I love the Christmas Holiday

I just love the Christmas Holiday. I am in love with the "retro" style and the truely vintage items found on Etsy.

Here are some of my favorites!

Vintage Mercury Glass Ornaments from absolutelyriveting

"One dozen pristine vintage, mercury glass Christmas Ornaments! These are from the late 40s to early 50s I would guess. There are 12 ornaments here for your vintage Christms tree."

What tree would not benifit from these?!

Or these Beautiful and Stunning 4 Vintage Italian Blown Glass Christmas Ornaments - Hand Painted found in RobertaGroves Shop. " 4 beautiful vintage blown glass Christmas tree ornaments - all hand painted and all made in Italy." These just leave me in awe!

I will post more soon, but have to run!

Could it Get Any Cuter?!

I was lucky to stumble upon a truly unique and cute shop! Variation makes some of the sweetest bead dolls I've seen. Wonderful colors and styles that bring a bit of nostalgia and whimsy to these little beings. Best of all they are her original design! I love that.

Wonderfully photographed as well. Giving each life and character.

I love the vintage feel to her studio. What a great keepsake these would make. Pack one up in some retro gift wrap and voila!

In addition to bead work, she also knits, crochets, embroiders, sews, dabbles in bookbinding, letterpress, metalsmithing, collage, and digital graphics and animation. She think the dolls will ultimately transition into jewelry (coming soon!). Hmmm.. now we know that Variation name has merit!

Here are some of my favorites from her shop. Click the picture to be taken to the item in her Etsy shop.Like a little ballerina isn't she precious.

These two look like Snow Queens from the Nutcracker!

Here's a great way to makes someones day special. Send them this sweet postcard!

Please Visit here Etsy shop here
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5270145

and see more wonderful work here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/j-critter/

I hope you enjoy!

An Awesome Find

There are a few shops on Etsy that just never cease to amaze me. One of them is from Timothy Adams shop TimothyAdamsDesigns. He is a wonderful metal artist. Along with being great at his craft he is also known for helping others in the crafting community.

Here is one of his latest creations the Les Paul Guitar Table. Wow this is a true find! Weather you are a musician or someone who loves music this piece of functional art could make fabulous centerpiece to your room. Also this piece is very timely with the recent passing of the legendary Les Paul. I live just a stones throw from the birth place of the legend so the table really struck me to find it.

More finds in his shop.

How many rings can a tree have? As many as you can put on this sweetheart of a ring holder

You can say "Cheese", but this Copper Rivet Camera Necklace is anything but cheesy

Turn over a new leaf with this Beautiful Maple Leaf necklace.

Timothy also spends time to help other learn the process of promoting their craft and shop. His site Handmadeology can walk you through many of the nuances of Etsy and Artfire. Every Monday he has an Etsy top 10 where he promotes Etsy sellers by getting them to see and promote other sellers. A good feeling all around.

Etsy 101: Everything Etsy

Artfire 101: All About Artfire

Traffic 101: Back to Basics

Other sites to see Timothy Adam

Twitter

http://twitter.com/timothyadam

Portfolio:

http://www.timothyadamdesigns.com/

blog:

http://www.timothyadamdesigns.blogspot.com/

http://www.handmadeology.com/

Facebook

Timothy Adam Designs

A Great Cup of Coffee

Jens Blasen Pottery made this mug

Well if you ask me, the self proclaimed "coffee snob" there are a few things you need to make a great cup of coffee.






This mug from dbabcock

First the coffee itself. I prefer something dark and bold. Not too much acidity, but with some character. My coffee of choice comes from a local roaster Alterra. My usual brew is French Roast or Georges Burly Blend. If you have not heard of Alterra Coffee yet I am sure that will change soon. They are a local roaster here in the Milwaukee area. Specializing in a variety of Fair Trade and Organic Coffees.

these cups are from JD Wolfe Pottery

Okay now you have your favorite grind in hand. Time to brew. I swear by the French Press. It gives you all the flavor, oils and aroma! I truly hate to make coffee any other way. Unless I treat myself to a cup of espresso made on my stove top. But that take time, which I rarely have. My French Press only take a few minutes and is so satisfying.

this cup from Twisted River Clay

Now... For the cup! My coffee always taste better when I drink from a beautiful mug or cup. So I thought I would take this opportunity to show off some of the wonderful work I found on Etsy. Some Handmade pottery mugs and cups.

this set is from Darielles Clay Art

Wouldn't you love to drink your coffee from one of these?

Fabulous Finds!

Well it has been a while since I have had time to look thru my favorite finds. But I have a moment today and thought I would share some with you.

The first one up is this adorable shop I stumbled upon, Weakness. I can see how one could succumb to a weakness for this shop! Sweet whimsical ways to promote your own shop or to add something special to party favors. I am thinking of having some stickers made up for my niece. So she can use them in her personal library.

weather you want a princess theme....

or maybe a Pirate...

Or maybe some customized tags for your shop items

They have many designs to choose from.. or they can use your own logo!

Different sizes are offered as well as quantity discounts!

What a spectacular find!

I will be adding on shortly

Fridays Favorites!

Oh it is Friday.. and I am just so busy! But I will sqeeze in a few favs today.

Here is an addorable addition to your kitchen! Have a Heart Valentine's Dish Towel Dress from Klosti on Etsy. She has them in many colors and themes. A great hostess gift!

And right now , they have FREE Shipping on domestic orders!!

OH and here is a fantastic pc of work from Fuzzy Lumpkin Crochet! Antique Rose Brooch At 4" in diameter this beauty will be seen! wow I just love the colors used here. They name suits is perfectly.

What a wonderful Valentine or Mother's Day gift!

Wear it as a brooch or on your purse. Dare to add it to your favorite hat.. the possiblities are endless!

