Friday, August 31, 2012

Feature Friday – Zverrriki

children's toy animal elephant handmade with bow

Today's feature is quite warm and cuddly. Or would at least like the chance to be warm and cuddly with you. 
green and grey stuffed animal teddy bear with bow and bell
velvety kid's hippo stuffed animal Zverrriki (don't feel bad, I'm not sure how to pronounce it myself) is a shop filled with every little friend you never had and always desperately wanted. Childlike innocence fills each nook and cranny of this most adorable collection of handmade stuffed animals. 

stuffed animal pig for children Ann Bratkova, based in Kiev, Ukraine, creates and stitches each little friendly animal together herself. She seems to relish in creating a miniature wonderland full of longing, but lovable faces to tempt the wee souls among us (and the old souls too, I might add). 

multiple color teddy elephants for childrenAnd if you're feeling crafty and confident, she also sells patterns for her creations. These probably aren't for the complete novice, but Ann does stipulate in her listing that if you tell her you are a beginner, she will send you a material list and some notes. She also sells a sewing kit for some of her patterns.

If you would like to meet Sasha the Elefant, Hrosya the Pig, Asterisk the Hippo, Vovochka the Teddy, or any of the beautiful Zverrriki creations, click here.

furry stuffed animal children's gift handmade




Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Treasury Tuesday – Pantry Lover


canning, preserving, and pickling garden veggies treasury
This one made it to the front page of Etsy! It's time again to store summer's bounty!

To view individual items in this treasury, click here.



Sunday, August 26, 2012

Sustainable Sunday! – Blog feature

wooden ring with stitched button
My vintage wooden button ring was featured on this wonderful Love2Upcycle blog. Plus, there are a few other super cute upcycled artists featured too! This blog is full of earth friendly fashion, ideas, and artists so please stop on over to check it out. Just click here. To visit this ring in shop, click here.

burned stitch marks on wooden button jewelry for fall accessory

Friday, August 24, 2012

Feature Friday – KClarkPhotography

photo of Scottish woodland


"Memories, Dreams, and Whimsy"

This is how Kim from KClarkPhotography describes her work. I'm, honestly, not exactly sure how to do this feature because I want to just keep looking at her photos. To get lost for a while, dream and escape. To allow you to do the same.



photograph of whimsical wonderland full of birch and lavender

I imagine that is her very intention. I imagine she has gotten lost herself many times in these worlds of reality and dream. Kim started really developing her passion for photography after a visit to Scotland. I can truly appreciate that because I felt similar inklings when I visited that magical place. Scotland opens your eyes in a way that you wish you never had to blink or forget. 

Funny enough, many of her images are what my brain conjures up when I think of my hair flowers. Pin in "Let's Fall in Love" and I can easily imagine strolling into this lavender kissed photo of a pastel woodland. Place "Cheek to Cheek" hydrangeas in windswept hair and you would gracefully fit right in this moss covered wonderland, gingerly brushing your fingers along the craggy wall while listening to the rustle of the leaves above you.

Not only do her dreamscapes tempt you, her playful images add just the right amount of whimsy to break the spell of reverie and make you smile.
toy with hair blowing in the fan photography

To view all of her beautiful photographs, click here.



Thursday, August 23, 2012

Rings, Pendants, and Earrings...Oh, my!

floral cabochon ring with vintage button by ChatterBlossom on EtsyI've recently decided to expand my shop into the jewelry world as well as hair accessories. They're all accessories right? So this was a pretty easy decision.

vintage button ring of gold and silverWhat gave me that push? Vintage buttons! I have a few that are too big for hair pieces but have such pretty markings and features. What was I to do?! Leave them alone to sit quietly, waiting for some love? I don't think so!

antique gold necklace pendant with solar flower designvintage brown button jewelry ring for women's fall fashion wardrobe         I decided to use a few of these beauties for rings, a few for pendants, and a few of the little bitties for earrings. Here are some examples (a couple are currently in shop and a couple are coming soon!). Aren't they neat?! This way, each one gets to shine! To visit my shop and see each new addition, click here.

vintage button necklace pendant with flower rose design

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Cuteness Alert!

Recently, I came across a shop on Etsy called Creation by KisKis that sells cute modern friendship bracelets. Alisa, the creator and owner of Creation by KisKis was running a promo at the time for her facebook fans. I decided to go check it out and give her a "like" to spread the love and support my fellow etsians...and I won! I got to pick a free bracelet from her shop! Score! 


hot pink bracelet with threaded braids and gold metal accent and vintage button lavender ringI decided to go with the modern pink friendship bracelet with a gold accent. She noted on her listing that "pink = kind", so I decided to go with that one because it was awfully kind of her to give away a free pretty bracelet! I got it in the mail and here it is. Isn't it cute?!                            

