Do you Pinterest? This giveaway’s for you.

We’re all about discovery here at Daily Grommet. Whether it’s an innovative product,  a cool new gadget, or a unique designer, we’re all about the process and thrill of discovery (and sharing it with all of you). So, it’s easy to see why we’ve become such big fans of Pinterest. In case you haven’t discovered it yet, Pinterest is  a virtual pin board where you can organize and share your finds from across the web — and, more than that, Pinterst is an avenue for discovery.

Here’s how they describe themselves: “You can browse pin boards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”

Sound good? It does to us. In fact, we’ve become downright hooked these last few months, pinning and re-pinning our favorite finds. Can’t wait to hear from you and see what you’ve discovered.

brands on pinterest

Our pin board of 'Talented Artisans' we've discovered

Are you pinning? We’d love to know, how do you use Pinterest? Does it help you keep track of decorating ideas? Crafts and projects you’d like to try? Gifts you’ve spotted on the web? And of course we’ve been seeing you pin the stuff you love from DailyGrommet.com — so cool.

brands on pinterest

Our dailygrommet.com finds on your pin boards!

The Pinterest Giveaway:

Want to win $100 to spend on Daily Grommet? Leave a comment and let us know how you are using Pinterest – you could win a $100 Daily Grommet Gift Certificate to spend on something you’ve pinned and have been wanting to buy.

And if you leave a link to your Pinterest profile, we’ll follow you too (here’s our profile if you’d like to follow us: http://pinterest.com/dailygrommet/)

To enter the Pinterest Giveaway

Leave a comment telling us what you like about Pinterest or share something you’ve discovered and pinned. We’ll choose one person at random to win the $100 Daily Grommet gift card. Good luck and happy pinning!

giveaway on pinterest

….

General contest rules: To enter, you must be a U.S. resident and at least 18 years of age and you must leave a comment or question on today’s post. No purchase necessary. One entry per person. The winner will be randomly selected and notified via email. Employees, contractors, and the families of employees and contractors of Daily Grommet, Inc. are not eligible to enter. You are not eligible to win if you have received a prize or giveaway from Daily Grommet in the last six months. Void where prohibited. Contest will run from 11 am PST October 14, 2011 to 10 pm PST October 17, 2011.

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Favorite accessories and fall fashion

As fall approaches, the temperatures seem to be cooling down and wardrobes are changing. It’s that time of year when we pull out those sweaters and scarves and start noticing what’s new in fall fashion. Here around the office, we might be seeing longer sleeves and boots making their debut, but it’s fun to see which accessories hold steady all year-round. Here’s a few snapshots of the Grommet team wearing their favorite fashion finds.

fall fashion 2011

June and Wendy (above) are both always spotted wearing iheartjenna’s leather wrap bracelets.

scarf - fall fashion 2011

Jeanne with a  Violet Love scarf.

fall fashion

Julia showing off tiny blooms in her Fluerings earings.

 

And here’s Danielle with an Evelyn Claude necklace ( it’s created with an ancient Japanese technique called Kin-maki-e, where gold powder is dusted onto lacquered designs and polished, layer by layer, to create a fine sparkle).

We’d love to know what your go-to fashion accessory is — do you have “that” piece that you always throw on?

Also, what have you seen that’s hot for fall fashion 2011?

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New discoveries and old pals at the NYIGF

Every year when the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) rolls around, everyone here at Daily Grommet gets a little bit excited (okay, a lot excited!).  We love to see all the great booths at NYIGF, catch up with old friends and of course make some new ones — along with all our new discoveries (check out Jen’s finds from last year).  The crowd this year was terrific.  Everyone had so much energy and enthusiasm, and were happy to tell us about all the great products they were finding, too!

Here are a few pictures I took with my phone while I was walking the show floors.

NYIGF

Hard to tell but it was both sunny and raining at the same time! This made for the perfect day to stay indoors and scout for new possible Grommets.

knobstoppers at NYIGF

Our pals at knobstoppers – their booth was packed! We learned that they have some new products in the works (we can’t wait to see what they’ve been up to).

Cool booth at NYIGF

Design Legacy — amazing stuff!

Light up peace sign! Tori and I agreed that our tweens would go mad for this!

MyDrap at NYIGF

Remember Grommet find MyDrap? They were there too and their booth looked great!

Another Grommet provided some interesting feedback.  We always wonder at the shows how much walking we actually do, and this trip, my Fitbit had the answer. More than 20 miles were logged in the two days I walked the show!

In addition, the team was asked to judge the Blogger’s Choice Awards for the third time, and we’ll have more to report on that topic very soon (here’s a quick look at this year’s winners).

