Modern Mouse

Gift Guide: Jewelry for Mom

christina — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:44:50 +0000

This Mother’s Day, find unique necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets to adorn Mom. Thoughtful pieces of jewelry add to the outer and inner beauty that she already possesses, and they stand out even more when they are carefully handcrafted by local artists.

Handmade jewelry that Mom will love and cherish

Clockwise from Top Left: Bubbles Necklace by Rosemary Dudley Designs, Mini Puff Heart Bracelet by MaeBee Jewelry, The Bubbles Earrings in Gold by lemonade handmade, Banded Geometric Ruby Necklace by Bella Beads, Mom Pendant Necklace by Scene Not Herd, Pearl Strands Necklace by AAA Crafts, Indian Crystal Teardrop Necklaces by Yeah Hello.

Many of the jewelry artists at Modern Mouse use eco-friendly methods to create and refine their jewelry, and some even use recycled gold and silver. Knowing this will add extra good feelings when we put a little red bow on top of your present.

Crafty Hour: Pretty Pretty Pinwheels

christina — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:58:23 +0000

Spring is a welcome time of venturing outdoors after months of shivering and hibernation throughout winter. Everything seems to come alive: plants, animals, the breeze, people.

Illustration by Kayla Taron, 2010

Brightly colored and pleasingly symmetrical, pinwheels fit in perfectly with the season. They are just the thing to make lots and lots of, spread cheer all over the house, decorate parties, and enjoy wherever you go. We’ll be making these timeless toys for Crafty Hour on Thursday, May 10th, 5-7 PM. RSVP and bring $5 to save your spot and create with fellow locals and Ms. Polly Conway!

Here are some photo-inspirations and ideas for our Crafty Hour:

Make them big or small, whatever size captures your fancy.

Go plain & simple, patterned, or multi-colored. Use any kind of paper, or for a softer feel, use felt.

Pinwheels are pretty as home decor, gift bows, mobiles, and cake toppers. And they look really nice in jars and bottles.

Finally, don't forget to enjoy your pinwheel in the sunny outdoors!

Hope to see you at our Crafty Hour! Want to know what else is coming up? Hit our Facebook Events page and get excited!

(All images from Pinterest)

The Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift Guide

genevieve — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:19:11 +0000

May 13th is a day of celebration for mamas all over the world. We’ve got the handmade & crafty goods to make any mother, stepmother, grandmother, and great-great-great-GREAT-grandmother feel loved and honored.

First row left to right: Love You Bunches card by Hello! Lucky / Eyeglasses Case by Munaluna / Treehouse No 2 by Jill Bliss // Wow Mom Wow card by Raw Art Letterpress / Junk in the Trunk by Gama-Go / Pencil Case by Blue Q // Janie Pouch by Angelina Fong Designs / I Heart Mom card by Le Petit Elefant // Mom is Love card by Raw Art Letterpress

Gift Guide: Easter Remix

genevieve — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 22:01:23 +0000

I said a hip hop a hippity hippity to the hip hip hop, a you don’t stop. Put a little spring in your step, some color & soul to your life, and a bunch of cute bunnies in your April. We’ve put together a gift guide remix of Easter (hip hop & hippity hop–get it??) so there’s a little bit of everything for everyone to enjoy.

(Clockwise from top left) Turntable Tie by Cyberoptix :: Happy Easter Card by Hello!Lucky :: Cherry Blossoms by Tomoko Maruyama :: Bunny Hair Clip by The Pickled Pumpkin :: Playa Onesie by New Skool :: Pastel Shield Necklace by Pollyannacowgirl :: Little Brown Bunny Necklace by Lulu Bug Jewelry

(Clockwise from top left) Bunny Bib by Dinky Dimples :: Share Buds with Buds Print by Le Petit Elefant :: Sea Flowers Notebook by Jill Bliss :: Mini Zippered Pouch by Blissful by Quenna :: Pink Bolts Headphones by East Village Love :: Headphones Toddler Tee by New Skool

Washi Tape: What is it? Find out at our April Crafty Hour!

polly — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:56:49 +0000

There’s a new craft supply in town: washi tape! Never heard of it? That’s ’cause it’s pretty darn new. What’s so special about washi tape? It’s just really cool. From Omiyage Blogs:

The whole washi tape phenomenon started in 2006. A group of artists approached a Japanese masking tape manufacturer – Kamoi Kakoshi – and presented them with a book of art they had created using the company’s industrial masking tapes. The artists requested that Kamoi Kakoshi manufacture colourful masking tapes for artists.

This was the start of mt masking tape. In the beginning, there were 20 colours, colours designed to bring out the beauty of the rice paper (or washi) used to make the tape. The tapes were a hit – with artists, crafters, and design lovers – both in Japan and, gradually, internationally. With success came new colours, patterns and sizes.

