Favorite New Everyday Earrings

For Christmas, Kevin's sister got me an Etsy Gift Card. I was super excited to get my shopping on and rushed to my computer to look through all my favorites and try decide what I wanted to buy. Just my luck, most of my favorite items are from Canadian sellers…which for those of you who don't know, you can only use Etsy Gift Cards in shops that have direct checkout activated and direct checkout is currently only available to US sellers. So I couldn't use it on A LOT of the stuff I wanted. But then I remembered that I needed new everyday earrings and I've been in love with Upper Metal Class since I saw her stuff at last summer's Renegade LA. And the last time I was at Myrtle, Whitney started carrying them but didn't have any of the earring sets I was interested in. So I looked through her online shop to see if there was something I wanted AND her shop accepts Etsy Gift Cards.

So I picked out these lovely mini triangle earrings in silver! I've been wearing them for about 2 weeks now and I absolutely love them! And I love that they're made locally in Echo Park! Be sure to check out the Upper Metal Class shop if you love minimalist metal jewelry.

Mini Basic Triangle Earrings from Upper Metal Class

What I Bought Today: 12.29.12

For Christmas, my lovely boyfriend got me a gift certificate to one of my favorite stores: Myrtle. I stopped by today, after Whitney (the owner) had just returned from visiting her family in the midwest. She was having a 20% Off New Year's Sale which made me want to shop my heart out! After trying on several tops and dresses, this is what I left with.

Eve Gravel dress and a Scout & Catalogue Constellation Clutch (which I've been wanting for a very long time).

If you're in the LA area, you should definitely stop by Myrtle. It's one of the best women's boutiques around.

What I Bought Yesterday: Myrtle

Yesterday, I made a much overdue trip to Myrtle to visit the ever-so-lovely Whitney and to (of course) do some Fall shopping. Upon entering, I was extremely ecstatic to find that this Hetterson beauty was still there. I have been coveting the Hetterson Crenelle sweater for-freaking-ever. Then when I learned that they weren't going to made ever again, I told myself "If Whitney still has it in store the next time I go, I'm going to get it. No excuses." And lucky me, it was the last one AND it was in my size! The minute I tried it on, I knew it was perfect. The fit is impeccable.

Looking closely at the details, it's just so hard to believe that this was made in the small home studio where the pieces were knitted on a machine and then sewn together. Did I mention it's made from organic merino wool…which means it's super soft!

I've also been on a jewelry kick lately. I've been wearing so much more jewelry than I ever did in college but compared to my childhood, I'd say it's about the same amount. Whitney recently got in an array of pieces from dullDiamond and of course I went for the neutral one. I actually wanted one of the more colorful ones, but I just couldn't pass up that black triangle.

So if you haven't stopped by Myrtle yet, I suggest you do. The selection definitely won't disappoint. But don't blame me if it makes you want to walk away with the whole store.

What I Got in the Mail Today

Today, I received this lovely package from the ever-so-sweet Satsuki Shibuya. I was very sad to hear that she was closing up shop, so I rushed to place an order before her goods are gone forever. All her products are handmade and she even ships them in this cute vellum envelope she sewed together.

Inside was a large bento bag with her raindrop pattern that has been screenprinted using soy-based ink and it's lined with green polka dot fabric. It's big enough to carry around lunch or fruit (my favorite!), but right now I'm using it to carry around yarn for my current crochet project. I'm totally in love with it…I wish I had bought one sooner! Thanks Satsuki!

What I Bought Yesterday: Daiso Edition

Today while driving back from meeting with a freelance client, I stopped by Daiso since it was on the way home. Going to Daiso is such a big deal for me because there are only two locations in Southern California; both of which have only opened up within the last 5 months. For those unfamiliar with Daiso, it's probably the most popular (only?) chain of Japanese discount stores. Everything in the store is priced at $1.50 unless otherwise marked. I just love their selection vs. your typical American 99 Cent store. And it's really surprising what you would find there! Aside from typical household stuff, they also carried button-up shirts for $8.00 and suspenders! I mostly pick up cute storage and organizational stuff whenever I go.

(Shortly after uploading, I realized most of these pics look like crap. I'm sorry.)

I had to pick up some cute trays! Especially after seeing the one Twinkie Chan picked up a few days ago. I also picked up some envelopes and bags that I intend on using as packaging for my shop. I totally didn't need it but I couldn't resist the bear head tape measure. I don't even care that it's only in metric!

I picked up a $4.00 drawing mannequin for Kevin as my little way of telling him to work on his web comic. I've been going through a bit of an apron phase, so I had to pick up a $3.00 apron for myself. There were $1.50 ones but I didn't like the quality of them. I was a little bitter that I found popsicle molds for $1.50 AND they're in the shape that I want too. I recently bought this kinda fancy popsicle mold that makes twin pops…when all I really wanted was something simple. Another thing I totally didn't need: PANDA BEAR SPONGE PUFF. But whatevs, it's freaking cute!

I'm sorta going through a yellow phase and it just so happens that they last apple trash can they had was yellow. All the other ones were strawberries or some weird floral, but I loved the apples the best! And I can never have enough storage bins to keep all them supplies and tools organized.

This next item is by far the biggest score of the trip: BLACK CAT MUG!!!

Total damage on my wallet: $32

Now I call that a successful trip.

