{t-notes} UniqueLA wrap-up…

Posted on January 16, 2011 by

My first participation in the UniqueLA show was fantastic!  I had such a blast, and all the countless hours of crafting, cutting, and building paid off.  It’s so great to be a part of the indie design community and best of all, made some great new friends.  Thank you all for showing up and supporting Trinkitsch!  You guys made the experience so much better…  Here’s a grid of photos from start to finish.  I had so many photos to choose from, this grid layout seemed like the best and briefest way to showcase the process.

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{craft-t idea} trinkitsch packaging

Posted on December 9, 2010 by

Part of crafting and selling your item is the packaging.  I will admit…I have been swayed many times by the packaging itself and not the product.  What can I say?  Packaging can make or break your brand and its overall aesthetic.  Anyhoo…I experimented with my packaging for this upcoming holiday show.  It involves felt, muslin stamped labels, and custom made stamps.

Since I’m promoting handmade accessories, I wanted the labels and packaging to have a crafty handmade feeling.  I found these great muslin printed labels from Kawaii Goodies .  As for my business cards and jewelry labels, I hand stamped each one.  The custom logo stamps were super speedy and easy to order.  You just upload your jpeg image file and pay away….reasonably priced as well!    I ordered metallic twine from Olive Manna who has adorable packaging items for party favors, etc.  The metallic in the twine adds a little sparkle…great for holiday or gift giving.  Rather than cellophane, organza bags, or boxes…I wanted to custom make the bags.  I love felt…I think it was a childhood obsession…plus it’s so easy to work with!  The felt pouches were straight stitched on my own sewing machine as well as my friend’s fancy one.

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{t- news} last preview

Posted on December 5, 2010 by

After countless hours of late night prepping, copious amounts of tea, Bob Marley and Ray LaMontagne…I’m happy to give you a glimpse of what you’ll see at my booth.  Counting all the pieces I’ve made, I’m realizing that this is just a fraction of stuff I’ll have for you all.  If you personally know me…you probably have heard how I almost glued my fingers to my iphone.  That’s what happens when you mix no sleep, 2 am nights, and an occasional glass of wine.  Nonetheless, I am terribly excited about the UniqueLA show and hope to see you all there!  Can’t write too long…have to finish building my booth display!  It involves a roll of corkboard, graph paper, and cardboard sheets.  I’ll give you a full recap of the display building process and the show in the next few weeks.  Toodles…

Alrighty…one last flyer plug!  It’s this saturday and sunday…check out their website UniqueLA for all the vendors participating and cool features.

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{t-news} Unique LA

Posted on October 19, 2010 by

Just got an exciting e-mail…found out I’ve been accepted to be a part of Unique LA.  All those weeks of waiting in anticipation is over.  Yipeeee!  I’m practically ready to do some cartwheels!  But don’t let me tell you all about it.  Here’s a blurb from their website…

The largest independent design show in the country, attendees get the rare chance to meet and shop directly from over 300 hand-selected designers and artists. The exciting two-day shopping event makes it easy for you to buy local and support LA’s economy, discover great design and deals, join in community, and have a blast! Over 95% of the products at the show are proudly made right here in the USA!

So, I will be one crazy busy girl for the next 7 weeks…late nights of crafting jewelry pieces, copious amounts of caffeine and lots and lots of re-works, revisions, sketches and ecstatic excitement bundled in one petite package…moi!  I will keep you posted with more info as the big date approaches.  Mark your calendar and save the date!

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{pic-t-ure perfect}

Posted on October 18, 2010 by

I enjoy good photography of interior space.  Hence, my piles and towers of décor magazines…they make great furniture by the way.  Here are two websites that I came across with inspiring interior shots.   The first roll of pics is by an Australian based photographer James Braund.  I love his use of light and the clean lines in his photographs.  Specializing in portraiture and lifestyle imagery, I like two of his photos that include accessories (handbags and necklaces) as wall decorations.  Yep, super clever.  The dog at the end is non-accessory related…just my gift to you.

The second series of pics are from an interior décor firm Hamilton Design Associates.  At the helm is Ellen Hamilton.  She incorporates beautiful and ingenious mix of patterns, bold colors, and classic/modern elements.  I’m a fan of her use of the complimentary color palette.  Remember that complimentary color wheel we used in art class?  Ellen Hamilton takes it to a whole other level…clap, clap, clap, clap…

(images via james braund and ellen hamilton)

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{“t” news} sneak peek

Posted on October 3, 2010 by

A little peek into what I’ve been working on…

trinkitsch jewelry

I’ve been collecting vintage beads for many years.  They’re truly like tiny little pieces of art with holes in them.  Some of the beads you see above were produced as early as the 1940′s.

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terrain at styers

Posted on September 26, 2010 by

I have a new addition to my list of favorite shops.  Drum roll please…Terrain!

Terrain is situated at Styer’s, a nursery that dates back over a hundred years.   Terrain itself is located in Concordville, PA, just outside of Philadelphia.  Today, it operates as a chemical-free plant nursery.  They offer landscape services, sell an assortment of housewares, and other lifestyle merchandise, including jewelry.  As a concept store operated by another favorite shop of mine, Anthropologie…you can expect some of the same great lifestyle flair and unusual mix of goods.  Here’s a few pics of the merchandise I managed to snap my camera at.

As a fan of the store and its brand…I can’t help but to love the packaging and the visual displays of this place.  Check out the “seed” label on the hand-poured candles!

In need of some swoon worthy kitchen towels?  Or perhaps a few greeting cards?

Ok…one of my favorite areas of the store is the jewelry section.  It’s fairly small compared to the expansive sections dedicated to outdoor and houseware items.  But nonetheless, the jewelry still packs a punch.  Again, I adore the way they display their jewelry.

Terrain wouldn’t be Terrain without those enchanting terrariums.  This is the largest terrarium collection I have ever seen.  They have a gorgeous assortment of rustic framed glass “houses”  for a DIY terrarium.  One day…I too will make my own custom terrarium!

Last but not least…this blog would = FAIL if I didn’t showcase Terrain’s cafe and its food!  We loved the cafe so much, we ate lunch here and then dinner on another night.  The food is simple and fresh yet delicious.

They use local farmers and seasonal ingredients.  My favorite was the scallops and seasonal veggies….wish I had a picture of it!  The waitress brings out a clay pot of a popover-like bread before your meal comes out.  It’s served with a tasty honey lavender butter.

I can’t wait to have another work trip to Philadelphia.  You know I’ll be heading to Terrain as humanly possible!  Oh yeah…they do have an online shop as well.

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