Etsy Find: Natalie As Is.

I was perusing through Etsy the other day and found this journal that I'm absolutely in love with:

images from here.

It's from the shop of Natalie As Is, and I'm smitten.  I wish I knew how to sew and was creative enough to think of something like this... 

I carry your heart...

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

~ E. E. Cummings

I love this poem.  I do not, however, love Valentine's Day (the holiday, not the movie, because I think that I would actually like the movie).  I don't really see any point to naming one day out of the year to show the person you love that you actually do love them.  This should be every day.  It's just a holiday that was invented to sell things between Christmas and Easter, and makes a lot of people feel very lonely in the process.  Boooooo you, Valentine's Day Inventors. I'm not totally against it, because it is nice to do something sweet for someone you love, but I have always been disgusted with the amount of pressure placed on everyone to have "A Valentine" on Valentine's Day... so lame.

Anyway, if I did like Valentine's Day, I would probably like to give or (mainly) receive these things that I found on Etsy:

To be fair, I do really love all of the things that are shown here, even if Valentine's Day kind of sucks!

Romance Ring by GoldenSilver (I'm pretty much drooling over all of the rings in this shop)

 

His twisted heart ring by Rapunzels Gold

 

  

 Red and White Hearts by sarah & bendrix

 

Nesting Heart Bowls by jd wolfe pottery

Well, hopefully everyone is like me and takes the holiday with a grain of salt... or really goes all out and enjoys it.  Either way, I hope you all have fun celebrating (or not) this weekend*! 

* you'll probably hear from me before then, but just in case, have a great weekend.

Etsy Finds: Wayside Violet

I saw an item by Wayside Violet on the Etsy Front Page one day, and instantly fell in love.  Jessica, the shop owner and coffee enthusiast, knits all sorts of wonderful things, but the item I fell in love with and hadtohavethatinstant was this:

Cable Knit Coffee Cozy

For someone who frequents Starbucks at least once a day (and you don't want to interact with me when I haven't had my coffee, trust), this was a must.  I absolutely love it!  It's eco-friendly, cozy, and CUTE!  I receive a lot of compliments on it too.

I'm currently in love with this gray one, and the pumpkin spice cozy for mugs is cute too!  

here.

here.

So, if you are a frequent flyer at any coffee shop, I highly recommend one.  You're doing the environment a favor (even if you're still using a paper cup & not a reusable travel mug, but I always forget mine), and looking super cute in the process!

p.s.  with sticking to my November goals, i will be resisting the gray cozy, since my green one is holding up just fine.  see?  i'm getting good at this goals thing... haha. 

I wants.

It was quite serendipitous that I saw one of these beautiful butterfly shadow-boxes, from BugUnderGlass, on the Etsy front page the other day. I don't usually look at the front page for more than a split second anymore-- just zoom past it to my desired destination. I'm so glad I glanced long enough, because I have been looking for something like this for a couple of years and never even thought to look on Etsy.

Silly Ally, Etsy has everything.

The creator, Kevin Clarke, is a biologist/artist (who grew up in MA -- bonus points), who takes bugs (that have died naturally) from insect farms and creates beautiful artwork. Each piece has an informational sticker on the back of the frame that contains educational details about the particular insect featured, and all of his work is sealed without harmful fumigants.





I'm planning on creating another gallery-display wall in my hallway in the near future, and want to give it a more antique look by framing old prints and things, so these would actually be perfection.

I wonder if he could find me a Death's-Head Hawkmoth, like the one in Silence of the Lambs (the movie, not the book... in the book it was a Black Witch moth)...

Death's-Head Hawkmoth, image from here.

gosh, I'm such a creep...


all images from BugUnderGlass.etsy.com, unless otherwise noted.

I love it when I stumble upon local awesomeness.

I just found this Etsy shop today (via the lovely ladies of 100 Layer Cake [when I was cleaning out my google reader!!]), and was really excited to see that the owner, Angela, is based in Boston.

While I am impressed with all of the things in her shop, I was especially taken with these blank, hand-bound books that can be used as journals, guestbooks, or whatever you'd like, really. I love the simplicity and elegance of the vintage stamps as the focal point of the covers, and all of the lovely details. I have no idea what I'd use mine for, but I really, really want one... I'm especially pining for the gray one! :o)

I really love anything that has black and white stripes (or any stripes for that matter). I cannot tell you how many things I purchase on a whim, simply because they're striped. I love this black and white baker's twine, and the rustic and whimsical look it gives when used to adorn packages.

I thought this invitation line was really creative and fun. You pick a victorian-style icon, and then you add in your own information to customize it. It's a really unique and fun idea!

She's doing a letterpress and bookbinding workshop in Somerville in August with Albertine Press, and I really want to go!!!

