Saturday Night at the Market – 04/3/10

It was a glorious day of balmy air and spring breezes , and  lawn care season officially began today with the  annual First Starting of the Mower.  Now, I admit, I am a very neglectful mower owner.  There was still a little gas in it from last summer, and to add insult to injury, I topped it off with more old gas from what was left in the can unused all winter.  I did not clean the spark plug.  I said a small prayer and pulled the cord.  (yes, I have a non-self-propelled push mower with a pull cord starter).  It was a miracle – 3 pulls and I was mowing!  I should be ashamed of how I treat my poor mower especially since it treats me far better.   So now I sit here on my couch with the smell of freshly mowed wild onions drifting in through the open window happy with the knowledge that my lawn will be lovely for Easter Sunday. 

Speaking of the smell of fresh cut grass – check out this great  looking  cold processed soap I found while ‘armchair shopping’ tonight at 1000 Markets.  From the shop of Southern Vermont Soap, this one is actually called Fresh Cut Grass – I just  had to smile when I saw it! 

This great shop is filled with irresistible looking  soaps that are also gorgeous to look at.  No doubt that I’ll be ordering soon!  One I’d definitely like to try is the Manuka Honey Lavender with goat’s milk, also a cold-processed soap.  Soap making is a passion at Southern Vermont Soap.  Not only do they use the best ingredients, but they are always happy to explain more about the their cold and hot process soap making.

I found another lovely soap shop tonight,too - Enchanted Soap Favors.    What a refreshing twist for wedding or shower favors – gorgeous soaps that look like flowers!   This lovely white flower, made of soap, measures approximately 3." It is decorated with the ribbon color of your choice and white beads. A "Thank You" charm is attached as well.   The hand carved leaf base, also made of soap, measures approximately 5" from left to right.   These little beauties are the perfect accent for a lovely spring wedding!

And speaking of weddings – I just have to show you the exquisite “Wedding Nite” earrings from my friend Sandra’s shop – Preserve Jewelry Studio.  Sandra specializes in earrings, and if you’re an earring addict like me, you will love her shop!   (be sure to check out the great necklaces, too)  Her work is meticulous and top quality- I have several of her earring designs, and now have my eye on the lovely Wedding Nite design,  as well as the delightful pair, new for Spring,  titled “Sweet Lemon Tea”.   I love the pretty pale yellow against the tea-colored crystal rondelles.  Simple. Elegant. Perfect.  And nobody can have just one!

Have a great Saturday, and I hope the Spring Breezes are blowing your way…

Sunday Morning Coffee and Etsy – 3/14/2009

I’ve decided my little stoneware mug of lavender infused coffee will be the new icon for the Sunday morning Etsy posts.  Right now, I’m using delicious lavender buds from Blossom Farm, but come May, I’ll be using my own fresh lavender.  I’m so looking forward to spring blooms (hopefully they’ll be on their way soon!). 

I’ve mentioned before that I’m hoping to have a booth at our Greeneville Farmer’s Market this year.  Lot of work to do to get a booth together, beginning with a great sign that will represent the feeling and look I hope to evoke in my work.  I was delighted to find the work of Moonblossom Signworks while searching on Etsy.  Exactly what I’ve been looking for!!  I have a vision of my booth-to-be that is a perfect combination of whimsy, elegance and cottage garden – just like the wonderful artwork created by Beth Brown.   You can see more of  Beth’s wonderful work on her website. In addition to signs, she offers gifts, murals and trompe l’oeil, and even painted furniture.  I’m a big fan of trompe l’oeil, and absolutely love this soaring dome painted as a sky that is featured on her website.

