Wednesday: Play with your food...

Is this not the sweetest playfood you've ever seen??? Find it on etsy at kenshop.

Tuesday: The art of the Thank You note

Find these beauties at Liquid Sky Arts.

Monday: Beautiful glass earrings

This is just one pair of earrings that I am in love with at the etsy shop, Hot Toffee, based in Australia. Find them here.

Sunday Brunch Special: little JULES

Today's Sunday Brunch Interview is with Tania Condon of little JULES.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your indie business.
Afer wearing many hats on my work path including an executive and cafe owner, my husband Tony and I were eager to start a family. Getting pregnant was easy, however our joy was interrupted when my water broke and I went into labor 3 months early. Our little guy, Julian was born weighing just 3 lbs. The first six weeks of his life were spent in the NICU.
Inspired by motherhood and wanting to celebrate our little miracle, I created little JULES. Our signature line is inscribed with baby hands and feet which are actually Julian's. I believe you're never too little for style - it's that rule of thought that has let me to create a little JULES baby line of jewelry. All of our jewelry is handcrafted and personalized one piece at a time. All of our links are soldered with active little ones in mind.

2. Where are you located?
San Diego, CA

3. How did you come up with your business name?
it is named after my son, Julian

4. Where do you sell your products?
On line at littleJULES.com, and boutiques.

5. Do you belong to any local and/or web groups or affiliations?
The switchboards, ebay, craigslist, my store, modzilla, google store.

6. When you’re not making things, what do you do?
Play with Julian, I LOVE movies, and working out.

7. Do you ever get stumped for ideas? How do you work through it?
I do, I do get stumped for ideas. When that happens I completely let it go, and I've found that within a day or so the idea or answer comes to me.

8. What would be your dream job?
I'm doing my dream job. I'm creating and making jewelry for babies and other moms.

Ok, now these two are mandatory and I have to ask (this being a diner, after all)

1. What is your favorite meal?
Dinner!

2. Do you prefer tea or coffee?
COFFEE!!!

Thanks Tania for the great interview. Be sure to check out her amazing jewelry! littleJULES.com

Saturday: Don't lose those keys!

This is a great idea from Jimmy Pickles, a wristlet keychain. No more lost keys. Find them here.

Friday: Hats Off!

I love the creative concept of recycling old sweaters into fabulous new hats. By artist, Leslie McCray of Sweater Heads (tm). Find them at MixtGoods.

Thursday: polka dots galore...

I'm lovin' this cute little bowl from Circa Ceramics. Find it here.

Wednesday: Drink Up!

Look at these cool letterpress paper coasters. Papered Together can create custom coasters for you! Find them here.

Tuesday: Dogs in Polka Dots

What dog wouldn't look great in a polka dot collar???? This "fetching" collar can be found at Lindsay Designs.

Monday: For your precious photos...

I've bought a few of Nycole's sweet accordion books. One year, I had them custom made with my kids names in them to give as gifts to the grandparents. They were a big hit. I really like this polka dot one. Find them here.

Sunday Brunch Special: Hooked on Purses - Misha@etsy

This week's feature indie designer is: Hooked on Purses

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your indie business.
My name is Maxine Ricks and I design and create unique clothing and accessories, mostly for women. My current project is ballroom dresses although my favorite material to work with is vintage neckties. I'm thinking about how I can combine the two and come up with a ballroom dress made from neckties.
I am located in beautiful West Texas near Dallas

2. How did you come up with your business name?
My business started with one purse from a fabric remnant and I couldn't stop! I would always tell my husband that I was "hooked" and Hooked on Purses just naturally evolved from. My obsession has recently grown to include the ballroom dresses, necktie dresses, skirts and other apparel and accessories. Although I don't make a lot of purses anymore, the name is cute, catchy and easy to remember so I think I'll keep it. I make sure in my marketing that everyone knows that Hooked on Purses is not just for purses anymore.

3. Where do you sell your products?
I have an etsy site, Misha and I am currently working on an individual website. I sell the ballroom dresses locally with plans to include the Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin/San Antonio markets soon.

4. Do you belong to any local and/or web groups or affiliations?
Currently I do not belong to any local and/or web groups or affiliations but I would love to!

5. When you’re not making things, what do you do?
When I am not making things, I work as a Registered Nurse with a specialty in psychiatric nursing.

6. What would be your dream job?
My dream job would be to make a living designing and sewing for the public.

7. What’s your favorite color?
My favorite color is red. I believe it reflects my personality, red hot!

8. What’s the most difficult aspect of running your biz?
The most difficult aspect of running my business is the actual business side. I love creating but unfortunately (especially for my husband) keeping the books is an area I struggle with.

