Sunday, September 27, 2009

Designs by Vanessa

This month we're featuring the uber-talented Designs by Vanessa, a just delightful shop on Etsy. I mean, how can you resist that beautiful necklace with the birds?

Vanessa fills her shop with a lovely mix of jewelry and paper goods, all with her signature style stamped all over them, a really great place to shop.

Also, she has a lovely blog here, which has some really great ideas to share, check out her cute yarn bottle idea! So, please, go check her out, and enjoy! ♥



Darling Swallow Necklace




Sunday Loveliness -

Not only do these girls live in an awesome house, but they both have cool Etsy shops, and a really great blog, here. I hope you enjoy your little Sunday supplement, and have a great weekend! ♥



Recycled Wool Tote Bag from Forestbound

Friday, September 18, 2009

Miesmama

Hi there!

I was asked to do a post about me and to show my face, so hi, here I am! I took this picture of myself last year, there's not a lot of photos of me knocking around, thousands of my kid's though! lol!

So, here's my mini bio -

I have always loved being creative, especially in fiber arts, I even went to art college to pursue this, however I came to realise that I have not the ambitious drive to do that as a career, so it was shelved for a while. Work, travel, marriage, and kid's later, I decided to satrt again. Firstly, I wanted to re-learn how to knit, and was taught by a wonderful friend at a knitting group, this led to the discovery of felting, which I fell in love with. I began to make bags, and bowls, and loved to make them, but i began to wonder what to do with all my little creations. It was about this time that I also discovered Etsy, and the natural progression was to start selling my wares there. This has been a lovely way to continue my art, and make a little step towards a more self-sustaining lifestyle.

I live very happily in the Adirondacks, in Upstate New York, with my husband, two kids, dog and two cats, sometimes working at a local bookstore, and sometimes working on my felted creations. Life is good! ♥

coming soon!

the Victoria bowl -

When I made a whole bunch of things to put in to the New leaf Art Gallery, one of the new items I designed was this awesome bowl. It is a beautiful chianti colored yarn fron Brown Sheep, with a lovely lace detail wrapped around the base of the bowl. I love the way it came out,very victoriana in feel but with a modern twist, and I'm working on some for my Etsy shop. Fall is my favorite season, I love it's rich, warm colors, and this purple is definitely one of those. I hope you enjoy it too. Enjoy! ♥

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Back to School week - day 2

I Love Books Zipper Pouch

I Love Books Small Tote Bag



The Kukubee shop on Etsy is full of cute and unique pouches, perfect for pencils and darling little book bags, so start school off with the right accessories, sure to inspire your little ones! Happy Tuesday! ♥

Monday, September 7, 2009

Back to School week - day 1

This week, is the first week back to school in our area, always after Labor Day, so tomorrow will be the first day of early rises, long days, and homework! But, it will also be nice to back into the routine of it all, and I love Fall as a season, and the kid's love it too, apples, pumpkins, Halloween and all that good stuff. So I thought this week it would be fun to show some of the amazingly crafty Etsians at work, on back to school type stuff. Day 1, of course, has to be all about the bag! Where would you be without the bag? My kid's always have backpacks, I just think they're easier to carry and support their backs better, but this year I've noticed a lot of really cool messenger bags (there's even a Coraline messenger bag! :), and maybe by high school they'll want to use those instead. I found this awesome shop on Etsy, called Farfallagialla, and she makes some great bags, wallets, clutches, even bookcovers. Happy Monday!




Mesica Messenger Bag



Think Pink Backpack

Sunday, September 6, 2009

a Sunday Handmade Portrait -

Black-Eyed Suzie



The Storque blog on Etsy has a wonderful series of short interviews with various Etsy artists, it's such fun to read about fellow Etsians, see where they live, what they make, and what inspires them. I thought it would be cool to share a different one with you every Sunday, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Have a wonderful long weekend, and enjoy! ♥

Friday, September 4, 2009

awesome art week - day 5

Corid -

Sookie, a limited edition archival print
Trust, a limited edition archival print

Save, a limited edition archival print
Corid, is a wonderful artist based in Pullman, WA, and her mixed media artwork is just awesome! All her prints are in limited edition runs of 20, so if you see something you like, grab it right away!!! She also sells some of her originals and some really cool ornaments. So, go check it out, and enjoy! ♥

Thursday, September 3, 2009

awesome art week - day 4

Tollipop -




The Little Coven




Baking Day












Tollipop is a wonderful shop on Etsy, full of prints of the amazing work of artist Kirsten, a Canadian who now lives in Las Vegas with her family. I think she describes her artwork the best in this quote -

Anyway, my drawings are mainly about children who are lost in thought, the kind who daydream and press their noses against the glass. Little spectators with imaginary friends and sometimes the whole world on their minds, but experiencing the magic of childhood nonetheless. I guess if you asked me to describe my art, that is what I would say.
I love her work, and really need that last print for my daughter, who is an avid reader and daydreamer! She also has an awesome website here, so I hope you'll check it out, and enjoy! ♥

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

awesome art week - day 3

Lauren Gregg -

Classic Nerd



Lauren Gregg has a fantastic, quirky, sense of humour that shines through her artwork. Her Etsy shop is full of these wonderful pieces in print form, and there's a nerd for all of us, and our loved ones. I am definitely the Knitting Nerd! lol! She also has an awesome website, here where you can find out more about the artist herself, and new projects she's working on. So, go check it out, and enjoy! ♥

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

awesome art week - day 2

The Black Apple -

Fern Print

Squirrel on a String Print

The Black Apple is a glorious shop full of the amazing artwork of Emily Martin. She lives in the creative enviroment of Portland, Oregon, but also I think partly in a lovely dreamland of forest animals and their humans. Check out her wonderful blog, here.
Enjoy! ♥