most couples who are a few years out from their weddings would have the same experience.

So all that to say, a wedding, in my mind, is a special occasion, and it deserves to be commemorated (and gifted) accordingly.  One gift that I didn’t mention above was a decanter from Kevin’s childhood best friend (though I think it may have been his wife’s idea) with a little drawing from our wedding invitation on it. It was personal, memorable, and we will always treasure it.

My sister-in-law and her fiancé have a winery and they seem to carry wine with wherever they go.   I can’t think of a better gift than a handmade wine tote (two bottle, of course) with the graphic from their save the date cards on it.  Or maybe the winery logo.  I haven’t gotten that far yet.  Right now I’m still working out the specifics of the design.

Initially I was thinking of something like this:

 

But after a little Google searching, I found that a fair number don’t actually close at the top. I think it’s probably not necessary for the top to close if the wine is securely in the case, and it may make for a more modern look over-all.

I like the look of the handles on this one:

But it would need to be a two-bottle holder.  It also has a less, oh, I don’t know, old snobby wine feel to it? It is a bit more modern, and would go better with my sister-in-law’s Pink Glitter Toms.   It’s not quite as modern as the Urban 2-Bottle Wine Carrier (below) but I think that’s a good thing.  I have a hard time seeing the flap style being carried by a man. 

 

So I am off to create a design that works for men and women, is personalized, more on the modern end of style, functional, and beautiful.  And oh yeah, memorable. 

Kevin thinks the work that I put into it will be lost and that it won’t be appreciated.  I am not convinced.   You see, here’s my fundamental philosophy on gift-giving:  you have to present the recipient with something you’re really, truly, proud to give.  If you’re just buying off the registry, and it is something you’re unenthusiastic about, you might as well just write them a check.  Ultimately, I believe in giving something you love to someone you love.  You have a much better shot at the gift being a treasured one, and they will always remember it is from you.

Off to wrap packages, and design a wine tote…

Cheers,

Caitlin

Turning over a new leaf–or making one!

After some serious thought we’ve come to the conclusion that the Alere Modern blog has a place in the blogosphere, and one that you might just find incredibly helpful.

So from today forward, we’re focusing on gifts.  Find them, make them, wrap them, give them and receive them.  After all, what is more special than a thoughtful gift?

I have actually been thinking a lot about gifts and gift giving recently (I started my Christmas shopping last month – Christmas in July!  But gifts in December) and what makes a good gift.  I’ve always been told that I’m good at giving gifts, but have never thought much about why or how that has worked.  I’ll explore the art of gift giving with you all, as well as how to package the gift, and write a card so moving you should enclose a tissue with it.  I’ll also bring you gift ideas, and fun things to make that are easy to give, and good to receive!

I hope you enjoy reading these musings.  I know to a lot of people giving gifts can seem like a chore that they’d rather delegate, but there is some fun to be had.  And, at least in my opinion, the better the gift, the more fun it is to give!

I need a vacation!

So it is no secret that I need a vacation - but who has time to take time off anymore?  Well, until then, I'll settle for a set of the Striped Flag Bunting by Faith Lex (OrdinaryMommy) which are an Alere Modern exclusive!  A set for me, a set for the baby, hung above our beds, and we'll all dream of being at the seaside in the summer... 

Still Searching

So my dad's birthday is officially in two weeks.  I know, I better get on it.  But I want to get him something handmade.  For Christmas, I got him a lovely cutting board from Delia Sophia (coming soon to Alere, with an exclusive line!!) that he uses every day.  It's going to be hard to top.

