The latest issue of O Magazine features Michel Design Works' triple milled and shea butter rich soap and decorative decoupage soap dish. A great gift and a super value.
12.15.2010
Zine Scene: Oprah Loves Michel Design Works
12.02.2010
Sneak Peek: Skeem Spring 2011
12.01.2010
11.10.2010
PS Stores Get Local
PS Stores is featuring two of our favorite local companies, Midori and Rosanna Inc., for one special event on November 13, 2010 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 pm. in their Seattle store.
If gift wrapping is your passion or if you just appreciate exquisite presentation, you won't want to miss seeing Midori's superb quality ribbons and hand made gift wrap.Midori Matsui Fulghum and her talented team will be on to demonstrate ribbon and paper ideas.
This is also an opporunity to meet Rosanna Bowles, founder of Rosanna Inc., an internationally recognized table top company based in Seattle. Rosanna will also be signing copies of her book, Coming Home: A Seasonal Guide to Creating Family Traditions. A signed copy of her book makes a very special gift.
PS Stores is offering a 20% discount off Midori and Rosanna products between November 13 - 21, 2010.
Complimentary but registration required. To register call (206) 762-0540. For more details about our classes & events click here.
11.04.2010
10.26.2010
Zine Scene: Lucky Feather
Lucky Feather’s Pennywise Love Cluster was featured in the Fall issue of Stationery Trends Magazine.
10.19.2010
10.18.2010
Join the Fight!
October may be Breast Cancer Awareness month, but we know that the fight doesn't end on the 31st. There are a number of ways that you can join the fight against Breast Cancer this month, and year round.
Here are a few examples of products that can be found at The Barron Collection that support this great cause:
The Promise Me Collection from LUG, available in the signature pink, or in black. Promise Me includes the wheeled Weekender Bag above, as well as a Train Case and Clearview Envelopes- perfect for that spontaneous weekend away!
The Ribbons of Love collection from Archipelago was conceived and created by the women of Archipelago to raise awareness and funds to help prevent and find a cure for breast cancer. The collection includes the 90 hour soy candle shown above, as well as a Travel Tin candle, a Reed Diffuser, and a Glass Jar candle.
The Pink Ribbon ball by Twist & Pout is one-of-a-kind lip protection with a light citrus flavor and SPF 20 protection. Available with a clip or without. Twist & Pout donates 5% of Pink Ribbon profits to The Breast Cancer Network of Strength.
Primal Elements has created a special glittery pink bar of their famous handmade soap featuring the signature ribbon and the Facets of the Sea scent. Also available is the Breast Cancer Awareness Icon Candle, with a jeweled pink ribbon on white glass and a fresh citrus scent. Ten percent of proceeds from the sale of these items is donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation.
And from ICU eyewear: a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these bejeweled Pink Ribbon Readers will be donated to support breast cancer research and awareness. Available in eight strengths and complete with matching pink case.
Contact your rep today, or stop by the showroom to see these items in person. Together we can make a difference in the fight against breast cancer!
Here are a few examples of products that can be found at The Barron Collection that support this great cause:
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| Image courtesy of ShopKomen.com |
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| Image courtesy of Archipelago.com |
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| Image courtesy of twist-and-pout.com |
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| Image courtesy of PrimalElementsOnline.com |
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| Image courtesy of icueyewear.com. |
Contact your rep today, or stop by the showroom to see these items in person. Together we can make a difference in the fight against breast cancer!
10.10.2010
Further More
"The glycerin in our products is derived from making biofuel. Marshall picks up gourmet vegetable oil from some of America's finest restaurants, then processes it in our garage.
The biofuel goes into our cars and the remaining purified glycerin goes into our products, creating a perfect, sustainable circle.
And now we're bringing Further to you.
We hope you enjoy using our products as much as we enjoy making them!"
9.23.2010
Sneak Peek: Mandarin Vetiver from Caldrea
New from Caldrea is Mandarin Vetiver! Starts shipping fragrance shipping February 2011.
9.10.2010
Life on the "D" List: Aquis Exfoiliating Washcloths
We've all heard that cream rises to the top, but does it? Everyone can think of a song, book or product that is far superior to those that have achieved commercial success yet remain unnoticed. There is something inherently unfair about this.
One of the best products we sell is are amazing exfoliating washcloths by Aquis Essentials. I have these in every bathroom of my home and my guest never fail to rave about how much they enjoyed using them followed by, "where did you buy one?" It's fun to day, "I sell it," but what I would love to say is, "you can buy them at ________ (insert store name)." Regrettably, few retailers carry this remarkable product.
