Rainy Day Blog

A Feather in Your Cap and a Sliver of the Seaside

by Rainy Day | | 0 comments

It's that time of year in New England. The weather vacillates between unbearably hot and torrentially pouring. While there is always a chance to hit the beach when our notoriously fickle weather gods decide to grant us a little bearable sunshine, we've hit the "duck and cover" end of summer.

It's a fine coincidence that a gift shop is almost always the idea place to pop out of the rain or heat and get a little something for someone you hold dear. We'd like to introduce you to two of our favorite collections of jewelry that are quite perfect when you are weathering the... well... weather.

Lucky Feather

  

Lucky Feather is fun and funky, totally perfect for kids and adults. Not only are the designs to die for, but they might just bring a little luck - exactly what you need going into a new school year or entering a new job. 

We have lots of their products - necklaces, charms, earrings - the whole nine yards. They are easy to pack and a great surprise for your best friend, child recently gone to school, or a close loved one.

Dune Jewelry

 

We love Dune for a totally different reason. Sure, they're still wonderfully cute and simple fashion statements. However, each Dune piece is filled with sand collected here, on the island. When you look at a particular necklace or earring you will notice that the beach where the sand was found is clearly labeled. 

Maybe a friend or relative couldn't come with you, but has loved the island ever since they were young. Perhaps you know a former islander gone to school or moved away who would appreciate taking a piece with them. Or maybe you just want to have a little keepsake for yourself!

We hope you stop by the shop during the dog days of summer. This is just a dip in our extensive, unique collection of jewelry!

Tags: beauty, blog, cute, dune, dune jewelry, earrings, gift shop, gifts, island, jewelry, local, lucky feather, martha's vineyard, memento, necklace, oak bluffs, ocean, one of a kind, rainy day, seashore, seaside, thoughtful, us made, visit, weather

Prepare for Illumination Night!

by Rainy Day | | 0 comments

Islander's know the tradition well. The third week of August picturesque Campground in Oak Bluffs is lit with lanterns and lifted with the sound of island voices singing together. However, not everyone knows the history. 

Around 1835, Methodists began having yearly meetings in the midst of summer. They would bring tents and camp beside the sea, in an oak grove high on the bluffs of the Northern end of Edgartown. Over the years those tents were slowly replaced by little wooden cottages, built side by side. The Tabernacle was built in the 1870s, in the center of The Campground. 

Now we have the wonderful tradition of Illumination Night! In its time the celebration marked the visit of the Governor of Massachusetts. The night means many things, but one could say that Illumination Night is in part a remembrance of the first seasonal visitors to the Island. The proceeds of the Grand Illumination go towards the upkeep and restoration of the historic Tabernacle. You can find more info about the event here!

One of our favorite parts of the Illumination Night is the variety of eclectic lights, candles, and visually spectacular lanterns. Whether you are on the Island and can join in the fun, or want to put up lights and participate from afar, we have plenty of beautiful options to choose from!

Lanterns

 

We're incredibly proud of our lantern collection. Our Allsop Home and Garden  is the awesome solar powered lantern company we carry in the store, perfect for the sustainable, aesthetically driven islander! Artecnica of CA make our ever popular handmade paper stars. We also work with Cultural Intrigue, a Vermont based company, that specializes in rice paper shades and Zen Zen, a fair trade group that focuses on beautiful cloth shades.

Candles

You can't walk into the shop without stumbling upon a candle or two. From our artisanal Skeem, to Vance Kitira, to Shore Soap Candles... we could list them all day, but you'll find they aren't hard to miss!

And More!

We stock plenty of vessels to carry candles, swanky matches, strings of light, and other essentials to brighten up your evening. The best bet? Stop by the store! We can't wait you see you at Illumination Night!

If you want a little preview from Illumination Night of year's past, check out Susan Branch's blog! She wrote a lovely overview with lots of photos.

 

Tags: allsop, artecnica, candle, candles, cultural intrigue, cute, grand illumination, illumination night, island, island events, lights, local, made in the usa, martha's vineyard, oak bluffs, paper lanterns, paper stars, rainy day, seaside, skeem, soy, susan branch, the campground, us made, visit, zen zen

From the Store: MilkBarn

by Rainy Day | | 0 comments


Kid's products, from clothing to toys, have to be one of our favorite departments within Rainy Day. When we think about children it hits close to home - owners Heather and Bob have boys of their own, and there are a few mother and daughter teams that make up our staff.

So, we're not joking when we put in orders for kids stuff. We're also not joking about how much we love MilkBarn. MilkBarn is one of those special companies that just sings out to you with it's undeniable pairing of simple practicality and beyond cute design aesthetics!



Right now we are very happily carrying quite an array of MilkBarn Products. From bibs, stroller blankets, and onesies, sporting foxes, geese, hedgehogs and hummingbirds. Boxes and the best newborn clothes we've seen in a long while.



In particular, we love their Newborn Keepsake Set, which should be a no brainer present for the next baby shower you attend! It includes a swaddle blanket, little hat and newborn gown, in all their signature prints.


The kicker? This company was started by a mother, Stacey, in 2006 sewing her own bibs for her 7 month old. It's grown since then, but stayed in the family. Stacey has since incorporated the designs of her 17 year old daughter into their signature prints, which you can see within this collection!


Support organic, support small business, and never sweat again over "baby's first gift."


Tags: baby, big lovely, blanket, blankets, cute, gifts, gown, milkbarn, newborn, onesies, organic, swaddle, unisex