Monkey Find: AM Radio

Before you count this as just another Etsy vintage shop, take a closer look. Each piece takes on another use like a metal popover pan repurposed as a knickknack holder or a metal bakers rack turned into a display piece. Additionally, they offer Himmeli mobiles that, even with their modern geometric lines, somehow complement classic antlers perfectly. Should you be somewhere between wanting traditional and loving the modern, you'll appreciate the AM Radio collection.

Monkey Find: Neest

Japanese designers + Scandinavian influence + French store= Neest. Once I came upon this petit online and brick and mortar shop, I marked in on my list for when I'm in France over the holidays. Something about the back-to-basics but with rich materials approach by contributing artisans makes you want to jump through the screen and peruse about. Their blog, chalk-full of sweet cat photos, other little must-sees in Paris, plus ways to incorporate Neest offerings into your decor, is simply swell. Check it out here.

Monkey Find: Factory 20

Had I known about Factory 20 sooner, I would have really been saving those pennies. With a refined eye, this design collective out of Virgina salvages unique antiquities, curates curiosities and breathes new life into the forgotten. Can you wrap up all of it? Thank you.

Monkey Find: Go Find

Though I sometimes lean too much towards the modern, with clean lines and natural materials, I also find the fun in searching out unique and unusual vintage finds to pepper my space. With a bohemian farmhouse sensibility (no, really—you can search their stuff under bohemian farmhouse), the duo behind Go Seek brings a sense of humor and care in collecting these curiosities. You can also find their handcrafted silver jewelry (like these charming little travel pennants) among their Etsy shop treasures.

Monkey Find: Luola

Out of the Williamette Valley, Luola is a affordable little Etsy shop filled with both classic and kitschy vintage Danish treasures that if in a Los Angeles store would be much more costly (silly though that may be). Each piece is perfect to pepper your house (or your neck like that French scarf) with character, whimsy or just a bit of retro fun. The bread board, with its nooks and crannies to catch crumbs and it's waffle-esque shape, is first on my list.

Monkey Find: The Bootstrap Project

It may be easy to find ethnic prints—ikat, Navajo weave, bright colors–everywhere, but rarely is there a story behind the work. Not so for The Bootstrap Project. The mission is simple: Empower global artists in all corners of the world to help themselves out of poverty by preserving and practicing their long-perfected craft. The result? Beautiful and unique pieces for your home that are more than just colorful decorations.

Monkey Find: Irene Chan

Irene Chan perfectly captures the peak of summer and

the warm light of Southern California.

Monkey Find: Proud Mary

With boldly patterned pillows, perfectly striped totes and summer ties in hues of mint, Proud Mary is designed for the adventurous and curious wayfarer who is ready for their long desert weekend. Harper Poe, the genius behind these textiles, pulls her inspiration from her travels through South America and gives back 10% of her profit to the communities from where she sources her thoughtful line. With just a few days until your getaway, best get going to her delightful online shop! 

Monkey Find: Timber!

It was a weekend spent at a picnic above the city and at Unique LA combing the offerings of artisans and eating far too much Whipped Marshmallow by Bakelab. (I forsee a fluffernutter sandwich in my future). In honor of our fair city, I'm dedicating the whole week to all things local. First up is Timber!, Chad Eaton's fantastical world of lumberjacks, bosses in top hats, bicycles and bears, and a MONKEY FIND from Unique LA. Upon meeting him you'll find that the lines between art and the real world are blurred as his bearded visage is strangely familiar. Could this lumberjack be. . .? Perhaps, but what's certain is that he is a marvelous designer and very talented artist. Get your own burly bit of woodsy genius here.

Monkey Find: The Animal Print Shop

The are simply no words for how fantastic The Animal Print Shop is.
I love animals!

Monkey Find: ReadyGo

While I wish I was a lumberjack in need of this fantastic calling card, I was actually just a (so-so) baker on the hunt for cupcake flags (and love bears it turns out). In comes ReadyGo, a crafty collection of paper goods like common phrase cake banners and hoofed animals cupcake toppers that are so charming, no one will notice the failed frosting. Thanks Nadia!

Monkey Find: Greenpoint Originals

From sustainable furniture to Michiko Shimada's cheeky porcelain salt and pepper bananas (a must for the monkey in your life), each piece of art from the Brooklyn designers in Greenpoint Originals is worth a gander.

Monkey Find: Your Daily Thread

What do you get when you take two global-minded Angelenos, cross them with a social conscious and a sense of style, and add a bit of curiosity? Your Daily Thread-a Los Angeles city guide with an eco-friendly heart and countless ideas for how to have fun while keeping it green. YDT's creators (and best buds), Lauren Johanson and Tracy Hepler, have sought out things to do, buy and see in this great town that are all geared towards sustainable living. In fact, they sought out Monkey so this is more like a YDT Find!

Make sure to check out YDT daily. You'll find interesting articles, like this one on green event spaces Marvimon and SmogShoppe, and the 2009 Environmental Media Awards, plus the ever-handy Neighborhood Green Guide which currently covers all things green and good in Echo Park, Silverlake, Los Feliz and Atwater Village including:

Delilah Bakery

1665 Echo Park Ave.

Feeding Birds Boutique

1825 Echo Park Ave.

Le Pink & Co. Apothecary

3820 W. Sunset Blvd.

Happy

4675 Hollywood Blvd.

Monkey Find: The Green Life

While carting my parents about town this weekend, we stopped at Urth Caffe in Santa Monica for Spanish Lattes (just like in Spain..delicioso!) and then came upon a year-old gem up the street: The Green Life. While there are many shops that carry organic items, none that I have found have such a range of products. This little shop, started by Scott O'Brien, carries everything from eco-friendly light bulbs to recycled wine and beer bottle glasses, aviary cage cleaner to great pieces by Amenity bedding. Much of their offerings can be found online, but certainly visit at least to tell them congrats on their birthday or to check out their monthly events. Also, if you ask nicely, they may let you peek at the interesting loft in the back.

Here's a bit of the green life:

Monkey Find: Paperless Post

The art of the printed invitation for every occasion seems to have been lost somewhere on the road to becoming a mouse-clicking, informal generation. Maybe it went out with the personalized stationary, the calling card 

and the handwritten note years ago, but wherever it is, I miss it. OK, let's be honest, I have never owned my own monogramed envelopes, but the Martha in me wishes that we still subscribed to that etiquette. I know what you are thinking...who has the time? The money? The purpose? 

Well friends, I can't help you with the reason, other than the fact that any time seems like a good time for a cocktail party to me, but I have found a way for you to get back a bit of charm into your life with little money or time: Paperless Post. This online invitation company, founded in 2008 by a 20-something sibling duo, has united brilliant design, old-fashioned feeling and modern technology. 

With a never- ending spectrum of choices and even a wording assistant, Paperless Post is a much-welcomed way to throw a soiree without having to use online invitation companies that, in my opinion, fail to capture the spirit of what a party should be: chic and thoughtful from start to finish. I mean if Zac Posen and Diane Von Furstenberg are using Paperless Post, then clearly it is genius.

To read more about Paperless Post check out this New York Times article.