Since it is kinda hard to take a picture of your own wrist, I had my lovely friend model it for me while we had tea and cookies (yes, those cookies were tasty!).

Big thanks to Alisa at Creation by KisKis! To browse all of her goodies, click here.
pink braided bracelet and lavender cabochon button ringAnd see that super cute ring? That is a recent creation of mine that will be coming soon! I found some pretty fabulous vintage buttons that I repurposed onto rings. This pastel lavender one is a new fav of mine!                                                                         


Saturday, August 18, 2012

My shop was featured on another blog!! Yay!!

AmandaJoCrafts very generously featured my shop on her blog yesterday! A fellow etsian, Amanda did an amazing job and I was sooo excited when I saw this! She also has a pretty adorable shop of her own that you should definitely check out here. Please visit her blog and shop in an effort to support those who support others! Thanks Amanda!! :-)

Here is the feature:

August 17, 2012

On ChatterBlossom

Filed under: Uncategorized — amandajocrafts @ 11:24 am
Today, I hung out (online, of course. The World Wide Web is a magical creation.) with Jamie Lee, owner of one of my new favorite Etsy shops: ChatterBlossom. She sells accessories for weddings and other special occasions. Her wedding fascinators are fresh and plucky, and her upcycled bows and bobby pins are vintage chic.
upcycled hair bow from ChatterBlossom on Etsy with stripes of yellow, pink braided center and vintage white button
(No touching; I have dibs on this one as a reward for my next sale!)
Opened recently (May 22 of this year), ChatterBlossom already has a strong sense of shop style. So many new Etsy sellers have trouble at first with creating a coherent, professional look to her shop. Jamie, however, brushed off my compliment and said: “I really tried to make the best of what I have. I don’t have a studio, an amazing camera, or even a model. I just try to take clear photos without too much fluff. And I spend HOURS trying to take the photos of the pieces in my own hair. Just set timer, run, repeat!”
What first really struck me about Jamie’s shop is how much she knows about her creations; she doesn’t just tell you what they are and how they were made, she tells you who you are if you like that piece. Her favorite piece is the “Let’s Fall in Love” fascinator, which is also a great example of what I’m talking about:peony hair fascinator by ChatterBlossom on Etsy with gold vintage button center
I don’t just get to read about what it looks like (in beautiful, yet succinct, detail–I should be taking notes from her!), but I also get the following:
Personalities: The Dreamy and Affectionate
Places you’ll find yourself: Moonlit, romantic walks along hidden woodland trails
What a unique way to describe a piece! And the most beautiful part is, I can see it. It’s a dreamy, ethereal world full of delicious nature surprises budding around every corner. It makes me desperately want to be wearing that fascinator in the woodland trails with my fiance, relishing in the intimacy of the moonlight. In two lines, she has painted that complete picture for me.
Her favorite item to make in her shop is her “Golden Buttons” bobby pins:
gold button bobby pins with vintage metallic buttons
When I asked why, she told me “I love to hunt for them and find a little work of art each time. Pairing them with other treasured buttons is liking reuniting old friends.” The buttons do look like old friends; although they’re all found different places, the combinations posted really seem as though they were meant to be together.
yellow 1950's hair pin buttons
 She obviously takes pride in her work product, and rightly so. Even though she claims she’s an amateur photographer, her photos do a great job of giving value to her piece, and I think we’re all getting a huge bargain. But, she has different aspirations. Although she would like to have steady, consistent sales, and is building her stock steadily toward that goal, mostly “I would just like to know there are fun, beautiful women walking around with my fascinators in their hair.”
I can tell you, with absolute certainty, that I will be one of those women!
Before I let her get back to her shop, I asked her one more question: what is her Etsy weakness? (All Etsy sellers have one; we spend way too much time building networks on that site not to fall in love with something: a style, product, or genre.) Hers, hands down, is vintage clothing. (I’m with her.) “I heart vintage hats, dresses, and shoes like it’s going out of style (and coming back in again! ;-) )”
You can find ChatterBlossom right here on Etsy. And, if you think Jamie is pretty cool too, you should definitely check out her blog, as well. I’m a follower!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Feature Friday – Bonjour Poupette

Feature Friday is entering a bit of a whimsical world today with the introduction of Bonjour Poupette.

