Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Stop in for a Peep!

A Little Reminder for a Very Big Event!
Olive Annie is hosting a First Friday Flea Market with The Willows this Friday, April 3 from 10-2!  This time we are only holding the sale on Friday so make sure you show up!
Stop by the store anytime to enter our "how many peeps" contest!
How many peeps do you think are in this jar?  Stop by the shop to submit your answer - the winner gets a very special prize handpicked by Olive herself!
Also stop in for a special Easter egg with a surprise discount up to 20% off your entire purchase!

You could use that 20% to buy lovely spring frocks such as these new handmade tops (or dresses depending on how you want to wear them!) that are waiting for you!


Also soft accessories like a knit kitten bag are sure to make even the gloomiest of days a little brighter!
We want to thank everyone that came to see us at the garden sale last weekend - and we can't wait to see everyone at the flea market.   A little birdie told us The Willows has great garden sale leftovers as well as lots of new merchandise for the home marked 50% off!  We also have some surprise vendors at the sale again!  Bring extra cash as some vendors don't take cards!

-pEaCe, LoVe, AnD oLiVeS!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Posing for Spring

Mark it in your calendars! Friday, April 3 from 10-2, we will be hosting our second flea market sale! Be there or go bare!

Thank you to all that showed up to the garden sale! It was a huge success! We enjoyed celebrating spring with an outside event!
Those of us who stayed at the shop today were having some fun as well!

Beautiful Maddie was shy to pose in our new reversible, floppy summer hats. We decided to paint a fresco of her in one instead! All hats made with heavy-weight decorator fabric and many colors available $49

How about a fun and funky reversible bag to go with your hat? Great for holding wild flowers, beach towels, or baby bottles! $49

We can't forget to show you these beautiful necklaces inspired by the artist's neighborhood walks at twilight. She feels a strong connection to the natural world during these walks which make her feel adventurous...mischievous even. We simply love this. From these walks, her stories and paintings are born - capturing the woman who could be...

if she dared. $69

Friday, March 27, 2009

Something special at Olive

We were all settled in this morning, cozied in our nook at The Willows, when we signed on to write to you today! We started looking through past posts and we realized....something was missing, even though we couldn't quite put our finger on it. We thought...great new spring frocks - check! Fun and funky new bags - check! Stylish belts and baubles - check! Then, as we sat and pondered, little Olive - the mischievious one that she can be - knocked over an entire display of original jewelry treasures...and aha! We had figured it out. So ladies and gents...

Introducing....

Our first little gem was created by two local artists and best friends who pop in to the shop from time to time. They use discarded treasures along with fine metals and leathers to create one-of-a-kind prizes that everyone will ask you about.


This piece was created using vintage leather - $110


The next designer uses whatever inspires her at the moment, usually things in nature, to create brass, vintage and recycled pieces that are both stunning and playful. She calls her pieces her loves and her gifts to her clients, and it clearly shows in her work.

This dragonfly necklace is handmade from high-quality brass with lead-free solder and a gold-filled chain. $189
The nature of this brass is to oxidize (patina) with the elements and your skin. You can enjoy the rustic feel of the aged brass by do nothing to it and letting it develop a natural beauty.
Or, occasionally if the brass begins to patina and you prefer it shiny you can buff it back to brightness with a very fine nail file, or wipe it with a brass polishing "rag" available in any grocery, hardware or drug store!
Just keep your jewelry in a clean, dry place and it will age slowly, naturally and beautifully .

This next designer calls herself "an elf of the arts and crafts variety".
Her favorite philosophies:

- one person can make a difference

- we all have souls, we just come in different packages (ie: animals)

- those without compassion aren’t worth knowing

- there’s no such thing as a bad cookie

Her compassionate nature definitely shows through in her work as she carefully and meticulously handcrafts these beautiful prizes using even an old wax casting process for some of her details.


This french cross uses that wax casting process to create a beautiful silver cuff. $209

We have saved the best for last. Lani swears there was a cosmic connection when she met this designer in New York - you see these two together, and you just know they were meant to work together! Have you ever seen a chipmunk store acorns in his cheeks when he finds a good batch far from home? That's a pretty accurate description of how the jewelry was hoarded at this designer's showroom when Lani showed up. We have some amazing prizes to show you to say the least.

