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Feature Friday: Studio Lola
Several months ago I met Jenn Tucker the founder of Studio Lola in Pioneer Square at the Urban Air Market. I immediately fell in love with the Studio Lola fox paper, and since purchasing have gotten to know Jenn a bit more. Her passion for bespoke, and hand-made items that are created sustainably has had a definite impact on me. I thought that you all might be interested in learning a bit more about what she is doing. So in honor of the upcoming small business Saturday, here is a business you should consider supporting :)
The following is Jenn sharing a bit of the inspiration, history and process that makes Studio Lola the unique small business that it is.
Studio Lola aims to provide home decor that gives you a sense of instant nostalgia for your own place and experiences, with a feeling of comfort, and an added dash of joy.
Originally inspired by the adventuresome spirit of my grandmother Lola (who also had a fantastic sense of humor and loved a good puzzle), Studio Lola has always been the outlet for my need to practice tactile design. After 15 years focusing my creativity in the graphic design industry, I found I missed my retail and three-dimensional design roots, and Lola called me back.
Like the studio’s namesake, I enjoy solving a puzzle with an end result. The process of developing a product with a new take on an old classic brings me great satisfaction. For me, the research and testing is a part of the puzzle, which ultimately leads to a tactile creation from the very heart of my design aesthetic and personality. Making products for the home melds everything I have learned, loved (and learned to love) together: sewing and designing patterns; graphic design; re-creating a story; photography; home comforts; and sustainability.
The way I see it, we could all use a bit of levity in our lives. I like to use my creativity and sense of humor to bring a momentary giggle, a smile of a memory, or a breath of beauty to the day—to—day of others. Studio Lola is my way of sharing the spirit of life, by curating and creating items that bring joy and comfort into your life and home.
One of the privileges of entrepreneurship is the ability to make responsible, meaningful, and sustainable business decisions in matters that can make an impact, no matter the size. Studio Lola values the opportunity to practice a livelihood that you love, supports other entrepreneurs and believes in always finding ways to lessen the human impact on the environment. That’s why Studio Lola donates a percentage of sales to non-profits with similar values for the environment and community. And whenever possible, Studio Lola sources locally made, 100% organic supplies from other small businesses.
I hope that what you find here speaks to your soul in a way that makes it feel like that pillow, or that character has always been yours, and has now found its way back to you, much like placing that perfect piece in the puzzle.
A bit more information about Studio Lola’s process, and materials:
Studio Lola uses Texas-grown organic cotton that is processed and milled in the USA. Studio Lola dye is from a small company in L.A. that is producing small batch, environmentally responsible UV process dye. It is important to Studio Lola that all aspects of the textile dyeing process are approached as sustainably as possible.
Photos By: Angela and Evan Photography
2016 Upcoming Events For Studio Lola
- November 29: Rainier Club Holiday Bazaar
- December 3-4: Urban Air Market, Portland
- December 19: Fremont Foundry Holiday Market
Make sure to check out @studiololacollection on Instagram as they are running a giveaway for this gorgeous pouch!