Created by Sophie Skein, Bonjour Poupette is a magical little world of woodland animal sculpture.

weasel cake decorationsHer creations are cute and inquisitive looking, their gaze seems to ask you very politely to carry them home.

Amongst all of her creations, her wedding cake toppers are what first caught my eye. I love the idea of a nature inspired wedding with these little woodland souls perched atop the cake. There are weasels, meerkats, pugs, deer, shrews, and many more.

Pug couple wedding cake decorationsSophie describes her shop name and creations like this:

""Bonjour Poupette" could be translated as "Hello Little One" but it means that you are recognized and loved, right now, for all that you are.

puppy dog wedding cake decor with curly tailed pugs                   Poupettes are spirited renditions of animal people and other magical creatures. Every figurine has it's own personality that emerges as I work, which truly makes them one-of-a-kind. Indeed, they have evolved over time and will certainly continue to do so."


She also describes the process of creating these little creatures:
clay animal art of fox"Each figurine is individually sculpted with a premium, non-toxic, polymer modeling compound. I use polymer like a painter uses a palette; custom blending to invent new colors and textures. Some polymer mediums are blended with pigment and mica, which creates a subtle marbling and sparkle with a satin finish. Others are blended with pigment and kaolin clay, which creates a pristine matte texture. Although polymer can be painted, I prefer the challenge of creating color variations through meticulous layering and blending of the material itself and rarely use paint.

I particularly loved this one. How amazing would this be as a Halloween cake topper?! Such a handsome little devil!

cute whimsical red devil clay animal

To view all Bonjour Poupette items, click here.


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I just joined Bloglovin' to give people another way to follow my blog. I also get the benefit of following some of my favorites this way as well! Come along either way! ;-)


Wordless Wednesday – Golden Poppy

photo by ChatterBlossom of yellow California Poppy garden

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Friday, August 10, 2012

Feature Friday – GoGoVintage

Feature Friday has me feeling a decidedly nostalgic buzz today with the showcase of GoGoVintage.

          1950's style cat eye glasses in yellow and clear              teal knit retro long sleeved dress


This shop is based out of the wild west of the US of A and will get your vintage lovin' heart all a flutter!

Selling pieces from all eras, from the 50's demure dresses to the 80's vibrancy, GoGoVintage will snatch up your attention with more than a few good times past. 

pale blue and white 1950's women's dressyellow woven vintage hat with bow and wide brim                                                                               Oh, it's sooo unfair too! The photos just make you jealous because this chick gets to actually put on ALL of these wonderful clothes and pose in all the ways I would in the mirror when I'm pretending to wear clothes like these. Only my version is much more pathetic! 

retro swimwear for women in red and white vintageThere are some beautiful vintage finds in this collection and they are very reasonable prices when you think of the time it would take you to find pieces like these yourself.                                                                         
I know I always have grandiose ideas about what I'll find in my local thrift, but I usually just end up walking out empty handed two hours later with sweat on my upper lip and a frustrated "I need a milkshake" feeling in my gut. So why not save the hassle and have a little vintage love show up on your doorstep? 

yellow and white vintage dress with tie neckline and belt by GoGoVintage


To view all the vintage goodies in this shop, click here.



Friday, August 3, 2012

Feature Friday – VanessaHandmade

And the Feature Friday shop goes to...
tube yarn necklace spelling the word love in cream
Personally, I love the unusual. The slightly off, but oh so right. The little creations that make your head stop before your body ever gets the message and you almost pull a muscle from gawking at a total stranger that just walked by. This is what would happen to me if someone walked by wearing VanessaHandmade jewelry. 

chevron jewelry with brown, pink and blue neutral colorsVanya, the woman behind VanessaHandmade, creates pieces that have a natural flow and inviting quirks. She describes her creations as unconventional fiber jewelry with a tubing concept – sophisticated and unique wearable sculptures. I wholeheartedly agree.



yarn wrapped tube earrings from Vanessa Handmade


Her jewelry is made from cotton, linen, denim, etc. that has been crocheted into tubes. She then forms them into designs that are inspired by the irregularity and asymmetry of nature.

zig zag necklace made with yarn in greyHer color palette is wide ranging, but I've showcased a few pieces that appeal to my love of earthy neutrals. Make sure to check out her shop though for some vibrant jewel tones and trendy neons!

yarn crocheted collar jewelry with shell accentTo browse and drool over all her designs, visit her shop here.