Be a good citizen and vote! (for us)

Just a reminder, this is the last day for voting for the KCMag's Citysbest issue. We happen to be up for best boutique, so if you agree with that, go to www.kcmag.com/citysbest and give us your vote!
Thanks!

Betsy

bon bon --land of fun!

I just realized that we have a whole load of announcements that you might be interested in.....

1. We will be open on Sundays from 12-5 starting this Sunday, just for the summer!!

2. On June 12th there is an event (that I am working on) at the New Screenland Armour theatre to benefit the Thank You Walt Disney foundation, which is working to restore Disney's first ever studio here in KC and turn it into a museum and animation education center (see more at http://www.laughograms.com/, or www.thankyouwaltdisney.com/myspace) tickets are $35.00, there will be a silent auction, a tour of the newly refurbished theater and a screening of the new Indiana Jones movie (which I happen to think was very good)

3.This Friday we will be joining 4 other stores down at the Screenland in the crossroads for the premiere of Sex and the City! We will be one of the Sextravaganza boutiques! It will be really fun and we'll be there for both the 7pm and 10pm screenings. We'll also be doing it again on Friday the 6th (First Friday) so if you can't come tomorrow, come down next week!

If you have any other questions about the Disney or the Sex event, just call or email us! Oh, and the Disneyland picture at the top is in honor of E who spent the day there yesterday! Lucky girl! I did get to ride Pirates of the Caribbean via phone until the ride went too far underground and cut off--not quite the same as being there, but better than nothing!

knit it! knit it good!

Did everyone have a nice three day weekend (at least in the US?) I know I did, although we didn't really do anything special. What about you? I suppose some of you grilled out, or went to the pool, or other summery things. Perhaps some of you used the weekend to catch up on your knitting?

I'm sure all the artists in our new KnitKnit book used their extra time on some of their amazing projects. If you are at all a knitter or even interested in the craft this is the book for you. Yes there are the usual amazing garments designs but there are also entire rooms that were knitted, knitted teacups and even an entirely knit wedding. It is truly a fabulous book.

The book itself is a conglomeration of the KnitKnit publication, which was founded in 2002 and dedicated to the intersection of traditional craft and contemporary art. Aside from the publication, KnitKnit has also produced receptions, film screenings, art shows and more. To find out about this wonderful group go to http://www.knitknit.net/.

Pith helmets and vests

So, E and I went to the midnight screening of Indiana Jones last night (awesome, by the way) (and yes, I am a little on the sleepy side) and we are so in love with Karen Allen. Of course, we always liked her best of all the Indy girls, but to see her now tromping around the jungle in this incredible outfit and look so fabulous makes us so happy. (who in the world can wear high-waisted front pleated pants and look that good? Not many people)(And--she is an incredible hand-made knitwear designer)

As we drove home last night we were in awe of this pre-GAP'd Banana Republic look Karen was sporting. Does anyone else remember BR before they were bought by GAP? They sold safari-inspired clothes in crazy themed stores and had an incredible hand-drawn (J. Peterman-like) catalogs. It was really cool. I remember distinctly the store at Union Station in St Louis. The front of the store looked like a hut with a jeep that had crashed through the window and a giraffe head sticking out of the ceiling. Inside there were palms, animals and fog machines. It was awesome. (If only we had been smart enough to take pictures--I can't find any!) Don't get me wrong--I like BR, and find many cute things there. I just get kind of sad thinking of the amazing stores that once were that have been homogenized into everyday stores.

Abercrombie and Fitch is another example. Before they had frolicking boys & girls in their ads they were a true sporting outfitters store. A&F was founded in 1892 and for years was THE place to go for sporting equipment. (they say Hemingway bought the gun he used to shoot himself at A&F) But then Limited bought it in the 80's and now it is what it is. There is a movie I've seen from the 50's (now I can't remember what it was-arrgh) and part of it was set in a A&F store and it was a wonderland - I would have loved to see it in it's heyday.

I understand that today there isn't so much of a market for these kinds of stores, but I think we as shoppers miss this kind of eccentricity in our shopping--which is why we love Anthropologie so much. The environment is what makes their stores--now wouldn't it be sad if Limited bought it and streamlined it?

Anyway, I guess what this boils down to is: Karen Allen is a bad ass: I'm rethinking my entire wardrobe to reflect a more safari angle: and I wish that were more environmentally eccentric brands out there--because that jeep through the window at BR was so cool. Oh, and if anyone can find pictures of the original BR store, I would love to see them!

Ambassador Kitty

Ah, the world is a little bit of a better place because of this--don't you think?

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Hello Kitty, Japan's ubiquitous ambassador of cute, has built up an impressive resume over the years. Global marketing phenom. Fashion diva. Pop culture icon.