Ok, now these two are mandatory and I have to ask (this being a diner,
after all)

1. What is your favorite meal?
My favorite meal is the traditional Thanksgiving meal. I don't know if it's so much the food as the gathering of the family.

2. Do you prefer tea or coffee?
I prefer coffee, I hate tea. My husband on the other hand is a tea lover, anytime day or night.

{big hugs} to Maxine for the great interview. Thanks!!!!

Saturday: Twigs and Vines...

I LOOOOOVE this necklace. It's been an etsy favorite of mine for awhile. Actually, I love all of this seller's jewelry so you'll probably be seeing lots of her work :) Find it here.

Friday: Colorfully cute...

Oh, are these not the cutest tees? And a great way to learn colors. Organic Color Theory t-shirts for kids are found at nina and tom.

Thursday: blue bird on my finger...

Check out the sweetest ring ever! You can find it at The Carrot Box". Designed by glass fiction.

Wednesday: Happy Valentine's Day

Perfect for Valentine's Day. You can find this awesome necklace here.

Tuesday: The Lone Tree

I have a thing for lone trees. This vinyl bag from Stitch Pixie is awesome. I really couldn't decide which bag was my favorite. I found this one in the "flora" section.

Monday: Plan your life...

If you need a little help planning your life, get this awesome aquatic 54 week planner, by designer Allison Cole. You can find it here.

Sunday Brunch Special

Today's interview is with Jennifer at Quarry Jewelry.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your indie business.
My name is Jennifer Kennedy and I design and handcraft gemstone jewelry under the Quarry Jewelry name.

2. Where are you located?
I live in (mostly) sunny Ft. Lauderdale.

3. How did you come up with your business name?
I wanted a name that was evocative of my use of natural stones so Quarry seemed like a good idea. Also it means the “object of pursuit” and I think great accessories are always worth pursuing.

4. Where do you sell your products?
I sell them on the web on my site and other sites and am starting to develop my wholesale business.

5. Do you belong to any local and/or web groups or affiliations?
I love the Switchboards. I found the women on that board incredibly insightful and extremely generous with their knowledge and ideas. I also participate in the about.com jewelry making forum and have learned a lot from those members as well.

6. When you’re not making things, what do you do?
I love horses and spend much of my free time at the barn riding and hanging out with my horse.

7. Have any marketing or business tips you’d like to share?
I've seen great results with blog advertising. The rates are very low and it’s very targeted. There are lots of really great blogs out there that have extremely loyal and devoted audiences and I think they present small business owners with a wonderful advertising vehicle.

8. What’s the most difficult aspect of running your biz?
Paperwork. Just ask my accountant.

Ok, now these two are mandatory and I have to ask (this being a diner, after all)

1. What is your favorite meal?
I could eat sushi every day of the week and never get tired of it. If I’m craving comfort food, my favorite Italian restaurant makes butternut squash ravioli with a light sage cream sauce. Heavenly!

2. Do you prefer tea or coffee?
I drink both but am going through a green tea phase at the moment.

{hugs} to Jennifer for the terrific interview. Be sure to check out her elegant, unique jewelry :)

Saturday: Spice up your head...

I love headbands. I don't actually have any...I just admire them from afar. I'm too lazy to even bother with my hair...I'm lucky if it gets blowdryed on a daily basis...it usually dries on it's own before I get a chance. But for those of you who do want and/or need headbands, take a look at these, sold here. She also has amazing bags!!

From J. Lynne Cosmetics....

J.Lynne Cosmetics Anniversary Sweepstakes 2007

Happy Anniversary! To celebrate the beginning of our 3rd year in business, we're inviting everyone to sign up for our 2007 Anniversary Sweepstakes, featuring prizes worth over $1000.00 in J.Lynne Cosmetics products!

Check it out here

Not your mother's apron...

I don't wear aprons, but if I did, it would HAVE to be this one. The flirty little skirt, that gorgeous fabric...who knows, I might just start wearing only aprons ;-) This is my pick of the day and you can find it here.

aahhggggg! Wednesday!

Yikes, what happened to Wednesday! Only a week into the job and already I somehow managed to skip a day. I thought for sure I posted something for Wednesday. Ya' know what it must've been? I had been anticipating LOST starting up again and that's ALL I thought of all day. Yup, that's got to be it! Blame LOST. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it :) (anyone else love LOST as much as I do???)

Lovin' this bag...

It has my favorite color combo of chocolate brown and blue and I just love how it's got that cool angled opening. Find it here.

