the dust has settled from yet another Unique LA.  this one, though, was different in that it was the very first summer show, AND it took place in Santa Monica at the Barker Hangar-- instead of the usual downtown spot.  

what was the same, however, was the eclectic mix of vendors and shoppers.   

i express it often, but i really do have a sincere appreciation for how Sonja and the rest of the Unique LA staff put the show together.  as a vendor, when deciding what shows to do, you want to obviously make sure that it's going to be a positive experience, and i must say that every Unique LA i've done (this was VintageRemade's 4th) has been great-- in their attention to design, the vendors the select, the vibe they create, etc..

here's a shot of our table set-up.

and here are some of the vendors that stood out to me:

Krochet Kids International

Krochet Kids sell hats crocheted by women in Northern Uganda.  the women are paid a fair wage and are therefore empowered to overcome the grip of poverty.  read the story of how the company developed here: http://www.krochetkids.org/who-we-are/our-story/  it's quite inspiring. 

Manda Landa sells goods made mostly from upcycled books.  they have everything from jewelry to handbags.  very creative stuff!

if i was a flask carrying kind of girl, i might be tempted to purchase one of these from Whimsy and Ink.  fun designs.

Odina makes eco-friendly swimwear.

Field Day makes clothes from organic fabrics and recycled materials.  

i thought these card holders and Wallets by 11:11 Enterprises were pretty cool.

Magnetic Grain makes wall decorations out of repurposed wood.  you select your own building blocks, so to speak, and then assemble them into a unique wall piece.  magnetic rods hold the blocks together.

Stylespotting was there scoping out the event and selling their Together Totes, a satirical take on status bags.  they're basically canvas bags with a designer-ish bag screened on all sides.  

AND.. last but not least, our amazing booth neighbors, the fine people at Green Aid.  they sell seedbombs!

the concept, in case you are not familiar, is that YOU, yes YOU can be part of making a positive ecological impact simply by planting seeds.  

you can do that in a more traditional way by selecting a plot of land and planting your seeds OR you can go the "guerrilla gardening" route and launch seedbombs into random places around your neighborhood with an old fashioned slingshot.

i had seen their vending machines around the city, but it was great to meet the people behind the seedbombs. :)

to those of you who came out, thanks for making it a great weekend!  'til next time!  xo

Silver Lake Jubilee, for those who are not from the area is an annual two day music, arts and literary festival that takes place in the ever happening..Sliver Lake.

one thing that sets the festival apart is their commitment to be a "zero waste" event.   Sustain LA has worked with the festival planners for the past two years to facilitate a massive recycling and composting effort with the goal of diverting waste from going to landfills.  you can read more about that here or check out this interview with Leslie van Keuren Campbell, founder of Sustain LA.

here are a couple of images from my booth.  i did a little clothesline with some of our totes hanging from clothespins.

my favorite vendor was probably Taxi CDC.  their clothes are gorgeous and made from upcycled fabrics.  for those in LA, they have a store in Echo Park; they're also carried in tons of boutiques  and stores across the US, so look for them!

this artist did a skyscape painting under sunset bridge.

my absolute favorite moment of the festival was when these guys took the stage.  i was back at my booth (which was kind of far from the stage) when i heard the bass line of seven nation army by the white stripes.  i couldn't see who was playing, so when the singer started my brain was like what?! is that a child?  and yes, it was.  they were the cutest thing ever.  

i'm so glad that someone recorded them, so i can share this with you... enjoy xoxo!

our new western string ties will be on our site this starting this week.  i’m super excited about them because I’ve been wanting to make something just for guys, and i love the style of these.  who doesn't love a guy in a fun western tie?

we actually have jared’s friend mike to thank for the idea. we were chatting at an event we did in march called Hope in the City, and mike threw out the idea that we should make string ties.  it took a few months to fully develop the design, but i’m so happy they’re finally in production.  (by that I mean my sewing machine and i are making them).   mike, we should mention, is in a band called Now the Rabbit Has the Gun, and they are pretty fantastic.  and I’m not just saying that because he has good product ideas.  here's an acoustic video they just put out.  thanks MIKE! 

 As expected, last weekend's show was tons o' fun.  Here's our table set-up:

My dear friend Olga designed an installation out of hangers that was suspended over our booth.  It was kind of hard to photograph, but trust me, it looked amazing.

The event started at 11am and by 11:30 the place was packed and it pretty much stayed that way until the days end.

(below) Meet Emma, one of our interns . She's super talented and we are grateful to have her on board!

This was one of my favorite things at Unique LA.. Ex Libris Anonymous  They make journals using old book covers.  Pretty genius.

And Magic Industrie uses book covers to make wallets.

Honey My Heart was one of our booth neighbors.  Thought these were earrings were cute.

Our other booth neighbor Once Lost Jewelry creates jewelry from found objects like watch gears and old keys.  Very pretty stuff.

And of course, there was this guy.  

Fun day.  Can't wait to do it again!  If you missed it this time around, we just got word there will be a summer show at the Barker Hangar July 30-31, so save the date! xoxo