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