Happy Pi Day

Happy Pi Day, dolls! We've decided to get a little irrational this week and show some some geek chic items for you featuring the symbol or numbers of Pi.  We're no mathletes or even math enthusiasts, but, we do appreciate stylish things and there's no denying that there is a bit of charm and style in geeky fashion and decor.

 Celebrate Pi Day with a few drinks, just don't forget to protect your table with stylish, uber nerdy coasters like these!

Say "I Do" while showing your love for math with thesefun cufflinks!

Pretty sure we've shown you this one before, but we can't help but love it.  This copper cuff bracelet helps assure us that Math can be cool.

Simple and yet fascinating, this decorative glass bowl features the numbers of Pi to 1,498 decimal points. And, from now until the end of April a part of the proceeds will go towards relief efforts in Japan.

Your engineer, scientist, or number loving significant other will enjoy cracking open a cold one with this Pi bottle opener.  These babies sold out fast so they are now taking pre-orders.

Take Math class by storm with these colorful Pi pencils.  They are to 96 decimals or as long as your pencil is.

And, if you have pencils, you'll certainly need a stylish case to store them in. This hand embroidered pouch would be great for your pens, pencils, makeup and more!

Perfect your measurements while you shower with this modern, partially see through, shower curtain featuring the symbol of Pi.

We love jewelry and accessories and find the geeky but stylish pieces are hard to come by. But, when we saw these fun little disc earrings that are stamped with the Pi symbol we knew the search was over! 

These vegan homemade soaps are cute, colorful, and come in fresh and fruity scents. Just remember, this is Pi, not pie, and even though they smell good enough to eat we wouldn't recommend it.



XOXO

Jen & Saira

The Twelfth Day of Christmas Winner!

On the Twelfth (and final!) Day of Christmas PDR gave to Sheryl...a totally awesome set of letter tile coasters from Yard Sale Press.

Sheryl will receive this fantastic L-O-V-E  set of letter tile coasters. Sure, you could also choose to say that it is a "V-O-L-E" or "L-E-V-O" set, but we think L-O-V-E is just a little bit more our style. You could even make it say "O-L-E" by leaving out the "V" or, if you'd like, you can use this as a base set and order other letters to create even more words and eventually your dining room table can be like a game board!  

Bryan, at Yardsale Press, has his Bachelor's degree from Rowan University and currently works as a printer.  He loves his work and will gladly take on any challenges that come his way from t-shirts, to logos, to wedding invitations, and more.  Although we are not sure where this idea to make these coasters stemmed from, we're so excited that he is making them as they are so clever and fun.  Even though it's hard work (Bryan individually cuts, sands, and carefully prints letter (and points!) before putting the finishing touches on them)  we think it will certainly pay off because they are a seriously cool item to have around your house.  In fact, Jen has a few of these coasters and can personally attest to the quality and level of fun it brings to your space.  But, there can only be one winner.  So, if you are not Sheryl, never fear, you can still order your own set of coasters by contacting Bryan at yardsalepress@gmail.com.  Also, be sure to check out his website for additional information!

Thanks, Bryan, for helping to make our giveaway successful.  

We appreciate your support and wish you continued success. 

Keep up the great work!

That completes our 12 Days of Christmas and our 2010!  We hope you all enjoyed this gift giveaway as much as we have and we hope to be able to do it again next year.  Congratulations to Sheryl and to all you winners! And, for all of you who haven't won, there's always next time!

Have a Merry Christmas, a safe and happy New Years, and we'll see you again in 2011.  

XOXO

Jen & Saira

Holiday Gift Guide: Let's Get Personal

With just a few weeks left until Christmas, we're all scrambling to find that perfect gift for our friends, families, coworkers, mailman, etc. The best gifts are, of course, the ones that are the most personal and show the recipient that you really took the time and put a little thought into it.  So, what can make a personalized gift even better?  Choose a gift that is hand-made and unique, just like your loved one!  We'll leave it to you to get creative but, just in case you're stressing,  here are a few random ideas that put a unique spin on the personalized or monogrammed gift item.

