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

JohnThomas on Etsy

I have a thing for cutting boards. The make you feel like a real chef, when you whip out your board, chop chop your vegetables into perfect little cubes with a sharp knife, then carry the board to the stove to sweep your bright little veggies into the pot with a flourish. But cutting boards needn't be boring. Here is one by JohnThomas:

So pretty!

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

KAPARA on Etsy

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



Mandie

Knighttimedesigns on Etsy

I've been interested in working with PMC for a while now, but haven't had the time (oh for endless holidays!). Knighttimedesigns uses PMC to create leaf pendants, to great effect:


These are made by placing real leaves in the PMC and firing it so that the leaf burns away, leaving the imprint in the clay. Knighttimedesigns creates other types of jewellery as well.


She lives in Killarney, Ireland and has been making jewellery for 12 years now. Lovely items in her shop.

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

CreatedByClare on Etsy

Stuck on paper today, but these are sweet. Cards...CreatedByClare.




All her cards are hand painted originals, painted on 300gsm watercolour paper. Envelopes are included.

Mandie

Evanstonprint on Etsy

Evanstonprint is a community printmaking studio selling letterpress cards on Etsy. Here are some examples:


When would one give a card like this to someone? Is it innuendo, like that Rihanna Shut up and Drive song? Is car-talk the new sweet-talk? How do I even know about the Rihanna song? This card raises many questions in my mind.

I approve.

Sound advice. Strong designs from this shop. Looking forward to more.

Mandie

Fullyhooked on Etsy

Recently some wooden earrings caught my eye on Etsy and the main reason I chose not to feature the seller on the blog, was because I couldn't figure out how the earrings worked! Maybe someone could explain it to me in the comments? Seems I'm still stuck on wood, though, because I found a new pair by fullyhooked and I think I could figure these out:

I really like the snaky effect of the hanging hearts. Here is a pretty, shiny shell necklace:


And another pair of earrings:


These items are not representative of Fullyhooked's shop, I just chose earthy, natural looking pieces for this post. She currently has 37 listings, so go have a look at the rest of her items and see if anything tickles your fancy.

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

MirkaDesign on Etsy

Mirka Kalmanova designs all her own patterns, then creates her items with beautiful fabrics. Look at the great fabric on this foam padded laptop sleeve:


Here is an unusual bag to carry over your arm (great dress, too) :

She also makes covers for books and will create a custom cover according to your specifications.

It all looks so fresh!

Mandie

Jrehnke on Etsy

When I come across old birthday or greeting cards during spring cleaning, I always feel a pang about throwing them away. But I throw them out, because I have seen what happens when you don't - you get featured in a tv show about the dirtiest homes in the country and end up on Oprah explaining you never meant to let things get that bad. Jrehnke creates greeting cards with a gift included, so that you can throw away the card, but keep the gift. Here is one of her cards, next to the necklace included:

The card is an original watercolour and comes with a red envelope. The necklace is acrylic on canvas. Here is another one that I really liked:


I liked this cherry necklace, too (it doesn't come with a card) :

She also makes other jewellery items that are worth a look.

Leave a comment if you have a great idea for using greeting cards in a useful way. Displaying them on the mantelpiece doesn't count!

Mandie

HeartandSoilBaskets on Etsy

I found these handmade baskets by HeartandSoilBaskets. Here is a sweet little one for a flower girl to carry at a wedding:


And a beautiful vegetable basket:


It looks even better filled with incredibly good-looking veggies.

I saw this quote on Twitter, posted by StickFigureMan: "Container Store Syndrome: The conviction that if you just buy enough plastic file boxes, your life will become organized." Yes I suffer from this, and while my plastic containers are very adequate, I say baskets are prettier.

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

Juliejongleuse on Etsy

I am very excited about this next find, discovered through Twitter. Juliejongleuse makes the most original and striking jewellery. Just look at this asymmetrical necklace:


Everything in her shop has a very unique style to it. Here are a few simple pieces:



And a few more elaborate pieces:


This talented artist is from Montreal, Canada and she will do custom orders for you. During the month of May only, you will get one free item from her store with your purchase (see her shop announcement for details). And just because it's too pretty not to include, some earrings she made:


Love it!

Mandie