aussie indie rock
Youth Group‘s indie tunes make my ears happy. I love their remake of "Forever Young"… (you know that song by Alphaville that played at Napoleon Dynamite’s school dance?)
Here’s a review of their latest album Casino Twilight Dogs, "Youth Group exploded onto the scene in 2005 with Skeleton Jar, and confirmed what Australia had known for a while now – that when it comes to melodic indie rock, there are few capable of putting together such an enjoyable album. If you’re a fan of the kind of music dropped into the OC, ER and Scrubs, Youth Group are bang centre of the bullseye. Do yourself a favor and dip in – this is as good as indie gets." -Mike Rea
capturing the sweet moments
Meet Suzi Scott of Grand Blanc, Michigan. She is a natural light child photographer that captures children in their everyday environments. She doesn’t believe in that "say cheese" business, she just wants to capture their natural true expressions.
A quote from her bio reads, "I have always had a love for photography. I remember my mother keeping albums full of family pictures. They were all numbered and organized by the year. It is so nice to have those memories to look at and bring you back to a certain moment in time."
Suzi also keeps a blog where I just read about how she has recently joined Celebrating Adoption and is offering a free session and a set of proofs to any child who was adopted in the last year. What a wonderful way to honor saving a life.
The Oakland Press – 3.6.07
Blog helps gift shops spring forward
by: Lara Mossa – of The Oakland Press
photo: Vaughn Gurganian
Bright Easter eggs, bobble-head bunnies and windup chicks announce the coming of spring on the catching fireflies website. The products are featured on the local company’s blog, which was launched last summer.
catching fireflies, a 6-year-old business, has locations in Berkley and Rochester and sells products online. The stores carry wedding and baby gifts, bath and body products, handbags, kitchen and entertaining items, greeting cards, stationery and handmade picture frames and photo albums. More than 30 local artists sell products at the stores, ranging from handmade jewelry to stained glass.
April McCrumb, co-owner of catching fireflies, started the blog as a way to communicate with customers. Linked to the company’s website, www.catchingfireflies.com , the blog features information on new products, local artists, music reviews, special coupons and sales, and anecdotes from the owner.
As the popularity of the Internet grows, so does the prevalence of blogs, which are user-generated websites where entries are made in journal style. Typically, pictures are included and readers are able to add their own comments to the site.
McCrumb came up with the idea after reading about blogs in Entrepreneur Magazine.
"The blog is a running dialogue you can have with your customers at minimal time and cost," she said. Sales have been slightly higher since the blog was launched, said McCrumb, who updates the journal every couple of days. "It’s something we can offer a lot of the big-box stores can’t." McCrumb said. "They don’t have the personality we have. There’s actually a person behind this store, not just a corporation."
Also to promote the business, catching fireflies sends an e-mail newsletter regularly and a mailed newsletter twice a year. McCrumb obtains customers’ e-mail and home addresses when they sign up for a $63 shopping spree she gives away each month at the stores and online.
Daily Tribune – 3.5.07
Blogging latest tool for local stores
Some shop owners bitten by the bug.
cat naps are a wonderful thing
This past Saturday I took the advice of my cat, Tuesday and took a cozy cat nap during the afternoon. It’s something I rarely do, but boy did it feel good.
Andrew Pyle and Leslie French of Nunwell Glass capture that snuggly feeling beautifully with their gorgeous glass cats. Steve and I purchased one of their lovely sculptures at a gallery while we were on vacation last year to add to our quirky art cat collection.
A portion of Leslie’s artist statement reads, "I don’t remember a time in my life without cats. They were my constant companions as a child, dressed as dolls they were regular tea party guests. As the cat population waxed and waned in the shed at the bottom of the yard, the subtle intricacies of cat society were revealed, and I never lost that fascination. It feels so fitting now, that along with my husband Andy, we are creating a tribute to the House Cat, a natural wonder that brings nothing but joy to those who choose to share their lives with it."
They appropriately have lots of furry family members who at all have one time or another, modeled. We don’t carry their artwork, but you can purchase their glass kitties on their website. 
tempting peep toe tennies
You can probably tell by my last few shoe postings I am eager for spring to arrive; so when I saw these oh-so-adorable peep toe tennies on another cheeky blog I peruse, I could not help to share the wealth with you.
Maybe I could convince my husband Steve to give them to me for St. Patty’s Day… after all, they are green and gold.
attn: dark chocolate lovers
I picked up this rich wonder at the Hershey’s Time Square Store while I was in NYC for a recent trade show. Ironically it isn’t made by Hershey but boy is it amazing!
A portion of Dagoba’s story reads, "We use both time-honored and modern methods to transform the prima materia of cacao into edible gold. Our line includes pure blends, single origins and innovative infusions to share cacao in its fullest diversity – including slight changes across harvests that reflect the ebb and flow of our lives. In creating flavor infusions, we use only pure essential oils and local ingredients whenever possible. Our infusions perfectly balanced formulations that offer surprise and health benefits."
Who knew about health benefits? (…like I need any reason to eat dark chocolate)
ยท Cacao is high in antioxidant polyphonols which fight free radicals that damage body tissue. Per ounce, chocolate has more antioxidants than fruits, vegetables, tea or wine. In fact, 1.5 oz of dark chocolate has as much antioxidants as 5 oz. of red wine. Higher cacao content means higher antioxidants. Dark chocolate has twice the antioxidants of milk chocolate.
anne taintor – vintage revisited
Meet Anne Taintor. We’ve carried her clever retro collage magnets since we first opened and they still continue to be very popular. Her savvy one-liners mixed with vintage imaging always guarantees a good grin or giggle.
A portion of her artist statement reads, "Anne graduated from Harvard in 1977 with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies. After college, she focused on collage, and her work always incorporated a subtle humor and playfulness. For years, Anne’s art was more of a sideline than a full-time occupation. But in the late 1980s, she was a single mother searching for a way to spend more time at home with her daughter than her job in cartography permitted, and she began to concentrate on a new line of designs. The new collages combined vintage images with Anne’s own interpretation of what these men and women might really be thinking."
We carry a variety of Anne’s magnets, note pads and books on-line and in our stores.
She is also the featured artist for the month of March which means you can enjoy 15% off all her designs. Just type ANNE for the coupon code during checkout.
my favorite march beverage
Personally there is not much about March I like… it’s windy, cold, wet and usually grey in Michigan, BUT since St. Patty’s Day falls right in the middle of the month… it gives me the perfect excuse to whip up delicious minty shamrock shakes!
the healthy ingredient list:
1 cup skim milk
2 scoops vanilla nonfat frozen yogurt
1 teaspoon mint extract
2-3 drops green food coloring
the indulgent ingredient list:
1 cup whole milk
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 teaspoon mint extract
2-3 drops green food coloring
Pour all ingredients into a blender and whirl until smooth and green. Serve with a mint sprig and enjoy!
spring has arrived at catching fireflies
March isn’t one of the prettiest months but we do our best to add a little color to the scenery by strutting our stuff with these playful umbrellas.
And before you know it, beautiful posies and butterflies will be popping up in your backyard… but if you can’t wait, stop in and we’ll be sure to add a little sunshine to your day.
