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November 23rd, 2007
Wake up, sleepy heads, for today is the busiest shopping day of the year: Black Friday. It’s time to slip on some leggings (no waiting in dressing room lines for us!), tie on those sneakers, stash a couple of protein bars in our bag and hit the ground running—all before the sun is even up (if it is in fact making an appearance today; the weather forecast says maybe). And where, pray tell, will we be having our big shopping orgy? Well just as we spent yesterday downing gravy by the boat-full with family and friends, we’ll be spending our holiday dollars at the indie stores that welcome us in like family. In celebration of today’s kick-off of our SHOP INDEPENDENT campaign, we’ll be hitting up the locally owned, independent stores we love so much. And having a sale definitely does not hinder our desire to shop independent this holiday season. Some of the local sales we’ll be scoping include Horseshoe in Fremont (15% off regularly priced items), Manhattan in Kirkland (20-50% off select fall merch), Hilltop Yarn in Queen Anne (20 to 50 percent off select yarns) and Bellevue’s Posh on Main (20% off boots). We’ve got a lot of area to cover, so we better get cracking. Happy shopping, and be careful out there! |
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Seattle Picks: |
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| 1 | Holidays Rue! This week begins our favorite time of year. Shop, eat, drink, repeat, until it culminates with the opening of gifts, and if we’re good, lots of them. Don’t get us wrong, we love giving as much as getting, which is why we adore the shops that have a gift for everyone. The adorable stuffed giraffe for your niece, eccentric Turkey-based Volari earrings for your aunt, French Michel Cluizel chocolates for grandma, a holiday painting from local artist Cody Blomberg for mom—you get the picture. That’s why we love Rue De Lyon for a holiday one-stop shop-a-thon, and getting all the gift-giving shopping done leaves more time to shop for personal holiday items like cocktail dresses and shimmery platforms. Be immersed in a fantastic selection of “gifty” items, combined with decorations, cards and paper items from Shannon Martin Girl Designer and practical items like Hobo Bags. We predict that you’ll love the modern look of Akemi Lights candle holders and irresistible smell of Archipelago candles. Shopping for presents is fun any time of year, but there’s no time like the present to make holiday dreams come true. Rue De Lyon |
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| 2 | Bye-bye Barbie Every year about this time, we’re reminded of our dearest childhood memories: sweet treats, twinkling decorations and magic in the air. OK, who are we fooling? It was the toys—those wonderful new treasures just for us! Whether we yearned for Cabbage Patch Kids, dreamt of an Easy Bake Oven or lusted after Legos, as a child it was all about the toys. Now we live vicariously through the kiddos in our lives, and thanks to Madrona’s new Precocious toy store, this year’s holiday spree may be the best yet. We love handmade plush toys from Aimee Ray—the line is called “fatkitties” and they are positively darling. The bright and bold Ugly Dolls are always a hit. Our favorite is a new collection called Karito Kids; the dolls reflect actual proportions and styles of young girls with characteristics of African, Asian, Caucasian, Latin and Mediterranean ethnicities. What’s more, each Karito Kid purchase includes a donation to KidsGive (www.kidsgive.com); each child selects which cause their doll supports. Fabulous toys and a positive message? My, how the times change! Precocious |
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| 3 | In an Indo State of Mind After returning from Indonesia, we found ourselves daydreaming about the Balinese culture and way of life. Just our luck: Seattle is home to Buddha Belly, a southeast Asian-infused boutique full of handcrafted furniture, wood carvings, stone carvings, vintage statues and accessories from Indonesia and China. Their authentic pieces range from a vintage metal foo dog to an antique stone carved Kwan Yin Bu from a monastery in China. There are also hand-painted Chinese armoires and Indonesian wooden lamps to add an elegant Asian vibe to your home. We even found ourselves questioning our espresso habit (blasphemy!) after inspecting the gorgeous teapots in the shapes of dragons and frogs from the Yixing region of China. And the smells of Buddha Belly had us right back in Bali. In addition to many soothing candle fragrances, the shop has mild, long-burning incense from Japan in pomegranate, wisteria and jasmine scents. And if we didn’t get so distracted by the gorgeous silver Balinese jewelry, we may have come home with a statue for our front entry! Now if only we could find a good $5 massage in this town. Buddha Belly |
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| 4 | Mercer Me We tend to not like change, particularly when it happens at some of our favorite old places. We catch ourselves thinking, “We remember when …” and we start to feel old. And here’s a change we can’t handle: The New York Times announced that the original “Sesame Street” episodes aren’t suitable for today’s kids! What the?!? Turns out that cookies are no longer cool. But change is definitely a good thing in terms of Mercer at the University Village. We would have loooved a boutique like that when we were studying at the University of Washington. They have all our favorite standbys—a table full of Michael Stars comfy tees, a large collection of Cosabella underpinnings and tons of Juicy Couture accessories. Plus, their wall of designer denim and color-coordinated racks make it easy to discover new and unique brands. When it comes to Mercer, we don’t mind feeling a little older. We’re happy it has made its home at the University Village, especially since we can afford to do some major shopping now that we aren’t poor college students. Mercer |
