Oh yeah. We love us some umbrellas.

This fascination began years ago, at a rave. One girl had a magenta foil-like umbrella. It was sunny. She was cool, and unburnt. We were hot and lobster-like. Since then, rain or shine, we’ve come to worship the umbrella. Here are some even the umbrella newbie or ignorant can appreciate.

The Brelli, which has been getting a lot of press lately, is biodegradable, clear, and comes in two sizes. Did we mention that it is fashionable? Yeah, it’s awesome.  We absolutely love the design, as we carry parasols in this style, and never imagined we’d be able to purchase a rain-proof one!

Raindrops Keep Falling Umbrella by Mod Cloth has a bubble shape which we cannot recommend more highly. You can see through them, and they encase you cozily. This one has a sassy touch of color that we love.

These handmade umbrellas by Oertel will cost you a pretty penny, but with their classic and slightly quirky design, they are sure to get you some jealous looks. The Oertel Handmade Fox Stripes comes in a variety of enviable colors, and our favorite is the orange/blue and blue/green. We can imagine an insanely handsome and delicious smelling man carrying this one. We hope he comes and sits next to us in the coffee shop.

A stylish umbrella is not only great for cheering up a dreary day, they are a great conversation starter, quirky gift, and, when you find one you really love, you’re less likely to lose it. Trust us–we’ve never lost one yet!

Yes, we said classy.

Class is a commodity one cannot afford to ignore, as it’s becoming next to impossible to easily find clothes that don’t reveal all our business to the world, or have some crass and ridiculous phrase splashed all over it. Part of what we love about shopping Indie is that we’re not mainstream. It’s not just about spending our money to help small businesses flourish, it’s also about not buying into all the crap the media is constantly trying to sell us. We’re not 14. We don’t want to look like a baby prostitute, nor do we value the glammed up sexualizing of pubescent children. We also don’t want to smell like a whorehouse–at least not when we’re buying groceries or picking up the kids. We can dress appropriately while still maintaining a sense of fun and individuality.

Perhaps that’s why you like shopping small businesses as well. Or perhaps you have values of a religious or spiritual nature and shopping small and niche shops geared toward your ideals is becoming the only way to dress appropriately and attractively. Whatever your reason, we think you will appreciate this little shop we stumbled upon. Funky Frum carries clothes are modest, au courant, and comfortable.

This dress, called Cappuccino Chip, is a vintage-inspired little black number trimmed at collar, waist and wrists with shiny black satin. We love that the collar is detachable, adding easy variety to the dress. Paired with oxfords, retro styled round toed pumps, or pointy modern heels, and a nude or hosed leg, this dress can support a variety of looks and personalities. Yummy.

The best-ever denim skirt, Blackberry, is a ravishing dark jean skirt with gorgeous detailing! We have never, ever, been able to support denim skirts–they are usually too fantastically ugly to be believed–but this skirt, with its a-line fit, button and sash-like detail make this a resounding exception. One of us is wearing it now, and both of us agree it is a hit! (it runs a tad large, be advised.)

Hats. Certain hats just have the glamour; something nostalgic, romantic, and effortlessly elegant. We felt these sentiments when we saw Parisian Flower. We were stunned into awed silence tinged with paprika colored lust. We would look so good in that we thought, while we began salivating and mentally organizing our available funds simultaneously. It would absolutely make our day, nay, our month, to see anyone sporting this beauty about town!

If these little morsels have piqued your interest in the goodies at Funky Frum, we don’t think you’ll be disappointed in your visit. The prices are fair, the items are of excellent quality, and the shipping time is fast enough to make you pass out. The new Fall collection will be up in a few short days, as well! Yay! More things to swoon for!

We ordered some samples from Sonoma Scent Studio to get acquainted with some of the fragrances offered by Laurie Erickson, Sonoma’s perfumer, who is based out of Sonoma, California (lovely wine country).

We were looking for a quirky, offbeat scent and were intrigued by her interpretations in Violet. Violet is a scent that is, in our minds, an odd choice for personal scent, though its roots are quite traditional and Victorian. We sampled Wood Violet , Voile de Violette , and Velvet Rose (for reasons we could not understand as we HATE rose).

