Our Empire | According to Instagram

Spring brings change, yes? We have lots of new and exciting things going on around the shop as of late. Spring has been very good to us. We all love the sunshine. We know how to appreciate rain here in Portland but nothing beats a beautiful sunny day! Here's just some fun shots of what it's been like around here.

We got rid of the photobooth. It was for the best but it still feels a little empty upfront without it. 

We're trying out a new window display. You like?

Some new cards we just got in. We got a lot more, but these are two of my favorites.

Spring gifts!

Our fish champ. He's been loving Spring too.

Sunshine has been good for biking to work.

Lime tree is making some good looking limes.

Our records are soon going to have a new home! We're working on putting a listening station where the photobooth was so you guys can listen to them before you buy. Makes saying goodbye to the photobooth a little more sweet.

And that's about it! Hope you all are having a wonderful start of Spring too!

Across The Sea.

I am really excited about these new cards we just got in from Buy Olympia! They are blank and come with a blank CD!! How awesome is that? Excuse me while I have a nostalgic moment. My junior high/ high school days were spent making mixed CDs.

You can put music, pictures, or whatever your heart desires on to these little guys (the disc can hold 80 minutes of music or 700 mb worth of storage) and send them off to the lucky person of your choice!

Made by artist Atherton Lin and are only $6 each. (We only have two left!)

Perfect Pair

Sooooo, this morning on my personal blog Woodgrain & Gold, I gushed over this amazing long skirt and button up combination. I love it. Cute, comfy, and sophisticated all in one. So awesome.

 I wanted to take it a step further and do a little jewelry pairing with each so you can further envision the genius of this mixture.

I matched the pictures to be directly under which outfits I would pair them with. For work I chose the round Seahag & Walrus ($34) because it's clean and simple while still making a bold statement. For casual I picked two bracelets (the feather from Seahag & Walrus- $26 and the geometric from Jesseca Anne- $40) because...well, bracelets are fun and not necessarily too fancy! Then for the more dressy outfit I picked our beautiful crystal necklace from Solis Jewelry ($70). It gives it that extra special touch to make your dressy outfit perfection!

There you have it! Hope you are inspired to try it out if you haven't yet!

What we're reading

Illustrated my Sarah Miller. Author lives in Portland OR.

We just got this short novel in and it is hard to put down. It's a story, written in the stye of a journal, about a guy who struggles with dating an alcoholic, disguised as a choose your own adventure novel.

The author, who remains anonymous, warns readers in the beginning of the book that they might as well read through the book, because choosing different adventures won't change the outcome of the story. Instead they are more like fun distractions that take your mind from the happenings in his life. It seems like they are almost there to help you relate to and make sense of why he stays with her. Love tends to cloud our logical reasoning at times. 

We have 5 copies of this fun read left and they are $7 each! What a steal!

Awesome Alert

How amazing are these little geometric necklaces? The answer is so amazing! They are made here in Portland by Thorn & Wynn. The shapes are golden brass and the chains are gunmetal. At 22 dollars each they are the perfect affordable must-have accessory.

...however...if you'd like one and still want to hold onto your money, check out Chalk White Arrow. They lovely Sara is hosting a giveaway for us there that you surely will not want to miss!

What We Wear

Look who it is! So odd to see myself on the screen! How the tables have turned. I particularly love mixing patterns lately. 

Talking about myself is hard so I am just going to leave you with the side not that my necklace and postcard are currently available but the earrings are not! (I had to buy them. Too cute! So sorry)

Did you know?

Did you know our beautiful stained glass displayed in our window is actually for sale?? Oh yes, it is. They are made locally by our dear friends over at SpaceCraft and will soon be switched out for some equally beautiful new ones! If you see one you like come on down and get it before it's gone! (Seriously someone save me from buying the "POW" myself, SO COOL)

Our Empire | According to Instagram

With the release of Instagram for Android we felt it was appropriate to start an Inside Look With Instagram segment for our little ol' blog. Also I am an Android girl (the one and only one) and am just so stinkin excited to finally have this nifty little app. Enjoy! And happy Wednesday!

What We Wear

Did you guys miss us as much as we missed you? Because we missed you a lot! We hope you guys have been enjoying Spring as much as we have! Portland has been so sunny and beautiful lately it's almost unreal. Our beautiful Kari models some of our favorite sunshiney pieces in her adorable Spring outfit. Kari's earrings, rings, kaleidoscope, and solar paper are all available at Icon and will all be the perfect addition to your sunny days to come!

Poems and Pictures

We are really excited about the arrival of this book! Out Here is a gorgeous photographic and poetic view of the Steens Mountain area of Oregon, with photographs by Roger Dorband and poems and drawings by Ursula LeGuin. It’s so, so beautiful. It’s $35 and all our copies are AUTOGRAPHED! Ursula LeGuin is nominated for the Oregon Book Award for Out Here!

What We Wear

That's right ya'll, along with our lovely collection of books, jewelry and more, we are now selling records! They are currently sold in our store but will soon be sold online once our new site is up and running! We are also working on getting a new in-store listening station so you can take a listen before you buy. How cool is that?! Everything Melanie is modeling above is currently available at Icon (except for her super amazing boots).

Out on...

Melanie | Candace | Kari

Vacation!

Candace here (as always). I have been on vacation and am so sorry we have missed you all for the past few days! We've been working so hard on getting the funding to start our online shopping site (expect a super awesome kickstarter video soon) that we all decided it was time to take a short break.

For weeks so much coffee has been keeping us going. Melanie, Kari, and I decided when we have our beautiful new office we will have the best personal coffee mugs. It may be silly to find self expression in such simple things but I also think it is way awesome and beyond cute. As we had a breakfast meeting together the other morning at J&M Cafe we took a test run since they let you choose your own mugs at their self serve coffee station. (By the way if you are a Portland native or are ever visiting we all highly reccomend this place, so good!)

Tomorrow we will be back on track with oh so many lovely retail posts! See you then!

Cuteness Overload

Card $4.50 | Mug $22

We have a lot of amazing things from Little Canoe right now but these two items we just got in are some of our favorites! So cute right?! This mug marks our first ever "home good" and we are excited to start having more.

What We Wear

Alena is modeling our pretty new geometric necklaces. Each are handmade here in Portland OR and are $22.

Pretty Postcards

We have a bunch of new postcards at Icon! Come take a look!

What We Wear

{The Grid Notebook, $6 | Gold Fan Earrings, Betsy and Iya, $19 | Gold Bangles, Tumbleweed Bead, $25 each | "B" Ring, Elise Bunker, $38 | Gold Rings, Tumbleweed Bead, $12 each} 

Pulling inspiration from 70s stewardesses, Andre 3000, and Victorian era gentlemen, Melanie once again out-cutes us all. We had a lot of fun taking lots of pictures because our shoot was on one of our rare sunny days we've been having. We are currently sold out of the golden fans but will be getting more soon (we do however have a dangly pair that is also $19). Everything else is currently available at Icon!

So Soon?

YES! We are doing another giveaway! I (Candace, aka Web Wizard) have gotten the chance to team up both of the blogs I write, this one and Woodgrain & Gold, for a giveaway on Chalk White Arrow! Head on over here to read more and check out the details! Basically it's just like last time, but you need to follow both this blog and Woodgrain & Gold, and then go comment on this giveaway post over at Chalk White Arrow. It might sound like a lot of work but it takes no time at all, and the chance to win these stunning pieces by Brehan Todd makes it more than worth it! Good luck you guys!

Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Leigh! You are our first giveaway winner EVER!!!