Tote-ally Trendy

No accessory shouts "It's summertime! Woo!" quite like the tote bag. They're so useful and easy to manage; plus, you take a piece of the beach with you everywhere you go!

Me with my hand-painted Ivy & Me Poppy Tote

Meredith and I love to use our Ivy & Me totes as convenient around-the-town purses. And I'm all about convenience. Wherever I go, I'm usually running late, so the bag has my phone/wallet/keys in it is the one that's coming with me. Lucky for me, our totes are pretty neutral and go with most things I wear.

Meredith showing off one of our yellow pattern 
creations in old St. Augustine, FL

What's even better - these roomy carry-alls are trending this summer. We see them everywhere, dressed up or down, and especially in Hollywood. Celebs love totes!

Jessica Biel with a Lauren Moshi tote bag

Reese Witherspoon totes a casual bag
with a sweet message
by Jodi Guber and Andre Charles

Jessica Alba and Reese Witherspoon both dress it up
with a sequined tote by Vanessa Bruno.
(Reese is clearly all about the totes!) 

7 Must-see Indie Craft Vendors

The Indie Craft Experience sure does bring creative souls together in one place! We had a great time and really enjoyed meeting new people from all around the country. Many of the ICE vendors were locals, but a few traveled from afar just to participate in the Atlanta event. 

Here are a few of the clothing and accessories craftspeople whose fabulous wares and fun personalities really made our weekend.


Needle & Thread

Heart Felt's sweet booth,
just down the aisle from ours.

Heart Felt and its owner and crafter, Aviva Kleiner, are both ridiculously adorable. Aviva is a marketer from the Windy City who makes pretty little accessories by night. Her girly felt headbands, fascinators and jewelry are perfect for cutesy-ing up your wardrobe or adding a touch of vintage mystique. Aviva, you succeeded in warming our hearts!

Ashley's aprons inspired us to
break out our old copy Atlanta Cooknotes.

Classic Southern Charm. In case we had forgotten we were in the deep South, Ashley Thaxton brought us back with her colorful patterned aprons and ultra-feminine hair accessories. Bringing a touch of pinup glam to the fair, Ashley's platinum locks and killer style made her the center of attention, and her wares will most certainly establish her new brand on the Southern craft scene.


We chatted up Brooke Helfen of So She Sews, a creative collection of clothes made from vintage fabrics and home accessories made from recycled materials. We are always thrilled to meet proponents of eco-friendly practices, especially when super-cute crafts are involved.


Megan from Meg + Milo was at ICE showing off samples of her vibrant silk scarves and clothes. If you hadn't already noticed, we love bright and cheery colors, so we went wild over the rainbow on Meg's clothes rack. Lovely creations!


Metalworks & Stuff

Ashley Buchanan's ICE booth
was truly a display of modern art.

I am a total sucker for jewelry, especially when the designs blend beauty and brains. Ashley Buchanan creates gorgeous, original pieces by hand-cutting and powder coating metals. Her bold cuts evoke a curious interplay between modern industrial minimalism and vintage silhouette form. The result is a futuristic style that stands out from the crowd.

Tara Christensen of Hot Pink Poo was there to strut her stuff. Her eclectic jewelry for guys and gals turned some heads... Clearly, since we left her booth with a badass Swiss-army knife necklace.

Raven Henderson and Ashley and Alanna Coxwell shared a booth with various craft labels, including Common Artery and Addicted to Words. These sweethearts crafted up a storm before heading over from Alabama to show their reclaimed knick-knacks, terrariums and jewelry. I won't lie, the writer in me drooled a little bit over their refashioned old book journals (check out this one from their Etsy shop).

Our ICE booth and NEW Accessories

The Indie Craft Experience Summer Market 2012 came to a close yesterday evening. As Ivy & Me's first show, it was quite an experience, indeed! We were very proud of our little booth.

Have a look at some pics of our booth and our exciting new featured accessories.

"Welcome to our closet!"

                                                                                                                                                          

New Accessories!

Our dresser bursting with new accessories.

Ivy & Me Apparel presented our new clutch purses, pouches and jewelry at the ICE fair. 
They were a huge hit!


As always, everything is handmade by us.

Hand-dyed and sewn
Yellow Rope Loop Necklace

Bright Blue Knotted Necklace

One of our new clutch purses,
hand-marbled version.

One of our new pouches,
yellow painted pattern version.
Use it as a makeup bag!

Our new button earrings,
hand-marbled version.