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Behind the Product | Kate Alarcón

Get to know Kate Alarcón, the designer / maker behind the gorgeous Instagram sensation, CobraLilyShop. She’ll be teaching ten lucky people how to make paper ranunculuses this Saturday, May 7th at Click!

 

What do you make / design?
I make and teach paper plants and flowers.

What is it made of?
Mostly crepe paper, but I also sometimes use tissue paper and cardstock.

How is it made?
By hand.  I hand cut all the leaves and petals and assemble them myself.  It’s very time intensive but also extremely fun.

How did you get started?

At first, making flowers was just one of a hundred other crafts I did.  But I started to really dive in after feeling frustrated at my limited ability to garden.  I loved the idea of having flowers all over the apartment, but didn’t have a place to really grow them, so I started to build up my flower-making skills.  Then, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I wanted to make a flower garland for her room.  It was a big part of my experience of preparing to bring her into our family.  She was an extremely lively baby; the doctor would always have to kind of chase her around my belly to get a heartbeat.  Her personality seemed to me to be really bright and vivid and vivacious.  I felt like a pastel room wouldn’t suit her.  So I made these over-sized, brightly colored dahlias, peonies, and roses for her room.  After that, I was hooked.  (Also, I was right about her temperament!)

Career highlight thus far?

I really like the different ways my business allows me to interact with other creative people.  I like trading ideas on instagram, creating projects for Design Sponge, and getting to teach those projects in workshops.  Its really satisfying to me when someone says they’re excited to try a tutorial, because, as a craft nut, I’ve felt that excitement about other people’s projects, and it’s one of the things that makes life feel joyful to me.  I like feeling like my job is to help creative people nurture themselves, either by making their own paper flora, or by filling their spaces with the flowers I’ve made.

Anything else we should know that’s not included above? Specific inspiration? Aspects of your work / business / general awesomeness that sets you apart from the pack?

I think, among paper flower makers and enthusiasts, I’m probably known as the crazy lady who will try all kind of weird things to make an idea happen.  I don’t really have a specific wheelhouse, like a specific genre of flowers; I like to experiment with everything from showy blooms to delicate wild flowers and orchids to creepy carnivorous plants to cacti.

 

We’re so excited to have Kate at Click! for our inaugural class this Saturday, May 7th, and have a sneaking suspicion it’s going to happen again. Sign up for our mailing list to make sure you don’t miss out (this class sold out in 2 days!) or email hello@clickdesignthatfits.com to be put on our May 7th waiting list.

XO,
CLICK!

Local Spotlight | Art With Heart

 

Saturday, April 30th, the West Seattle Junction is holding its first annual Junction Day of Giving, where Junction businesses commit to donating 10% of the day’s income to a local nonprofit organization. As of this writing, more than 25 Junction businesses are taking part in this fundraising campaign. Man, we love being part of this community so much.

We are partnering with Art with Heart, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting the well-being of children adversely affected by hardship through creative expression. Founded in 2002, Art with Heart has created therapeutic books that bring together the best in therapy with playful, beautiful illustrations to help children and teens facing trauma and loss. These books quietly guide the reader through creative exercises that help them explore, understand, and deal with difficult emotions. One of our amazing associates, Shannon, volunteers with Art with Heart, which is how we found out about this program and the impact it’s having in local schools and across the country.

During Saturday’s event, we’ll have a volunteer on-site to talk about Art with Heart, and some of their therapeutic books for browsing. The week of April 24-30th, we’ll also have an installation of artwork and children’s responses to the Art with Heart program incorporated into our window display, so stop by to learn more (even outside of normal store hours!).

We hope to see you on the 30th to help support Art with Heart and so many other local nonprofits. If you were planning on going shopping in the Junction soon, please choose to do so on the last Saturday in April. Shop local, support local!

From the designer | why concrete is the perfect choice for a wedding band

[Shared, with permission, from Karen Konzuk’s blog]
Copy & image credit: Karen Konzuk

I have recently received compelling stories from customers as to why they have chosen our concrete bands to symbolically represent their marriage. It has me thinking that it might be beneficial if I share some information about concrete.

