First blog post

This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.

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!

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!

January 2016 winter break!

Thanks a million for such an amazing holiday season! We were completely overwhelmed with your generosity, support, and love – THANK YOU.

We are taking an extended winter break this January to allow us all to see family, travel, and recuperate from such a beautifully busy season.

Click! will be closed on the following dates in January:

January 1, 2016
January 4-22, 2016

We’ll be opening again on Saturday, January 23rd and returning to our regular schedule. Regarding gift exchanges, we’ll honor any holiday exchanges through 2/12/2016.

Wishing you love, light, and a fresh beginning to a brand new year. Thanks again for your support – we could not do this without you.

JOIN Pop-Up | Just a few days left!

If you happen to follow us on Facebook, you may have come across our JOIN pop-up which began on Black Friday. We want to shoot out a reminder that this is the last week to grab some exclusive items, as we are wrapping things up this Sunday, December 13! Last minute Christmas shopping, anyone?

In case you haven’t heard, JOIN is a collective of acclaimed independent design studios from the PNW and beyond, with a sharp focus on intelligent design and thoughtful manufacturing. These curated studios join forces for events, pop-up shops, and trade shows, and we’re honored to be featuring their work at Click!.

The JOIN + Click! pop-up shop features the following artists:
Caravan Pacific, mid-century inspired lighting – Portland, OR
fruitsuper, home accessories – Seattle, WA
Mimot Studio, totes and clutches – Long Beach, CA
Nell and Mary, home goods – Portland, OR
Piano Nobile, hand printed linens – Seattle, WA
Pigeon Toe Ceramics, hand thrown porcelain – Portland, OR
Sarah Loertscher, geometric jewelry – Seattle, WA

We also want to thank you guys – we feel incredibly honored to showcase these small-scale designers’ products in our store, and we are especially grateful that you all, as customers, share our love for local, handmade, modern designs. Small Business Saturday blew our minds and showed just how much you all care. Again, thank you.

Don’t miss out on this incredible event!

Shop Late Thursdays | Jacobsen Salt Co. Tasting

 

We are totally in the spirit of the holidays here at the store! We hope you have begun to enjoy some tree-trimming, hot cocoa-sipping, gift wrapping, Christmas parties, and all of the fun festivities that this season brings! Speaking of those parties, we have the PERFECT gift for your amazing host, and we’re even giving you a chance to try it out yourself.

The Pacific Northwest is a playground for innovators, and Jacobsen Salt Co. takes full advantage of what our coastal region has to offer. Not only does Jacobsen Salt Co. pride themselves in their products being used by chefs and homecooks around the world, but they are also the first company to harvest salt in the PNW since Lewis & Clark. Infusing salts with flavors of lemon, vanilla bean, and even Stumptown Coffee, these little crystals are the perfect addition to any pantry.

So here’s the really fun part: On Thursday, December 17, we’re inviting you to an exclusive in-store tasting of these amazing products during the Junction’s Shop Late Thursday from 6-9pm – perfect for a post-happy hour treat! We’ll be sampling a variety of Jacobsen Salt Co.’s infused salts, salted caramels, and delectable chocolates (which just so happen to also be infused with Pinot Noir from Oregon’s wine country – oh yeah…), just in time for those last minute hostess gifts and stocking stuffers! So mark your calendars, and get your palate ready – you do not want to miss this!

Holiday hours and January 2016 schedule

It’s pretty hard to believe that we’re already at the time where we share our holiday hours with y’all, but here we are! Starting this Thursday til the big 12/25, we’ll be open late for your shopping convenience.

Thursday, 12/10: 11-9p
*Art Walk featuring Frances Smersh from 6-9p*
Friday, 12/11: 11-7p
Saturday – Sunday, 12/12-13: 10-6p
Monday – Wednesday, 12/14-23: 10-8p
*Thursday, 12/17 will be our Jacobsen Salt Tasting from 6-9p*
Thursday, CHRISTMAS EVE 12/24: 10-5p
Friday – Saturday, 12/25 & 12/26: We’re closed!
12/27-30: 10-7p
12/31, New Years Eve: 10-4p
1/1: closed
Saturday – Sunday 1/2-3: 10-5p

We are also going to take a little break in January – we’ll be closed 1/4 – 1/21.

See you soon!

 

THIS Sunday: Acoustic Music Benefit for Team Smersh

First and foremost, we want to express our immense gratitude for all of you. You have blown us away with the sincerity of your warm, loving hugs and your incredible generosity. We honestly could not ask for a better community, and we are forever grateful for each and every one of you.

We are still well on our way to meeting our goal for the Smershes, and we want to thank you for sharing their story. We haven’t even been fundraising for a whole month, but we’ve managed to reach almost half of our goal of $100k. Wow, you guys. Just…wow. Your selflessness is inspiring, to say the least.

---

After hearing the news, longtime musician friends of John and Frances decided to join forces for a night of music, laughter, love, and community to help raise money for the Smershes. Each musician has played in some of Seattle’s most notable acoustic bands, and they’ll be showing off their incredible talents in some pretty unique ways. Combining the sounds of folk, swing, Americana, blues, old-time, and bluegrass, this night of celebration is sure to bring all the feels. We’d sure love it if you’d join us.

Here are the deets:
The concert will be kicking off at 6pm THIS Sunday (that means free street parking – right on!) at Karass Creative in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. Tickets are $25/person, and as with our YouCaring fundraiser, proceeds will be going to Team Smersh to assist John and Frances with current and future medical expenses. Click here to purchase tickets and view location information.

This exciting night of music will feature the sounds of the following artists:
Grant Dermody: Harmonica, Vocals
Forrest Gibson: Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
Michael Gray: Violin, Vocals
Orville Johnson: Dobro, Guitar, Banjo, Vocals
Greg Maass: Dobro, Banjo, Vocals
Mary Maass: Fiddle, Vocals
Joe Wilmhoff: Bass, Vocals

We just can’t say it enough – thank you ALL.