Another recent Etsy discovery was the gorgeous felted handbags by Daimblond.  I especially love the bag she has done in shades of black, white and grey, embellished with french lace. Looks like it’s a great match for the soft gray found in the Spring 2010 fashion colors!   Another great bag in her shop is done in a cool, fresh blue and beige combination, also perfect with this spring’s new colors.  I especially love the way the beige blends into the blue – reminds me of the waves racing up into the sand at the waters edge.  And the little hand-felted shell is the perfect icing on the cake!  This very talented fiber artist is originally from Moscow, and currently living in France. She is a member of both the Etsy European Street team and the Russian team.  One of my favorite parts of being a part of the Etsy community is that it is, indeed, a global marketplace in every sense of the word.   

Speaking of the global marketplace and Etsy teams, I must mention that I am now a proud member of the FTEC team on Etsy.  I’m so excited to be a part of this incredible group of savvy  business owners!   I’ll be doing an entire post on this great team in the near future.   However, I just couldn’t resist featuring this sweet little Bumblebee necklace from the Art Jewelry collection in the shop of Realisation Creations.  I fell in love with it the minute I saw it, and I bet you will, too!   Natalia hails from Adelaide, Australia, and is a wonderfully talented wire artist.  She has been creating jewelry for about 9 years, and her pieces are a wonderful mix of unusual beads, vintage glass, luxe gemstones, ceramics and both Bali and Karen silver.   You can read more about her in this Etsy article.   

I’ll end this post with one more little treat from Natalia’s shop – her classic little Rococo pearl earrings.  Simple, but none the less stunning, these South Sea Shell pearls are an affordable little wardrobe staple that no woman should be without!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week – talk to you soon!

Saturday Night at the Market 03/13/2010

My favorites folder at 1000 Markets is bursting at the seams with great new finds I’ve been squirreling away.  I recently came across a new potter, much to my pottery addict’s delight.  A Fine Mess is the name of  Lori Watts’  wonderful shop filled with pots, mugs, bowls, and more.   I saw her scrumptious purple and red ice cream bowls and fell in love.  I can just picture how gorgeous a bit of honey lavender ice cream would be served in those bowls.  Of course, as one who enjoys a good cup of coffee from time to time, (ok, I admit it, I’m addicted to both coffee and ice cream) I had to check out the mugs as well.  Who wouldn’t love a cappuccino served in this fabulous stoneware mug embellished with swirly little tan buttons?   And, of course, all Fine Mess Pottery products are lead free, food-safe, ovenproof, as well as  dishwasher and microwave safe;  just perfect for those of us who like to use their great pottery rather than just stand back and admire it.

Something else that I’m keeping my eyes open for these days are new pillows for my living room.  I love that comfy, cozy feeling that lots of pillows bring to a room, as well as just a touch of what I like to think of as “elegant cottage”.  Someday I hope my house will be a true “elegant cottage”!  I was delighted to discover the luxurious down pillows in the shop of Elegant Home Decor.  Each lovely pillow is hand sewn in top quality fabrics collected over the past 18 years.  The shop blog describes them perfectly:   “ the overall look is always comfortable, stylized, and totally affordable luxury”.   Many of the pillows are one of a kind, but available in collections of coordinating fabrics and  pillow shapes that look wonderful together.    I’ve added this lovely full blown rose print pillow to my favorites.  A perfect start for what I hope will be a whole collection to snuggle into!

And speaking of elegant – these amazing Garlande earrings from Edera Jewelry caught my eye as I was checking out the 1000 Markets home page tonight.   I can just picture (a much skinnier version of)  myself  draped across my elegant pillows in a lovely romantic gown while wearing these earrings.  Such is the stuff of dreams……   oops, back to reality here….   Ivy Long, the artist behind Edera Jewelry has been creating her stunning designs for over 10 years.  The influence of her milliner mother, a love of fiber arts and historical costume combined with the use of crochet and lacemaking techniques have resulted in exuberantly beautiful designs.  I’ll leave you with one more lovely pair – the Mirielle Bon Bon earrings.  Perfectly gorgeous. 

Until next time – have a lovely weekend.  Hope your Saturday night was a good one!