Daily Find
When Leslie Conti of Fremont's Eurostyle Your Life learned that the
Archdiocesan Housing Authority
was closing its 19-year-old wooden toy workshop, The Giving Tree, she knew
something had to be done to save it. After negotiating a great deal on the space and a workshop
full of woodworking machines and supplies, Conti reopened The Giving Tree in October as
Westlake Woodwerks, where local artists volunteer their time making small,
classic wooden toys and other impressive art projects.
By Alison Brownrigg | November 20, 2009
Daily Find
Sarah Stine developed a lifelong crush on the fabric arts in her schooldays Home Economics class. Fast-forward to a few years ago when, after
having kids and leaving the world of technical recruiting, she started selling fabric online. Stine has now joined the brick-and-mortar scene with Fabric Crush, her
cheerful and modern fabric and notions shop in Magnolia Village. The store is stocked with
a rainbow of quilting- and interior design-weight cottons from a variety of hip designers, at prices the same as you'd find at larger chains.
By Alison Brownrigg | November 4, 2009
Daily Find
There should be a
support group for people who are addicted to collecting ribbon, paper and other decorative
doodads used for wrapping gifts. Instead there is
the annual Midori Holiday Heaven Sale, a once-a-year extravaganza at the Midori
outlet in Queen Anne, happening on the weekend of Nov. 21 and 22 from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m.
By Alison Brownrigg | November 3, 2009
Daily Find
Seventy-two-year-old Yasuko Akamine, like other women of her generation, learned Ikebana in her late teens. Now, after a lifetime filled with the busy pursuits of motherhood and restaurant ownership, Akamine is finally able to devote all of her time to Ikebana, having launched The Little Flower Station floral design and Ikebana classes earlier this summer.
By Alison Brownrigg | September 23, 2009
Daily Find
With
the advent of the digital age, has the art of putting pen to paper gone the way
of the dodo bird? For the sake of spelling and social graces, let's hope not. Instead
of the ubiquitous "sent from my iPhone" message, consider sending
your next communiqué on stationery from Running Rhino & Co.,
a decidedly more decorative and personal form of communication.
By Sheryl Wiser | July 16, 2009
Daily Find
Haley Pendergraft, a mom
and former teacher from Maple
Valley, realized that
many parties she attended lacked a way to capture the event's memories. To fill that void, she
created Party Art, a creative group activity that lets each guest paint and decorate their own jigsaw puzzle piece. The completed puzzle becomes a unique souvenir of the occasion.
By Alexis Constantine | June 3, 2009
Daily Find
For
a trip back in time, walk by Swash Letterpress & Design in the heart of Wallingford, and peer
through the window. You'll notice two impressively sized and lovingly restored early
20th-century printing presses -- and owner Julie Cook, an easygoing and skilled devotee of
the art and old-world quality of letterpress printing.
By Sheryl Wiser | May 20, 2009
Daily Find
It seems that we hear fewer
stories these days of children choosing to follow in their parents' footsteps and
taking over the family business. But Johanna Kriesel has done just that, taking
the reigns from her mother, Seattle
artist Linnea Riley, who for 23 years has designed the popular Linnea Design
Poster Calendar.
By Alison Brownrigg | May 7, 2009
Daily Find
When it comes to Mother's
Day, the best gifts aren't the fancy or expensive ones, but the ones given from
the heart. Many local shops offer a great selection of gifts for $25 or less
that say, "I appreciate all you do." Here are a few of our favorites.
By Alison Brownrigg | May 5, 2009
Daily Find
When I was a kid and would go
to the drugstore with my mom, she would invariably wind up in the greeting card
aisle. She'd stand in front of the racks, pulling this card and that,
alternately cracking up at the humorous ones and tearing up over the
sentimental ones. These days, I choose cards
based on their aesthetic appeal rather than their written sentiment, and local
graphic designer Traci Daberko creates just the kind I like.
By Alison Brownrigg | April 22, 2009
