LBArtworks on Etsy

Great little bags by LBArtworks:


Mandie

Jenbevmit on Etsy

Sticking with the cow theme, I thought this little dress was too cute! It is handmade by jenbevmit.


Mandie

Thepaintedpoppet on Etsy

Dolls and puppets with loads of personality. Thepaintedpoppet creates these dolls for decorative purposes. Love the robot!




Mandie

DECAcandle on Etsy

Candles, lip balms, soaps and "melts" are what you'll find in DECAcandle's Etsy shop:

That's sandalwood soap!

According to the listing description, each melt will scent a medium to large room for approximately 8 - 10 hours. "Breakaway melts are highly scented wax chunks meant to be melted on a tart/melt warmer."

The colours look so good!

Mandie

Cupcakeperfumery on Etsy

Cupcakeperfumery sells delicious sounding perfumes and beauty products, yes, sounding, because I haven't tried them. I'm guessing that Marzipan, Coco Noir and Vanilla Truffle perfumes must smell amazing!


Yummy!

Mandie

Bags2di4 on Etsy

Cute bags from bags2di4:



Mandie

KAPARA on Etsy

These might be useful. KAPARA makes these paper tags from left-over paper from printing houses.



Mandie

Saturday Craft Site - Craftster

I know, I know, I'm Captain Obvious, but let's just get the easy ones out of the way before we start looking at more obscure craft sites. Craftster is another community crafting website that will make your bookmarks folder cry. Here you can share your own crafts, find inspiration, follow a tutorial or ask questions about crafting techniques.

Pictured: Monokuro Boo, Cupcake Bath Bombs, Peruvian Thread Earrings, Knitted Mouse.

Also, for inspiration, just look at this "cute as a button" bag!

Gorgeous!

Mandie

DefiantDamsel on Etsy

Oh what fun! I had to laugh when I saw DefiantDamsel's Etsy shop. If you haven't seen the movie The Big Lebowski yet, you won't understand my love for The Dude. But DefiantDamsel knows:


These are all magnets. This next one reminded me of the flying toasters screensaver from After Dark, minus the wings, of course.

And I just had to share this "Angry Milk Carton of Doom" one, because the idea of a threatening milk carton greatly amuses me:


DefiantDamsel says she stitches things that make her happy. I think that's the best way to craft. She's got some more great things in her store, including an astounding Edward Scissorhands portrait.

Mandie

HendersonArt on Etsy

Art appreciation is so subjective that I am hesitant to share paintings that appeal to me, because I might just be chasing away half our audience with my boorish tastes! For example, I recently read an article on Hitler's art and I thought "hey, it's not half bad!". However, Hitler was denied entry into Vienna's Academy of Fine Arts. Twice. And Richard Westwood-Brookes, who clearly knows his art, because just look at his name, feels that the pieces "are at best the standard of a reasonably competent amateur." So it is with some risk to my reputation that I present to you some paintings that appeal to me, but I was taught that it matters not one jot what critics say, as long as you like it. HendersonArt on Etsy created the following two colourful abstracts with oil on wood:



And here is another piece that is not abstract:

HendersonArt happens to have a degree in Fine Arts from the Emily Carr Institute of Art, if you care about such things. Me? I just like the pretty colours.

Mandie

Coffeeandclutch on Etsy

Her photos could do with some lighting editing, but her designs are solid. Coffeeandclutch makes bags and "the original coffee and clutch" - a coffee cuff and mini card case (I lightened the first image a bit) :

Here is a clutch wallet:

And an "oooh, I want!" clutch organizer:

A very handy item and pretty, too, click on the image to see the rest of the photos, because you will want to look inside that one.

Mandie

Cloud9dsign on Etsy

We've established that I'm a fan of cute, but I'm also a fan of squishy. Winter is on its way here in South Africa, so I'm starting to think about hot chocolate, warm blankets, fuzzy slippers and all sorts of cozy things. What I really like about Cloud9dsign's items is that they are cozy things with cute faces. Cute and cozy, can't beat that:

That's Mike, the travel pal. He doubles up as a travel pillow, as does Oliver:

Levi, made from denim, has a pocket smile! You can put things in his smiling mouth.

Wonky eyes, sticky-out tongues...I can't resist.

