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Posts Tagged ‘Etsy’

Springy Things

Posted in Etsy, Holidays, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 6, 2012| 1 Comment »

After selling my wares on Etsy for all these years I’ve finally created my first Treasury. I call it Springy Things, which is sort of a round-about reference to an inside joke between me and Diggy. That actual phrase was “icky things,” but this treasury is far from icky.

With Easter this weekend and springtime officially here I found some really nice items in Etsy that depict my visions of both. 

Enjoy, and have a Happy Easter!

Top Row:  Cathedral Window Pillow by mayesathome, Sprintime Floral Frame Pendant by wordmermaid1, Birch Tree Painting by SGArtandFashion, Fleece Kids Rainboot Liners by katelyb

Second Row: Little Duckling by imagerybykimberly, Spring Tree-Red Birds by sebvanb, Ring Bowl by DariellesClayArt, Belle Princess Spring Tutu Dress by SoleilCreations

Third Row: Spring Rain Photo by DovieMoon, Beaded Handbag by thejoanandlucyshow, Spring Wooded Photograph by JCooleyStudios, Vintage Beaded Bracelet by trappedintheattic

Bottom Row: Spring Cupcake Easter Soap by ButtersandBubbles, Easter Apron with Pink Bunnies by sjcnace4, Whimsy-ariuim Mushroom Garden by succu, Easter Eggs by SweetAmbs

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Silence Is Golden

Posted in Craft Business, Nostalgia, tagged , , , , , , on April 5, 2012| 3 Comments »

I remember years ago when I was in high school how my dad would be so disgusted at my homework practices.  I usually had the stereo blaring (before the days of iPods) with records or radio.  He was certain I wasn’t giving my school work the concentration it needed.  I would laugh, of course, assuring him I could concentrate much better with my tunes.

Now that I’m older, older than my dad was when he lectured the importance of concentration and focus, I get it.  It seems I’ve developed a sensitivity to noise with my increasing age, especially artifical noise (natural noises like birds chirping or babbling brooks don’t count).  I don’t want to have music constantly streaming through my head.  I don’t want to have the TV on as background noise.  I go completely out of my mind with noises the building makes at my day job, and seriously, what’s with white noise?  It’s incessant and annoying.  I don’t mind hearing people talk to each other in person, but to have to hear someone talking on their cell phone makes me positively insane.  Sometimes I think I’m as bad as The Grinch when he complains about Christmas in Whoville with all the “noise noise noise noise!”

I wonder what it would be like to live with Harpo Marx.  He didn’t speak.  Nice and quiet, with a few exceptions of course.

When I’m home alone I usually don’t turn on music or TV for company.  I don’t sing or hum to myself.  I just enjoy the quiet ~ the quiet I can’t find anywhere else unless I’m completely alone.  The stillness is like a soft pillow, the silence like a downy quilt.  It’s cozy.  It’s quiet.

Of course this isn’t to say I don’t want anyone speaking to me, or amongst themselves.  I wouldn’t enjoy a world completely void of noise.  But every once in a while I’ll turn it all off, think of Harpo, and remember how silence is indeed golden.

Silence is Golden magnet ~ available in my shop. Just click on the picture.

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Featured Shop ~ paulpresnail

Posted in Artists and Shops, Etsy, tagged , , , , on April 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I’m excited to tell you about the Etsy shop of a talented Minnesota artist. I was browsing recently and found the beautiful photography of Paul Presnail.

Benchmark

Paul’s shop has everything from vividly-colored photographs to black and white, from a barn in Iowa to the Eiffel Tower in France, from nature to architecture.  He says he doesn’t Photoshop his creations, so what you see in the photos is a result of his great eye for subject matters and an amazing ability with the camera.

Portals

I really like what Paul says in his shop introduction:  “What we see through our eyes is never just light and shapes. Every image is painted with personal perspectives based on feelings and experiences. So while we all may look at the same things, how we interpret what we see is uniquely our own.”  

Step by Step

Wander through Paul’s shop and discover your interpretations of his subjects. Some may be familiar, some a dream, but I know for sure you’ll enjoy soaking up what Paul Presnail and his camera have to offer.

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The Enkindled Spring

Posted in Artists and Shops, tagged , , , , on March 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

New Orleans Cemetery Angel by sibyllinephotography

The Enkindled Spring

This spring as it comes bursts up in bonfires green,
Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes,
Thorn-blossom lifting in wreaths of smoke between
Where the wood fumes up and the watery, flickering rushes.

I am amazed at this spring, this conflagration
Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze
Of growing, and sparks that puff in wild gyration,
Faces of people streaming across my gaze.

And I, what fountain of fire am I among
This leaping combustion of spring? My spirit is tossed
About like a shadow buffeted in the throng
Of flames, a shadow that’s gone astray, and is lost.

~ D. H. Lawrence

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Featured Shop ~ Gingham Life

Posted in Artists and Shops, Etsy, tagged , , , , , , on March 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

If there’s one thing that inspires me it’s nostalgia.  I usually romanticize the past, thinking how marvelous it would have been to live in those times.  OK, so I don’t know if I could ever live without some of today’s conveniences, but there is definitely a comfort in “the good old days,” even if those days were before my time.

I’m so glad I found the Etsy shop of one of my fellow HandmadeMN members; it takes me back to those good old days in the form of textiles.  Gingham Life caught my attention and my admiration.  I’m completely in love with the aprons!  (Click on the pictures – they’re direct links to your purchasing pleasure!)

Handmade Smocked Apron, 1960s Pattern and Vintage Gingham

How much do I love the smocking?  Much!  And smocking paired with gingham has got to be the cutest thing there is.  Such fanciness for such a useful accessory!  Gingham Life is contributing to the rebirth of American-made aprons and clothes and uses vintage and repurposed textiles.

Floating Hostess Hand-Smocked Half Apron, Vintage Gingham and Hankie

This next apron is cute enough to be a dress!  (Except don’t do it because the back is completely open and you’d embarrass yourself terribly in front of your guests.)  How wonderful, the pink and brown, the buttons and pockets ~ I think it’s just adorable.

Handmade Apron, 1960s “Country Calico” A-Line Pattern, OOAK, Vintage Fabric

Not only does Gingham Life offer aprons, there are vintage linens and patterns, clothes, and other accessories made from repurposed fabrics.

The things at Gingham Life make me feel nostalgic, and even inspire me to do the vacuuming in one of these great aprons and high-heeled shoes, just like June Cleaver would.

This article will soon be published on the HandmadeMN blog, a blog I’m sure you will enjoy. Not only do they publish my Featured Shop articles, there are lots of giveaways and interesting articles presented by many Minnesota artisans like me.

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