Now, in this age of saggy, baggy pants and low-cut jeans, don’t you ever look at people and think, “You know, he/she could use a belt.”

But belts always tend to be kind of boring. Black or brown leather, maybe something braided if you were lucky. Or you had one of those strappy belts that didn’t even have holes in them, a leftover from your carefree days as a child, when you had no choice in the matter because your parents usually stuck a belt around your waist whether your pants were falling down or not.

Well, we’ve probably moved on from those days and desire something far more chic than hearts or Care Bears or rainbow stripes on our belts. When you’re ready for that chicness, check out these belts from Sacramento Craft Mafia member Applina:

Alas, there are no belts for boys. But there are some children’s belts, too, and trust me, none of them are super cheesy. There’s even a kids’ skull belt if you’re so inclined.

If your pants are feeling a little loose — you know, from all that *ahem* working out you’ve been doing for the summer months — go check out an Applina belt.

Aprons are useful things, but they certainly don’t have to be boring. Sometimes they can even offer humorous advice:

This is the “How to Get a Husband” crafty tool belt from Dayna of The Crafty Scientist. Good for a laugh, and handy too.

Dayna’s crafty tool belts are available in many colorful, fun prints. I actually own one in a cheery floral/kitchen print. It is seriously indispensable at every craft show I do. It is a money-holder/tape holder/notepad holder/scissors holder/pen holder/business card holder/place for me to nervously put my hands in. Fantastic stuff.

The Crafty Scientist also carries other sewed goodness, including cat mats and toys, lunch bags, totes, pillows and even the wicked cool disc golf bags that are made of repurposed plastic bags.

Cool experimenting, indeed.

I was a vendor at Handmade Parade on Saturday and met some pretty fab people and had a great time.

I also managed to pick up the cutest stuffed owl I have ever seen:

(I bought the brown one on the right.)

The owl was courtesy of Bethany of Bitter Betty Industries. She dubbed him “Proto-Owl” because he was the first one she made and the basis for the others. He is made with the sleeve of a felted sweater, and everything else on the front is needle-felted. He also has a light lavender scent. So he smells delicious and is cute too. And he’s the Proto-Owl!

Bitter Betty Industries also has wonderful clothes on sale, from utility obis to jumpers to t-shirts to cute kids’ clothes. Bethany also makes soldered necklaces as well. Check out the Bitter Betty blog for more pictures of her awesome stuff. You’ll even find the owls there … but act fast, because there are now only two of them left in the nest.

If you leave Bethany a comment or send her an e-mail, she may be willing to make something you like on her blog if it’s not in your size. There’s more stuff on her blog picture-wise than in her shop, so you may be best served looking at the blog first.

This tee has been reprinted on Threadless:

It’s called Camouflage. Adorable drawing, for sure.

Want something unique to celebrate your little one’s birthday? Like, perhaps, one of these?

This is one of the many birthday sets available at liliputians NYC. These sets are lovingly handmade by Heather at lilputians NYC, and can be customized with any number, depending on your child’s age, of course.

In addition to the monkey set above, there are food-themed sets, like a cupcake set and a cake set.

You’ll find all sorts of unique clothing and accessories at liliputians NYC, so if you want your kid to look special, you should check it out. Heather also does plenty of custom orders, and can even help you design your child’s dream outfit!

Do you remember being in middle school and having friends who screwed around with their jeans? You know, maybe ripped some holes in them? Or drew on them with permanent marker? (That’s what my friends did.) Or maybe you put some rhinestones or those plastic stick-on gems that were shaped like hearts or stars or whatever.

We all thought we were so hot with our tricked-out jeans.

But we could never hold a candle to these jeans:

   

I am a little partial to the Boise State jeans because, well, any football team that plays on a blue field gets serious props in my book.

This lovely work is the brainchild of seamstress Megan over at Creative Outlet Designs. Many of these pieces are one of a kind.

A couple of pairs get put up on eBay, and she asks you to send your own jeans (so you know they fit), and then Megan works her magic to put these stunning mosaics together. Her portfolio shows a few other things as well, such as aprons and shirts.

And Megan was kind enough to have an ad right here at indie*galore! Clickety click on over and see her beautiful work … and maybe even get something really unique to wear. It’s much better than those holey jeans.

A good t-shirt is always nice to have. A snarky and/or funny t-shirt … even better.

Like maybe one of these:

    

All of these are from Threadless, home of some pretty cool tees. I own the first two — they get good laughs — but sadly, the squirrel tee is almost out! Hopefully it gets reprinted sometime.

*shameless plug alert!* I blog about some of my favorite Threadless tees (’cause, you know, I can’t always afford a new t-shirt). You can read about those tees here.

Admittedly, I don’t like pickles. Too sour for me. But this is a pickle I can dig:

Or how about a pickle on a bike?

These wonderful characters are the work of Jack and Rita over at Mr. Pickles. The intro illustration/animation to their site alone is well worth the click — I’ve never seen a better-looking lime in my life.

Mr. Pickles has shirts, cards and even mugs featuring the cast of characters. There is even a plushy section where you can buy a stuffed t-bone steak for the favorite carnivore in your life. (Ham and lamb shank also available.)

Besides the shop, there are games and the blog to keep you entertained at the Mr. Pickles site, so go over there and ogle the food already.