Perhaps the earliest known occurrence of cement was twelve million years ago (according to Wikipedia). It is amazing to think that a material that was discovered millions of years ago is still being used today, and not to mention innovatively! ie. jewelry!

Concrete is a sustainable and affordable resource which is made up of an aggregate, cement and water. When you think of the definition of aggregate it is described as, “a whole formed by combining several typically disparate elements.” Sounds a lot like marriage, doesn’t it?

Concrete only gets stronger and better over time. It takes many years for concrete to reach its true strength. It also will change over time with daily wear to reflect your tendencies. Concrete is strong enough to survive many disasters, such as fires, earthquakes and storms. Also sounds a little like marriage. We all have our ups and downs and know that we can make it through.

So what have customers said about why they bought concrete rings?
One customer told us, “Our 17th Anniversary wedding bands made of concrete and steel. Strong and unique, like the love we have for each other. A friend of mine told me the other day that we were the only couple he could ever imagine trading in their gold and diamond wedding bands for concrete and steel.”

And another, “It’s just because we thought they looked cool, they were affordable and something more snazzy than a simple gold band. I’ll proudly wear it knowing just how well it represents the fabric of what we have.”

There you have it! If you are looking for something to represent the growing strength in your relationship, the combining of many elements to make one, that ever lasting union, and something that will weather the hard times, then concrete is a perfect choice!

– Karen Konzuk

If you’re interested in seeing more of Karen’s work, join us at her trunk show Saturday, April 16th, from 10-5p. She will be launching her STELLAR line of concrete & diamond dust jewelry, as well as bringing a full collection of her concrete rings and jewelry.

FluffyCo Tunic Pop Up

 

So, all of us here at Click! love well-designed goods – that’s absolutely apparent by our obsession (and ownership) of the majority of items found at the store. And while we are mostly a lifestyle store, that doesn’t stop us from admiring clothing and other items that don’t fit neatly within the typical Click! umbrella of home accessories. A great example of this are FluffyCo’s tunics. We carry FluffyCo’s bottle openers, belt buckles, and glasses cases, BUT they also make these amazing dresses that a few of our associates keep wearing to the store on a very (very) frequent basis, which is making the rest of us extremely jealous.

So, those of us who don’t have the fabled FluffyCo tunics cried out for a change, and the powers that be decided to have a one-day-only FluffyCo tunic pop up. OMG. Our FluffyCo friends are shipping up a bunch of these magical dresses from San Francisco for all of us to try on and take home, and you’re totally invited to the party.

Save the date for Saturday, April 23rd. Prepare to fall in love with what is arguably the perfect tunic (IT HAS POCKETS, Y’ALL!) and be proud that it’s made in America, screen printed with love from FluffyCo. SEE YOU THERE!

April Art Walk | Brainstorm Prints

April showers bring May flowers, and April Art Walk brings… fresh artwork from our new friends at New Hampshire-based Brainstorm Prints! We are so excited to welcome Brainstorm into the Click! family. We love their perfect blend of art & science, handmade & production. Do yourself a favor and read their “About Us” to get an idea of the people behind the prints. We love them!

Join us for the next Art Walk on Thursday, April 14th from 6-9p. We’ll be showcasing Brainstorm’s screen prints that feature diagrams and charts about the sun, ocean, pine trees, mountain layers, clouds, and more. Perfect for kids or the curious science-lover in your life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collection Launch with Karen Konzuk

We. Love. Karen. Konzuk.

Karen is a PNW-based jeweler working out of Vancouver, BC. She’s known for her modern, minimal designs featuring industrial materials like stainless steel and concrete, often juxtaposed with precious metals and diamonds. We’ve carried her signature lines of commitment rings for years, and many of you have celebrated your engagements & weddings with her rock-solid designs.