Today I got an email from Real Simple about how if you do one thing, you should send an actual, physical, card to someone.   I think it's a great idea.  I have one cousin (out of 30-something) who sends cards all the time.  It is a totally wonderful surprise every time I get one in the mail from her.  I thought the article was especially pogniant, since just the other day we started adding note cards to the site, including these lovely ones from Michel Soares:

Of course, the email also mentioned  "Nine Noteworthy Pens"  -- all were cute, interesting, and "fun" but none really carried the "handmade luxury" feel that we love so much.  That title belongs to this handmade pen by Nayakaya -

I love the simplicity of this pen, and the fact that it is truly, entirely, handmade.  Yes, the $505 price tag may be a little steep, but I suspect that for pen collectors (scratch that, I know that for pen collectors) this isn't really anything to scoff at. 

So while I contemplate the $500 pen, I'll keep looking....

Love it

My dad's birthday is coming up.  My stepmother says get him a cordless drill.   For the last 30 years he's been asking for a book, a journal, or a pen (he's a poet, and reads more books than anyone I know).   A drill would at least be different, but instead of being different I like to give him variations on the same theme.  I looked for handmade pens (and found some crazy ones) but he is so picky and it's hard to tell online.  I did, however, find this on bltd, which I find quite awesome:

The perfect gift for an avid reader, no? Now the only question is whether it would get here in time...

In the Garden

Those of you who know me know that I love being outside, love gardening, and most of all, love garden furniture. I would love, more than anything, to find some awesome garden furniture for the site (so if anyone has any ideas...) but in the meantime, I will lust after these beauties:

 

This Bench Chair by Thomas Schnur is amazing.  I am absolutely in love with the clean lines, and the way it looks like the right side of the chair just got smudged into a bench.  It is fabulous.  I realize that white isn't exactly practical for a garden, but in my perfect world, my garden is clean!  

Then there is the Serpentine Chair:

and to fully appreciate this chair you have to go to the website and watch the photos change.  It's just a metal chair with cushions that weave in and out of the arms.  It makes me want to stalk craigslist and the thrift stores and then get out my sewing machine. I've looked for years for attractive cushions for my patio furniture and never thought that the key was just weaving them in and out of the backs of the chairs.

Amazing. Modern handmade is pretty cool, if you ask me.

Time for a new window display....

Okay, so I'm a bit late on these, but in all fairness, they're still up in my window.  These are the beautiful Doily Ornaments by Katarina Roccella. I got six snowflakes this year for the window, and combined them with some little gold stars I found,  as well as a few other things that were around the house (an old bell, handmade of course, and some metal birds that wanted to join the display).  My previous display (that was up the entire year) was handmade Mexican tin stars, which were not kid friendly.  I realize that now it is March, and the snow has (fingers crossed) stopped falling for the year, but my little daughter loves it so much I can't really bring myself to take it down.  At least until there is something to replace it with.

And rumor has it there are leather ornaments coming soon from Moxie and Oliver and felt ornaments coming soon from Ordinary Mommy.  So I should have some kid-friendly springtime ornaments up soon!

Spring will spring!

It hasn't sprung yet, but I'm convinced that spring will come soon!  Despite the very loud winter storm we had last night, and the 50-ish and rainy day we had today, I've seen the daffodils blooming, and I see the weeds growing (a sure sign it is time to get myself into the garden).  So, the new front page for Alere Modern is spring-inspired.  And a bit birthday inspired, too, since spring is about new life and re-birth.  So thinking spring, here is the new main photo for Alere Modern:

The main photo is one I took last year about this time - maybe mid-March - at Wellspring Spa.  I must have been six months pregnant, and I went up there with my mother, a few aunts, and some of her friends, on a little girls retreat (it was through a wonderful organization called Passages Northwest, who take young girls out into the wilderness).  I woke up early in the morning, and decided to take a walk through the woods around the spa.  I don't think I'd had my camera out to take anything but product photos in years, and I felt absolutely inspired by the morning light passing through the cold leaves.  It was probably 30 degrees out and I was frozen by the time I got back to the cabin, but had some peaceful nature photos to show for it. 


My favorite picture from the entire trip, though, was one I took on the way up.  I stopped at a "scenic lookout" and actually ended up taking photos of the rock wall behind me instead.