Etsy Colormatch Tool.

While browsing new Etsy hacks, I found this really cool website, 26 Olive Street, that has a Colormatch Tool. This tool is really useful if you have an item that you're looking to match with other items, like jewelry. I tried it out with this J. Crew top that I love so much...

image from here.

and here are the results:

screenshot from here.

A really convenient feature of this gadget is that you can click on a color in the paint palette and it will redirect the colormatch search to that color. You can also click on an image and it will take you to a descriptive page, which leads directly to that item on etsy. The initial search is not as precise as I would have wanted it to be, and I assume that it has a lot to do with the fact that the background colors of all of these images match the shirt, but it's still a pretty cool gadget, right?

Etsy Find: michelle chang jewelry

I don't remember how I first stumbled upon michelle chang jewelry, but the instant I saw her jewelry, I loved it! I especially love the necklaces, because the charms are so tiny and cute.

Baby Kitten Necklace

Small Beaded Circle Earrings

Baby Snake Ring with Diamonds

Baby Shark Tooth Necklace

Baby Skull Necklace

I really like how she can take something so bad ass, like a skull or shark's tooth, and make it so cute and wearable...

Tiny Oval Necklace

This xo necklace is definitely my favorite, which is weird, because I don't even usually wear yellow gold. You can customize it with any initials you want.

I still can't get over how itty bitty they are! Go check out her shop... I had trouble not adding everything to my cart!

Etsy Find: Memonster

I don't really know what it is about this shop, but I absolutely love it. It's so weirdly fantastic, and such a cool idea. I like all of them, but I find myself wanting the dorky cats more. :o)

Etsy Finds: Somnambulant Art

Somnambulant Art is probably one of my most favorite finds on Etsy, not only because the artwork is rad, but because the person behind the shop and its wonderful creations is one of the most funny and interesting people I have ever met. I first stumbled upon the shop when I was very new to the Etsy scene... I hadn't even opened my own shop yet. I was looking for something really funny to get people for Christmas, and luckily, Erin had exactly what I was looking for: Serial Killer Christmas Cards!

I know that some of you are thinking that it sounds a little strange (and most of you are thinking, "How awesome is that?!"), but anyone who knows me at all, knows that this discovery was my Holy Grail. Anyway, I purchased quite a few of them and my family (and new in-laws) all received the weirdest Christmas Cards they had ever received. I think that they were all genuinely terrified of me for a whole week after Christmas, but it was definitely worth it. The reaction I received was better than opening a big box full of rainbows on Christmas morning: a nervous laugh, an exchange of nervous glances when they thought I wasn't looking, then a big hug with a, "you're so very special," pat on the back. It was, in a word, Awesome.

Recently, I requested a custom painting of "Facetious," from her "Vocabulary Series," paintings and I'm completely in love with it. I bought it as a set with "Pernicious," and have yet to hang them in my office (which, as you all know, is a work in progress).

One of my favorite features from her shop, is that each painting comes with it's own, unique story.

click here to read about Nicholas.

I have had the pleasure of getting to know her a little bit outside of Etsy, and she is an amazing person. Etsy is a fabulous community, where it's possible to meet some of the nicest and most interesting people you might never meet otherwise. I'm really happy to be a member and to have met and done business with all of these fabulous people. So, if you haven't opened an account (even just a buyer account) I highly recommend it. At the very least, it's an opportunity for people who wouldn't make friends otherwise to buy things from people they are intrigued by and weasle their ways into their lives. just kidding. that's totally not what i did.

So, go visit Erin's shop, and if you buy something really expensive, tell her that I sent you! Also, go check out her photography shop, Appledale, and her blog, Oh Honestly Erin (it's hilarious, and a must read for me every day). Oh, and p.s., if you stop by before noon today, you can enter for a chance to win one of her awesome bathroom plaques (I already have one, but am considering trying for another one, so it will have a friend to play with).

Etsy Find: sarahseven

So, since there's a lot of buzz today about her, I thought I'd put in my two cents:

all images from here.

Isn't her work beyond words? I first stumbled upon her thanks to Peonies & Polaroids. I would love the Robin's Egg Dress if I were a.) richer, and b.) thinner.

Etsy Finds

I love this jacket from bonzie:

from here.

It's no longer listed on her website, but I think she could still make one custom if you asked nicely? I ordered a wrap like this:

from here.

In navy blue for the wedding, but didn't end up wearing it. I guess I'll have to find a use for it.

I love her designs and I especially love that she's from Ireland. But that's not why I bought the wrap! It's so beautifully made and ethereal looking. Almost too pretty to wear!

that's amore.

stardust from risamay's shop on etsy.

so ethereal...


newly added to my etsy favorites...