This sculptor and painter turned jewelry designer has an obvious love for nature and time-worn objects with antique sentiment. The earrings are handcrafted with painted botanical engraving ($279) which is used as well in the cross in the ring.

These necklaces have unexpected twists - a sterling silver shield with engraved stag and heavy 14k gold fob for $379 and a cameo paired with a tiny skull. Symbolic? Maybe. Conversation piece? Definitely! She's a beauty. Silver cameo ring w/ 14k ball accents - $246"A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages" What's your interpretation? Bird under crystal silver necklace - $279Hieroglyphic-style engraved "peace" paired with angel wings and a 14k gold fob - $259
Call or email for more details and availability!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Garden Party!

Greetings Friends! We are bubbling over with excitement to inform you that we have just been invited to The Willows garden sale! When the girls saw our sweet and simple lace-detailed dresses and tops we got in for spring, along with all of our other amazing new collections - they told us we simply must be there to sell our prizes to all of you!

So, let it be known - Olive Annie will be showing and selling our spring collections:
Where? Bev's House at N 21st st and Camelback
When? Friday and Saturday March 27-28 from 10am - 2pm
How do I get there? Call us or stop by for directions!

And don't worry - we will leave an olivette at the store during those hours if you wish to shop there as well!

One of the fun new items we are excited to show you proves that amazing prizes can come in very tiny packages. Introducing "Tiny Baubles" at Olive Annie.
We found this line when a magnetic and wonderful lady, Tina, entered the store - we fell in love with her, and then fell in love with her lovely collection of one-size-fits all sterling silver rings that come in two collections "the waiting band" and "letters to a friend".
We are proud to announce these will soon be on Oprah's favorites!


What are these lovely little rings you ask? Well, my dears, while your usual rings are decorated on the outside, Tina brilliantly has engraved her message on the inside which creates a special message for the wearer. With her "waiting bands" meant for expectant mothers, the ring not only expands to accommodate expanding pregnant fingers, but also has adorable messages such as "always" and "miracle" to mark the special coming occasion. Want to make the ring even more special? Get the baby's (or babies') name or birthday engraved on the outside!
For those of you who have a hard time telling your friend how much she means to you, look no more. Tina just introduced her new collection of rings she termed "letters to a friend". She engraved a letter on the outside of the ring, and the corresponding word inside that you feel represents your friend best. For example, the "c" ring has "courageous" engraved inside - great for a friend that has weathered the storm and come out shining!
Tina was also kind enough to invite Olive Annie to her home this past Thursday so we could showcase our new prizes! We must add that her home is just as lovely as she is!


Stephanie and Maddie -two of our stellar olivettes - running the show on Thursday
Tiny hairclip and hairband bugs make their way into the leaves.

Even tiny mushroom ornaments find their way to the branches!

This little chick hopes to see you at Olive Annie and at the Garden Party!

-pEaCe, LoVe, AnD oLiVeS!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Suprising Textures for Spring!

Didn't know if you knew this or not but....

Spring is here!!! haha, ready or not! Don't worry though - the rules that you used to know about certain colors and fabrics for certain seasons are changing!
How about plaid for spring? Don't you just love how plaid has made a comeback but in a feminine way? It's so refreshing to wear a great plaid and pair it with pink instead of black! Plaid is no longer just for fall when it's done in breathable linen!

How will you react to a wool-felted purse for spring?! How about if it's a handmade purse with a playful puffy caterpillar on it? We thought you might consider it! We also love this elephant bag! He'll never let you forget your lipgloss or grocery list again!
The best part about these bags is that they are made under the World Fair Trade Organization IFAT whose mission is to improve the lives of disadvantaged working women in places such as Nepal and Sri Lanka where these bags are made, as well as helping these womens' families and communities.

