Nonpareil

My birthday was in June…and, as much as I totally hate to get older, I love celebrating…hanging out with friends, getting presents and eating cake!! This year, I especially scored in the presents department…my husband bought me an ipad {yipee!}. I hadn’t thought seriously about buying one, but now that I have one, I think it’s such a fun and useful gadget…I’m all geeked out about it!

Maybe even better than the ipad itself, is the coolie case I bought for it. It’s the one above, center…from Temple. It’s made from re-purposed military fabric, as are some of their other bags. I love the look of a high-tech gadget tucked into something that looks so old. I like their other bags too…so rugged and masculine.

I love the creativity that goes into repurposed goods. To be able to envision a cute little purse from an old, funky jacket is pure genius…The creative part of MY brain totally doesn’t work that way, so I’m always impressed.

I you read the Storque, or check Etsy’s home page regularly, then you might already know about found by nicky‘s fantastic bags and things. Almost all of her pieces are made from other items…right down to the zippers! I especially love the bag with the little flowers {above, right}.

Laundry is my LEAST favorite household job. It’s awful. The sorting, the stain-removing, the folding, the putting-away. URGH!

I’m going to sound a bit like a commercial here, but I love Eco Everyday laundry soap! I was sent a few samples, and was pleasantly surprised! The scent is mild and fresh, without being perfume-y. And our clothes came out clean! My daughter is allergic to most scented soaps and lotions, but wasn’t bothered by the natural fragrances in this environmentally friendly soap {they do offer an unscented version too, just in case}. So, even though you may be stuck with doing the laundry, you can at LEAST feel a little better about it!

Eco Everyday explains all about the natural qualities of their soap in their shop.

Improbable Projects makes some of the coolest items I have seen…fabric woven from recorded cassette tapes, and made into ties and hats! Incredible, and done with style.  I think the ties are great {and apparently, so did Jason Mraz…he wore one to the Grammys} What a perfect gift for your favorite music lover {look at me…finding more stuff for guys!!}…

You can can even “play” the fabric if you use a tape head! Here’s a video with more info:

I’ve been a fan of Art Mind‘s ceramics for a while {here’s my post}, and was excited to see the collaboration with Lila Ruby King…I think their porcelain jewelry pieces are beautiful {especially the earrings with the red string!!}. More styles will be posted in February, so make sure you check back! Lila Ruby King strives to make her business carbon neutral, too….win win!