13!

so this year, on march 1rst to be exact, o'suz turns 13. over those 13 years, more often than not, i chose to let the anniversaries pass without a big hoopla, but this year i want to honor the passage of time somehow. my first thought was a big cake and some bubbly, but then i decided last night that it would be fun to hold a raffle. maybe a big shopping spree at o'suz could be the prize? i am thinking that starting this friday, feb 27th, with every purchase made, big or small, customers and friends alike can throw their name or the name of someone they love into our big candy jar. one week later i will let redford draw out a name, or 2, or maybe a big handful, and then the fun begins. we will dole out prizes! sound fun and celebratory? i don't know, i was thinking it could just be a fun way to say thank you and drum up some excitement. i'm imagining the first name drawn will get a $250 shopping spree and the next will get a $100 spree and the next a $25 spree. i do hope that lots of regulars come and do some shopping so that your names might be drawn cuz it's you i'd like to thank. you don't have to buy any more than a card to drop your name in so spread the word to your friends. also, our winter sale is gasping its last breath. lots of cards have been reduced to a dollar or less, so stock up if you haven't already.

please come and help us celebrate our birthday starting friday the 27th by putting in your name to win!
the drawing will be friday afternoon march 6th.we will be sure to have some giveaways and some cake! hope to see you this next week or so.
xo
suz

sale news

so the sale is still chugging along but to speed it up a bit, we decided to mark all but single cards 75% off or more so come and get the steals and deals. we are getting so much new stuff in daily, we need the space!!!!! lots of books and kits on knitting, some good baby stuff, a slip lamp, a baby bag by holly aiken, some other good bags too. clocks and coasters, sachets, file folders, journals, bday calendars & 2009 calendars and lots more. we will probably run the sale thru the weekend and then pack it up so come help us make the packing easier and buy yourself a treat or better yet, get one for a friend. xo suz

today was so delightful...

...because we got lots of small boxes with BIG favorites from the show. you may not know how much we love susie ghahremani, craft extraordinaire of boy girl party, but let me tell you, we think she hung the moon. we already carry everything she'll let us buy from her site, like notepads, buttons, pouches, recipe cards and postcards, as well as her amazing works on mirrors for my favorite mirror and magnets for ipop. now, she has made a line of cards for madison park greetings that we nabbed. our eagle eye and the fact that we already buy from madison park made it easy breezy. we bought it all without hesitation!!! she also debuted new ipop magnets and "clicks", and guess what, she made a set with all hedgies!!! can u stand it?the guy in the booth may never understand our enthusiasm. he was polite though and merrily sold us everything we wanted.another box had these great cards i found in the compendium booth.

they are so lovely. ($3 each)

here are just a few:

this one reads: Let no one ever come to you without leaving better.

this one reads: Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul to another.

and lastly but not leastly: ugly dolls, some making a second visit and some some new for us. they poke out where you least expect them too and can't help but make u smile, so come see. we got some bigguns too! ox is jessica's pick and mine is poe:

ox poe

tokyo milk goodness

so one of the most exciting boxes to come our way from our ny orders, today actually, was full of yummies from Tokyo Milk. specifically, a lovely range of lip balms, which leave a hint of sugarly sweetness on the lips and are highly moisturizing. The line also includes fragrances: Tokyo Milk Parfumarie Curiosite - these fun, flirty fragrances are beautifully packaged in vintage perfume bottles with a typewritten label, totally unique and completely adorable. these fragrances are begging to be experienced. The names are as unique and lovely as the fragrance combinations and blends. for example check these out, these are the ones we have in the shop:

poe's tobacco
eden
honey and the moon
gin and rosewater
song in d minor
waltz no. 14
ex libris
paper and cotton
sparrow

definitely worth mentioning, these are very reasonably priced luxury products, with the fragrances retailing for $32 per one ounce bottle and lip balms retailing for $12 per .22 oz jar. a dose of pretty just in, come and sniff.

wild hair

okay, so yesterday we were notified that we were getting a huge shipment today from new york of some new furniture pieces we ordered along with a ton of boxes from small vendors that called to say they thier merch was in route too, so.........

we have added to the sale to clear out some space. our sale had dwindled but was still somewhat juicy with deals. today it all just gets better. the following list includes some of what we added at 50% off:

portolano kids mittens and hats

baby knits kit

puj slings

eeboo puzzles

beba bean pants

sub studio baby tees

handknit monkeys and rabbits

handmade manuella monkeys

rae dunn bookends

baby knits kit

reisenthel mini carry all in bright orange

green cable knit pillows

more jane inc eye pillows

all sachets by mary lake 5 each!!!!

