The Amber Show » small business

Metropolis Body Solves Drunk Baby Giraffe Syndrome for 20% Less

Amber — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:45:27 +0000

You know how you get those scrubs for your bath that come in old timey glass jars, and sometimes with a tiny wooden spoon, and it’s salt or sugar and oil and then a bunch of smelly stuff and you are always so excited about these quirky glass pots of goo to rub all over your bod in the shower, so you buy one even though they’re kind of expensive and you use it for two seconds before you’re weaving all over like a drunk baby giraffe on ice skates because the oil is coating the bottom of your tub, and if you’re lucky you regain your balance and manage to keep upright until the slick stuff is washed away, but if you are me, and I am, you wind up fallen over, half out of the tub with the shower curtain yanked down and wrapped around your upper torso while the shower hits you square in your naked, sorry behind, and you think to yourself from under a suffocating layer of fabric and vinyl, “I am never buying that stuff AGAIN! Ev-ar.”)?

Please, for the love, say this isn’t just me.

So ANYway, this scrub from Metropolis Body will NOT give you Drunk Baby Giraffe Syndrome, because it’s made with only the tiniest amount of oil. (I asked the very friendly lady* who made it if she had even used any at all. It was being sold at the Renegade Craft Fair.) I applied a little to the back of my hand, and was surprised at how dry it was. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before; it’s not goopy, it smells great, and it doesn’t come in a cute-but-totally-driving-up-the-cost glass jar, which, by the way, GLASS IN THE SHOWER? It’s bad enough to worry about concussions from falling without being afraid of stitiches, too. You know?

They’re offering a 20% discount code now unti June 27, so you have a week to snag this stuff at a reduced rate. Use the code 20sale.

*UPDATE: Her name is Megan.

**Disclaimer: I’m not getting paid for this, and they didn’t ask me to blog about it, either. I’m just spreading the love.**

Night Owl Paper Goods – Now With Discount Code!

Amber — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:01:10 +0000

Night Owl Paper Goods is a stationary company based in Birmingham “Owlbama” (their pun, not mine… I love puns!) They use the phrase “modern yet folksy” to describe their company, and I’ll add “sustainable” to that list, too. They make two kinds of greeting cards: paper and wood. The paper letterpress designs are printed on “100% reclaimed & recycled cotton from the garment industry” which have a luxurious feeling to them that you normally associate with fancy but eco-UNfriendly paper.

Their unique wood cards are printed on thinly sliced, sustainability harvested yellow birch. The birch slices are also turned into business cards, journal covers and custom wedding invitations. They’re pretty cool! My favorite product was the wood postcards which you can buy with one of their cute designs or blank so you can DIY. They go right in the mail with a postcard stamp, and are just as easy to write on as paper.

I met Jennifer and Alan at the National Stationary Show this year, and they were kind enough to give a Night Owl Paper Goods discount code to The Amber Show readers good now until June 30, 2009. So go shopping! (The wood cars are especially rad for Father’s Day!) Use the discount code Amber* to receive 20% off.

*(dude. How cool am I? )

Foodzie

Amber — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:45:39 +0000

At a party during SxSW I met a representative of Foodzie, Emily Olson, who I bounded up to and said, “I don’t have a lot of time to talk to you, but I’m really excited about what I’ve heard of your company. Can I have a card?!” She gave me one, and a lollipop, too (I turned down the bacon flavored one and got “salted caramel”, a flavor whose recent booming popularity is sweet, sweet justification for the years and years I spent putting salt on the strangest of things while my friends *coughJencough* looked at me with their eyebrows raised, shaking their heads and going “That. Is. Disgusting.”)

I was interested in Foodzie because I overheard it described as “the Etsy of food”, and this got me SO excited. Small business, artisan products, and good photography. Love!

Today was the first time I got to poke around the site (which is well-designed and easy to navigate) and there are a lot wonderful things. I pulled out a few that really made my eyes light up.

Clockwise from the top left:

Easter Sugar Cookies from Little Laura’s Sweets, $24 per dozen
They’re organic and wrapped in eco-friendly plastic bags with bright bows. So cute.

Classic Gift Pack from Rick’s Picks, $40 for 4 jars
I really love the label design on these, and I love pickled things. Check out the name on the beets: “Phat Beets”. A pun!

Vegetarian Savory Tarts from Little Pots & Pans Co., $28 for six
I bet these are way better than the frozen, preservative-laden ones in the grocery store.

Das Lolli All-Natural Lollipops by Das Foods, $6 for 12
This was the brand of lollipop Emily gave me. I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks wholesome. I have the Caramel Lavender. They also have “Naughty Ginger”, “Fab-O-Pom” which is pomegranate and orange, and “Maple Bacon” which they describe as “Man Bait” and I describe as “spew”. Still, if you try one, let me know how it is.

Smoked Sea Salt – Quoddy Mist Bold by Quoddy Mist Sea Salt, $8 a jar
I’m betting this would be amazing on salmon. Or straight off the tip of your finger.

Single Malt Scotch Bars by BonBonBar, $15 for 3
These look incredible.

Organic Ketchup by Happy Girl Kitchen, $6 a jar
No high fructose corn syrup in here. As a life-long ketchup devote, I’m guessing this would ruin me for all others.

If you order something from them, let me know how it is!

Paperwink

Amber — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:15:13 +0000

To help with our post-wedding thank you notes, I went to Staples and had a very basic Helvetica font rubber stamp made instead of getting return labels. I was so proud to be newly married and a home owner, and that rather un-exciting self-inking stamp had me over the moon.

For even less money than a boring stamp from Staples, you can buy a beautiful one from Paperwink ($18). They’re a boutique stationary company run by two happy-looking ladies in Los Angeles, CA. They also make great mailing labels and other stationary products. Check ‘em out! In this economy we should all be supporting small businesses.