The exfoliating washcloths, back scrubbers (shown above) and wash mitts reveal glowing skin from head to toe with the innovative, two-sided technology of Aquitex XF, an extraordinary exfoliating material. One side offers a textured, loofah-like surface that deeply exfoliates; the other side features a soft, smooth microfiber surface for delicate skin. Regular skin exfoliation is one of the secrets to younger looking skin.
Everyone loves an underdog and it's time to give this one a try.
8.28.2010
Eat Real Gets Real
Today I attended the Eat Real Festival in Oakland, California's historic Jack London Square and it was a feast! Not just for my palate but my mind and soul. Eat Real’s mission is to make real food as accessible and as affordable as fast food (nothing over $5.00) at events held in strategic communities across the United States. Eat Real measures their success by increased public awareness of and respect for the craft of making good food and by the growth of green collar jobs in America’s growing regional food economies. Eat Real’s vision is of an America where food’s crucial importance to the health of our bodies, communities and economy is widely recognized, and where access to healthy and affordable real foods is a right, not a privilege.
I believe there is a message and lesson in Eat Real for the gift industry. Wouldn't it be great if America revived it's manufacturing sector? Think of the jobs it would create and how it would benefit our local economies!
8.27.2010
The Jewel in the Crown
If this recession (sorry to use the "r" word) has taught us anything, it's that a gift is still a gift.
People have not stopped buying gifts. Just think how dysfunctional and miserable we would all be if we stopped gifting! A category that has thrived during this economic is jewelry. Who knew? One of the greatest ironies of our time is that jewelry sales are thriving in this recession. Wouldn't common sense lead one to think otherwise? The fact is that jewelry makes a great gift and the gifting side of consumerism is still well and alive. For retailers who have not yet received the memo, here it is: Buy jewelry, it sells!
Shown Above: Best selling Roost multi-gem earrings.
Zine Scene: Boticario by Archipelago
8.26.2010
Zine Scene: Cucina
8.25.2010
Gray: The New Black
You may have noticed that the pages of fashion magazines are full of gray in all shades imaginable.
It's easier to accept gray in fashion than for the home - especially in the Northwest where gray skies dominate throughout the year. Gray can be drab but only if you accent it with black or keep it monochromatic. Think of gray as you would white. Any color looks good against it. Be bold and combine gray with splashes of color you love but wouldn't dream of decorating with such as fuschia, turquoise or orange. Those pops of color will look great against gray and will brighten the gloomy days of winter.
There is a blog for every imaginable topic and gray is no exception. To see some great examples of stylish gray interiors, visit www.greigedesign.blogspot.com.
Shown left: New Slate double faced satin ribbon from Midori.
8.24.2010
Zine Scene: Primal Elements
7.26.2010
7.23.2010
Zine Scene: Hen House Linens
Hen House Linens is paired with 75 fresh and easy recipes in the July-August issue of Southern Lady Magazine.
7.16.2010
Spotted on Young House Love: Cucina Hand Care Duo
Sherri and John of young house love (one of my favorite blogs) recently shared their favorite tips for dressing up your kitchen on a budget, and we were delighted to see them show some love for Cucina by Fruits and Passion.
Once again, those design-savvy youngsters have hit the nail right on the head. The ceramic tray adds just enough luxe to the Cucina Hand Care Duo to make a statement on your counter without breaking the bank. And the seven amazing fragrances mean that there's an option that everyone will love.
7.04.2010
Good Gracious!
Gracious - House to Home, a newly opened store in the Laurel Hurst are of Seattle is doing the part to recycle by giving new life to vintage finds.
Owners Tracy Reimers and Deidre Denckla met 20 years ago while both worked in banking. Their first business collaboration, an event planning company, soon morphed into a full scale catering business. After taking break to raise their families, they've teamed up again to pursue their passion for vintage furniture and home accessories.
Whether it's a fresh coat of paint, new upholstery or rewiring a lamp, pre-owned pieces are carefully refreshed and restored. One of a kind pieces range from traditional to modern and fun to funky. Vintage pieces are artfully blended with new products ranging from scented candles to distinctive home accessories -- all essential elements of a "gracious" home.
Gracious - House to Home is located at 2920 NE Blakeley Street, Suite C,Seattle, WA 98115.
Shown Above, Left to Right: Oweners, Tracy Reimers and Deidre Denckla.Shown Below: A black and white vignette.
6.29.2010
Cook Now, Eat Later
Cook & Freeze by Dana Jacobi contains 150 delicious dishes to serve now and later. Jobobi shows how to to cook smarter, not more, with a savvy collection of recipes that allow home cooks to cook once, eat twice (or more), and always have dinner at hand.
6.24.2010
Suggested Reading: Crush It!
Are you ready to start "crushing it?"