a few shinzi katoh bag styles

some more book titles

and some more stamps

envirosax in brown floral pattern

n. larue pink butterfly onsies

and n. larue lady bug and robot tees

lots of speesees baby clothes

little lark owlie tees and onsies

salvor fauna wave tee

baby take super soft lap tees

ananas solid perfume

thomas paul file folders and mousepads

gecko traders zipper pouches

this list is just a quick look at what goes to 75% off starting now:

jewelry by small things and susan fleming

coasters and clocks by studio vertu

little flowers ceramics

holly aiken, saltbox and angela adams bags

along with a few one of kind bags that r here

sabre utensils

calendars by seltzer and modern printed matter
some baby clothes by speesees and jezebel
macbeth decoupage
and lots more!!!
please come help us make some room, see what's new and or just take a peek.

february love it...jenna rose

so we love, love, love jenna rose. she is one of the newest artists to find a home in o'suzannah, hailing all the way from hamilton, ontario. jenna greenberg, designer and creator of jenna rose, was kind enough to answer our humble interview questions ages ago when we first brought her in the shop. unfortunately we have taken an uncharacteristically long time in getting the interview up here, but let it be known, this is no reflection on her goods! sometimes life just grants many of us full plates, and that is our excuse. please check out her site and look for new spring stuff down the road.


when the big box of jenna rose goodies arrived in the store we were all a little googley-eyed by its awesomeness. it is always exciting when something is EVEN COOLER than you anticipated, and that's the experience we had with jenna rose. all of jenna's wares are carefully crafted and hand printed in her studio. we all wanted one of everything, but thus far i've managed to save some for y'all and have only snagged a hat.


i have a bit of a testimonial to offer about the hats, which we have in brown wool with the basswood print and black wool with the granville print. i do not wear hats, um, ever. i often forgo warmth because i am so against seeing myself in a hat, but i *love* this baby. it's a great shape and flatters the most hat-phobic of heads, and it's lined with cozy flannel to keep you snug.


i'm going to let you in on a little secret about suzannah -- she is one sneaky lady, that one. she is always finding ways to get us extra special treats from our artists, things that we don't have in the store and often send us into literal fits of excitement. this christmas aaron and i were gifted our own jenna rose organic cotton blankies. these are so, so soft and are hand printed with jenna's designs along the bottom. we have a few of these in the shop now, as well, and i think they'd make amazing wedding or housewarming gifts.


we have a few other items from jenna rose, including belts and the storage baskets suzannah mentioned in her holiday faves. for now i'll leave you with jenna's glimpse into her world, but please come check out these goodies in the shop! (and thanks to jenna for her patience as we got back into the blogging groove!)

what was your first job and how did you end up working with textiles?

The first job I had that really affected my career choice was working in my mom's quilt shop my last year of high school. Sewing and art was always a prominent part of my life growing up. Working in the quilt shop and being surrounded by patterned textiles helped me make the decision that I wanted to study textiles. I went to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design for four years and studied Textiles and Fashion. I started Jenna Rose only few months after graduating in the Spring of 2006.

what is your favorite piece/group/series in your work?

My collection changes every season and each time I seem to like the newest one more than the last. For example, right now I am loving the cuckoo clocks print and the organic cotton blankets.


who or what inspires you?

I never know when I will be inspired or by what. I'm drawn to old objects and unique environments within my everyday surroundings. I often find inspiration for my prints while walking my dog, whether we're in the city or out in the woods. As for people, my mom has inspired me the most. She was the one who introduced me to textiles and sewing, and having started her own business, gave me confidence to start my own.

what three websites do you visit daily?

Although not daily, I weekly visit Design Sponge, Decor8, and Etsy.

describe your ideal sunday.

My ideal Sunday would be spent with my fiance and dog. We would lounge in the morning with coffee and a fire. We would walk to Locke Street for breakfast and pop into the antique shops on our way home. Depending on the season, we would either go for a long hike or cross-country ski in the afternoon. The day would finish with a nice meal and a good movie.


what do you see outside your studio windows?

I overlook a row of shops and restaurants, including my weekly falafel lunch place and the best dim sum in the city.