Everyone loves some sort of hot beverage in the winter time, be it coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. So, personalized mugs are a safe gift choice.  Now, we're not talking about any old "Mom", "Dad", or "Grandpa" kind of mug.  We're thinking of something a little more unique, like this one by bailydoesntbark.  This mug is super sentimental and allows you to hand write your own message on it and then bake it into the mug permanently for years of enjoyment.

Being an urban cowgirl was never so tempting!  We love this one of a kind bracelet so much that Jen recently purchased it as a gift for a friend.  It's modern, industrial hammered metal is complimented perfectly by a rustic leather band and custom hand stamped letters. 

Have a musician in your life? Do they march to the beat of their own drum?  If so, these personalized drum sticks would be the perfect gift option for any little drummer boy (or girl!).

Tell your sweetie not to go to Jared this year and to consider getting you something a little more unique.  Sure, this handmade spoon bracelet doesn't have diamonds or gemstones, but it certainly has history and charm, which is definitely something we romantics can appreciate.

Looking for the perfect gift for any puzzle or word lover? This customized word find would be a great gift for a friend or loved one.  Personalize it with names, important places, inside jokes, etc. so they can hang in on the wall and always be reminded of how much you care.

Does your mom/sister/girlfriend/wife/babysitter/etc.etc. love snow?  Why not get her a beautiful personalized snowflake pendant.  Snowflake necklaces have become increasingly popular, but we're willing to bet none of the ladies in your life have one quite as unique as this one!  

Pretty stationary is always a good thing to have around and the prettiest and most impressive is the kind that's personalized.  Can't think of something to get for that coworker you happened to get for secret santa?  No worries! Cute stationary like this is an easy solution for any professional person or really anyone who appreciates good old fashioned snail mail.

Say it in binary!

We just 011011000110111101110110011001010000110100001010 (we hope that says "love") this great etched, sterling silver binary code bracelet!  Have a name, quote, or  secret message encoded in this bracelet for your loved one as a fun little surprise.  Even funnier -- don't tell them what it says and let them figure it out for themselves!

Who would we be if we didn't support our friends and local artists? Get Yard Sale Press's Letter Tile Coasters to represent names, words, jokes, etc. and you're sure to score major points with your favorite word sleuth or board game lover. Send Bryan an email if you're interested in placing an order.  AND, be sure to keep commenting because we're happy to say we have a set of these babies to give away during our 12 Days of Christmas!



XOXO

Jen & Saira

Renegade Craft Fair - Top 10 Finds!

Hey Dolls!  Last weekend we braved the sun, heat, humidity, and tornado-like winds at the Renegade Craft Fair in search of handmade treasures to share with you. Talented local artists were out selling creations ranging from cards to baskets to t-shirts and handmade children's toys and the quality of the work was seriously impressive! Overall we had a great day, met some wonderful people, and, of course, ate more Italian ices than we care to admit. Although it was very hard to choose just 10 out of the many beautiful things we encountered throughout the day we have managed to come up with a list of our favorite items. So, as promised, here are our Top 10 Picks (in no particular order) from last weekend's Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, New York.

All you need is L-O-V-E... even if it is only worth 7 points. We L-O-V-E these adorable "Letter Tile" coasters by Yard Sale Press. These wooden coasters are handmade, sanded with care, and then screen printed with letters that you can use to create your own words! How F-U-N!  These babies were so popular that they sold out!  But, never fear, there are more in the making and you'll be able to purchase your own set soon, just send Bryan at Yard Sale Press an email!!  

 To say that we adore PaperPastries would be an understatement! Kittens, cupcakes, and candy, oh my!  You will find these common things on many of their products in colors that just drip with ooey gooey sweetness. Their notebooks and cards are beautiful, but, what we really are enamored with is this customizable address stamp! This stamp comes in your choice of one of 4 whimsical fonts and would be the perfect way to add your own personal flair to your next correspondence.

