Calling All Indies!

Your VOTE for SmashingDarling.com in the Open Web Awards is a common vote for the entire Indie community online!
We made it through the first round and now everyone can VOTE AGAIN!

WHO: Smashing Darling NEEDS YOU!

WHAT: TO GO VOTE!

WHERE: Mashable.com Open Web Awards 2007 FINAL ROUND - Best Social Shopping Network

WHEN: NOW! Voting Ends Thursday December 20th, 9pm PST

WHY: Because the indie design community needs you to:

SHOUT IT OUT - SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT - PASS IT ON

HOW: Click Here.

Scroll down, Look for Category: Social Shopping. Click the circle next to www.smashingdarling.com. Click Cast Your Vote

It is as easy as 1,2,3! So GO VOTE now before you forget! If you aren't familiar with the site and are wondering what it is all about, we have a fabulous manifesto for you to read at your leisure. If you don't have time for that, I have included a few words from some of our fans.

What they are saying:

click here for more!

"You won't ever understand the allure of indie fashions until you buy and wear something distinct, fabulous and hard to find. Then and only then will you get why indie fashion rules the roost...they are on to something....
- Papierdoll

"Smashing Darling, my new favorite site to shop, drool, quiver etc over amazing indie fashion finds."

- PR Couture

SMASH UP VII - Groovy

Guarantee yourself some holiday cheer for now and all year long. SMASH UP VII the GROOVY tee is on sale now in the student SMASH UP store. This time of year can really stress people out, so this SMASH UP tee is perfectly timed! Check it out, you don't have to be a grumpy elf, get your groove on with this Groovy tee by Maine College of Art student, George McGinty. George is stressed too, he spends his days working hard to get his Art Ed certificate from MECA which involves not only classes but student teaching as well. Humor has an important role in his work, and he often focuses on the human face or form. I love the detail of the dancing gal, think I may have that be my holiday outfit....(reminds me of these whosiepie leggings!) Placed upon the sparkling snow, this tee is the basic ringer from Alternative Apparel, a top seller I believe, super comfy, and 100% cotton. Many thanks to George for helping us all to find our inner, dancing JOY. By the way, he claims this GROOVY tee project was a welcome distraction from the daily school grind. Which is exactly what we want for our SMASH UP project, keep it fresh, try something new, COLLABORATE! The student SMASH UP is an ongoing collaborative project between Smashing Darling and printmaking students from all over, you can find this limited edition SMASH UP and the past six for sale in the student SMASH UP store. Yet another great gift, right here at Smashing Darling, for your sis, daughter, friend, or whoever it is in your life that really knows how to get their groove on, or maybe, needs a little help in that department! To see more shots of miss molly in her GROOVY tee click here and check us out at Flickr; while you are there, join our group and show off your own groove. ~ Happy Holidays from the Darlings, and as far as SMASH UP goes....we'll see ya in 2008!

You are crazy to miss this Sample Sale!

Don't do it! Don't miss out! Go to SmashingDarling.com right now, and
check out Krelwear's amazing sample sale! I am not kidding you really
have to go NOW, because this sale expires Monday. So perfectly timed
to coordinate your fabulous holiday outfits, or buy that perfect gift. The
best things in life happen fast, so don't think about it just go!

















While you are there you should also take some time to peruse
the new, and totally unique additions to the main Krelwear
store....they really are just delicious. Happy shopping!

Check out DIY thing!

Don't forget, we have all taken the BUY HANDMADE pledge this year,
8,000 of us so far...if you haven't, click above NOW!

If you don't have time to make gifts for everyone on your list, DIY thing
is making it easy to shop handmade right here on the world wide web.
Check out what they have to say about us below, and then go check out
their holiday picks!

What and who is on your holiday list this year? Well today DIYthing brings you
holiday gift ideas from Smashing Darling’s designers. Smashing Darling is the
place to shop handmade this season, you can find clothing, jewelry, accessories,
vintage, textiles and a whole lot more.

Happy Handmade shopping from MoDarling straight to you!

Newsflash: Smashing Darling Gift e-cards!

Just in time for the Holidays, Gift Cards and Promo Codes

Tell everyone to look for this easy button on the homepage!

All online shoppers should know the two latest and greatest features on Smashing Darling to make holiday shopping a whole lot easier for all. The first is e-gift cards. These new additions to our site make it so easy to support our emerging community during this holiday season. It is paper free, so they are eco-friendly, and the giftee gets to choose from our growing number of designers (260!). There are 4 beautiful styles, and $25, $50, $100, $200 or $500 cards. Trust me, shopping just got a whole lot easier.

Click here for other Smashing news!