Social Media: December National Days and More
DECEMBER NATIONAL DAYS DECEMBER 1 World AIDS Day National Pie Day National Eat a Red Apple Day Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day Day With(out) Art Day Rosa Parks Day
President Abraham Lincoln State of the Union Address Bette Middler Born
DECEMBER 2 International Day for the Abolition of Slavery National Fritters Day National Mutt Day Special Education Day #SpecialEducationDay Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting – Changes Annually Faux Fur Friday – First Friday in December
Good Will Hunting Debut
DECEMBER 3 International Day of Persons with Disabilities Roof Over Your Head Day #RoofOverYourHeadDay National Rhubarb Vodka Day – First Saturday in December Skywarn Recognition Day – First Saturday in December
A Streetcar Named Desire Opens on Broadway The First Human Heart Transplant Ozzy Osbourne Born
DECEMBER 4 National Sock Day National Cookie Day National Dice Day
DECEMBER 5 World Soil Day International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development National Sacher Torte Day Bathtub Party Day International Ninja Day Repeal Day #RepealDay
Prohibition Ends Debut of Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop Steinbeck’s Sea of Cortez is Published
DECEMBER 6 National Pawnbrokers Day National Microwave Oven Day National Gazpacho Day St. Nicholas Day Miners’ Day
DECEMBER 7 International Civil Aviation Day National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day National Cotton Candy Day
Willa Cather Born
DECEMBER 8 National Brownie Day Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day #PretendToBeATimeTravelerDay
John Lennon Murdered Mary Queen of Scots Born
DECEMBER 9 International Anti-Corruption Day National Pastry Day Weary Willie Day
Al Pacino Stars in Scarface The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson is Published
DECEMBER 10 Dewey Decimal System Day Human Rights Day Nobel Prize Day National Wreaths Across America Day – Second Saturday in December
First Nobel Prizes Awarded Otis Redding Killed in Plane Crash Emily Dickinson Born
DECEMBER 11 International Mountain Day National Noodle Ring Day UNICEF Birthday
UNICEF Founded Alexander Solzhenitsyn Born
DECEMBER 12 National Ambrosia Day National Ding-a-Ling Day Gingerbread House Day Poinsettia Day
Da Vinci Notebook Sells for Over 5 Million Gustave Flaubert Born
DECEMBER 13 National Cocoa Day National Violin Day National Day Of The Horse (Senate Res. 452) Pick a Pathologist Pal Day
First Export of American Furs Dick Van Dyke Born
DECEMBER 14 National Bouillabaisse Day
The Birth of Quantum Theory Saturday Night Fever World Premiere First U.S. President George Washington Dies
DECEMBER 15 National Wear Your Pearls Day National Cupcake/ Lemon Cupcake Day Bill of Rights Day Cat Herders Day #CatHerdersDay
Leaning Tower of Pisa Reopens Schindler’s List Opens, Spielberg Wins First Oscar
DECEMBER 16 National Chocolate-covered Anything Day Barbie and Barney Backlash Day National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day – Third Friday in December Underdog Day – Third Friday in December Day of Reconciliation
The Boston Tea Party Jane Austen’s Birthday
DECEMBER 17 National Maple Syrup Day Wright Brothers Day
First Airplane Flies A Christmas Carol is Published
DECEMBER 18 International Migrants Day U.N. Arabic Language Day National Roast Suckling Pig Day Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day Free Shipping Day – Changes Annually
Mayflower Docks at Plymouth Harbor Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Opens in New York Slavery Abolished in America Steven Spielberg Born
DECEMBER 19 National Hard Candy Day National Oatmeal Muffin Day
Titanic Film Opens in Theaters National Hockey Leagues Opens its First Season
DECEMBER 20 National Sangria Day Mudd Day
DECEMBER 21 National French Fried Shrimp Day Crossword Puzzle Day Humbug Day #HumbugDay Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day Winter Solstice – Day Between December 20 and 23 National Flashlight Day – Day of Winter Solstice National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day – First Day of Winter Yule – Day of Winter Solstice
The Graduate Opens in New York A Beautiful Mind Debuts in Theaters
DECEMBER 22 National Date Nut Bread Day Anne and Samantha Day (also June 21) Forefathers Day – December 22 – Unless on Sunday, Then Following Monday National Re-Gifting Day – Thursday before Christmas
First Gorilla Born in Captivity Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony World Premiere
DECEMBER 23 National Pfeffernusse Day National Roots Day Festivus
Van Gogh Chops Off Ear Philadelphia Premiers In Theaters (with Tom Hanks)
DECEMBER 24 National Eggnog Day Christmas Eve Chanukah Begins – Changes Annually
Stephanie Meyer Author of Twilight is Born
DECEMBER 25 National Pumpkin Pie Day A’Phabet Day or No “L” Day Christmas
JonBenet Ramsey Murdered To Kill A Mockingbird Debuts Bing Crosby Introduces White Christmas to World
DECEMBER 26 National Candy Cane Day National Thank You Note Day National Whiner’s Day Boxing Day (Canada)
DECEMBER 27 National Fruitcake Day
Radio City Music Hall Opens Peter Pan by James Barrie Opens in London
DECEMBER 28 National Chocolate Candy Day National Card Playing Day Holy Innocents Day Pledge of Allegiance Day
First Commercial Movie Screened by the Lumiere Brothers The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Published Denzel Washington Born
DECEMBER 29 National Pepper Pot Day Tick Tock Day Ted Danson Born Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is Published
DECEMBER 30 National Bicarbonate of Soda Day Falling Needles Family Fest Day Bacon Day No Interruptions Day – Last Work Day of the Year
DECEMBER 31 National Champagne Day Leap Second Time Adjustment Day (Note: This is listed as an observance title only. Some years scientists do not make adjustments. But, if they do, then it’s done on either June 30 or December 31.) Make Up Your Mind Day New Year’s Eve Universal Hour of Peace
Thomas Edison Demonstrates Incandescent Light Anthony Hopkins is Born
The Uncommon Union Has Now Launched!
