Shop here!

Daily, I am amongst the big box stores. Which if all fine and good but at this time of the year I get tired of it. I don’t want to buy Gap for everyone on my Christmas list. Enter www.etsy.com an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade. Their mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. There are amazing gems on this site—something for everyone on your list. I promise!

It’s Friday. I think my radar must work better on Friday’s. Who knows? Anyway, a few Friday thoughts:

• Customizable gifts are always fun but can be cheesy. Not Neighborhoodies where you can customize a hooded sweatshirt with cool lettering and more. They also have T-shirts, tanks and even undies! A good gift idea without the cheese.

http://www.neighborhoodies.com/women-hoodies-c-23_45.html

• I don’t do anything the same everyday. I even try to take a different route to work. But there is ONE thing I do everyday. I check http://www.sprig.com/. A great website that finds sustainable/green AND hip items and services. Sign up for their daily email and find out why stylist people are into green!
  

My Radar is Broken

There has been a drought on cool stuff lately. I have not been inspired to write anything as of late—maybe my “cool” radar is off or maybe I have been too busy. In any case, I have seen a few small things. I suppose 3 small items justify 1 blog entry:

I am trying not to use plastic food containers anymore. Who knows what happens when you put those flimsy things in the microwave! My new solution: these super cool food containers from Crate and Barrel—not too pricey and you will have the coolest leftovers at the office! http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=305&f=7409&q=take+out&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1

For the Seattleites:

Ever hear of sugaring? It’s a kinder, gentler form of waxing and I tried it this week. It still hurt but not as bad and it left my skin softer then usual. Check out
The Sweet Spot in Fremont…. http://www.sweetspotonline.net/

I am not a sentimental person. Which is why I am on a mission to sell my wedding dress. Some people think it is crazy but I think it would be much better on someone else then collecting dust in my closet. That’s why I love this new local wedding dress consignment shop in Fremont. Check it out. http://www.blueskybridal.com/

Off to get my radar fixed…

We Go Together

On any given night I can ask my husband what he wants to eat for dinner and he will say: grilled cheese and tomato soup. It has to be the best comfort food this side of the Mississippi. Right? When I ran across this well paired plate on http://www.uncommongoods.com/ I thought of my hubby. It is perfectly sized to serve up the dynamic duo. One thing is for sure, it will get serious use in our house.

Post Scrip….Uncommon Goods is a quirky & dense website. I did find myself sifting through it and delighted by some of the items. It is good site to get a gift for that friend who has it all or has a taste for items you can’t buy at Crate & Barrel or the Gap.

Miss Now Mrs

Admittedly, I am not the best at the details—i.e. I have lived in Seattle for 3 years and still have a California driver’s license. Who has time to go to the DMV?! I have been married for over a year and have wanted to change my name but the steps to do so are daunting. Then I found http://www.missnowmrs.com/ where you can pay $29, answer a bunch of questions on their website and then all the filled out forms appear (as PDF's) complete with marching instructions.

Just what I needed to cross this BIG "to-do" off my list.

Be Worldly!

I love to travel. It fills my soul and reminds me that there is a world beyond my usual. There are so many people on this earth; all with incredible ideas, thoughts, opinions and passions. Which brings me to Kiva.org. While it is hardly a secret web site anymore (featured on Oprah and the Today Show) it is amazing. Kiva.org lets you lend money to budding entrepreneurs in the developing world. They have an incredible model that lets you lend money (in all increments), follow your sponsor’s progress, get paid back and then re-invest (if you want). How cool is that?! Here is to a diverse world full of ingenuity and lending a hand to our global family!

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=about

Picture this!

I no longer have photo albums but photo folders on my computer. That’s cool and all but what happens when you get that winning photo of you and your best pal?! This is where Pic Pad comes into the picture (sorry!). They take your best shot and put it onto blank or lined notepads. I just had one done and it looks fab! Now you can remember your awesome photo skills & your best pal while you are writing your to-do list!

http://www.picpads.com/index.php

Look Cool

Need to send a present to a pal who lives 3 sates away? Check out this boutique web site, Greener Grass Designs. A project from 2 gals from Texas who are on a mission to keep design cool:

“Rather than support the further standardization of design, we want to seek products which can have added value, be beautiful, functional and have lasting significance. Our search for more individual, design-oriented products has yielded a collection which includes lighting, accessories, textiles and objects for the home featuring the works of more than 30 designers from around the world.”