Mandie

Accessorius on Etsy

When Daneel saw Accessorius' Medusa necklace, he looked dubious. He thinks it's a bit much. I think it's great! Also, it's from Finland, so it's a practical winter accessory. He walks around in short-sleeved t-shirts for most of the year, what does he know?


Daneel also thinks this next piece "looks like a net", to which I replied "Yes. With algae." Which is what the artist intended, as per her description: "Underwater life inspires this unusual necklace. Black cord holds a net in blue, green and purplish shades suggesting algae." I really like the colours.


Here is a playful take on what we stare at unwittingly for most of the day, either on tv or monitors. The RGB bracelet:


She has 22 unique items for sale, and is featuring a three-part series, which I have mentioned here, the MEDUSA, NATURA and RGB ranges. Very interesting (and pretty) pieces.

Mandie

Studiopetite on Etsy

Studiopetite. Her moons are made of cheese. That's awesome. Original mixed media on paper:


According to her profile, she is a self-taught artist living in New York. Her prints and greeting cards are created from original art made by her. This is a print from an original watercolour, signed on the back:


Her whimsical pieces motivated me to overlook my own starkly modern tastes and to add a little bit of fanciful fun to the blog. Here is one of her greetings cards:


I like her style.

Mandie

Ifthebowfits on Etsy

I seem to be in a very girly mood today, because everything that appeals to me right now is cute. Like these clippies by ifthebowfits:




These clips are for children, handmade by ifthebowfits, from felt, ribbon and clips, in a smoke free environment. Items ship from Bethlehem, Georgia, US. Go order some, because they're cute!

Mandie

Kokonille on Etsy

Kokonille creates very professional looking craft items. While browsing her store and considering whether to share it on the blog, I saw this cosmetic case, which convinced me that her shop was worth promoting:


This is what it looks like when opened:


How cute is that? I just love the colour. It fastens with matching red velcro, which is why I described her products as "professional looking". Clearly she has an eye for detail. She also makes keychains, like this one:


Not to mention her adorable little handbags!


I've picked several red items from her store, but she has 28 items in a variety of colours for sale. Check out her store for a cuteness overload from Germany.

Mandie

Pinecabincrafts on Etsy

Pinecabincrafts creates items for babies and toddlers. This cute little sweater for a 3 month old caught my eye:

Here is a brown and pink striped one that I also liked:


Pinecabincrafts designed the above patterns herself. She crafts her items in a smoke free, pet free environment. Here is a baby blanket she crocheted:

Gorgeous! She gives the measurements for her wearable items, so you shouldn't have trouble with the fit if you buy a little sweater for a child. Pinecabincrafts' Etsy shop, too cute!

Mandie

Mops66 on Etsy

Mops66 has an adorable Etsy shop where she sells "Mini-Mops" - miniature food jewellery. She accepts custom orders as well, for those who don't fancy a slice of mini-pizza around their necks. Here is one of her creations, a scrumptious looking donut:


Mops66 is located in Paris, which immediately makes her more charming, as I'm studying French at university. According to her profile, she is an interior designer who got the idea for her Mini-Mops from her teenagers, who are obviously brilliant. Just look at this macaron!

I know, these deceptive clay goodies are pure evil. If I ever got my hands on this next one, I admit I would be guilty of licking polymer clay. Just to check. Because it looks so good:


That's her clay version of a French "religieuse", click here for a real version.

I enjoyed browsing and drooling at her creations. Go check out the rest of the goodies in her Etsy shop.

Mandie

It's like the Treasury, without the waiting period.

When Daneel and I opened our Etsy shop during a holiday, we thought we would be able to craft and upload a new item every week. At least. Turns out university students are required to actually *do stuff* like assignments and essays, so creating new craft items moved down a couple of spaces on our list of to-do's.

Yet one has to generate traffic and so I have been Twittering and logging into Etsy daily. Lacking new craft items of our own to refer others to, I have been linking to Etsy products that I found through the Pounce feature, to give other new Etsians some exposure. Then it dawned on me that I could combine my Etsy finds with a blog, leading to more exposure for everyone. So this is it, a showcase of Etsy finds that we think are worth a look.

Enjoy, point, laugh, comment, maybe buy something.

Mandie