Old School

We've received an extraordinary batch of cards and prints from Old School Stationers of Portland, OR. Large, bold images in three colors are pressed onto extremely textured and thick handmade paper, resulting in a very deep "bite". The five inch blank cards are great but the eight inch versions, mounted on wood frames and ready to hang on your wall, are incredible. I promise to get these onto Rare Picks ASAP.

We are also restocked on mi-spa's yummy lip balms and we are trying out the dry perfume roll-ons as well. They are light and clear scents in a no-mess glass tube, very refreshing for summer...we have green tea, yuzu, lychee and sake scents.

Happy weekend to all, stay cool.

Ruby Turns 10

A quick shout of hurrah to my friend Laura, who runs Ruby Gallery in San Francisco. Her store turned 10 years old yesterday by launching their e-commerce site! 10 years is *amazing* for any store but especially so for a shop filled with great work by small designers. Ruby was the first store to carry my jewelry and Laura has provided invaluable advice to me and many other designers as well! Here's to Laura and the store's namesake, a sweet little black pug who greets everyone at the door.

Indie

We try really hard at Rare Device to stock great handcrafted products. At this point in the game, sometimes a product starts handmade and is eventually sent out to someone else to make (which is usually a happy occasion, as it means the artist has gotten very popular). But, we're always pleased to carry items that are completely maker-made.

Today we received work from Mittenmitten and Zuzupop. I have Mittenmitten's 2Rivet wallets - they are minimalist, carefully cut and folded kidskin wallets in a rainbow of colors and yes, put together with 2 rivets. That's it. If you just need something for a few bills and a card or two, this is the wallet for you.

Zuzupop is the work of Tes de Luna and she drafts the patterns, cuts and sews her line herself up in Seattle. This summer we have fun sweet pieces reminiscent of childhood - candy colored polkadot blouses, eyelet tunics with a retro printed sash, puff sleeves and bubble skirts. We have some of her printed tees as well, embellished with embroidery and a scattering of sequins.

Tea and Coffee

Maybe we shouldn't call it an obsession but I am really into tea and coffee...okay, and chocolate and cheese and all of those other goodies, but I can only carry what won't melt in the shop.

We have just run out of Jenaer tea glasses, forever I think, but we have more Coffee for One presses in, and their cousin, the 34 oz Coffee Press (sans cup). And, I have tea in as well! I have 2 and 4oz lock-top canisters of Ti Kuan Yin and Silver Needles from Adagio, I have tasted both and they are great. I also have Jasmine Blossoms - these are the walnut-sized handformed tea bundles that expand like a flower in your teacup! They are great paired with our all-glass teapot so you can watch the blossom open.

Summer is Here

Happy Almost Summer! The official start date is right around the corner but the heat has already caught up to us. Just ordered a midseason stack of Heavy Rotation tees that are cute and superlight for these hot, sticky days. Still awaiting a few more pieces by Zuzupop of Seattle as well, and we're going to have great tees by Mary Ink soon, quite popular at Renegade this year.

Today I walked with the Boy and the Dog down Atlantic Ave and popped in at a brand-new shop by our buddy Hicham, it is called Hollander & Lexer and sells clothing for men in Darr-appropriate surroundings (Darr is Hicham's furniture shop). It's dark and cool in there, with a view of an extraordinarily suburban backyard - grass, hammock, and lawn sprinkler lazily waving back and forth. Guys are very underrepresented in the hood so we think they'll do very well. Also, they are conveniently located mere doors away from my favorite cupcakes at Downtown Atlantic (coconut frosting with chocolate bottoms, only $2). Oh! And Brooklyn is getting its own Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches on Atlantic Ave. too. Sweet! With Hanco's on Bergen down the street, we are heading toward a bahn mi war, and I am very excited about that.

What else? I hear David Byrne is releasing a book via McSweeney's Publishing, I will get that when it is released. I am on the last episode ever of Six Feet Under (thanks Netflix) and don't know what to watch next. Mmm, that's it for today.

L.A. Stories

This month, Rare Device is featured in two magazines based in L.A. - I mention this just because so many magazines come out of New York, so it's always interesting to see the West Coast perspective on things.

The first is Audrey Magazine, for Asian-American women. They've been tracking the progression of my jewelry line so when I told them I opened a shop, they were very excited for me. I actually know a number of Asian boutique owners, especially in the design arena. What's up with that? :D

The second is Pop Life Magazine, the home and interiors offshoot of Metro Pop, a fashion magazine. This is a good solid read, if a sporadically published one! If you love West Coast or mid-century style, there is quite a bit of it in this mag.

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A big thanks to our regulars and brand-new customers who came by the street fair yesterday, despite the incredible heat. I have my first major sunburn in years so you can wave at the lobster in the window if you drive down 7th Ave.

On the way: Minimalist leather wallets by Mitten Mitten, more Mi Spa lip balms and their new dry perfume rollons. Also in the incubator stage is a new show/collaboration by some of my favorite San Francisco artists, stay tuned!