Eco-licious, a vegan and earth friendly boutique, opens TODAY in Plaza Midwood! Get a first look at their new digs and say "hi" to their Not Made in China merch while you're at it. They've got a great location, right across from Petra's Piano Bar and The Penguin, on Commonwealth Ave.

What is a vegan boutique? Well, they're stocked with all kinds of green goods (reusable food packaging, eco-conscious cleaning products, innovative green goods, vegan snacks, etc.) and they've got a wide array of environmentally friendly gifts including work from fellow local makers Stitch Machine, Super Me and Monkey and Squirrel.

Owners Marley and Fiona are very knowledgeable and have tested a TON of products. So if you're new to the green scene, or have any questions, they're both great resources. Oh, and you don't want to miss out on their Grand Opening at the end of the month (July 30-31). The two-day celebration will include live music, vegan bakery delights from Fatty Dog Bake Shop and a vintage clothing trunk show by FROCK Shop. So come out and support Charlotte's latest step towards a greener future.

I met Keia several months ago when we collaborated on an event for the Charlotte Film Festival. It wasn't long before I had a case of SWF syndrome. She has this magnetic, upbeat personality - combined with passion, drive and a sense of humor that immediately made me want to be her stalker... I mean friend. So when Keia emailed me to say she was starting a blog and needed some advice / design help, I was all about it. We met for coffee and she explained her concept for The SunnysideUP.

via keia (hey that rhymes!)
The SunnysideUp chronicles the road to happy living. It's a place for all people to find a little inspiration, some good joo joo and a lot of laughter. It's my way of sharing the human experience with others. You'll find blogs on life's little (or big) discoveries, lessons and insights. I envision posts involving happiness "experiments" and the comical, meaningful or profound results.

I'd like to involve elements of mind, body and spirit so I'll do posts on things like meditation and how I'm getting back into my skinny jeans or how to handle my grey eyebrow hair with grace and a good pair of tweezers. I'd like to take photos of things that make me happy and have posts on all the small things that can lead to one big happy life. I've got heaps of ideas, but this is the basic idea for it.

Sounds like digital Xanax right!? I was sold when she mentioned "gray eyebrow hair." So I offered to design her blog header and developed the concepts you see above.

Well... The SunnysideUp JUST LAUNCHED this week! Go see which design Keia chose and send some internet love to the blogosphere's latest addition.

Thanks to Crown Town Handmade's new internship program, I got impart my entrepreneurial wisdom (haha!) on a bright, young artist named Stephanie Cole. For two weeks Stephanie helped me make buttons, create an inventory system, brainstorm new ideas for Not Made In China and write a guest blog post about her own crafty venture:

I’m a twenty-five year old, broke, art school graduate, who slings pastries for a living... and is still figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up. Seems life never goes according to plan, and in this economy, flexibility isn’t exactly a choice. It's forced me to take the frequently asked question, “What are you doing with your life?” in stride. In the meantime, I’ve decided that if I’m going to be broke, I may as well do what I love (and maybe even try getting paid for it).

I started reconstructing my clothes in middle school. Puberty had really started to take it’s toll: I was 5’4", one-hundred pounds, short torso-ed, long-legged, and thanks to genetics, had a chest that felt like I was carrying two baby watermelons. Fortunately, things have evened out now, but back then my blossoming body made it pretty impossible to buy clothes that fit right off the rack.

Later, in college, I wrote a paper on the amount of waste contributed by the fashion industry. The numbers were pretty astounding. That's when I discovered the joy of thrifting... much to my mother's chagrin. She grew up as child number five, in a family of nine. Hand-me-downs and gently used clothing were always a staple in her closet. Understandably she’s a little perturbed to know that her daughter would rather spend $10 on a gently used coat worn by a stranger, than buy a brand new one from a major department store. But whatever her thoughts, she’s always been incredibly supportive... even if I was snipping away, reconstructing new clothes, and adding my own flair.

For over 10 years I've enjoyed altering secondhand clothes. Finally, I realized that I didn’t have to find a career. My dream job has been staring me in the face. People constantly compliment my sense of style and drop jaws when I tell them I made the clothes on my back. Why can't I make my passion my living?

The real challenge has been figuring out how to start. This internship has been such an inspiring way to begin 2011. As my dad would say making “Making any move is better than no move at all.” I feel like I’m finally taking a step in the right direction and I’ve enjoyed working with Nikki and the uber-impressive Not Made in China. After picking her brain for the past few meet-ups, it’s apparent that I’ve got my work cut out for me but I can’t help but be pretty excited about it!  

Keepin’ it Crafty
Stephanie

I'm baaaaaaaaaack from Ohio with a new ♥. While perusing the many neighborhoods of Cincinnati, I happened upon the work of VisuaLingual in several boutiques. They're a local design duo based in the burgeoning Over the Rhine district in downtown Cincinnati. Their work varies from Cincy-centric tea towels, to screen printed gas signs - turned placemats, to their most popular item: "Seed Bombs" (gumball sized wads of regional plant seeds meant for throwin' and growin'). Here's how they describe their gig:

"By keeping our operation compact and flexible, we are able to deeply explore the idiosyncrasies of hyper-localized cultural production, focusing on Cincinnati and beyond. "

If you're not planning on visiting southern Ohio anytime soon, you can check em out on their blog or website, and don't forget to peep their work on Etsy too.

As much as I appreciate people buying Not Made In China goods... the big NMIC picture is about buying local - from the artists, makers and creators who help support our economy, reduce our carbon footprint and inspire our communities.

So, for my readers in Charlotte, I've taken the liberty of highlighting a few of the amazingly talented folks who live right in your hometown. Most of these artists are fellow members of Crown Town Handmade, others I've met at arts/craft shows (like the upcoming ALL ARTS MARKET), but all of them are not made in china. Enjoy!

Emma Wallace (lavender filled owls and hearts) and Wolfie and the Sneak (calendar and shelf)