The observant amongst you, and I believe that's the vast majority of you, may have noticed over the past few weeks there has been a lovely blue badge in the lower left hand corner shouting about something coming. Yesterday morning this special badge became a countdown clock, but counting down to what exactly?!

It's been a long time dream of mine to open my own boutique, filled with the things I love. Thanks to Open Sky that dream is bearing fruition in mere weeks. Sharing products I find and adore with you on this site is one thing, but having them all available to purchase in one space, is entirely another. A thing made of wonder one might say. But that is exactly what is about to happen about 12 days from now.

My store will only feature items I love and personally endorse, and you'll be able to purchase them right here, on Dedicated! I've already started curating, and my very first product review is waiting in the wings. I cannot wait to share them with you. 

Now that you have a vague idea of what's going on; let me tell you a little bit about Open Sky so you can understand the root mission of the project. Open Sky understands that what is missing in modern retail is the connection between the consumer and the brand. In a sales driven world, where capitalism is king, honest voices and integrity often get lost in the push to make cold hard cash. Consumers want to buy from people they trust and they want to buy well made and well priced products. Open Sky works as a platform to make this happen. Connecting sellers, such as myself directly with suppliers which we, in turn, connect to the consumer.

Open Sky was founded in May 2009 and is an ever growing network of sellers and suppliers, and I'm ridiculously excited to be a part of it.

My store will launch, on this site, on August 10th, when I'll have a bevy of new finds to share with you. In the mean time I'd love to hear from you! What do you want to see in my store? What do you look for in an online store? Additionally are you a brand or artisan that wants to be featured in my store? Let me know, or go directly to the source and sign up yourselves right here.

If you're a blogger and would like your own Open Sky store they're still accepting applications, so be sure to sign up yourselves and help build this wonderful community. I can't wait for the launch and I hope you're as excited as I am!

Kelsi Smith.