Upcycled Bass Drum Table

This is the coolest table ever.  It's an old 20" birch bass drum--and drumsticks--turned into a side table. This is the raddest upcycled table. Super creative and resourceful. Wish I had this gem in my place. Check out this dude's other awesome upcycled goods on his Etsy shop: Tim Sway.

Word to Your Mother

Crap Necklace from Piano Bench Designs store on Etsy.

Alayna, 35, sells fun, handcrafted sterling silver wire necklaces in her Etsy store Piano Bench Designs. She is self-taught, has been making jewelry for four years, and is a paralegal going to grad school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She makes me feel like a slacker for being able to get so much stuff done, but I do love her word wire necklaces. A necklace that says crap. Shit, I love it. 

Indie Style Finds: How did you get into making jewelry?
Alayna: A friend and co-worker of mine got me started making jewelry. At that time, I was beading, but this quickly turned into an interest in using wire in new ways. 
Indie Style Finds: Your word necklaces are really cool, how did you come up with the idea to make them? 
Alayna: I think the first word necklace was a custom request. Often, the inspiration for these words comes from custom requests, or from my husband, who will ask me, "What about a necklace that says [insert word here]?" 

Etsy store: Piano Bench Designs
Crap Necklace: $35

The Always Important Mix Tape

Love is a Mix Tape Print by One Reverie on Esty.com.

The mix tape is an icon of the falling in love process. Everyone has a memory of making a mix tape for that special someone that said just the right thing about you and them with every song. This Love is a Mix Tape print by One Reverie from Orange County, CA, is a perfect anniversary gift for your loved one or a cute wedding gift for that music obsessed couple. You can customize the print with the couples name, anniversary date, and even choose the color of the tape label. In addition to the customization, I love the little detail of the piece of cassette tape making a heart at the bottom. 

Price: $11
Etsy store: One Reverie

Like Clockwork

Handcrafted Vinyl Record Clock from Vinyl Clock Work on Etsy.com.

This handcrafted vinyl record clock from Vinyl Clock Work is the coolest. I love the innovativeness of taking a vinyl record--hopefully a record you wouldn't actually want to listen to--and making something functional and useful out of it. I love the huge numbers on the clock, I can be quite blind, and the blue and purple colors displayed in the center of the clock from the original record's label. 

Super cool accessory for your wall. I need one. 

Details: Comes with a built-in molded hanger on the back and runs on AA batteries--basically, it will be easy to hang and actually run.

Price: $23

Etsy: Vinyl Clock Work

Designer Profile: Paulina Carcach

Paulina Carcach Black Lambskin Barrel Style Satchel Bag

California-based Paulina Carcach, 26, is a leather handbag designer. She creates sophisticated and wearable handbags, which are available through her Etsy store and website. Here, she talks about her upcoming spring 2011 collection and more.

Indie Style Finds: Why did you choose to work with leather for your handbags?

Paulina: I'm extremely comfortable working with leather. I grew up watching my grandfather and father make cowboy boots by hand; I was always around leather and shoes. I know how leather is treated and it's characteristics. Leather can be very soft and sturdy at the same time. It can be elegant and casual. I love leather because it's often used for quality items, such as furniture, shoes and accessories. I think once you know how to treat and work with leather, you can work with any other medium.

ISF: What are you working on right now? What can people expect for your next collection?

Paulina: At this moment I'm finishing my Spring 2011 collection. This season I'm wrapping my arms around color! Hyper colors and crazy prints are taking front stage. Colors like teal to electric blue and citrus hues. Also, like always I'm combining brights with the neutral black. I also have four new handbag styles, all clean and very modern.

ISF: How long does it take to construct one bag?

Paulina: One bag takes approximately five to six hours of labor, once I have all of the materials ready. From cutting the leather and lining with the templates to the last finishing detail. Once the leather, fabric, hardware and other materials are ordered, the bag is placed on the schedule, and as soon as materials arrive I start working on the bag. I have a 2.5-week lead-time for all custom orders.

ISF: What's your favorite bag in your collection?

Paulina: I personally own all of my handbags and I love them all, but if I have to choose one style it will have to be the Alba bag.

Paulina Carcach Alba-Eggplant Distress Lambskin Leather Shoulder & Satchel Bag 

ISF: What do you think makes your line special?

Paulina: My handbags are both luxurious and wearable, with a beautiful feminine touch. I strive to make my label timeless and modern but never cold. I offer beautiful quality handmade products with a reasonable price. And a wide variety of products for all ages.

Camera Ready

Mini Camera Necklace from Luckyduct on Etsy.com.

This handmade sterling silver Mini Camera Necklace is a tiny Holga. This necklace will impress that cute photographer you like even if you don’t know what a Holga is.

Etsy store: Luckyduct

Price: $74.00

Must-Have Skinny Jeans

Just USA Coffee and Cigarette Ankle Jeans from Modcloth.com.

Skinny jeans are an indie fashion staple. These dark wash Coffee and Cigarette Ankle Jeans from Just USA are the perfect skinny jean—you can wear them with your favorite sneakers or dress them up with heels or cute boots. These ultra-skinny jeans are stretchy and made with 96 percent cotton and 4 percent spandex.

