Springify your Home

Personally, I think ceramics are a great way to add color and texture to your home whether it be a collection on the mantel, table or shelf. Functional ceramics not only help add personality to your surroundings but are useful too - making that bouquet of spring flowers all the more cheery. Jocelyn Braxton Armstrong is a new ceramicist in our New York Boutique and I just love her contemporary sensibility and color. You can find her work at http://www.beehiveco-op.com/designers/products/Jocelyn-Braxton-Armstrong-Ceramics.asp!

Too Cool for School

Raise your hand if you are a parent. Raise your hand if you have to make lunch(s) everyday. Raise your hand if it kills you to package everything in plastic baggies each and everyday. For those of you with no hands up...time to tune out. For those with two hands in the air let me introduce you to Snack Taxi (available on beehiveshop.com)! I started using them this year and LOVE them. They are durable, easy to wash, and cute to boot and you can feel good about not clogging the landfills one lunch at a time! Handmade in Massachusetts, you just can beat a simple well executed idea! www.snacktaxi.com

Soft Sculpture

So, a couple of holidays ago, I schlepped the family to the Bust Craftacular in NYC. It was hot, crowded and I only narrowly avoided a family revolt because of the delicious cupcakes that were on hand. Of course I loved it and found a bunch of great new designers to covet. Mummysam was one of the artisans that I fell in love with. I hinted to my husband that I'd love a few of her pieces for my birthday and promptly forgot about it! Well, 2 months later I was the delighted owner of two Mummysam beauties - I'd love a whole village! If you have a little nook to fill or need a housewarming gift check out her work at (yes, you guessed it) etsy.com. Be sure and look through her SOLD listings - it's a treat.

After 2 days without power due to a huge snowstorm and the landscape around me filled with slushy, dirty snow, I thought it might lift my spirits to share a favorite jewelry designer of mine. Amber Mahler is the jewelry designer behind Mani Designs based in upstate New York. She uses the lost wax technique of casting actual flowers and branches and her work is infused with all the delicacy and intricacy that nature offers. I especially love her stick pins and I just recieved a pair of earrings that I bought from her. They are absolutely gorgeous and remind me that spring is on it's way! If you need a little boost and reminder of the greener, sweeter smelling season to come, check out her website or her etsy shop!