What I Bought Today: 08.04.12

Today, I met up with the lovely Victoria of Paper & Type for a much overdue lunch date. We caught up over chowing down on sausages at Wurstküche. Then we headed over to Pie Hole for dessert. We had been talking about going to Pie Hole together since last year when they opened and we finally met up to do so! AND they were serving up some delicious strawberry pie today!

I figured I was already roaming the Arts District, so I decided to stop by the Poketo store (yes, again.). They had just released their color & shapes collection, as well as the California series of shirts, and I had to get my hands on them!

I picked up the awesome Sun and Shore tee by the Portland duo Jolby and the Triangles tee adorned with triangles in the Poketo colors. They're super soft and comfy and the fit is great too! I came very close to picking up every shirt from the color & shapes collection but I had to stop myself.

What I Bought Today 04.29.12

I recently cashed in some of my AMEX rewards points for a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card. I knew that I wanted to spend it on some business/entrepreneurial books instead of design books because I personally think their selection is lacking in that department. For a while, I was a little in denial as to whether or not I even needed business books. I've always been more about doing things the trial & error/by experience kind of thing, but I think I need to start taking things a little more seriously and make fewer errors. As a result, I bought two things that are quite the unlikely pair.

Bananagrams – I love boards games (although this one is boardless). I've always been a huge fan of Scrabble and for a while, I was also an avid Words with Friends player. I've heard some many good things about Bananagrams that I finally caved in and got it. It was between this of the classic edition of Life. But I knew more people would be more inclined to play this with me than they would Life. Most people I know find Life extremely depressing (both the game and real life).

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki – I probably only bought this book for two reasons: Guy is a name I'm familiar with because he has been mentioned by people I follow AND his association with Apple. I'm totally going to be reading this on my flight to New York at the end of this week. I have 5.5hrs to kill going there and then 6hrs to kill coming back, so I hope I'll manage to get through at least half of it on the plane. And I hope to get over at least some of my fears of starting after getting through this book.

Things I've Purchased (So Far)

My brother's apartment is by far the most poorly lit living space I've ever been in. The most well lit place in his entire apartment is the tiny hallway where two closets connect the master bedroom to the master bathroom. (So I apologize for the bad photo.)

I've been enjoying myself in Minneapolis and have been shopping way more than I had originally planned. I've mostly been buying paper goods because I love writing and as part of my New Year's Resolution I vowed to do more of it.

L—R, Top—Bottom:

Raccoon Finger Puppet from Wild Rumpus – I loved that they had their three pet manx cats roaming the store and they were really sweet & friendly. I wasn't as excited as Kevin was about their two pet chickens roaming around the store. They also had ferrets, chinchillas, a tarantula, and other pets (but in confined quarters, not roaming). I have every intention of stuffing this thing with catnip and giving it to Sebastian.

3-Tier Plastic Tray from Patina – It was on sale for $7.50! And I can never have enough organizing stuff.

5 Balls of St. Denis Yarn in Tomato Red from Linden Hills Yarn – I'm just totally obsessed with Tomato Red right now! And it's 100% wool which means whatever I make will be warm. I think I'll make myself a nice cowl.

Delfonics Wood Pen from Russell + Hazel – These write really smooth, feel great in the hand, and just look really cool. They're also available at Kinokuniya back home (which is where I first saw it), but didn't cave in to getting one until I was over here.

Thomas Paul Camera Case from Honeyshine – I've been looking for a cute little camera case for my Canon S90 for when I don't want to use the leather sling case thing that it came with. And I thought this was totally cute. And why not support small business and fellow makers while I'm at it!

Knock Knock Deal With This Stamp from Patina – This was a little gift to myself to make me smile & laugh about all the things that need to get done.

Izola SALUT! Flask from Honeyshine – I'm sorry, this photo sucks. You can see better photo of it here from Izola's website.

Ron Weasley Keychain from the LEGO Store at Mall of America – I didn't know until I got home that you can turn his hair to reveal different facial expressions: Happy Ron or OMG-FREAKED-OUT Ron.

Number Notebook from Patina – I can never have enough notebooks. And I love numbers…so yeah.

Good Luck Card from Paperista – It's a cute little paper shop although I think their selection isn't as great as Twig & Fig in Berkeley. This card is a "Good Luck with the next chapter of your life" kind of card. I like to stock pile cards because you never know when the right occasion might arise.

Russell + Hazel Big Idea Adhesive Notes from Russell + Hazel – These are essentially beautifully designed oversized post-its and they're actually made from/by Post-it. They have a top box to jot things down and a small rectangle at the bottom for your to-do list.

Rifle Paper Co. Get It Done! Notepad from Minneapolis Institute of Arts – I love Rifle! I've just never purchased anything by them because I don't like paying shipping on ordering paper goods. Luckily, I've been finding their stuff all over this city…although they're a Florida-based studio.

Melody Miller for Kokka Transister Radio Fabric from Crafty Planet – I love the selection of fabric, yarn, and fiber out here! I wish we could get some of this stuff back home.


I'm pretty sure I'm done with shopping, but considering I'm making a trip to Walker on Thursday who knows what else I might buy. I don't even want to begin to think about how I'm packing all this stuff up.

Things I Bought

Yesterday, I spent a good amount of the day in Little Tokyo. I was mostly there to check out Little Tokyo Design Week and to support my friends, We Are Matik, who were exhibiting in it. But since I figured I was there, I decided to do some shopping while I was at it.

So here's what I bought:

Vintage 60s frames

Solar-powered Lucky Tiger Cat