Did you attend the NYIGF? We’d love to hear about what cool stuff you discovered!

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5 finds for summer entertaining

Tis’  the season for summer entertaining and backyard dining. We’ve got the perfect collection of Grommets that are sure to enhance your summer get-togethers.

summer entertaining - SalsabolSalsabol

A beautiful ceramic bowl with a strategically engineered lip that’s designed to push the dip onto your chip for a more stable scoop. Buy the Salsabol spill proof salsa or dip bowl here.

iSi Twist and Sparkle

Once you experience this DIY carbonation system, you might find yourself trying to carbonate every beverage in your home. Juice, tea, wine, cocktails, mocktails… you name it, this little gadget can add bubbles to it. Buy the iSi Twist and Sparkle seltzer maker/drink carbonator here.

Firewire for summer entertainingFirewire

Made of stainless steel cable, Fire Wire skewers can literally bend to your cooking needs. You can shape them to fit inside a container for marinating (try doing that with rigid metal skewers), or twist them so they fit on your grill. Buy Firewire’s flexible metal skewers here.

What Is It?

They look just like the ubiquitous paper plates and plastic cups that appear at picnics and barbecues everywhere, but they’re not disposable. They’re made of durable melamine, so they’ll hold up to gobs of barbecue sauce and potato salad much better than the flimsy dinnerware they pay homage to. Buy What Is It? Melamine plates and cups here.

lights for summer entertainingAllsop

When the garden work is done and the sun is down, it’s time to enjoy the Allsop’s stunning solar-powered lanterns. The accordion-style lanterns and string lights are made from nylon so the vibrant colors will stay bright and won’t fade from sun exposure. Add a glow to your summer entertaining. Buy solar hanging lanterns and string lights here.

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Brimfield Antique Show

Our team here at Daily Grommet would love to be at every cool event happening across the country. We’d scour fairs, trade shows, and markets all day, every day if we could. But unfortunately we can’t exactly be in every cool place. What we love though, is when our Grommet friends and fellow “finders” share their expeditions with us. We are alway eager to hear your first-hand accounts of what cool stuff you’ve discovered.

Today, we are thrilled to share what our pal Cynthia Bogart, Editor for The Daily Basics , recently experienced at the Brimfield Antique Show.

by Cynthia

Kelley L Moore -Brimfield Antique Show

Kelley L Moore finding Jadite

If you always wanted to go the Brimfield Antique Show (the largest outdoor antique fair of its kind . . . anywhere) but haven’t, you might want to live vicariously through 80 tweeting Interior Design bloggers plus Kelley L. Moore, lifestyle expert on the Nate Berkus Show and Brian Kelsey, radio personality on Kelsey On The House on Martha Stewart Radio. They all got together last week to meet IRL (that’s tweet talk for In Real Life) at the #Brimfield Tweet-up (twittereze for get-together) to shop for antique finds together and talk about trends and what’s going on in the world of antiques.

This year the bloggers noticed a few things.

1. Brimfield was hopping! It was filled with great vendors and it looked as though everyone was finding the fabulous, the ridiculous and the stuff from which dreams are made.

2. People were buying! Maybe it was because of a good economy, or because everyone was looking for a good deal in this…. bad economy. No matter. They were passing the green and supporting great design.

Swedish furniture from Lone Ranger Antiques

3. There were definite stand out trends. Gustavian Swedish, paint peeling architectural elements, garden accessories and vintage leather furniture were aplenty. Exquisite vintage jewelry, linens and lace and good quality furniture — abounded as usual!

Deidre Drewes from Steuben, Julie Browning Bova from Julie Bova Interior Designs and Pandora de Balthazar in one of the beds set up in Pandora’s tent

The Belle of the Ball was Pandora de Balthazar who held court in her air conditioned castle and when you entered, she put you right into a bed filled with Hungarian down and antique starched lace shams and sheets. Once you got into that bed – it was hard to get out.

Over at the #Brimfield Social Media Tweet Up tent, Kelley L Moore and Brian Kelsey teamed up to do a project for the #Brimfield Tweet-up which involved great finds and creative designs.  This was definitely a highlight of our Brimfield experience.

 Be sure to stop by tomorrow and we’ll share their #Brimfield design challenge video with you!

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A passion for delicious photos

If you are a regular reader here, it comes to no surprise that we love food. From scouting cool places to eat, to sharing our favorite food blogs, and even challenging our own readers to come up with unique (mini!) recipes — if it’s tasty, we’re interested! During our love affair with great foodie resources, we’ve been following an up-and-coming food blogger Lisa Thiele. Her blog, With Style and Grace is equal parts delicious food and delicious food photography. She was gracious enough to do a little Q&A with us, and we would love to help tell her story.