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| 5 | Bon Appétit! Strolling the streets of Paris a few years ago, we stopped for a crepe made by a street vendor. We watched in awe as the man deftly poured the thin batter on the flat griddle and lovingly smoothed it out, flipping at just the right moment, slathering it with preserves, folding it up and delivering it over to our greedy hands. Magnifique! Since then we’ve had a love affair with crepes both sweet and savory. Well versed in the locations of all the local creperies, we were delighted to find one newly opened in West Seattle! Born as a market stall at the Edmonds Farmers Market, the Riverhouse Creperie offers crepes filled with their eponymous line of sauces, like Triple Cherry Amaretto (sweet and tart), savory combos like roasted chicken with artichoke hearts and goat cheese (hearty and delicious), and the pure simplicity of black currant preserves sprinkled with powdered sugar. Owner Kathaleen Lizottte emphasizes local ingredients as well as ecologically friendly take out containers and compostable to-go teacups. Next time you find yourself cruising Alki, stop by and tell ‘em Seattle Picks sent you! RiverHouse Creperie |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | Sweet Dreams We often dream of swimming in chocolate or lounging in a chocolaty bath—did we mention we like chocolate? Seattle’s own Sweet Beauty totally gets our obsession. The line of chocolate-based (organic and fair-trade chocolate, no less) spa products is a decadent dessert for the senses. You can get your fix in the form of body scrubs (for the holidays, we love the Candy Cane White Chocolate Scrub with actual peppermint candy pieces), the Melt Milk Chocolate Bath, a body cleanser or chocolate lip balm—a dream come true! |
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| 2 | Rocky Mountain High |
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| 3 | Say “Yes” to Socks! We’ve never won anything in our lives… well, once we won a t-shirt in a bar raffle on Halloween but it turned out that our friend switched our tickets. But somebody out there won one of the cutest contests ever—designing a new sock pattern for Northwest favorite Sock It To Me. As if their socks weren’t cute enough! Or comfy enough! Seriously, you can wear their knee-highs all day without pinching or rubbing, and nobody has to know you have unicorns under those knee-high boots. |
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| 4 | Forever 29 The other day we spotted a few new gray hairs. This, in addition to all the wrinkles we’re getting around our mouth. Let’s face it—we’re getting old. But with the help of 29, we don’t have to look it. An age-protecting color cosmetic line, 29 utilizes the benefits of grape seed extracts, known for protecting skin against free radicals and pollutants. With exquisite colors, tons of antioxidants and a name inspired by the highway that runs through Napa Valley, we’re ready to drink this stuff up. |
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| 5 | How Do You Stack Up? |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Plead Gilt-y Accessories have been our wardrobe saviors during the hectic holidays. And now that Gilt has opened, we’ll be set for the season (and beyond!). Gilt carries unique and affordable accessories great for gifts (and yourself!). Donate your own gently used fashion jewelry, and get 10 percent off one item at Gilt. Donations will go to YWCA’s Working Wardrobe program. What: Gilt now open |
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| 2 | DIY Divas We’ve been feeling a little uninspired when it comes to DIY projects lately. And with the holidays upon us, we need to get back in touch with our inner crafter. Urban craft show I Heart Indie Holidays to the rescue! Be one of the first 50 people at the show and receive a swag bag of crafty treasures. What: I Heart Indie Holidays |
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| 3 | Romp: Verb, To Play Boisterously Wine and chocolate are to us like milk and cookies are to Santa. So we are stoked about two of our staples teaming up with our other love: fashion. A Holiday Romp! will feature a runway show with Kimmi and Cicada wares, along with Kestrel wine and sweet holiday treats from Theo Chocolate and Sweet Beauty (mmm, chocolate lip balm). What: A Holiday Romp! |
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| 6 | Ladies Night
What: Gracious and Ruthless: Lessons on Cultivating a Business, an Industry, a Life |
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And lest we not forget that where there’s a Black Friday, there’s a Cyber Monday soon to follow. It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving that marks the unofficial kick-off to the online holiday shopping season. And some websites will be having sales to mark the celebration: Local site www.petaline.net is having a 15% off Cyber Monday sale, so check that out for sure! And whether it’s in your local shops or in the comfort of your own living room in front of your laptop, happy holiday shopping! |
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