6.22.2010
Sneak Peek: Cucina
Fruits & Passion is introducing a spicy new candied orange fragrance for the holidays to its Cucina Collection. Called Arancia Dolce (Sweet Orange), the new scent comes in Purifying Hand Wash, Regenerating Hand Cream and Reed Diffuser. Made with bio-degradable, plant-based ingredients; not tested on animals. Sweet!
Contact your Sales Associate or call 800.71.4321 for more information.
6.16.2010
I Heart Etsy
Etsy, a household name among twenty-somethings, is quickly being embraced by baby boomers and retailers looking for unique handmade products. I love Etsy, an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade.
Etsy was born out of founder, Robert Kalin's, desire to create a connection between producer and consumer by offering viable alternatives to mass-produced objects commonly found in today's marketplace. Kalin felt the connection between producer and consumer has been lost. He created Etsy to help them reconnect and in his words, "swing the pendulum back to a time when we bought our bread from the baker, food from the grocer, and shoes from the cobbler."
I also think Etsy is where retailers can find great products for their stores. I'm not worried that if you buy things on Etsy, you won't buy from us. That doesn't matter. What matters is that we all do our part to support the efforts of emerging artists and reconnect with the makers of our products.
Click here to start shopping Etsy. To view a video on Etsy, click here.
6.14.2010
Sneak Peek: Midori Fall 2010 Catalog
I love Midori's new catalog cover! It reminds me of whipped cream! Wait until you see Midori's new ribbons and paper!Sneak Peek: West Third Fall 2010
C'est Vie - A Fresh Start
Les Amoureux- Love
Abundance - Success
Bonne Chance - Good Luck
These 2" x 6" pillar candles have a burn time of 50 hours --- enough time to conjure-up a lot of good fortune.
Also new is Société de Senteurs, decadently fragrant home and body sprays crafted with traditional perfumery methods. Available in 4 fragrances: Gardenia Di Vita, L’Orangerie, Voyage d’Tabac and Vanille de Santos.
Contact your Sales Associate or call 800.71.4321 for more information.
6.12.2010
Sneak Peek: Patience Brewster Jewelry
Contact your Sales Associate or call 800.71.4321 for more information.
6.10.2010
Sneak Peek: Tea Forte Fall & Holiday 2010
Tea Forte has expanded their product assortment to include delicious tea flavored cookies, healthy mints and chunky amber flavored sugar.
6.09.2010
Sneak Peek: Skeem Fall & Holiday 2010
The Fall and Holiday season brings a brand-new shape to the Skeem line; a 7.5 ounce votive-sized candle, aptly named "half-pint," available in eight of Skeem's best selling scents. In addition, Skeem is introducing six new pillars and new three scents. We are really excited about the freshness this brings the line!
Contact your Sales Associate or call 800.71.4321 for more information.
6.07.2010
Retrofit Home: A Perfect Fit
Retrofit Home, hosted a Grand Re-Opening of their Seattle, Washington store on a Saturday, June 5th. A glorious day illuminated the freshly painted white walls creating a gallery feeling inside. But unlike a austere gallery, Retrofit Home is full of inviting gifts, accessories and furniture
When owners, Jon Milazzo and Lori Pomeranz, opened their first location five years ago, they envisioned a place where people could buy furniture and accessories that was not from a cookie cutter mold but unique and with an urban point of view. By all accounts they have succeeded. Retrofit Home is design-focused but will not break your piggy bank. Both Milazzo and Pomeranz believe that good design does not need to be expensive or stodgy. As they like to say, they "leave the attitude to others -- this is a neighborhood store."
Shown top, left to right: Owners Jon Milazzo and Lori Pomeranz. Behind them are canvases of crows they commissioned from local artists..
Shown bottom: Retrofit Home's richly eclectic product mix.6.04.2010
Sneak Peek: Just 4 Kicks
Contact your Sales Associate or call 800.71.4321 for details.
6.03.2010
Sneak Peek: Caldea's 2010 Limited Fall Edition
Caldrea's 2010 Limited Edition Fall Collection includes two sumptuous scents: Peppermit Amaryllis, clean and bright with a floral twist and Balsam Figleaf, woodsy, pine with a little fruitiness.These fragrances will be available in the following products:
~ Dish soap
~ Countertop Cleanser
~ Hand Soap 11 oz
~ Hand Lotion 11 oz
~ Candle
~ Petite sink set (silver)
Contact your Sales Associate or call 800.71.4321 for details.
6.01.2010
Zine Scene: Hug a Lug
Lug Life's Sunset orange Gondola Sunset is featured in May issue of Good Houskeeping.
Join the Tea Party
June is National Tea Month and June 10th is National Ice Tea Day but I think that every day should be Tea Forte day.