Note – Lisa realized this is her first interview and found it to be a great exercise to articulate her story and journey so far. We are honored to be sharing her first interview with you. We have no doubt, there will be many more in Lisa’s future.

I am not sure which is more captivating, your recipes or your photography. Which came first, your love for food or photos?
food blogs

Mushroom & Walnut Quinoa + Fried Egg (recipe and photo by Lisa Thiele)

When I quit my job, I decided to start cooking since it was the one thing I knew and loved to do. I then needed a way to share my recipes on my blog, With Style and Grace so my mom loaned me her camera and well, the rest is history. That was in August 2010.

How did you learn to cook so well? What about your food photography, how did you get started?

I can’t help but laugh. I grew up watching my parents cook and reading food magazines & cookbooks and then watching the Food Channel while I worked or studied. See, I’m a perfectionist and since I didn’t have experience (i.e. confidence) in the kitchen, I had just assumed I would fail. Note: don’t be like me. It wasn’t until the end of college that I really got into cooking and now I go to bed dreaming of what I’m going to make next.

Food photography is all self taught and started so I could share my recipes and inspire others in some form or another.

What has been most exciting so far in your blogging, foodie, and photography journey?

For the blog – Every day is exciting for me. I truly love my blog. Receiving comments from followers who tried and loved my recipes, emails from people wanting to work with me and then seeing my work on other blogs or sites. It’s allowed me to connect with the most incredible people and to really inspire grace and beauty in other people’s lives.

For the foodie – I recently joined the Gluten-free Ratio Rally, started by Gluten-free Girl, which is a group of us set out to test gluten-free baked goods based off a ratio. For the first time, I created my very own gluten-free recipe, for baking. It felt amazing and now I have the confidence (& desire) to continue creating my own recipes.

With Style Grace - food blogs

Lisa juggling cameras while attending a styling and food photography camp

For the Photographer – It’s honestly exciting any time someone says they’re inspired by my photography or that they want to hire me. However, the most exciting was when my local (yet, famous) bakery hired me as a photographer – I mean shooting beautiful cupcakes and cakes, talk about a dream!

What has been most challenging?

Trusting myself and not being fearful of the unknown. If someone were to ask me what I would be doing a year ago from now, I would have starred at them, wondering the same thing. Not knowing what’s ahead and whether we’ll be able to pay our bills has been very challenging, but rather than reacting from fear, I have to just trust my heart that it’s leading me in the right direction.

What’s in the future? Any exciting plans or dreams?

I dream of becoming a food photographer and having my blog be a place where people come for inspiration. I’m currently working on a cookbook with my mom, who’s an incredible cook! Overall, I aim to inspire grace and beauty whether that’s working as a photographer, creating/sharing recipes, planning/hosting events, or bringing people together.

What three blogs do you read daily?

Just three?? I think this might be the hardest question, yet!

1. Joy the Baker

2. Creature Comforts

3. Cannelle et Vanille

Thank you Lisa for sharing your story with us! We look forward to drooling over reading more of With Style and Grace!

For those of you new to Lisa’s work — check out the delicious creations she made after we sent her a Babycakes Whoopie Pie Maker to test. These gluten-free strawberry cakes and these vanilla whoopie pies almost look to good to eat.

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Little things make a big difference when it comes to discovery

You know that saying “it’s the little things that count”? Well, all day, every day, we’ve got new products flowing through the doors here at Daily Grommet — some we’ve asked for, others you’ve told us about. But what really impresses me is how every single item is accompanied by a little piece of someone’s heart.

And so we give each hopeful Grommet our full attention: we test, wear, eat, play with, sleep with, ride on, pass it around. If the product, the idea, and the story are exceptional, inspiring and ready for the big time, it may become a Grommet right away. Others might just need more time to percolate. Either way, it’s impossible not to appreciate the passion that goes into the creative process.

Here are a few Grommet submissions whose heart caught my attention recently as they made their way around our homes … and gardens:

New Products - for gardenThese charming garden markers from CampPineNeedle are hand drawn by Maura Condrick, a freelance illustrator living on Cape Cod here in Massachusetts. The story behind her creation: She’d just moved from NYC, joined a community garden, and feared she’d lose track of what was planted where. Her designs are inspired by botanical prints and old seed packets – but she says she’ll draw to order too. Creative and considerate.

cups - new prodcutsAnd how thoughtful is this? Shelly Zimmerman personalized a set of her MyColourCups for us and sent them to us all the way from Australia. Shelly’s grandmother was a Tupperware rockstar, so she says she grew up loving the stuff. She came up with the concept for MyColourCups — a rotatable band with six customizable names — after deciding to train her family to keep track of and reuse the cups they were already using.

