the new MEAT in my life...

I started my new internship at VERAMEAT today. Here's a little but about the company taken from their website:

Each piece of VERAMEAT jewelry mirrors a self-sufficient life form with a sculptural presence. Hand-crafted in New York City from such fine materials as ecologically sound recycled silver and pure 14k gold, VERAMEAT designs are artfully refined contemporary heirlooms to inspire your own individual flair.

VERAMEAT is Vera Balyura, a teller of winding tales in search of the extraordinary. Born in Ukraine, she recalls woodcarving with her grandfather, horseback riding in Utah & moving to New York to be a high fashion model all before the age of 14. Each design reflects a personal (yet universal) inspiration—from traveling the world, making music, maritime ny sagas, botanical structures of light, futuristic visions of rogue spacemen in beer, and before history.

VERAMEAT’s collection is characterized by richly articulate surfaces, wearability, and subtle details exacted with precision inherited from her grandmother, a surgeon. The repertoire is playful and ferocious: Hearts stitched by hand into Godzilla Robot’s gilded circuit board show he has love; A Deathly Beautiful Ballad keeps vigil reinventing your finger; Dinosaurs devour fried chicken yum; When Knight in Shining Armor bumps against your heart, you’ve made a friend for life.

I'm doing typical intern-y stuff like putting together orders to ship out and bookkeeping what not but Vera is super chill and cute and so is her little doggie Fred (who is a girl!) We talked a bunch about how she started her company, the industry etc. while I packed up jewelry in boxes. I already want to buy so many of her pieces but even after my employee discount I think I will be broke if I don't narrow it down to one or two things. I'm going in again tomorrow because there is a lot to be done between all the holiday orders and preparing for the biggest shipment yet---to Urban Outfitters! Huge! I'm really excited to be jumpin' on the band wagon with such an awesome company that is obviously going places while staying conscious of it's impact on industry workers and the environment.

hopefully santa reads my blog ; )

"Gift giving is the purest expression of friendship,"

-Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)

I've been makin' my list n checkin' it twice...here's what I've come up with:

Not that I NEED yet another pair of glasses, but these vintage inspired frames by Warby Parker deliver one pair of glasses to someone in need with every purchase. Now that's eye wear with a purpose!

Again...no where near a necessity but isn't life so much cooler through a kaleidoscope?

Ok so these I actually NEED. Osborn Alpaca Party Vegans are handcrafted in Guatemala and inspired by their traditional kente cloth. These shoes are comprised of woven cotton and the soles are made out recycled rubber tires instead of leather, thus vegan. Aren't they just perfect all over!

By purchasing PACT Organic Underwear you are supporting and encouraging organic cotton farmers, responsible labor practices, and businesses that form partnerships with nonprofit organizations dedicated to positive change in our world. This limited edition Winter Lights Collection was designed by Yves Behar especially for the Lighting Hope for Haiti program. The prints represent colorful plays of light and celebrate the nostalgia and festiveness of holiday lights.

SHROOMS! Can never have enough shrooms! This year I really want to start growing my own herbs and veggies and this Easy-to-Grow Mushroom Garden looks so fast and easy to use.

A dress form has been on my wish list for about 5 years now and I keep putting off getting one because it is a bit of an investment (financially and spaceially) but I finally need to suck it up and just buy one already. I know it will make my life so much easier!

This hand embroidered and sewn necklace by spinthread is gorgeous and so meticulously made. It's the kind of thing that I could figure out how to make myself, but definitely don't have the patience for. Plus why no support fellow crafters while your at it?

My roommates will probably kill me for adding another appliance to our already overcrowded kitchen, but having a slow cooker seems like such a life saver in the cold winter months, especially when I'm super busy between class, interning and working. How nice does coming home to a warm, fully cooked meal or waking up to yummy steaming oats sound?

Well, hope I was good little girl this year. Happy holidays errbody!

xx