Dear Friends and Followers:

As many of you know the Eco Boutique's 2009 was rocky! With the doors closed and finally almost purged of all the old product, I find myself drawn to buy again. What is it about this addictive "industry"? Dare I say industry because it's filled with industrious people?! Well for me, it's still all about nature, the pursuit of better built environments and minimizing our footprint the best we can. And as I dust my designer self off, remove all the band aids and re-apply the war paint, I'm reflective of the friends I've made, the toes I've accidentally stepped on in order to save my shirt...I'm wondering in third person: "What WILL she do next?"

Happy Spring!

~Tamara, your local green girl

TAMARA GOES TO reCREATE!

Dear ECO-BOUTIQUE & DwLw friends:

I'm happy to report that I have accepted a Store Manager position at reCreate, eco-art center and re-use store. I'm very excited to be part of the team and we have many great green activities and interactive classes for all ages and all of Placer county! I'm hoping that my on-going commitment and excitement about going and staying green is contagious!
Please find more information on reCreate at www.reCreate.org

SAVE THE DATE for the Grand Opening on October 24th!

What about our ECO-BOUTIQUE?

I've decided to hold off on the brick & mortar boutique to join this venture and seek out new educational as well as community outreach programs. As many of you know my passion is the environment and every day stewardship, mixed with design and therefore art--this is a perfect match for me! I will be selling at the markets, antique fairs and special "lawn sales: green your green" for just my email list of customers and clients! The pre-Holiday sale is coming up soon! You will find all those fabulous finds at a fraction of the cost (no overhead!) I'm still your local green girl, I'm just diversifying! ~Tamara

summah

(vintage metal headboard with wheels, old recycled wood door with chalkboard..on sale now!)

It's almost time to stop "playing" and get back to the business of selling! Things have been super crazy and chaotic, and yet I'm recharged with a new sense about me, the business and friendships that ever expand and grow! Autumn is my favorite time of year, it's my rejuvenation time and I'm welcoming all the changes that come my way! Just wanted to stop in and post something! Happy Indian Summer all! ~tamara

Adventures in....

My First little Market

And I got to catch up with several of my favorite people on Sunday!!! I was so excited to see Jacque (The Creative Gardener) with her soon-to-be hubby, James; Emma and Chris from the Tin Thimble; Clinton (Watston Designs/Brown Dog Cottage and his darling wife, Becky have a spot at the Tattered House); and my employee Tiffany and her man Nate! Which I'm happy to report she finally bought that recycled silver Eames Chair necklace she has been loving since I opened the shop! (thanks Tiff). AND I also saw my new friend KB whom makes wonderful handmade custom assemblage jewelery (I bought one of her vintage button and reused vintage paper pendants).

My 6-month pregnant dear friend Jessie came to help, poor thing--she blew a tire on the way here....I had to pick her up in the Dixon Walmart parking lot (what other tire place is open on a Sunday?) LOST the ONLY key to the family suburban, some where in the abyss of --spring closet cleaning, store product, market product etc...(the house gnome really needs to get them back to me soon!) Luckily my friend, Brock, was at the Glass Turtle where I walked to get his keys and 4runner...I raced to Dixon, got Jess at 10pm-ish, where we proceeded to dine at Le Denny's, got to bed at 12:30am, we were up at 5am (that's late for most markets). Had an interesting and fairly successful day ( I got some GREAT shopping done, I can't wait to show you what I'm creating and came up with--recycling at it's best from your Green Girl!!). But wait there's more--- drove her back to Dixon Walymart at 7pm--she got on the road....and at N. Texas rode had to pull over because the imbecils at Walymart left a brake line lose rubbing against her tire? I felt so bad for her!!! I was ready to just tow her Volkswagon behind my 4-runner back to San Jose!! Of course that would have still left the brake line dangling around the tire!?! Needless to say, she left me the bulk box of powdered donuts holes and made it safely home! Next time I'm sticking her on the capital corridor Amtrak!

So.....Alameda is next, thankfully Clinton, Becky and the Tattered gals are there if I get myself in a pickle!

I'm happy to report my new job is awesome--it gives me the opportunity to focus on Design and having a life again...how about the fact that I have WEEKENDS OFF!!! What??? What am I going to do with myself? I think I will need to get another job to just eat up all this free time!! I've been doing Visual Display and Merchandising for 16 years, and Interior Design for ten...and I love both!


There's several other things on-deck this summer for me and the ECO-BOUTIQUE, I'll be sending the events out in the newsletter (if you would like to sign up for the newsletter email me at EcoBoutique@dwlwdesigns.com) and I will be posting more pics and musings---now that I have ALL this time on my hands! :)


Here's to an amazing kick-off to Summah, Lobstah, Cook-Outs & Friends!
Cheers,

Tamara, Your Local Green Girl

KINDLING

If you haven't picked up on it already I love languages, literature and words...or sayings. They seem to spark the writer in me...

KINDLING: material for starting a fire.

I'm calling KINDLING the ignition of change which completely describes my life and the ECO-BOUTIQUE at present. After a few sleepless weeks and agonizing decisions, I'm happy to report--I'm moving the boutique! To start, after much encouragement from the Antique Trove manager, I've decided to move in on Row G and E! I'm also going to be joining the ranks of exhausted Sunday marketers AND eventually opening a smaller more quaint boutique in Old Town Auburn--possibly August.

I'm moving out of the Lincoln Way store by June 1st....mainly because of the "streetscape" project. They are tearing up the frontage of my store---and it's CalTrans, the city and the county...and it's not going to be pretty for a long time! Street closures, minimal accessibility, noise...etc


I'm not sure how my life goes from a little campfire to a regenerative forest fire...whatever the grand plan is for me, I'm happy for these personal and business changes. It gives me an opportunity to still do what I love, design, green living, having a "boutique" space to express myself. :)

So here's to KINDLING, the beginning or inception of growing bigger and brighter.

Zinc, zinc, Zinc.
Moss and Tonka Jeeps...

I need to add some color to
this!

My friend and THE best worker bee, Moses did this when we were moving Texas stuff around the shop....cute for a dude, right?!