Now the moonfaced feline can add "government envoy" to the list.

Japan's tourism ministry on Monday named Hello Kitty as its choice to represent the country in China and Hong Kong, two places where she is wildly popular among kids and young women.
Officials hope tapping into that fan base will lead to a bigger flow of tourists into Japan and push the country closer to the goal of attracting 10 million overseas visitors every year under the "Visit Japan" campaign.

Ooooh a fairy castle!

Hello bon bons! I promise I wasn't ignoring you, we just had a busy week last week- there was traveling, art fairs, a whole lot of eating, and seeing everyone I've ever known at home. Anyhoo, all is well here at the store, we have been ordering some new fun stuff and are working on a website update, but I really wanted to tell you about Colleen Moore.

Do you know Colleen Moore? In a very small nutshell she was a silent movie actress and one of the instigators of the flapper look. I am always really inspired by this time period, which is one of the reasons why I like her so much--the other reason? Her Fairy castle!

In 1928 Colleen Moore started building the fairy castle (which is always on exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago) and she enlisted everyone from Rudolph Valentino, to Chinese jade carvers to help her. There is too much to say on this subject to put on this blog, so go to the Castle website to read more. I try to visit it every time I'm in Chicago, and I wanted to share it with you, so you can see the sheer awesomeness (is that a word?) of the castle. The problem with putting these pics up is that you can't really see the scale of the castle, or the tiny bits in it (like diamonds, or entire books painted in miniature, or the mini gun that actually shoots) so you have to go visit it!

This is a pic of the great hall, and one of Colleen Moore sitting in the great hall. Yes, it's big enough for an adult to sit in.

This and That

Hey, I wanted to remind you all that tomorrow is Sewing Circle at bon bon from 6-8, and don't forget that Swap-O-rama has been canceled for this month, due to scheduling conflicts. But it will be back again in June. I wanted to leave you with a picture of Dokidoki yummychums, a lesser known (but so cute) Sanrio character.

chair obsession

I just wanted to say a quick Thank You to the Kingdom of Style girls who very kindly put us on their blog--thanks! However, be warned--I can barely tear my eyes away from this chair (above) to read the rest of the blog. I love how it is such an Alice chair. I have a real obsession for chairs.

My dream chair is the Eero Aarnio ball/globe chair. It is the ultimate in mid-century design, don't you think? I think I would like a white shell w/ a pink interior, but I'm not really that picky--I would take any color scheme. I love the ones that had the phones in them, or the stereo system, although I don't really need that for my own. The oacoon aspect of the chair really appeals to me, I want to curl up in it and read a book.

Air it out...

bon bon has new craft aprons from a wonderful new local vendor, Dirty Laundry! I love these aprons because I love the thought of a utility belt for sewers/crafters. No more, where did I put those scissors? Where did that bobbin roll off too? Did I lose the needle Again?? (wait a minute, am I the only one who has these misplacing problems while sewing? hmmm) Anyway--now you can keep everything in your handy craft apron! Think of the time you will save not having to look everywhere--this could be a life-changer!

candy, books oh my!

Hey bon bons! Ever get that nagging feeling that you want to open a store of your own? Well, there just happens to be the cutest space ever opening across the street from us, it is the Broadway Cafe Roastery building on the corner and it is adorable. Emily and I have talked ourselves in and back out of getting it and opening a bookstore (it would be perfect for a bookstore, and we've always wanted one, but really 2 stores seemed like a little much at this point) Anyway it will be available in August (right in time for the holidays!) and I just wanted to throw that out there because it would be a great little boutique space.

Also, thanks a million to the lovely sfgirlbybay who put us on her awesome blog, http://sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com/! If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out-- it is yummy. In fact, that is where I got the pretty picture above. I also wanted to turn that space into a candy store--a girl can dream can't she?

She and Him

So, I just have to tell you about this album, although I'm sure most of you know about it already, but you must go buy She and Him. This album is like crack. Really. I can't stop listening to it, and I have withdrawal-like symptoms if I go too long with out the dulcet sounds of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. You can hear the tracks on their MySpace page here. Go listen--but be cautious, this album should have a warning on it!

With a cherry on top

Hello bon bons! We are wondering if you would pretty please vote for us for KCMag's Best of Issue, we are up for Best Boutique!!!! Thank you to all who voted to get us on the ballot anyway, but we would be filled with glee if we won so if you are so inclined, please go here and vote for us! Also, if you know our friends Black Dog imageworks, they are up for best photographers, if you love them like we do, give them a vote while you are at it! You can see their work at http://www.kdog.com/. Thanks!

http://kcmag.com/citysbest/ Vote Today!