The second great feature is designer stores can now create discounts and give out the code for it. So all you die hard darling fans keep your eyes open because this one is like a treasure hunt. You will have to search your favorite blogs and magazines to see who is giving you the scoop on where the latest sale is, or who is giving the deal of a lifetime. I can tell you that one of our designers got a spot in the Seventeen Gift guide so be on the prowl for that. If In Style is your magazine of choice pay attention you just may see a smashing steal in there too. I won't say when. You will just have to keep checking.

http://www.smashingdarling.com
http://www.smashingdarling.com/blog

the good news #9

Welcome to #9

Maybe you just need a sexy top,

What’s Going On Oh the darlings are thankful these days, aren’t you? There is so much to be thankful for, like friends. Speaking of which, did you catch the pics from the Polartec Challenge last week in NYC? Click here and take a peek at Trish and Julie enjoying the show. As I buzz around the web all day I also notice lots of indie holiday fairs to be thankful for. Go shop those (we’ll keep you updated in the blog and forums) and make an indie designer thankful too!

What’s New It is 5pm and here I sit and type…yet in the dark, that is what is new, sigh. Ahh, but it is just as well as the holiday season is upon us and there is much to do. So I am here to tell you - and I am sorry because I hate to be this girl - there are only 39 days left to get all of your **insert holiday here** shopping done. In order to lift your spirits, glance around this page and see all the lovely items to be found for you to make your entrance to holiday parties in style. Dress yourself first, you’ll feel fabulous and rejuvenated and ready to buy goodies for everbody else! (Just remember to be aware of individual designer shipping policies when shopping for the holidays).

Maybe you just want to throw on a silky red dress

Or stand out in this candycane chevron at your holiday party

Coming Soon Speaking of everybody else, there is always those few people who are so hard to figure out. With so many great choices here at Smashing Darling, why not just give them what they really want: a Smashing e-card! Buy it, input your joyous greeting, and it is sent straight to that persons email. No paper/plastic involved! Check out the sneak preview at the bottom of the page.The Recommend tool is also a great way to hint to people what you have on your wish list: To: mydarlinghusband@gmail.com This silk nighty would be lovely to receive this holiday… From: yoursmashingwife@gmail.com

Smashing Kudos and tidbits Call to designers looking to promote their Smashing Darling stores - Wickedly Chic has feature spots open…A bit of cheeky Pantyline Production love in the American Apparel Daily Update blog…be on the lookout for the red Valentini Gracie bag in the USA today Gift Guide November 28th…39 = your holiday shopping countdown…oh yeah, you already knew that…260 = the number of Smashing Darling sellers! Give thanks, and Shop Indie cheers! the Darlings

Cynthia Jones

Pre-print, and in process

via cameraphone

with Mickey at RISD

SMASH UP VI on sale now in the Student SMASH UP Store. I love this shirt, I just want to put it on and go cause a ruckus. Our November SMASH UP student likes to draw, “antique, cliche monsters (like Cerberus) in a slightly less traditional, more tacky manner.” I like to think this three-headed dog is guarding and supporting all of our indie designers, and when you wear this rockin’ tee, you are too. SPEED, is one of Michaela Zacchilli’s self-proclaimed, major selling points as a human being. Michaela, a.k.a Mickey, lives in Providence, RI and is a senior Printmaking major at Rhode Island School of Design. She draws comics and makes prints, for great justice, see more of her work on her website: http://michaelacolette.com.
Check it out - the barcode is on the body of the big dog, and I am pretty sure that is the dog’s tongue that is sending you to smashingdarling.com? I guess only Mickey can tell us! If it is up to me, I would say this puppy is giving you a smashing SMOOCH!
TEXTURE: For this one-size ¾ sleeve Alternative Apparel baseball tee (50% cotton, 50% poly light knit gauze) Mickey used a rainbow roll and then reprinted the same image in white on top, slightly offset, to spice things up. And spice things up she did, I love the slight scoop neck, don’t you all think Julie should model all of our girlie SMASH UP’s ?!
The student SMASH UP is an ongoing collaborative project between Smashing Darling and printmaking students from all over, you can find this limited edition SMASH UP and the past five in the Smashing Darling Student SMASH UP store. Instead of arriving on the 10th of every month, we will deliver these to you the first Thursday of every month. In case you are new to this SMASHing routine, click on Subscribe right in the store and everytime we post a new student piece it will be delivered right to your email! You can also recommend a SMASH UP to a friend, leave Feedback, and click on the store Profile to learn more details about our project. Go buy one now for you and cause your own ruckus; buy one for your gals too and all of you go cause a ruckus together, after all we could all use a little more power now and again! Get your groove on and give out sloppy smashingdarling kisses - share the indie love!
Have a great day ~ the Darling’s

the good news #8

What's Going On Somehow that magical indian summer ended and it seems fall has really decided to arrive. Aaaahhh! What do I wear now? Must go shopping. Thankfully I don't have far to go, since we all know MALLS SUCK, Smashing Darling is here to help us all prepare for those chillier months, no matter where in the country you are. As soon as I feel that chill in the air the first thing I think of is that fabulous basket of scarves in the corner of my room that has been neglected all summer. click to edit