We’re thrilled to share that on Saturday, April 16th from 10-5p, we’re holding a launch of Konzuk’s Stellar collection, featuring inlaid concrete & diamond dust (translation: sparkling, shimmering concrete). Along with her other jewelry collections (which feature coal black concrete and ombre concrete spheres), she will be bringing her line of modern commitment rings. We’re excited to share that we’ll have times available for people to sign up & meet with her for a ring consultation – email hello@clickdesignthatfits.com to sign up for available times.

Expect a gorgeous spread of her full jewelry lines, and time to meet this one of a kind designer / maker.

 

Product spotlight | Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters

Scrappy’s Bitters is a Seattle-based company creating delicious, inventive bitters that transform cocktails and sparking water alike. We love this local company, and especially love that they freely share a great collection of cocktail recipes on their website. Here’s one submitted by Tavern Law, a speakeasy in Capitol Hill, which highlights their original lavender bitters. Maybe impress your Valentine by masterfully mixing a delicious cocktail? Start practicing!

DR. GIRLFRIEND

1 1/4 OZ GIN
3/4 OZ GRAPEFRUIT JUICE
1/2 OZ APEROL
1/2 OZ ST. GERMAIN
1/2 OZ LEMON JUICE
1 DASH LAVENDER BITTERS

MARTINI GLASS, LEMON TWIST

February Artwalk | George Perrou

We are thrilled to welcome back George Perrou for his second solo show at Click!. Perrou’s mid-century modern paintings are a perfect pairing with many of Click!’s products (and many of the homes in West Seattle!), and his bright, cheerful aesthetic is perfect for welcoming spring.

For the uninitiated, Perrou is a self-taught artist from Portland, OR. His unique mid-century style is heavily influenced by the animation and imagery he devoured as a child.

He’ll be bringing all-new work for our February Artwalk, which opens February 11th, from 6-9p. Perrou will be here for the opening reception, so be sure to stop by to meet the man behind the paintings!

February, Valentine’s Day, & some gifts to get you through them

Happy February! It’s a funny month; short, winter-y, cold. The first day of February always makes me think of one of my favorite quotes from Tom Robbins:

“February is pitiless, and it is boring. That parade of red numerals on its page adds up to zero: birthday of politicians, a holiday reserved for rodents; what kind of celebrations are those? The only bubble in the flat champagne of February is Valentine’s Day. It was no accident that our ancestors pinned Valentine’s Day on February’s shirt: he or she lucky enough to have a lover in frigid, antsy February has cause for celebration, indeed.”

In case you want to treat a loved one, a friend, a partner or yourself (absolutely no judgements here; it all counts as a celebration!) to help get through February’s slow 28 days, we have some lovely presents for any budget.

Firstly, the portable Marshall speakers above are *amazing*. Charge it for up to 20 hours of (really impressive) sound. Bluetooth enabled, or directly plug in your device. These guys were super popular during the holidays, and we just got them back in stock. A lovely companion for curling up on the couch and listening to your favorite albums or catching up on podcasts.

Love red wine? Love salt? Portland-based Jacobsen Salt Co. infuses fragrant Willamette Valley Pinot Noir with their Oregon flake salt. Wonderful finishing salt on pasta, steak, fish, roasted mushrooms, or anything you might enjoy with a glass of Pinot Noir. The addition of Jacobsen Salt to any dish simply makes it better – a small luxury that you probably deserve.

We’re also restocked with jewelry from Julia Turner, our latest jewelry crush from San Francisco. Beautiful colors and thoughtful materials are paired together to create light, visually striking work. Fair warning: Julia Turner jewelry can actually cause you to look forward to getting up and getting dressed in the morning, which, let’s face it, can be a real struggle this time of year.

And Herbivore Botanicals! Talk about a staff favorite. These products are a perfect addition to February. Moisturizing, soothing, cleansing, and lightly fragrant – all of their products are naturally luxurious. Made in Seattle, with all natural ingredients.

Hope this helps!

XOXO,

Click!