Calling all hipsters!  We've got just the card for you. This card features a tall emo boy and just-a-bit-too-short gal smooching in their crazy colored pants and classic Converse All Stars.  It is simply perfect and we can't imagine a better card to give your sweetie. Plus, the ladies from the Rubina Designs table were completely awesome and we can't help but love girls with a sense of humor that dig classic literature (the one girl told us her favorite book is Pride and Prejudice, one of our all time favorites, so major props for that). 

These chair necklaces, by Colleen Heineman, really rock! There is just something so fun about taking natural everyday objects and turning them into art. These are hand punched out of a sterling silver sheet and strung on delicate silver beaded chains for a modern, yet still vintage, look.  And, if you think these are great, check out her nautical knots series! We wouldn't be surprised if these were making their way to an Anthropologie near you in the near future but until that day comes let us enjoy this talented local artist while we can.  

What craft fair would be complete without unique prints for your walls?! Jason and Briana over at Brainstorm Print and Design are an extraordinarily talented (and super friendly!) duo with big ideas. We were delighted by their totally one of a kind prints, like this one above, that feature some beautiful graphics, bold messages, calming nature themes, and funky retro colors.  These inspiring and creative prints encourage us to set our worries aside, relax, and take it easy... and we couldn't be more willing to oblige.

There is just something about letterpressed invitations - the look, the feel, the history.  Whatever it is, we can't help but be drawn to beautiful things and the gorgeous stationary, by Sesame Letterpress, certainly got our attention. Sesame Letterpress, of Brooklyn, creates intricate and detailed stationary on 100% recycled cotton paper using old 19th century Victorian letterpresses.  We initially were drawn in by the colorfulletterpressed coasters , but on closer examination we fell in love with just about everything else, even their business cards, which are pretty little works of art all in themselves!!

Regardless of the situation, it's always important to stay classy.  So, if you want to call someone a "jerkface" the only appropriate thing to do is to write it in a formal letter or card, which they can hold in their hands and treasure for a lifetime.  But, in all seriousness, Blue Barnhouse is great and their cards are hilariously funny.  Why buy your average run of the mill card when you can get one with a kitschy letterpressed image and unusual and cleverly inappropriate saying??  We have no idea!  These are the perfect cards to give your girlfriends, siblings, lovers,or really anyone with a sense of humor enough to enjoy them.

 How cute!  These tree branch bud vases, by designer Jennifer Fisher, are some of the most original items that we came across in our shopping.  They are minimalist and modern, but are still semi-rustic and romantic. These bud vases are meant to hold just a couple small flowers, but even with just a few blooms, they have the power to make a huge impression. Display one solo if you're going for sleek and modern but we also enjoy the look of all three arranged as a sort of little collection to add interest and drama.

A gift without a tag is like a cupcake without icing..a total travesty. And in search of a great gift topping, we've found these fun little tags by The Small Object. Who knew that one tiny little tag could be used to serve so many different occasions? We dig things like these that are completely practical and simple but serve to display a bit of our own style and personalities. These are the perfect blend of  old fashioned etiquette and modern, personal expression that says you have a sense of humor but still appreciate the beauty and formality of tradition.

No more pencils, no more books... wait, wait... we like books! And pencils! And folders. And, actually, every kind of school supply imaginable. Call us nerds if you must, but we just love school and organization and that is why Urban Posture will round out our Top 10 picks from the Renegade Craft Fair.  They have great style and we are thoroughly enjoying their fantastic line of eco-friendly, ultra quirky, school (or office!) supplies. Being quirky is a good thing and sets you apart from the crowd, so don't be afraid to express your uniqueness, even in something as simple as a binder or folder.





Get crafty, dolls!



XOXO,

Jen & Saira