The potential benefits of adding tea to our diets is an easy and inexpensive way to maintain good health. Studies show that tea aids in the battle of the bulge and increases the body's immunity to colds and flu. Three cups of black tea per day produced 5 times the amount of germ-fighting cells. Tea contains antioxidants, substances that can reduce oxidant damage in the body, helping to maintain healthy cells and tissues. Research suggests that drinking black tea may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease too. So drink tea everyone (preferably Tea Forte). It not only tastes good, it's good for you.
5.30.2010
Go PUBLIC
Personally, I like it because it looks like it would be comfortable and fun to ride. It reminds me of my first Schwin bike and the fun I had riding it. I haven't flipped over a product this much since the iPad!
5.28.2010
Sale: Julie Addison Paper
Pretty gift wrap papers designed by celebrated ephemera artist, Julie Addison (available through Barbara Schriber Designs) on sale for $1.00 per sheet (24 sheet minimum). Order $100 and get free shipping! Contact your Sales Associate or call 800.791.4321 for details.Just Hatched: Nashelle Jewelry
Contact your Sales Associate for more details or call us at 800.791.4321 for more information.
5.26.2010
Sneak Peek: Rosy Rings Fall & Winter 2010
Rosy Rings' Fall and Winter 2010 launch captures the fragrance of the season with a rich selection of candles such as Honey Tobacco, Autumn Quince, Forest and beeswax blended candles in pretty recycled glass jars. Making a return are Rosy Rings' popular scented votives, now available boxed in sets of four or twelve. The perennial favorite, Spice Apple will also be available in a grander scale as well as other popular sizes.
Contact your Sales Associate or call 800.71.4321 for details.
Shown (top): Honey Tobacco candle: a scent of sweet honey, tobacco leaf, sandalwood and vanilla is warm, sensual, timeless.Shown (below): Scented votives in a box.
5.25.2010
Sneak Peek: Winter Collection from Rosanna Inc.
Rosanna Inc.'s new Woodland Cameo collection combines feminine Victorian with dark Gothic to create an eclectic urban aesthetic that's crisp, clean and undeniably fashion forward.
5.24.2010
The Big Dipper
Wickman will soon be introducing four new candle "dippers." Wick dipping or quenching is a great way to snuff a candle while also preventing wick from continuing to smoke and smolder. The burning wick is instantly snuffed when submerged into the molten wax, leaving the wick coated and preserved with a thin layer of wax. Dippers also eliminate smoky odors and reduced soot emissions.
Other Wickman candle essentials include a sleek lighter and wick trimmers.
Shown Above: Four new "dipper" styles from Wickman.
5.22.2010
Savour: A Taste for Life
Savour, a delightful European-style deli, located in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle Washington, offers of world of flavors in a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of tasting samples and a regular series of in-store demonstrations.
Prior to launching Savour, owner Holly McLean had a career in the travel industry. Her travels provided McClean with the perfect opportunity to fine tune her passion for fabulous foods. McLean also inherited the retail gene from her family who owned a shoe store in Port Angeles, Washington. Starting a Savour was a natural extension of her love of travel, food and retail.
Savour's mission is to cater to people who love to explore the world of food by offering unique foods and products that that enhance one's cooking, eating, and entertaining experience. All of which should be savored, which is why we McClean choose the name Savour – pronounced "savor" with a spelling twist!
Click here to learn more about Savour.
Shown Above: Rosanna Bowles of Rosanna Inc. prepares pasta with Savour owner, Holly McLean.
5.21.2010
The Nose Knows
Knows Perfumes: Purveyor of Uncommon Scents, a unique perfume gallery, recently opened its doors in West Seattle. Owner, Christen Cottam, moved to Seattle from San Francisco four and a half years ago after a successful career in the bio-tech industry to pursue her passion for fragrance. Cottam's love of perfume grew out of her fascination with wine's complexities of notes. Perfume, like wine offered Cottam the same intrigue.
The store's decidedly San Francisco vibe is unlike department store perfume counters. It's surprisingly fragrance free. Cottam keeps her shop fragrance free to enable each perfume's fragrance to to be enjoyed without the interference of competing fragrances.
At Knows Perfumes, one will find the world's finest and rarest perfumes, including: McBride Beauty, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, Strange Invisible Perfumes and Tallulah Jane Natural. Cottam's personal favorite is Fire & Cream from Strange Invisible Perfume.
In addition to an exquisite array of fragrances, Knows Perfume carries the AB Home collection from Archipelago Botanicals.
5.20.2010
Shades of Summer
ICU is known for its readers but they also have an extensive collection of fashion-forward sunglasses for men and women.Contact your Sales Associate for more details or call us at 800.791.4321 for more information.
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