Bright and cheerful lunchbag

I've been wanting one of these cool lunchbags forever. Of course, when I was young, we only had brown bags or a lunchbox that if you dared bring it to school, you were quickly made fun of. Me? I bought lunch (yes, the ultimate in school loser-hood). So, even though I no longer "need" a lunchbag, I might treat myself to one anyway...just because they're SOOO cool (and I've always wanted to be cool). Find these here.

Recipe Section for Indie Diner??

Jennifer of Quarry Jewelry had a great idea to have a section to share recipes. So, if you have any favorite recipes you'd like to share with the Diner, please send them to me at jdutt@twcny.rr.com. Hey, maybe some day, I could make an Indie Diner Cookbook full of scrumptious recipes from all the fantabulous indie artists around the world!

So dashing and gay...

Check out this awesome lavender pillow! You can get it here at Pillows for the People.

Oooh, soft....

Not only because I love all of these color combos as well as the super soft luxuriousness of minky & chenille fabrics, but because my friend is due with her fifth (!!!) baby in May and I need a gift :) Todays fabulous find is this sweet, comfy blanket found at Dillyhearts.

The first Official Sunday Brunch Special Interview

My first Sunday interview is with Jill at Bidwell Botanicals.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your indie business.
My name is Jill Jones, and I'm the owner and founder of Bidwell Botanicals. We make botanically based spa, bath and body products, including handmade soap, moisturizers and body scrubs.

2. Where are you located?
We are located just outside of Atlanta about halfway between the city and the North GA Mountains.

3. How did you come up with your business name?
Bidwell is a family name and botanicals is what I love, so it seemed a natural pairing.

4. Where do you sell your products?
Our products are sold world-wide in spas/salons, gift shops and health stores. We also retail our products on our website.

5. Do you belong to any local and/or web groups or affiliations?
Yes, I'm a member of the Switchboards. A fantastic group of women business owners that share ideas and resources. I also belong to Rising Designers, also a group of women who are independent business owners and designers. Both groups have been very inspiring to me.

6. What inspires you?
I have been inspired by many of the women I meet that are taking what they love to do and making it a thriving business. They come from all walks of life and their driving force, as is mine, is their craving for creativity.

7. When you’re not making things, what do you do?
I'm not sure there is a time I'm not making things! In my so-called spare time I read, spend time with my family, garden and cook. Right now I'm passionate about make the perfect scone. Just ask my family how many they've eaten in the past few months.

8. What’s your favorite childhood memory?
I had very long, wildly curly hair as a child and I wasn't very fond of having it brushed. We had a large family (7 children) and my mother always had to rush to get us all ready for school and hair brushing was kind of a torture for both of us. My great-grandmother lived two houses down from us and several times a week she would come over and slowly, gently brush out my crazy hair. She would talk quietly to me about all kinds of things and just sort of lull me into a meditative state. To this day just thinking about that gives me a zen-like calm feeling.

10. What’s the most difficult aspect of running your biz?
Staying organized. Do NOT ask my husband about this! He is constantly reorganizing the havoc I wreak when I'm "creating". I sort of thrive in an atmosphere of utter chaos.

Ok, now these two are mandatory and I have to ask (this being a diner, after all)

1. What is your favorite meal?
Sushi. Love, love, love it!

2. Do you prefer tea or coffee?
Tea. I have to have at least one cup in the morning or I can't wake up. (with milk and sugar thank you!)

a big THANK YOU to Jill at Bidwell Botanicals for my very first official Indie Diner interview!!! {hugs} julie

Today's Awesome Find

I find myself drooling over handbound journals...I LOVE them...all those blank pages waiting to be filled with all of my thoughts and dreams and doodles...and the lovely stitching hand sewn so perfectly...oh, I could go on...but I'll just go ahead and show you this beautiful handmade journal. You can find it here at Beetlelady Books.

My first official indie pick...

I'm in the market for a new wallet and this fits the bill (get it?) perfectly. This fantastic wallet can be found here. I like the larger size...not for all the money I have (NOT), more like scraps of paper, receipts, kids pics, and all the other garbage I can't seem to part with.

First Post

Inspired my the fabulous supportive indie feature blogs out there, I wanted to have my very own. The idea for Indie Diner came to me late one night (I must have been hungry) and I started working on it the next day.

I hope that this blog will help promote the indie movement. I will feature a new find every day as well as having interviews weekly. I'm sure it'll be a bit of a bumpy road in the beginning but over time, I hope to make this blog one of the best indie feature blogs out there :)

...and we're off......