Ok, ok so you've seen this shirt before - but how great is it paired with this cropped jacket? Throw on some dark jeans or a pencil skirt and you're out the door! How great are those whimsical necklaces by the way?
Here's a sweet story...this line began when a sweet guy made his darling girlfriend a handbag out of leather for Valentine's Day. There were so many people amazed by the level of craftsmanship and handiwork that went into the girl's bag that the couple started a business purely off of special requests! You too will love beauty and detail that goes into every single one of these bags and belts! Go ahead and pack away your old leather for the year, and come enjoy this leather!
Love a skinny belt around a shirt dress!

Come pick some flowers (hairclips that is) at Olive Annie and enjoy the day!

-pEaCe, LoVe, AnD oLiVeS!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Showstopper

Warning: these clothes are not for the faint of heart. Garment-dyed and made from linen, cotton, silk and wool, each piece of clothing from this designer's collection are meant to tell a story about the person who wears them. Her women are not "trendy" but rather collectors of treasures - treasures like this gorgeous black and white linen dress coat - a one-of-a-kind right now at Olive Annie. We have it on display outside for now but it's causing quite a bit of mess with traffic.



Try it in the panel skirt version for a more casual flair. These pieces are meant to embrace versatility while still being graceful on all who wear them!
Lastly, love this shirred tunic in black shown below on the model with the double stitched pants (which we have!). Dare to go bare? This tunic is long enough to be worn alone as a dress if you dare!


Here we show the pants more whimsically paired with our cotton "bear-on-a-bicycle" tee. Indulge in mixing and layering these pieces for a dressed-up, or playful spring look.

Of course we doubly love her pieces because they are all hand or machine washable! This means we can have a little more fun with a little more lingering contentment.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

A Crowning Moment

Our camera was a little moody today, hence no pictures of all the amazing new product at Olive Annie - we will show tomorrow!  So here is a big thanks to Emily for letting us "borrow" these pictures off her blog - she has the best camera!!!  Here are some fun pictures taken the day of the flea market sale! Emily's beautiful daughter Lucy was having fun playing dress up in a brilliant star crown from the shop! Emily is still offering silhouettes for the kiddies - we will let you know when she will be at the shop again!

Also, Lani got creative taking garden pictures in our little "garden retreat" outside of the store. See if you can find the garden gnome when you arrive at The Willows!

Magical butterflies land in flowerbeds....

Cherubs watch over The Willows and Olive Annie. Look for more of these at our Garden Sale coming up soon! Check out The Willows blog for more updates!!!

We look forward to seeing all your shining faces at the store tomorrow.  Hopefully you will not consume massive amounts of Guinness for St. Patty's and sleep a beautiful Wednesday away!  If you do, we will be happy to see you Thursday.

-pEaCe, LoVe, AnD oLiVeS 

Friday, March 13, 2009

Curiouser and Curiouser!

Curiouser and curiouser things become at Olive and Annie! Come peruse bottled scents self-described as "objects of desire" delightfully decorated with names like "dead sexy" and "Poe's tobacco". Come enjoy and you'll see why these scents were Oprah's favorites.
Nothing creates more curiosity than when you're out in the city with a "drink me" button pinned to your bag or your blouse. Pair it with our Alice pin to conjure up your own little wonderland. Don't forget our "be a good egg" pin for Easter gifts! Let us add these to your complimentary giftwrap for a special touch!
"Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words `EAT ME' were beautifully marked in currants. `Well, I'll eat it,' said Alice, `and if it makes me grow larger, I can reach the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, I can creep under the door; so either way I'll get into the garden, and I don't care which happens!'" -Alice in Wonderland

These lipglosses come in boxes so coveted you'll want to savor them just as long as you savor your brilliant gloss in flavors like "let them eat cake" and "cherry bomb".

Also try our new collection of rings straight from San Francisco. So delightfully pop, they look almost good enough to eat...almost. Better to show off. Want to really grab attention? Pair these rings with her matching necklaces!

Truly there is no better dress to go chasing rabbits down rabbit holes than in this pleated organic frock. We love this paired with skinny jeans and flats for a more casual Alice.

We are doing cartwheels over these quirky new cotton tanks and tees screened with rabbits, moustaches, scarabs and other fun circus themes.

So cute the queen of hearts would surely shout, "off with her head!!"

-pEaCe, LoVe, AnD oLiVeS