It is probably a little hard to see but the center writing says "I'm in <3 with the most beautiful girl in the world."  I think I fell in love with this piece of graffiti because I was pregnant with our baby daughter at the time, who is of course the most beautiful girl in the world in her mother's eyes.

And there you have it. A little bit of my handmade artwork on the front page, and the story behind it.  Also on the front page are pieces from Patrick Irla, Bella-Bijou and Christine Mighion.  Three artists I'm sure any girl would be happy to get a piece from for her birthday!

Off to bed...
Caitlin

Tip of the Day

So, after spending the last week searching for artists, and then searching even further for their email addresses to contact them, I find myself wondering, why is this so hard?

Finding artists isn't always that difficult, but to find a small handful of artists whose work I really like it does take the better part of the day.  I can't help but think of this from a buyer's perspective - I was just looking for general artists, nothing too specific, but I know from experience that when I am looking for a particular piece, it gets all the more complicated, and time consuming.   Anyway, more about that later, but after compiling my list of artists whose work I think would be an incredible fit for Alere, I went searching for their email addresses to send a quick hello and introduction to Alere Modern.

Out of the 243 artists that I wanted to contact, I was able to locate 143 email addresses - about 58%.  Not bad, but not great either.  And it really left me wondering why not put your email address in your blog? Somewhere in your shop announcement?  On your website (of all places!)?  

It's not that I don't understand the rationale  - I do. You don't want little bots sneaking into your website, getting your email address, and sending you information about Viagra. I understand this because I get more Viagra ads than I can count.  But there are ways around it.  One favorite seems to be to use [at] in place of @, so my email would become caitlin[at]aleremodern.com, or even caitlin[at]aleremodern[dot]com.  Another is to use an image with your email address, rather than putting it in the text itself.

And the reason to do it is simple - because if people have to work to hard to find your work, or to contact you about it, they're going to give up. I will defintiely contact the people that I found email addresses for to see if they are interested in selling through Alere Modern, and I may contact some of the people who I didn't find email addresses for (through their marketplace sites) but I only give that about a 50/50 chance, and to be honest that is generous.  Some buyers may give up more easily, if they don't want to create an account or be bothered with checking one more place to see if they have a response.

It's just my two cents.  In my experience, actually publishing your email address gives your potential buyers (whether they are retail, wholesale, or something else) a convenient and comfortable means to contact you.  It also sends the message that you are a legitimate artistic business, and that there is a real person behind the virtual shop curtain.

Happy Sunday - enjoy the sunshine (or snow, depending)!

Caitlin

Artists: THINKNOW

So here I was all prepared to write a post on my personal musings of art vs. craft, and then I realized - I added another artist just the other day, with some pretty interesting pieces.  I better share THINKNOW with you NOW, I THINK, and then I can share my thoughts with you later.  Because honestly, the thoughts will always be there (and the last post was a musing, too).

Meet THINKNOW, and Rebecca Luong - http://www.aleremodern.com/pages/artist.asp?aid=49  - THINKNOW is a Seattle based jewelry company, and they make their pieces out of none other than recycled paper and wood, sourced locally, with accents of metallic papers that were created by wind energy! I always knew that there was a strong sustainability and eco-consciousness here in the Northwest, but after living here for twenty-some-odd years I thought that the fashion created by this movement was limited to wearing Teva's and socks, and your Northface to the opera (that's a story for another day, but you should not be able to over-dress for an opera, which you very easily can in Seattle).  Never did I dream that someone could create such wonderfully modern and beautiful earrings out of paper!
And I am intentionally only posting the link - you have to go click on it to see what she has to offer.  No sneak peeks!  Rebecca also tells me that she is working on an exclusive piece for Alere, which will be posted to the site this week!