From: ModCloth

Brand: Just USA

Price: $49.99

Stripe it Up

Hot Hangout Tank from Modcloth.com.

I enjoy horizontal striped tops a little too much. However, my younger sister is even worse. She called me yesterday to tell me she bought yet another striped T-shirt. We laughed at how her closet must be all striped T-shirts now. This striped "Hot Hangout Tank" was just posted to ModCloth yesterday, and me and my sister are probably going to fight for this one. This knit tank features black and white stripes down the front with a cute corner pocket and thinner stripes across the back. 


Price: $39.99
From: ModCloth

Designer Profile: My Pink Turtle Studio

Prints from MyPinkTurtleStudio on Etsy.com

Self-taught artist, Lulu, from Frelighsburgh, Canada, creates and sells her bright, original paintings, prints, and necklace pendants through her Etsy store MyPinkTurtleStudio. Typically her work features Frida Kahlo, fairies, angels, and mermaids. I have several of her Frida paintings up on my walls thanks to my mom. Here, Lulu, talks about her art.

Indie Style Finds: Why did you decide to put your prints on wood blocks?

Lulu: I decided to do this because we got bags and bags of wood remnants from a local cabinetmaker and we would start the fire in our stoves with it. Each time, I would think "Oh my! How awful to burn such treasures.” So I simply decided to up-cycle this reclaimed wood, mounting prints of my art on black wooden blocks.

Most of my original paintings are offered in my Etsy store. Once they sell, I offer my customers regular paper prints of the image as well prints mounted on wood, which people really like since they look like original pieces and are ready to be hung on the wall when they arrive. I also sell wood necklace pendants in a limited quantity right now. I do commissioned paintings as well and will paint just about anything a customer wants at the size they choose.

Frida Kahlo Flowers by Lulu from MyPinkTurtleStudio on Etsy.com.

ISF: Why do you like using Frida Kahlo in so many of your pieces?

Lulu: I have traveled extensively through Mexico and drove through the country three times. I simply love this country! It’s language, people, art, food, landscapes, and history. Frida Kahlo has always been a favorite painter of mine because of her strange beauty and art and because of her amazing story.

ISF: What are you working on right now? What new stuff can users expect?

Lulu: I am always working on art projects! I try to paint a new canvas weekly, even more if possible. At the moment, I am working on a life-size Frida (she was 5' 3" tall) painting, as well as a couple other big paintings. Finishing a few cat canvases this week, as well as a fairy and an angel painting. All inspired by spring coming soon!

I do not think I will be offering new products in my shop in the near future. I want to concentrate on painting as much as I can and producing derived products of my art takes a lot of time. My goal this year is to constantly offer new original paintings.

Blue Bird by Lulu from MyPinkTurtleStudio on Etsy.com.

For more info, check out Lulu’s blog and Facebook.

Smell the Roses

Red Roses Cardigan by Sourpuss.

My closet is filled with cardigans and this one needs to be added to the collection. This red knit cardigan has embroidered rose tattoo stencils on the front of the sweater and black buttons. The delicate, feminine roses make this sweater perfect for the office and a late night out at a rock show.

On Angry Young and Poor: $46

Designer Profile: West Byron

Desmond pendant from West Byron on Etsy.com.

Here, Chicago-based Jessie Casteel talks about her unique and personalized silver jewelry that she creates and sells in her Etsy shop, West Byron. 

Indie Style Finds: When and how did you get into making jewelry?

Jessie: I'd been making simple beaded and wire-wrapped jewelry for years just for fun, but when I was pregnant with my second child (almost 4 years ago), I noticed my obstetrician was wearing a simple, hand-stamped mother's necklace. We talked about it a bit, and I decided I wanted to find something similar for myself. I looked around for a while and concluded that nothing out there really did it for me, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I'd seen metal clay/fine silver demonstrated on TV a few years earlier, so I ordered some and started experimenting. One thing led to another, I was so inspired by the limitless possibilities of the medium, and here we are, four years later, making fine silver jewelry full time!

ISF: How long does it take you to make one item?

Jessie: There are a number of steps when working with precious metal clay, with the time required between steps for the piece to dry, fire in the kiln, tumble in the tumbler. As far as active work, my simple pieces can take 15 minutes to an hour, while my more complicated, hand-sculpted pieces can take one to three hours of active work. Though with all the time required for drying, firing, tumbling and finishing I might start a piece on Monday morning and finish it up on Thursday. With two small kids and other work obligations, I'm not able to work on jewelry every day or for more than six hours at a stretch, so it's unusual that I'm able to start and finish a batch of items in less than three days time.

ISF: What inspires you to come up with new designs?

Jessie: My best ideas are inspired by my wonderful friends and family and my desire to make them the perfect gifts. As a mom, I've also been inspired by the simple shapes, bright colors, and fun motifs of childhood.

ISF: What is one of your favorite designs that you've created?

Jessie: I love my birds and owls, but my favorites have been my flower earrings with bezel-set stones in bright, happy colors. Those are the pieces I really love to wear.

Feeling Lucky

Heart 'N Horseshoe Pendant from Hellkats L.A.