Anne DePasquale Hats, scarves, and bags, oh my! click to edit

Willow Tree Vintage click to edit

They are everywhere around the site. The best part is there is no guilt to buy more... accessories are necessary, they provide a function...to keep you warm, dry, organized, and whatever else you tell yourself to rationalize! (If you need any help just let me know, I am quite good at it.) That is not all that is going on though. We have free clothes just for you! Yes, contests and giveaways, yipppeee! First, we are on the hunt for some serious menswear designers. click to edit

(No t-shirts please...don't get us wrong, we love and welcome all screen printers for men,women and children, but for this contest we want menswear accessory and clothing designers.) We know you are secretly coveting them from us, but please share! The first 5 of you in our smashing community to get just one menswear designer to open a store will get your choice of one of the student SMASH UP garments from the Smashing Darling store. We have a fabulous community, so that shouldn't take too long. click to edit

Thistle Downs Second, keep your eyes on the blog, we will be giving things away weekly there...but that will be a surprise, we can't tell you everything! Designers, if you want to join in and donate giveaway items, just contact our lovely miss trish via email: trish@smashingdarling.com. click to edit

Hello Fabulous click to edit

What's New More new features! This is my favorite news, by far. Now we can all go compliment each other with the feedback feature in each store. Anyone that is signed in can leave good words for their favorite designer even if they haven't shopped yet - so all of you out there can start leaving your mark. We all want to know what you think! Just one more way to really get to know your designers. Check it out 1 -2-3-4 C'mon baby say you love me! (sorry, had to be done) We're counting! If you are one of those designers, in your account go see how many people have stopped by in the last 7 days and how many have stopped by since we started counting about 2 weeks ago at the end of September. A great tool to test out those marketing stategies. click to edit

Coming Soon Just so all of those shoppers and bloggers don't feel left out, we have a treat (not a trick) coming for you soon too. How about some witches and goblins for you? Oops, sorry! I mean badges and widgets, always getting those confused these days! Soon, when you want to gush about us in your blog or website we will give you the tools you need to do so. We would love for you to help us spread the ghostly good word! You can be like Casper the friendly ghost... click to edit

Anne DePasquale Smashing Kudos and tidbits Well, let's see, we are thrilled to have the Mighty Spork as a contributor in our blog, please help us welcome her with some mighty comments!... 235, what is that you ask? That tidbit of a number would be our designer count!.... Hmmm, how about a little love for us from Portland Picks, they think we are HOT! very cool....and congratulations to Julie Lake whose earrings were one of 10 best in the Stylehive blog last week! So until next month, don't forget to accessorize, support the movement, and SHOP INDIE! and p.s. click that cursor top right to send this good news to a friend. Happy Monday ~ the Darlings

SMASH UP V - Cloak and Dagger

Our friend Andrew

in action

printing SMASH UP

at Peregrine Press, Portland, Maine

SMASH UP V on sale now If you ask printmaker, student, coach, and mixologist Andrew Jaspersohn, where the idea for SMASH UP V - Cloak and Dagger - came from his response may go something like this: “I was raised in the mountains of Vermont by wolves obsessed with James Bond, who, after much pleading, finally taught me the art of Arnis, Filipino knife and stick fighting…” Wait, did he mention that before or after those Bond-like Bijou Cocktails he whipped up for my volunteer photographer and I? Hmmm, I can’t remember….Well, okay, maybe he would just tell you that he is pretty much a James Bond (and maybe a comic superhero) geek, and this shirt may just be the first of a series of knife-fighters soon to be purchased in his own store right here on Smashing Darling. I can’t wait, because as you can see, this shirt ROCKS for all you boysand girlsout there. It is super soft (cotton-poly-rayon blend) and the wide waistband and matching sleeve hem make it unisexily perfect. Buy one for you and all of your friends, and then celebrate. If with a cocktail, see recipe at the bottom…oh yeah, did I fail to mention he makes his own bitters too?
Andrew started printing in college at Colby in Maine, apprenticed for a year at Vermont Studio Center in his hometown of Johnson, Vermont. He moved back to Maine a few years ago and was on the waiting list for Peregrine Press for a year and a half before being accepted. Now, when he isn’t working towards his Art Education certification at MECA, he can be found whipping up cocktails at BarLola, or printing away custom hoodies for friends at Peregrine Press.
You noticed that the design is printed on the lower-right, back corner of the shirt, right? If not you just aren’t paying attention! Regardless, you should really click here and check out the slideshow of Andrew’s print session at our Smashing Darling Flickr page. We had a lot of fun, and I was kidding, no cocktails were enjoyed during this shoot, just coffee…coffee a la bijou. While you are there, join our group and send us some pics of your indie influence, inspiration, or just your favorite indie style. Come play with us!
The bar code and logo makes it official, our SMASH UP V is here, only 48 limited editon pieces made, as always, and ready for the buying frenzy in our Smashing Darling store. Go buy yours today, these babies won’t last long! Stay tuned for SMASH UP VI November 10th, and until then if you meet any student printmakers, send then my way, email mo@smashingdarling.com!
Bijou Cocktail 1 1/2 oz gin 1/2 oz green chartreuse 1/2 oz sweet vermouth 1 dash Andrew’s orange bitters