Okay so now that you have been formally introduced to THINKNOW, you can shop their collection of recylced earrings, and I can go back to debating myself on art vs. craft.

g'night
Caitlin

Next in Line

Two days before Christmas I went to the fabric/craft store to get some trim for the fourteen Christmas stockings that I made this year  No, that's not a typo, and yes it was painstaking! On the upside, I did manage to convince the husband to help.  He did the machine sewing while I did the little felt applique on each stocking.

Anyway, as I am carrying a baby in one arm and my several yards of off-white trim in the other up to the front counter I notice something very strange.  The Christmas decorations are GONE.  Not a one in the store.  In their place are piles and piles of Valentines Day decorations.  Valentines day - really?  It seemed so far away.

But now, after I have taken most of the festive out of my own house - with the exception, of course, of my Doily Ornaments from Katarina Roccella  (I have 6 snowflakes - will post photos soon) - Valentines Day seems a lot closer.  And so I have to think about what I will give, and hinting at what I might want to get! 

So here are my thoughts on what the husband might get this year:


Silver Cuff links
Kathleen Bostick



Nice Wallet
Moxie & Oliver

The way I see it,  most men only have a few pieces of jewelry that they can wear, but some guys, the husband included, really like to have an assortment.  The Silver Cuff links from Kathleen Bostick are a great choice since they have a clean and modern look, but not so much of either that you'd mistake them for something ordinary.  These sterling and chalcedony cuff links are a special piece of man jewelry!

Then there is the Nice Wallet from Moxie and Oliver.  Think of a good wallet as the guy's equivalent of a handbag. Sometimes it is fun to change these up, too, and the advantage you have with a Moxie and Oliver piece is that it will last for a long, long time.  And I think this is just about the only way I'll get the husband to carry a heart around with him!

Now for what I want.  We just added a new artist, Sarah Hood, a local Seattle gal who makes jewelry that I have coveted for years and years.  Then of course there are pieces from Christine Mighion, one of our first artists, who makes just simply incredible gold pieces.  So anyway, here are my top two:


Clean Water Necklace
Christine Mighion



Twig Ring with Whisky Quartz and Diamond
Sarah Hood

 Of course I think why I want these is obvious - I'm a girl and I like things that are shiny!  But more than that, the cool brilliance of the topaz paired with the recycled gold in the Clean Water Necklace gives it a vibrancy that is sure to get it noticed, and admired.  And the Twig Ring speaks to my love of faux bois (and diamonds) and I think if I were queen of the forest that this is the ring I would wear.  Since I am sincerely working on becoming queen of the faux bois forest, I think this is the perfect fit!

Now that I have exhausted myself with shopping, I'm off to bed.  I will make Valentines in the morning!

Caitlin

Baby New Year!

So there is a lot to report over here, but we've been so busy experiencing it we haven't had the time to do the reporting!  One exciting thing of note is that we added a baby category, and have since been wishing that we had an excuse to buy up all of the items in it.  One particular piece of interest is this Mod Blanket by Rowley Baby:

This cotton blanket is soft on the front and softer on the back (which means soft on baby) with a chocolate brown paisley fuzzy fabric.  We also tend to think that the beautiful aqua and chocolate star pattern is a perfectly gender neutral pattern and color combo for those who choose to have "Surprise!" babies.    So can someone hurry up and have some babies so we can buy it?  Or can you help us convince ourselves that our very own little bundle needs more blankies?  It's horribly difficult to have this blanket in hand and not want to keep it, especially after we've given them as gifts and been told these were the best baby blankets ever!

So that said, we have added two new artists - Rowley Baby and b(earth) - to the baby section, and quite a few elsewhere on the site.  We're constantly on the lookout for new talent, so if you think your work would be a good fit, or you find someone else's work you think we would like, drop us a line and let us know!  artists [at] aleremodern.com is the best way to get in touch.

Happy 2011 everyone!  We'll be back again soon with more info on our artists, and the new products that we've posted.

Best,
Caitlin