A few years ago, I bought the silver Heart 'N Horseshoe pendant from Hellkats L.A. It remains my favorite piece of jewelry and never seems to leave my neck. Despite all the necklaces I buy, this is my everyday go-to piece. It's crafted beautifully, real silver, and reminds me to feel lucky. And on really good days it reminds me to feel lucky with love.

One of my lucky new finds is the sterling silver Hammered HorseShoe Stack Rings from Jorgensen Studio on Etsy.com. I love how dainty yet texturized the bands are and how feminine the ring is. Must get it!

Designer Profile: DodoDesigns

The owl pencil case I purchased from DodoDesigns. Love it!

As a super organized type person, I can’t just throw my pens and pencils in my backpack. The idea of that disorder makes me cringe. I was embarrassingly using a Ziploc bag for my supplies and decided I needed to step it up and get a cute pencil case. After searching the Internet, I found my prized pencil case from DodoDesigns on Etsy. I picked it because of its hardy construction—most people were selling flimsy fabric pouches—and the adorable owl design.

Here’s some background on the designer behind DodoDesigns, Francesca Burdett-Coutts, from Toronto, Canada, who started making these useful and lovable pouches in 2009.

Indie Style Finds: How did you get into sewing and crafty projects?

Francesca: My mom is an artist, and we were always encouraged to do tons of creative stuff growing up. I still love painting and I’m very into photography. I started sewing because I had this idea for pouches and wanted to see how they would turn out. I was pretty terrible in the beginning, but I just kept trying and trying until I got a product that I was happy with.

ISF: How many different pouch sizes do you make?

Francesca: I make about five different pouch sizes. Every now and then I do a custom size if a customer requests it; I’m always open to suggestions about what else my customers would love to have. I’m also going to expand into things like iPad cases and leather handbags in a couple of months.

ISF: What's one of your favorite patterns you use in your pouches?

Francesca: I love all my patterns. I think the owls are ridiculously cute. Then I go through phases when I love the cupcakes because they’re really cutesy, and I definitely love the new cherry pattern that I have. I also really love the Rebel print. It’s really edgy with attitude. I could probably go down the whole list like this because I really get so excited when I see all of them.

ISF: How often are you working on projects for DodoDesigns?

Francesca: I really love my business and it makes me so happy to do it. So I probably work on something for DodoDesigns every day, either sewing or planning new designs. I’m going to launch a leather line of handbags shortly so that has involved a lot of planning and a lot of finding new suppliers. I’m really excited about how it’s going to turn out, but I could use a few more hours in a day!

Owl or Nothing

Owl designs are a cute and fun accessory for any indie girl's wardrobe. Owls can be found on clothes, bags, jewelry, and everything in between. I have an adorable shirt, necklace, earrings, and even received cute plastic owl covers for my keys as a birthday present. 

This adorable furry bird actually has a special meaning for me. When I was younger my grandma called me her Little Owl. She would fight to get me to go to bed as a kid and one time she thought I was asleep when the phone rang. I jumped up from bed and said, "Who is it? Who is it?" And she sweetly responded, "Go to bed my little owl." After that, owls had a special little meaning between us. Every time I see a cute owl item, I’m reminded of my grandma and how awesome she was.

Here are a few of my favorite owl items right now:

Owl Earrings

Wise Old Owls Black and White Post Earrings from Ring Leader on Etsy.com.

Wise Old Owls Black and White Post Earrings

Cute stud earrings that are hand-drawn by the artist.

From: Esty.com

Seller: The Ring Leader

Price: $9.95

Owl T-shirt

We Give a Hoot Tee from ModCloth.com.

We Give a Hoot Tee

Cute owl design on a soft cotton V-neck shirt.

From: ModCloth.com

Price: $29.99

Owl Mug

Clever Critter Mug from ModCloth.com.

Clever Critter Mug

I want to rock this cute mug while drinking my morning coffee.

From: ModCloth.com

Price: $17.99

Owl Necklace:

Owl Be Loving You Necklace from Westbyron on Etsy.com.

Owl Be Loving You Necklace

This hand crafted silver pendant can be customized with names on the back. So romantic and sweet.

From: Etsy.com

Seller: Westbyron

Price: $72.00

*Jennifer Moncayo

My Obsession with Indie Products Begins

Some of my favorite jewelry and my beloved Helle's Belles wallet.

I love punk and indie music, which heavily influences my sense of style. I love alternative fashion, accessories, and everything in between. I love seeing people wearing clothes and accessories that really show their unique sense of style.

I could care less about designer brands like Coach and Louis Vuitton—you’ll never catch me wearing Juicy Couture pants and Uggs. But I could talk forever about my favorite handbag lines Luxe De Ville, or my favorite wallets from Helle’s Belles Finishing School for Girls.

I am obsessed with websites like ModCloth and Etsy. I love seeing the amazing stuff people create and sell on the DIY circuit. I want to buy everything but, of course, that’s just not possible.

This blog is a mash up of everything in indie style I love, from clothing, accessories, and jewelry to home décor. This blog will feature my indie style finds, and include profiles on indie designers, crafters, artists, and creators.

*Jennifer Moncayo