Voile de Violette’s notes include: Soft violet complemented by iris, cedar, vetiver, violet leaf, a touch of rose, myrrh, tonka bean, hay, and musk. The hay note is intriguing; in fact the notes make this perfume exceptional to sniff, each inhale bringing out something new to enjoy. For those who would like an approachable but not sweet and syrupy Violet scent, this would be worth a sample. It evolves gently on the skin, producing a warm halo of scent with a violet-rose aura.

Wood Violet has a more traditional Violet (like a pastille) note, unmistakable and without the rose note we smelled in Voile. The notes include: Violet, plum, cedar, cinnamon, clove, vetiver, sandalwood, violet leaf, and musk. This is a fascinating brew, again a mature (not granny) way to wear Violet, without sugar or powder. The notes blend seamlessly–it’s truly faultless. The violet lovers violet, with a yummy dry down. Praise, praise. Gets better every minute, like Voile.

Finally, Velvet Rose, a scent we were not expecting to like, as we really, really, don’t like rose. Velvet Rose is a magnificent soliflore , which smells like a real red rose. It’s insane. Not only that, it’s incredibly clean and fresh and the notes dry down into a cozy clean and pleasurable sniffing experience. Notes: A fresh but deep rose soliflore with Damask rose, bergamot, violet leaf, soft carnation, musk, and subtle patchouli. The notes in this perfume can be polarizing for some sniffers (we personally love bergamont and patch and they are well done indeed here) but after the first thirty minutes (which are very, very rosy), we’d be hard pressed to find anything negative to say about this one.

We toss off our hats to Sonoma Scent Studio. The fragrances are approachable, well blended, and familiar without being stuffy or old fashioned. If Laurie Erickson can get us to wear Rose and Vetiver without complaining, we have a feeling we’ll be enjoying anything else she puts together! Some other fragrances available: Ambre Noir, Encens Tranquille, Jour Ensoleille, and upcoming scents include Lieu de Reves and Zen Musk. Samples are available and shipping is quick. Get yourself some samples and start sniffing!

These oxfords, available at Ribstein & Wilcox, are a rich brown and boast 1930s styling. Great with skirts, dresses, or pants.

Everything looks better in red. Especially if that thing has…bows. Sigh. Available at The Vintage Mode, these red beauts help dispel the grey days that will be just around the corner. Pair with a neutral leg for maximum pop.

Ornamented in velvet, these shoes are pure drama without making you want to cry…unless they aren’t your size! Available at Hooked on Vintage. We’d love to see them peeking out saucily from your jeans or with a trimmed swing coat and glam sunglasses.

Check out these shops for more easy on the wallet goodies!

The Vintage by Zoe Bags features patchwork style vintage fabric in luscious red shades. This bag is perfect for toting the essentials as it provides MANY pockets, making it great for mommies or gals with lots of must haves. YAY! Brooch is removable, making the look versatile to boot.

Pretty in polka dot, this hand bag by Alli C Designs has a cool print with much matching potential, and a unique shape. Perfect for the essentials and a little book as well, this bag is a sure conversation starter or attraction getter. Gotta love good design.

This Joel Dewberry print clutch in salmon was made by Jessica Leman of Peas & Carrots. Perfect for the essentials and adding a romantic flair to the outfit. Also good bridal favors for bridesmaids, or your favorite “I feel pretty” outfit.

One of the great benefits of a printed purse is that you can wear patterns together that would look crazy if you wore them as a top and bottoms. That’s why we like this one by Just Jeanie. With poppy colors, fun print, and feminine details it’s big enough to carry the must haves and has a quirky spunk all its own.

You are a unique and beautiful snowflake…so why should your bag be any different? Explore your printed options and help beautify your city just by leaving the house!

Gold by Eveline Tarunadjaja:

We love the woodgrain and detailing on the dress.

Self Portrait by Kareena Zerefos :

Sensual, minimal, gorgeous self portrait.

Flower Child by Imagine Studio 2’s Lyse Marion:

Beautiful colors plus use of familiar imagery.

Tempest by Stiletto Heights:

The bubbles remind us of champagne…

Charming Silhouettes by A Fanciful Twist:

Modern Victoriana.  We can never get enough of that stuff.

No more naked walls!