And this last one, the Showno poncho style towel,  is another problem solver designed by a mom. When Shelly Ehler’s older child asked her to make him a “tent” so he could change out of his bathing suit in privacy, she had her “ah-ha” moment. Shelly says her towel is equal parts tent, poncho, and parent helper because it makes it easy for kids to carry it themselves, as well as wrap themselves up. But what touched me most was that Shelly personalized this particular towel with a Daily Grommet ribbon. And speaking of thoughtful, Shelly donates a portion of the proceeds from each towel sold to Hope University (a fine arts program for adults with developmental disabilities).

So you can see how many innovative ideas and stories are out there, ready to be discovered — and how much we appreciate learning about each and every one.

If there’s a product you think we should know about, come tell us about it in our Citizens’ Gallery.

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Introducing 1band 1brand

It’s no secret that here at Daily Grommet, we like discovering and sharing unique gift ideas, innovative people and creative ideas. So, when we heard about 138 Music & Entertainment and the 1band 1brand platform at SXSW, we knew we wanted to share it with you. We had the pleasure of speaking with Brady Sadler, a founding partner of 1band 1brand and asked him a few questions… enjoy:

Hi Brady, can you tell us a little about  1band 1brand?

Sure! 1band 1brand is a free, subscription-based digital platform that introduces one emerging band along side one independent fashion label on a weekly basis. Each band offers a collection of songs for a name-your-own-price download and each brand provides an exclusive discount for seven days only.

1band 1brand

Since we are all about the story behind the idea, we’d love to know what was the inspiration for this company?

Our team is made up of sales, marketing and strategy resources from ad agencies, consumer brands and technology companies. We’re all interested in new music and shopping for cool clothes, but we don’t always have the time to search for it online. These days there are more independent artists and fashion designers than ever before in history. Anyone can put out an album or set up a storefront on the Web and that makes for a cluttered environment.

We figured there were a lot of people in the same boat, so we launched 1band 1brand to help cut through the clutter and make it easier to discover great music and fashion.

The music industry has been changing ever since Napster came on the scene. How does this impact your site?

Linda Perry at BUZZBANDS LA / 1band 1brand Showcase

Music and fashion have always gone hand in hand, but now the two industries are collaborating much more closely. In the past, a brand would typically wait until a band had a hit on the radio, but that’s all changed.

Now if a band has twenty thousand followers on Twitter or ‘Likes’ on Facebook, they have direct access to a loyal audience. That’s appealing to brands and they are eager to form strategic partnerships.

How do you find these great new bands and brands?

That’s a secret! Actually, we spend the time researching bands and brands so our subscribers don’t have to and we have months worth of cool features already lined up.

Now that the site is live we’re also getting a number of emails from bands, brands and users with suggestions.

Networking is important as well. Just like in any industry, once you make a few key connections, you’re never more than one or two degrees away from someone else you might want to work with. This year, SXSW introduced a fashion component for the first time ever, so we traveled to Austin for our official launch and had a chance to interact with a lot of interesting bands and brands.

What’s next for 1band 1brand?

First and foremost, we want to continue building the community by signing up as many new people as we can and delivering the best bands and brands that are out there.

We’re also beginning to facilitate band and brand collaborations that will result in exclusive products, live events and more. A number of retailers and publishers have expressed interest partnering as well, so we’ll continue to explore new and different ways to deliver this content.

It’s an exciting time to be working in these industries because everyone is being forced to think beyond the traditional sales channels. We’re excited about the role we can play given the diverse background of our team and our experience creating unique strategic partnerships.

Please join us to hear, wear and share by signing up to receive our weekly features at 1band1brand.com on Twitter or on Facebook.

A big thank you to Brady for sharing 1band 1brand with us … now, go and check them out!

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MYdrap from Spain to the US

At Daily Grommet we love to tell the story behind the products that we feature. Today’s story spans generations and continents. If it weren’t for the act of courage taken almost a century ago around the world, this story wouldn’t be able to be told today.

Buy MYdrap napkins on a roll here.

MyDrapThe founders, Antonio and Maria Guasch were workers of a textile company. They were fed up with the abuses of the owner and decided to open their own factory. After many difficulties the company was founded in 1925 in Barcelona. A few days after Antonio Guasch died. Maria did not give up and she went ahead with the business in a time when women were supposed to be at home with babies. Maria had to work extremely hard to start her fledgling business and educate her son and daughter at the same time.

