Small business holidays - Post #1: Peek...aren't you curious?

I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being an aunt to possibly the cutest 2 year old little boy named Ben.  

Now, finding cute boys clothing is so much harder than finding cute girls clothing.  Which means that every time I do find it, I simply have to buy it.  Christmas around the corner is a technical excuse.

This past weekend, I went on a store visit to Treasure & Bond in SoHo where I discovered Peek and bought this {made in the USA} T-shirt that says "Brave men run in my family."  

It's especially perfect as Ben's dad, my brother Max, is a Captain in the U.S. Army, and I'm proud to say, especially being Veteran's Day today, that nothing could be more true.

They only seem to have large sizes on the Peek website or if you are in NYC, you should definitely check out Treasure & Bond.    Extra cool about Treasure is that they donate 100% of profits to charities benefiting children in NYC.

And we just shipped them their opening order of alexandra ferguson pillows.  So obviously, their 'cool' factor just got epic.

Gift Tags by alexandra ferguson

Gift with purchase!

The experience of unwrapping a gift can be one of the most delightful things this time of year.  So we thought we'd add a little alexandra ferguson sass to it with our super fun gift tag stickers.

You know the little side-explanations you say when you hand your gift to someone?  Those were the inspiration behind these tags.   Have fun with them - I think you'll find the perfect tag for each gift on your list this year.

And the best news yet is that we are including a sheet of them FREE with every order on alexandraferguson.com, from now until December 20th.

Small business holidays - Post #1, Charley Harper Dining Ware

Gift buying is one of my favorite things to do.  Often I'll be thinking of clever ideas months in advance. I listen up year-round for clues and ideas, and think carefully about what item matches each person's personality, and then scour the market for the most beautiful version of it.

Not lying - I bought a stocking stuffer for my mom in August.  It's a velvet beaded Union Jack tree ornament I found in London during the Olympics.  She is English, and her New York home has a serious case of Anglo-fever.  So now the christmas tree can be branded as well.  Trust me - it's perfect.

(She's not very high tech - low risk I've just spoiled the fun for her ;)

This year, I'm adding a layer of fun and making a pledge to do all my holiday shopping with small businesses.

My parameters are self-defined.  Generally I want to shop independent retailers and e-commerce sites (like the ones I sell to) and buy products from small designers (like me).  Either/or, good.  Both? BAM!

Big box stores with mass produced goods?  Not this year.

I love nothing more than a challenge, and I think my friends and family will get the most interesting and fun gifts ever.

So, more things I love:
1. Dining ware & tabletop accessories
2. Birds in art
3. Mid-century modern aesthetics, bold graphics, color blocking

Conclusion: Charley Harper is one of my most favorite artists, and WHAM! Todd Oldham partners with Fishs Eddy (incredible NYC eclectic dishes store) to put Charley Harper images on glasses, plates and trays.

I left their email blast announcement open on my computer for two days to let my pitter-patter heart calm down.


Don't forget mugs, dishtowels and aprons.  (Seriously, you even did an apron?)

Cereal bowl fetish?  Meet Big Fish.


Available for sale on charleyharperartstudio.com or click here

(Wait - is this series of blogs going to turn into a list of things I'd like my friends to buy for me??  No, no, promise...it's just that sometimes I find the gift before I find the recipient...and keep in mind, I do include myself on my list of people to buy presents for...and I'm OK with all that.)