grammar girl

These days the term “green” gets thrown around a lot by marketers, online banks, and other corporate “greenwashers”. In fact, this week we heard the term “green collar job” for the first time in a DNC speech.  That kind of made us feel the same as when we saw our first pharmaceutical commercial – interested and suspicious at the same time.  Here at Noun, we really do enjoy the old stuff better than the new stuff but we are cautious about labeling ourselves as “green.”  Because we’ll be honest with you, while we are avid recyclers, users of cloth napkins, non-users of water bottles and own our grocery bags, it is a happy accident that our business is considered kinda green and that green is the thing to be right now (and forever, hopefully).  Case in point.  Look at these two lovely green “green” items.  We fell in love with them first because they are gorgeous, designed well and totally functional.  The fact that we may have salvaged them from a landfill and prevented the manufacturing of another nasty plastic fan that will break after two uses is a total bonus.  YEAH for happy accidents!

Being in the northern part of Ohio allows for some quality relaxation. It takes a certain environment for one to truly enjoy time away from Portland. Fortunately, we are close to the township Geneva-On-The-Lake. In this township is a strip of road that is only open three months out of the year. During those three months you will find bikers, miniature golf and our favorite hangout: Eddie’s Grill. With their mouth watering foot-long hot dogs topped with chili to their famous cheese sandwich (which has the slice of cheese quickly bathed in the frying oil), you will delight in the simple pleasure of tasting all that is offered on the 4 foot by eight foot menu complete with Slovenian sausage.

The space is shared with another treat shop replete with old school Dairy Queen goodness. This is where you can get the frozen lemonade seen in the image below. It’s a slushy style beverage with half of the actual squeezed lemon. Just be sure not to sip too fast. If you know about Eddie’s Grill, drop us a line. If you don’t; Google it. And by the way, if you haven’t noticed, we’re on a working vacation.

When we were little, August always meant “Back to School”. It was an exciting time. We liked school and we loved shopping for school supplies. Choosing the right backpack was crucial. Selecting the perfect pencil case was imperative. Picking the Trapper Keeper that would be the envy of the whole class was the ultimate goal. Why all the pressure on choosing something as inane as a #2 pencil, you ask? Well, it has a lot to do with Jesus. Attending a Catholic school meant we wore the same blue and gray plaid uniform for 8 years. Eight years! School supplies and footwear were the only ways to get creative…really let our personality come out. Deciding between a preppy penny loafer or a more flirty flat could determine which crowd we prayed with for the whole year. This was serious business.

So in homage to our annual August shopping trip as kids, we’ve chosen things in the shop that remind us of all the basics we learned in school – Reading, Writing, ‘Rithmatic. Appropriately, our selection includes lots of things that use the ABC’s and 123′s in different ways to show off it’s own unique personality. We hope you like them as much as we do.

Click on a photo below to enlarge the image and to get the details on each piece.

So about a month ago we started carrying a new line of beautiful things from a company called Fringe Studio. Their line has all shapes and sizes of glass vessels: vases, plates, frames, votives, trays…you get the idea. Each is embellished with a glass transfer image of something just a bit out of the ordinary. This, of course, is right up our alley because we’ve always wanted to be one of those mysterious little curiosity shops that you find by accident, down a creaky set of wooden stairs, filled to the brim with a bunch of stuff you are too afraid to touch but can’t stop staring at.

Anyway, onto reality. Our favorite thing from Fringe Studio is this tall, square piece decorated with red coral and a sweet little seahorse. We think it’s either the prettiest vase we’ve ever seen or the neatest home you could ever give your pet fish.