These earrings, called Simply Beautiful, perfectly capture the timeless beauty found in something as simple as a heel print in the sand; the discs suspended from the organic ovals add an unusual element to a standard favorite with a lovely curving shape. Paloma Picasso, eat your heart out–no one will know you didn’t spend hundreds!

Splash ring simply seduced us at first sight. (Like that subtle alliteration? There’s more where that came from.) As you can see for yourself, it’s sublime. With a three-band hammered and oxidized foundation and a dome textured with silver raindrops, Splash is the result of experimentation, and reminds us of water drops on sun drenched rocks. Perfection.

Chaos bracelet. Where to begin? Three strands of linked sterling circles give the bracelet a visual heft–making a statement that is actually wearable and not fussy. Suitable for women of all ages, we can imagine this bracelet making a favorable impression with a crisp white blouse–peeking saucily from the cuffs–or a black tee. Basic, but not boring!

Char Ouellette’s shop also contains explorations in glass–the pop of color against the texturized silver is definitely worth a peek. If you like the items featured here, we recommend you check out Wide Eyed, Gala (with juicy apple green!) and Menage a Trois in copper. Get your smelling salts–swooning will ensue! Best of all, Char Ouellette’s designs are timeless and won’t kill your savings. Guilt free pleasure? That’s always in style!

These dolls by Marina Bychkova of The Enchanted Doll are absolutely sublime and slightly insane in their beauty. With fully articulated ball joints, idealized, yet realistic bodies in porcelain (not ‘neutered’ or sexless), incredible costumes of beads and gemstones, and painted in lustrous fleshtones, the dolls look like real, perfect people. Unbelievably, Marina Bychkova is a young, beautiful girl, much like her dolls–younger than such talent indicates (though she has been making dolls since age 6). We can only imagine what she will create as she continues her exploration of both fabric, jewelry making and her preferred medium of porcelain.

Mihret is a limited edition nude with silk/mohair hair.

Edie is a limited edition nude with a silk/mohair pixie.

Snow White, shown below with the Necrophiliac Prince. We love her beaded costume, and the slight bruising around her neck (kinda creepy, but somehow appropriate).

Below, Echo, a limited edition costumed doll. The fabric of her costume is a high quality dye sublimation print on 100% polyester fabric made from the photograph of an original, bead embroidered costume.

Her dolls inevitably spring out of story telling, and lend themselves perfectly to fantasy. Steeped in myth and folklore, the dolls explore themes familiar through childhood tales, often exposing the irresistible ‘dark’ or erotic undercurrents, which only adds to the utterly fascinating and hypnotic aura of her work. Dolls are available nude, in an elaborate costume (or the limited edition printed fabric), and can be customized. Jewelry is available for purchase. Check out Enchanted Doll and prepare to be floored.

If you’ve ever felt like your love of classy kitsch and silver screen legends needed an outlet, or perhaps to celebrate your love of pop culture and quirky accessories, My Aunt Debbie’s shop has something just for you. Pins, earrings, and necklaces celebrate our favorite friends, and make these highly collectible, and slightly addictive. Here are just a few things we found and fell in love with:

Everyone’s favorite madcap divas, Ethel and Lucy, perfect for reminding you to cherish your best friend, and to always exploit every opportunity for more fun than you can shake a stick at.

Sonny and Cher–because they NEVER should have broken up!

Elvis and ‘Cilla. Cause they were so pretty together.

Toast! Yummy, deliciously golden toast. It lasts forever! It sparkles with bling! It’s completely startling!

The world’s most fashionable cat, Toodles, in one of her many dresses.

Check out My Aunt Debbie’s shop for more cute wearable collectible memorabilia like these. You’re sure to stand out and strike up a conversation with someone interesting! The proceeds of the next sale go to charity–it could be you!

This limited edition print, called “Sugar water and a happy hummingbird”, provides such a mega dose of intense pink balanced with cool and effortless black and white. A perfect way for beating the neutral blahs.

“Say hello to Spring” is an original work on card stock. We love the minimalist design that shows the juicy colors so well.

Another original, “Magic is everywhere”, has beautiful leafy colors in blue and green with accents of the pink they use so well. Somehow this drawing gives us a feeling of happiness just by looking at it. This would make a wonderful gift for a friend, whether they need a pick me up or not.

Check out Wolfie and the Sneak for photographic art, vintage housewares, and other handmade surprises to give and treat yourself to.