Her son, Jacinto Guasch took over the business and later, in 1980, the company opened a new factory in Monistrol de Montserrat, near Barcelona at the foot of the mountain. During the next 10 years the company had two factories, but in 1990 the factory in Barcelona was closed and all the production was moved to Monistrol. The old factory was sold when the old industrial area of Barcelona was converted for the Olympic games of Barcelona 1992.

After a heavy textile crisis in 1991-1992 the company realized that the sector was extremely vulnerable to foreign competition coming from Asia. With the clear goal of innovating they developed their seamless technology.
This technology allowed them to develop innovative and high quality product at a competitive cost.

MYdrap fabric napkinsThey first created Rolldrap, cotton cloths in a roll, in 1996. Today they are leaders in the Spanish market of cotton cloths for the hospitality market and the product is expanding through Europe. In 2005 they explored the possibility of developing other products that would use the same seamless technology. The idea of manufacturing textile napkins on a roll was the first step. The success in the hospitality market was immediate. The concept of a disposable textile has captivated hotels, caterers and restaurants all over the world.

Following the success of the MYdrap napkins for the hospitality market they developed the same concept for the retail. In 2008 they registered the MYdrap brand. The concept of cotton napkins in a roll available in a range of colors and sizes has been an immediate success. The product has expanded all over the best stores in Europe, Japan and Canada and we wish to do the same in the USA.

MYdrap on the Today Show

After being featured as one of ‘Today’s Style Fashion Emergency Fixes’ a couple of weeks ago (see the video below) the MYdrap team has been invited back and will be featured this Thursday, April 14th. We can’t wait to cheer them on and watch the US market embrace this product. Grandma Maria would be very proud.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Hidden Secrets of Savannah

For me, a staunch northerner, coming to Savannah for college was like being a fish out of water. Having grown up in Washington DC all my life, I was coming to a city where the pace nowhere near matches that of our capitol city and where buildings tend to be smaller, not taller.

However, once I got over the heat (even in February!) and the occasional whiff of the nearby paper mill – reminding us all of its presence – I discovered Savannah’s many hidden gems. They’re not on the top of every tourist’s list, but to me, they really encapsulate Savannah’s character.

What to do in Savannah - Forsyth Park

Forsyth Park

One of my favorite areas of Savannah is one that is free of charge – Forsyth Park. Located in the heart of the historical district, Forsyth Park covers 30 acres and dates back to the 1840s. Whether you want to sit and relax or play with a Frisbee, Forsyth is the perfect place to do so. With two beautiful fountains, a stage, tennis courts and a basketball court, Forsyth always has a plethora of activities happening. Jazz festivals, outdoor concerts and movies in the park are just a few of the city organized events that have happened there; just walking through under the overhanging Spanish moss gives you a sense of calm.

Zunzi's always crowded entrance way

It is the South, so food does play a huge part in Savannah’s culture. When you think of Savannah, the food that comes to mind is usually grits, biscuits and gravy. However, whenever I miss food in Savannah, I always want Zunzi’s. The food that they serve is nothing short of extraordinary; a mix of South African, Swiss, Italian and Dutch cuisine, Zunzi’s never fails to impress. They say you know how good the food is by how long the line is – walking by Zunzi’s, I always see the line snaking out the door.

Gallery Espresso's inviting exterior

If you’re not in the mood for a lot of food (which Zunzi’s always gives you), then make sure you stop by the neighborhood coffee shop, Gallery Espresso. Gallery is not the only coffee shop in Savannah, but it’s my favorite. I always see people I know there (which may be a bad thing when I’m trying to do homework!), no matter what time of day it is. Although I’m not a coffee drinker, Gallery always has something I want to try; from their hot chocolate to their quiches. One of my favorite things to do is to sit in one of their comfy chairs with a book – it’s a relaxing way to spend an afternoon if I don’t have any pressing need to be somewhere.

what to do in Savannah

The Starland's wonderful backyard seating

The last place in Savannah that I will introduce you happens to be a little off of the beaten path. Located a couple minutes from downtown, the Starland Café is one of my favorite places to eat lunch. Right next to the Savannah dog park, the Starland’s bright orange exterior is what immediately draws your attention. Just sitting and eating in their back patio takes you away from the rest of Savannah; it’s as if you are sitting in your own backyard talking to your neighbors. The food…oh, the food! I don’t think I’ve tried anything there that I didn’t like. From their amazing Panini’s to their delicious salads, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

I hope that by telling you a little bit about some of my favorite places in Savannah, many of you will be able to experience the city as I have! Even if you’ve been to Savannah before, you may not have discovered these places. For those who haven’t, maybe it will inspire a trip down South!

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