Your pal will thank you.

http://www.greenergrassdesign.com/

Miss Manners

Sometimes crossing a thank you note off the list can be a chore! It is a task that is never done. Life is one big thank you note. With that being said, why not stock up on hip personalized note cards from Fabulous Stationary? They have couple cards, individual cards and calling cards. Modern and fabulous.

https://www.fabulousstationery.com/

Detached Garage

When you walk into my house, if the air is moving in the right direction, it smells like you are in an exhaust pipe. Which is not that far off since my husband’s motorcycle is in the garage which is attached to our “entry-way”. So, in order to combat “fragrance de moto”, I found Ilio. Incense reincarnated. Super cool packaging, great fragrances and lovely appearance.
Note to self for next house: Detached garage.

Found locally at Metropolitan Market in Lower QA

http://www.iliofragrances.com/

Mission Earth

My husband only likes t-shirts. The more political and racy, the better. That’s how I found Mission Playground, a So Cal based apparel company trying to merge humor, sustainability and good design all in one. They have great t-shirts, hats and sweatshirts all printed on organic cotton. No longer a secret, these guys are all over REI. Good for them and good for our planet!

Check out their super cool web site: http://missionplayground.com/www/2006/index.html

Kayak Around the World

I love to travel. It brings me so much joy but it is an expensive hobby! Enter Kayak, a new-ish travel search engine that scours (almost) all possible airlines and discount travel sites under the sun. It has a clean, easy to use interface with graphs and matrixes to assure you that you are getting a screaming deal.

Now, I can gallivant the globe knowing that I got a good deal. Love that.

http://www.kayak.com/

Note: Somehow Southwest escapes the scouring…

Change Your Identity

Ok, so say you don’t always want to be known as the “Director of Finance” or “Marketing Coordinator”. Sometimes it might be nice to be to be “Citizen of the World” or “Human Being”. Flickr (an online photo management program) has partnered with Moo (a printer) to bring you MiniCards. You can customize the cards with your personal photos (up to 100 photos!) that will rotate through the cards. At $19.99 for 100 you can’t afford not to be who you want to be.

http://www.moo.com/products/minicards.php

Every time I go to the grocery store and walk out with paper bags, I get a belly ache. Then I found Envirosax; reusable shopping bags with the mission of spreading the environmental message with style! Now I can devour the aisles at Trader Joes and walk out of the store in style. A tad bit pricey but the trees will thank you and you can’t put a price on style! Go ahead. Rock it.

http://usa.envirosax.com/pages/products.php?icat=1

Minutes Not Hours

Here is the situation:

1. Husband comes down with a bad cold
2. It is Sunday
3. Husband doesn’t have a doctor --- only a knee surgeon (not that the doctor office would have been open anyway)

In an effort to avoid the emergency room at all costs, I pick up the phone. I call doctors offices and get their voicemail (because it’s Sunday). I call advice nurses and they say it might be strep throat and that I should take him to the emergency room. Finally, I talked to an angel at UW Medical Center who told me about the Minute Clinic!!!

The Minute Clinic is nationwide and has a mission statement of doing what they can to make healthcare a little easier for busy people (and to keep the emergency room for emergencies). They have board certified practitioners who are trained to diagnose and treat common family illnesses such as strep throat (EUREKA!), bronchitis and ear, eye and sinus infections. And the best news:

· No Apt necessary
· Open 7 days a week
· Most Insurance accepted.

Check to see if there is one near you so the next time you have a sick husband you have a plan!

http://www.minuteclinic.com/en/USA/

So Much To Say?

I have been thinking about writing a blog for a long time. I usually feel like I have so much to share—tid bits, delicious recipes, good services. But now that I am looking at this blank screen I can’t think of one thing. Check back and maybe inspiration will hit?!