Awesome, right? Washi tape is different from your average scotch tape in a couple of ways. Firstly, it’s made in a ton of gorgeous colors and patterns. Secondly, you can tear it by hand, and it’s a little transparent. This stuff is really versatile, and the crafty people of the world have pounced upon it, creating kazillions of ideas. We’re going to look into some of these ideas at our next Crafty Hour, which is April 12 from 5-7 PM.

From clothespins to gift tags to banners to wrapping paper accents, washi tape adds a nice little bit of color and pretty to just about anything.

We’ll have a colorful selection of washi tape on hand for you to experiment with, lots of paper products to embellish, a few glass jars, and a list of even more fun ideas. It’s gonna be great, and by the end of the night, I’m pretty sure everyone’s going to be wild for washi!

If you’re already hooked on the idea, RSVP on our Facebook page so we can have enough supplies for everyone! We’re also happy to announce that we’ve got the rest of the year’s Crafty Hours planned out and available for your perusal on Facebook as well. Why not plan ahead?

Hope to see you there!

The Creeps are Coming! Introducing: Leonardo the Octopus!

christina — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:03:37 +0000

Deep Creeps - a new line of glow-in-the-dark sea creatures!

From Lauren Venell, the creator of Sweet Meats, comes a new line of original toys inspired by the animals who live in the deepest parts of the ocean. The “Deep Creeps” are a cadre of friendly creatures who manage to find warmth, light and friendship in the coldest, darkest place on the planet.

Leonardo the Octopus is the first to arrive. A precocious youngster, Leonardo could open cookie jars at just a few months old. He gets his big ears from his dad, a Dumbo Octopus, and his glowing eyes and suckers from his mom, a Stauroteuthis syrtensis. A naturally skilled glider with webbed arms, Leonardo loves to dance and give “umbrella” hugs.

Leonardo is made from super-soft velour, fleece, felt, and polyfill stuffing–all of which have been spun from recycled PET plastic. He comes packaged in a re-usable, printed plastic carrying case with no excess packaging. Like the Sweet Meats before them, the Deep Creeps are responsibly made at a CARE-certified facility that meets the highest international standards.

Leonardo the Octopus is super-soft & gives good hugs

You can meet Leonardo in person at a special preview at Modern Mouse though April 15th. Leonardo will arrive in stores throughout North America and Europe beginning May 1st. The second Deep Creep will be released in fall 2012, and the third in spring 2013. Leonardo retails for $34.95.

For more details including dimensions and stockists, please visit www.deepcreeps.com.

Re-blog: Dinosaurs–Polymer Plates | Hello!Lucky Blog

christina — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 02:09:36 +0000

The fabulous team at San Francisco’s Hello!Lucky makes greeting cards that are elegantly letterpressed and whimsically fun. We’re excited to be recently featured on their blog and are happy to share some neighborly love right back at our friends across the water!

Modern Mouse <3s Hello!Lucky

If you consider yourself a stationery-lover or just a curious human being, Hello!Lucky’s blog is a must-read. The Dino birthday card is a definite fave at Modern Mouse, and it’s really cool to take a peek at the detailed process behind the card-making at Hello!Lucky:

ON PRESS: DINOSAURS–POLYMER PLATES

Mar 21, 2012

This is the first in a series of videos on the production of our “Dinosaurs” birthday card designed byJulia Rothman. Here Max demonstrates the polymer plate making process.

To create the plates, we first start with a film that has a clear image area and an opaque non-image area. We place this film on top of the polymer plate that has a layer of photo sensitive emulsion and expose it to UV light. The light that shines through the clear image area of the film hardens the light sensitive emulsion. Then we scrub the unexposed soft emulsion away, leaving a raised relief plate. After rinsing the plate and putting it on a heating tray to dry, we expose the plate to light again for added strength. Lastly, we apply an adhesive backing to attach the polymer plate to a boxcar base.

Stay tuned next week for the next step in creating this letterpress Dinosaur greeting card.

Happy Poultry Day!

polly — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:32:01 +0000

If you thought Saint Patrick’s Day was March’s biggest holiday, you thought wrong! If you’re a chicken lover, the day you’ve been waiting for is almost here. What? You don’t know what we’re talking about? Oh, dear. How could you forget about National Poultry Day? It’s March 19th every year. Sheesh.

How does one celebrate Poultry Day, you ask?

With the Chicken Dance, obviously! Don’t wanna brush up your dance moves? Well, you can also get in the clucky mood with some of Modern Mouse’s finest poultry-related offerings.

Chicken Diagram from Drywell

Three Chickens Notecard from Noteify

Cocky Tee from The Girl and Rhino

Whether you love to eat ‘em, keep them as pets, or just like the little noises they make, chickens are awesome! Enjoy your Poultry Day, and from all of us at Modern Mouse, “BAWK BAWK BAWK!”

Re-blog: Printable NCAA Tournament Bracket…let the madness begin!

christina — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:11:08 +0000

The adorable Katy of K is for Calligraphy shares her love for March Madness by making an absolutely lovely handwritten and printable games bracket! We love! How did she fill her bracket? Visit her blog to find out!