Where to Shop in Seattle: Monster Art and Clothing

I love monsters, art, and clothing, so when I heard the name of this shop I knew I had to go there.  I went after I got off work on the same day that I learned of its existence.  And I was in love.  It was all I could do not to buy one of just about everything in the store!

the sidewalk outside the shop is so pretty!

Justin Hillgrove is my absolute favorite artist!  I love his Imps and Monsters art and I picked up the first issue of his Implands comic book at the store.

These skirts are so good!  I ended up coming back and buying the Marvel superheroes one.

This store is great and I keep wanting to buy more things!  They carry art, clothing, gifts, and accessories from many different local artists.  And there's plenty of nerdy monstrous goodness everywhere you look.

Where to Shop in Seattle: Valley of Roses Boutique

I have been shopping at Valley of Roses Boutique (located in the University District at 4748A University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105) for a few years now.  The original site of Bruce Lee's first Ju Fan Gu Fu Martial Arts Studio back in 1963, Valley of Roses Boutique carries unique products including new and vintage clothing, vintage books and records, and products (such as jewelry and bath and beauty products) made by local artists.  It's like a super easy treasure hunt and if I am just window shopping it really does take all of my willpower to keep from buying something.  I especially love the vintage hats, canvas bags, and the rocks.  During my previous trip to Valley of Roses Boutique I bought a really cool looking rock which I recently learned is desert rose selenite.  I can rarely resist a pretty rock.  I also bought some cool metal buttons, two of which I'm getting ready to make into a pretty cool necklace.  If I had to choose what the best part of Valley of Roses Boutique is I would have to say it's Mary, the proprietor.  I have never had a bad experience with her.  She is always super sweet and friendly and loves to hear about her customers and what they like.  She is really the nicest lady and I would recommend going to the Boutique just to talk to Mary even if there wasn't a bunch of cool stuff there.  I always leave in a good mood and, more often than not, with some cool purchases.  The second best part of the Boutique is how low the prices are.  Vintage is not cheap and you would expect to pay some high prices for vintage pieces that are clean and in good shape, but not here.  These are some great quality items for way less than you would expect to pay for vintage, usually even lower prices than Goodwill.  If all of my gushing hasn't convinced you that you should go to Valley of Roses Boutique, maybe these pictures will.

those yellow polka dot wedges are going to make someone very very happy

one of the pretty plates of pretty rocks; I love that pyrite and the pink crystal

I am in love with this shot, so dreamy.

some of the hats I love; that brown one in the foreground is perfection

a whole spectrum of plaid

the prettiest chandelier in all the land

So to recap Valley of Roses Boutique is super cool and has a super nice owner named Mary who you should all meet, is full of pretty things everywhere, and has amazing prices, and you should all stop by when you're in the area.

Etsy Love: Seattle Edition

As you read this, I am at the doctor, hopefully figuring out why my stomach hates me and also what is causing this itchy new mystery rash on my stomach, chest, and back.  I'll report any findings tomorrow.

In the meantime, you should chack out this Etsy treasury that I made.  It's chock full of lovely Seattle-made goods that would make wonderful Christmas gifts.  There is something for pretty much any budget.  There are 16 items in total, and here are three.

Where to Shop in Seattle: Wish

How cool is their sign?!
(photo courtesy of Wish)

When I first saw the sign, I had to go in.  The windows displayed cute outfits that were just my style.  I had an hour to kill before catching my bus to go to the dentist and I spent it in Wish boutique.  Wish is a cute little shop located at 4419 Wallingford Ave N. in Seattle.  I immediately fell in love with the decor, the clothes, the jewelry, and most of all the hats and I knew that I had to share it with everyone I could.  My camera was away for repairs that day, but I talked to the owner and told her that I'm a blogger and that I would love to come back and take some pictures.  I really wanted to share her shop on my blog.  She was such a nice lady and said that would be great.  I tried on some jeans (unsuccessfully but I have such a hard time finding jeans.  I bought an adorable hat that fits my style perfectly.  I was looking at the jewelry and the owner told me that it is handmade by local artists.  That's when I told her that I actually make jewelry and gave her my business card so she could look at it.  I told her I would bring in some of the newer stuff for her to look at on my next day off.  She was very friendly and we talked for quite a while.  Before I knew it, I had just about killed the hour and had to go catch my bus, but not before purchasing a cute robot ring.

On Tuesday I had my wisdom teeth taken out.  Which meant another trip to the dentist.  Which meant another trip to Wish with another hour to kill before catching my bus.  I came prepared this time, with my newly repaired camera and a bag of all of my jewelry, both new and old.  I took pictures of the shop while the owner looked at my jewelry.  It was good that I brought it all with me, because for some reason there was a fluke and she wasn't able to look at my Etsy shop without creating an account, so she hadn't seen it yet.  Imagine my excitement when she said that she would keep four of my necklaces there on consignment!  My biggest goal for my jewelry business was to have some of my jewelry for sale in an actual shop and not just online and she helped me achieve it :)  I had a permanent smile on my face after that.  It lasted until my surgery because I had to open wide so they could use the sharp things in my mouth to cut my wisdom teeth out.  I was really happy and had to share the news with everyone I know.  I also had to share this lovely shop.  If any of you live in Seattle or are planning to visit Seattle, it would be a great place to visit.  And did I mention the amazing prices?!  We all know that I love a good deal.  My hat and my robot ring were each less than $20, and they weren't even on sale.  They were both really well made too.  The robot ring is really cool, because it's made from the nice kind of metal that doesn't make your skin change colors, but it's also adjustable!  Many of the rings at Wish are adjustable, which I really appreciate.

And now for the part you've really been waiting for: the pictures!  All of these photos were taken by me at Wish on Tuesday.

Who doesn't need a new scarf or two for Fall?!

Look at the lovely decor!

These two dresses are on display in the window, and look at all those fedoras : )

I love every single part of this outfit.

This is the perfect outfit for Fall.

Bird necklaces always hold a special place in my heart, and I love the detail on these two.

So many wonderful hats!  The one on top in the center is like the one I bought.

Cute elephant and camera necklaces.

I adore the displays and the decor, and obviously the jewelry too.

How cute is this bicycle jewelry? I can hear all of you Seattle people drooling.

I love this dress! I also love the lace topped one behind the leather jackets.

So what are you waiting for?!  Go to Wish and buy some fall clothes.  You know you want to.