Sunday Morning Coffee, Etsy and an Anniversary

Yesterday was my 1 year anniversary of opening my Etsy shop, and I'm especially happy today as I think back over the last year and how much I have learned and grown because of my experience at Etsy. My business continues to grow and evolve, and I couldn't do it without Etsy - both the good and the bad (mostly good, though!)

However, Sunday mornings are all about shopping, so without further ado, let's get started.....or, shall we say, continue with the celebration - because today's finds are all about celebrating!

The delightful cake plate you see in the photo above is from a shop that is new on Etsy - Magic Markings Art. I am completely in love with her whimsical artwork, and what a bonus to find it on pieces of pottery - yay!! (we all know about my pottery addiction).



I just fell in love with everything when I visited her Etsy shop. I'm totally sure the Girls Night Out 8" square plate will be making its way to my house.

In fact, I'm going to invite my fellow Martini-loving friend over (with her yummy apple martini makings) and we'll have a little celebration. And what really makes these fun is the personalized back of the plate.....how perfect for a gift!

And oh, my - here's another shop full of unique delights - Fancy Picnic, and one of the lovliest textile collar necklaces I've ever seen.


When describing this beauty she says, "Célèbre la Nuit Collar is perfect for adding a little bit of sparkle and ruffled romance to your little black dress." How right she is! I want to go get dressed up to go out this very minute!!




Or perhaps you're not a collar person? Well, then, keep the mood of celebration with these over the top red earrings inspired by a period travelling circus. Fancy Picnic's description is perfect - "The Showtime earrings evoke the timeworn glamour of the ringmaster's regalia - rich red, old gold, burnished bronze and a smattering of sequins and decorative beads". What little black dress wouldn't love to be seen with these?


And after a relaxing martini in your little black dress, perhaps you will retire to this blissful bed from the incredibly talented Attila Design in Finland to drift away in sweet dreams. I think this is the most unbelievable creation in furniture that I've ever seen - I never cease to be amazed at what can be found on Etsy! David Bromstad eat your heart out!!



For now, I'll just have to be happy with this little wooden postcard from Attila's shop to remind me that Any Day is a Good Day for Some Champagne.

Saturday Night at the Market - 02/14/09

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day, filled with chocolate and love! Yesterday was gray and rainy here, so I had a lovely cozy day inside. I do spend a lot of time looking out at my garden through the kitchen window (makes doing dishes a whole lot nicer) and my eye is often caught by a pair of bright red cardinals eating seeds from last summer's flowers. An interesting thing about cardinals is that they mate for life, so I was completely delighted when I discovered this adorable little red box by Pasaii Design Studio - how perfect! Her box is this week's 1000 Markets' Search Engine Find. My search terms were 'heart' and 'red', and returned a perfect selection as always. Be sure to check out her shop - it is filled with lovely and original designs!


As I started my market browsing with the 1000 Markets front page yesterday, my eye was caught by these lovely little peyote stitch earrings, aptly named 'A Hint of Passion', and decided to focus on bead woven art this week. In fact, I think I'm going to do a whole series on some of the many incredible techniques and mediums used by the talented artists who have shops at 1000 Markets. I particularly love how the the grey fades into white at the center of these little gems which can be found in the Njema Original Beadwoven Jewelry shop.


The work found in the Njema shop is interesting and varied, sometimes created from her own patterns, and sometimes completely freehand. Another stunning example of her work is the Purple Netted Cuff, which shows off her skill at freehand design, as well as polymer clay beadmaking.



No article about bead weaving would be complete without a piece or two from The Beaded Lily, one of the members of the Wearable Art Market. Her beadwork is amazing and original, and always with an interesting background behind its creation. I especially love her Catkill cuff, with its beautiful cat's eye lampwork bead paired with found bluejay feathers.



Also from The Beaded Lily is the stunning Ocean of Storms cuff, a masterful mix of blues and silver, and perfectly named as well. I love the way she has woven the wonderful silver tube beads in amongst the beads. The remind me of whitecaps on waves.


Another wonderful shop on 1000 Markets is Patricia Vener's Silver Dragon Creations. I met Patricia through the Art Jewelry Collective, another great group that I am a part of. I particularly love the fabulous and colorful earrings that Patricia creates, and these Red Sky earrings just take my breath away.


I hope you've enjoyed this introduction to the wonderful art of bead weaving. If you'd like to see more, check out this great book, by Carol Wilcox Wells - Masters: Beadweaving: Major Works by Leading Artists.

Sunday Morning Coffee and Etsy - 02/08/09

Time for one of my favorite weekly pleasures, browsing for new delights on Etsy. You just never know what will pop up. I'm feeling a bit wild this week, so I thought I'd see just how wild things can get on Etsy..... here we go!

Created by Hannah Rachel, who is also a very talented glass artist, this strange, yet beautiful Yellow Dust Mask is an incredible work of beaded art. The mask tells the story of the infamous uranium mines in New Mexico where Navajo and Hopi tribes were hired to work without protection from dust, radiation, and uranium poisoning.



The next offering is straight out of Mad Max - a true fashion statement in leather - check out Tom Banwell's Leather Steampunk Helmet. And no girl should be without her Raygun Model 81 when venturing out in her new helmet. It seems that Tom is also working on a custom leather holster for this beauty - stay tuned!

Not particularly into leather, guns, or helmets, you say?

Well, then perhaps a hatching dragon is more to your liking. In addition to the enchanting little dragon, Bog Productions' shop has quite a few other lovely and functional pottery pieces, both hand built and wheel thrown.

(Uh, oh....here comes my pottery addiction). I love these little tea bag holders. In fact, I *need* these, don't you think???

Ok, back to weird.. No home should be without a knitted lab rat in its very own dissection tray, no? You can buy this one (along with a lot of other slightly more conventional cuddlies) already made from the Crafty Hedgehog's shop, or knit your very own with her pattern. Have fun!