Now here is a Lo-Cal treat to please all! Ceramic Blueberry Turquoise Cupcake Cookie Jar Container W/ Cherry On top from Fruitfly Pie.

Can't you see this sweet thing on your kitchen

counter waiting to put a smile on your face

every morning?

Different flavors in their shop too. So I am sure you will find one to please your sweet tooth.

Now I am off to eat a cupcake!

Enjoy!

Oh My, It's Friday Already!

I can't believe how fast this past week flew! I have been meaning to post more, but just could not get to it!


So here we go with a Shameless Self Promo.. My newest in the Wedding Collection.. the "Lisel" bracelet. Beautiful for your bridesmaids, and Wonderful for any day! Sure to please long after the wedding!

I can make this one in any color you please.. I am making a satin blue one for myself tonight!

Okay I promise to comeback soon and post some of my Fabulous Favs, from my Fellow Etsy & Art Fire artists!

Fridays Favorites!

Okay ... so it is Frigid Friday here in Wisconsin! Schools are closed again and I am freezing! So what better way to warm up then with a few of my favorite things!


Can you believe the price on this beautiful yarn?! Only $15.95!! and he adds in a bit extra for gauging!


Made by OldfieldCreekYarn in Georgia. This yarn is listed in his Etsy shop.. just click on the pic and it could be on it's way to you. Although I can promise that I won't get it first! but there are many other beautiful skeins to choose from as well.

From his description:

This fingering weight yarn contains a blend of high-quality fibers. 60% of this yarn is a luxuriously soft, superwash Merino Wool. The addition of 30% Bamboo fiber adds adds strength, cloud-like softness (more breathability), and a subtle shimmer which elevates the colorways to a multidimensional state. Bamboo fiber is also known for its bacteriostatic properties. The addition of 10% Nylon provides durability. This is a four ounce, 440 yard skein










And here are some cards to warm your heart. They are suuper sweet! Made by cardsbyjenna in Washington. and they are only $7.00!

Again, click the pic to get to her shop and make them yours.

From her shop description:

Handstamped in black ink and colored in using watercolor pens these cute bee cards are the perfect thank you note. Each card features magenta prima flowers. The bumble bees bouquet of flowers is accented with iridescent glitter to add the perfect thank you sparkle. Measuring 4 x 5.5 inches each handcrafted card comes with its own white envelope and delivered in a clear cello bag.



She will even make them in different colors!

And if you are stuck inside on these cold days.. how about catching up on your Scrapbooking!

Here are some cute heart cut outs from

LilypadLounge in California. Only $4.00!

how sweet are these?! you know the drill, click the pic!

from her description

There is no better way to express my love for vintage papers than through some heart punched from a variety of mostly vintage papers, with some new pattern papers snuck in between. I can't get over how sweet each of these 1" hearts is, and they look adorable gathered together in a little bowl. Use on a handmade tag, card, collage, art journal, scrapbook page, journal cover... With 100 of these 1" paper hearts you'll have plenty to experiment with!

Make sure to post a comment!

Favorite Items to Warm up With!

Brrrr! It is darn cold out. I can't wait to complain about the Heat and Humidity. Bring it on!
So here we go with some more of my Favorite things from fellow Etsy artist.. Warms the heart if not the toes!





Here is a wonderful and sweet piece of art work from elevenish Called "Little Sweeie" This illustration was drawn in pen on paper, then digitally colored.Print measures 8x10 paper, creating a small border perfect for framing."Little Sweetie" is professionally printed on Futura 100# paper with a matte finish. This illustration was drawn in pen on paper, then digitally colored.








Or maybe some yarn to knit into something warm! Like this "HANDSPUN YARN - 225 yds Bluefaced Leicester Wool in Raspberry by Blarney Yarn" from BlarneyYarn


Handspun yarn by Blarney Yarn.*100% Bluefaced Leicester Wool*One 2 oz skein, approximately 225 yards*Light sport weight (approximately 15 wraps/inch), 5 - 6 stitches/inch on US size 4-6 needles.*Colorway: "Raspberry". Colors include: light pink, peach, apricot, lilac, wine red, burgundy, and medium purple.This is a skein of soft and lustrous bluefaced leicester yarn handspun from my handpainted roving. I spun this yarn using the modified long-draw method on my Bosworth Journey Wheel, which gives this yarn extra softness, loft and bounce. This yarn would make a great addition to any knitting or crochet project. For best results, hand wash in cold water and then lay flat to dry.



Here is a super cute and unique item! Meadow Flowers girls Dress by rabbitwhiskers.

This is a one-of-a-kind heirloom, hand-made, smocked and embroidered, child's dress, size 1. The aqua, floral print 100% cotton fabric is intricately smocked in white. A scene is embroidered in the center of the smocking.

What a wonderful gift for someone you love!






Well I hope you enjoy these favorites like it do! just click on the picture or shop name to start making them yours!

When the Cold Bites!

I simply remember my Favorite Things.. from fellow Etsy artists!

Like this Felted Flower Brooch made with Recycled Sweaters in Red and Cream




Made by DreamWhimsy












Or Wool DK weight Handpainted Yarn--Cranberry Bog Colorway Made by ShadySideFarm They raise the sheep the wool is made from! How cool is that?!










One of the ones that makes me really warm inside is this beautiful handmade lampwork bead bracelet! I just love the turquoise and brown colors. Made by 2Smooches or Janet's Jewels as she is also known. Here is Brown and Turquoise Lampwork Bracelet Southwestern

Valentine's Day Gifts

It is time to start thinking of the upcoming holiday... Valentines Day!

Hearts are a great gift for someone you love.. or yourself!

These Swarovski Crystal Hearts have wonderful Sparkle!