The Uncommon Union has launched and I am so excited to share it with you. It is something that I am especially proud of and has created a new level of excitement in me for the possibility of what the Pacific Northwest holds.
Uniting the two brands Uncommon Cartography and Union Adorn, The Uncommon Union is the synthesis of the conceptual and the visual. Through our combined skill sets we are committed to supporting and developing these uncovered tastemakers, trends and opportunities.
Lauren Caron and I met several months ago through social media, on a platform that has connected me with many collaborators and clients, Instagram. Quickly the online introduction led to an in-person meeting over coffee at Elm Coffee Roasters (one of my many #workspaces in the city). Hailing from two spaces of the creative world, Esther, the conceptual and Lauren, the visual we quickly realized that there was potential for a unique and untapped collaboration.
The Uncommon Union is driven to uncover and make visible emerging shifts within the spectrum of whole being and lifestyle within the Pacific Northwest communities and beyond. I hope that you will join me in following and participating in this new chapter.
You can read more about the story behind The Uncommon Union here.
Photography By: Lindsey Bolling
Uncommon Cartography Influencers
Hello Influencer!
I’m Esther of Uncommon Cartography as well as recently launched The Uncommon Union. I love helping influencers and brands take their businesses to the next level??
In 2016 I have focused on connecting with influencers and engineering collaborations between brands and influencers, coaching and mentoring individuals as well as building a rich creative community.
Influencers I have collaborated with include @cooknamedmatt, @meganmlittle, @danny.owens, @styleandcheek and more! Some of the exciting brands I am currently running influencer outreach campaigns for are Shannon Koszyk (luxury jewelry), Tame The Beast (men’s grooming), MOO - YOUNG (premium leather), Brunswick and Hunt (restaurant) and others :)
I am now inviting influencers to sign up to receive VIP and exclusive invitations to upcoming events, product giveaways and more. If you would be interested in receiving information about upcoming influencer campaigns, please sign up here to receive more information: http://eepurl.com/cmTlS5
Also, if you are ever in Seattle please shoot me a message I would love to connect over coffee ☕️
- Esther Maria Swaty
Photo By: Josiah Michael Photography
#MOOYOU November Pre-Order Campaign
Francine from Moo-Young recently reached out to me and asked that I help her run a November Pre-Order promotion, in the spirit of Small Business Saturday. The goal is to kick-start momentum and gain capital to take her business to the next level in 2017 (which will also be her 5 year anniversary??).
The November Pre-Order promotion features the new line of 2016 pouches which are 100% Italian Suede, Hand Dyed, Dyed, Cut and Sewn in Seattle, as well as her popular skinny bangles. The pouches are available in 14 colors (3 sizes), and the skinny bangles are available in 40 colors ❤️????
The #mooyou password gives you VIP access to exclusive prices for the month of November. With your help the #mooyou campaign can position the brand for BIG things in 2017 (their 5 year anniversary??).
Please share with your family, friends, and co-workers to support a Seattle brand that has come so far since it’s humble beginnings in a Georgetown studio. Make sure to tag @lovemooyoung and use the hashtag #mooyou to show your love ❤️ and for a chance to be featured in their feed.
MOO-YOUNG Pre-Order Details
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What: Moo-Young November Pre-Order Promotion
When: Tuesday, November 1- 30th, 2016
Where: MOOYOU Pre-Order Page
Password To Unlock Exclusive Pricing: #mooyou
Instagram:@lovemooyoung
(Tag them in your photo for a chance to be featured in their feed❤️)
Help Us Spread The Word By Using These Instagram Hashtags:
#mooyou #shopsmall
**All Pre-Orders will be shipped by December 20th**