etsy love

I had a really crummy day. As my migraine began to back down a bit I crawled into bed and had a good cry. A really good cry. That helped. A little. But then I logged into Etsy and did what I do best. I shopped. And I smiled. Thanks to these pretty little things and oh, so many more...

n.39 by thefarforest...


hand painted appliqued posy pillow by tracybdesigns...


summer blooms clutch by lemontreestudio...


aqua-licious cake stand by vesselsandwares...


personalized children's silhouette by lemondropstudio...


lovely you by dazeychic...

mamamade

As we approach Earth Day I thought it only fitting to feature a little shop that's doing big things for our environment. Meet Mama Made & her absolutely fabulous reusable snack and sandwich bags.

Our schools in Northern California are "no waste" schools meaning that what goes to school and doesn't get eaten comes back home. We aim for zero waste in our lunch boxes and we do our best to practice the same thoughtfulness outside of school. These bags will be the perfect addition to our current assortment of eco-friendly bags & containers.

The outside of Mama Made's bags come in assorted, colorful cotton prints. The inside of the bag is lined with a waterproof polyurethane laminated knit. The bags fasten with a 1/2" x 6" hook and loop tape closure. The small size bags (shown here) retail for $6.00 and the larger sandwich bag is only $7.00. And here's the kicker...if you buy three bags she'll discount each bag 20% off. Gotta love a volume discount on something you can use lots of!

Mama Made has been involved with Etsy for two years now & is a member of EtsyKids. One thing to note, however. If you go looking for the darling prints shown above you might be out of luck...cause I'm going shopping as soon as I hit "publish post". Race you!

zozo bug

No I'm not partial to this shop just because their name is so adorable and very close to ours. Well...maybe just a little bit. Actually, I've been strolling through the zozo bug baby shop for the last half an hour because the product is right down Zuzu's bohemian alley, the photography is thoughtful & the models are charming. So there. My favorite is the twirl skirt shown in the first photograph. I love the simple patchwork style and the way the photographer captured the fabric in action. Lovely. Absolutely lovely.

star house

She is an artist, a teacher, a mom, a Capricorn, a self-professed dork & the creative mind behind Star House. Her Etsy shop was just featured on Poppy Talk Handmade and rightfully so. Star House offers over 30 hand-crafted wooden toy sets but I have to say that my favorite item for sale is the "fancy needle felted bun-bun" shown in the first image above. They make me smile. So does this shop.

From the artist's profile...
"I believe that each of us at our core is pure light, like a star. I see these bodies as just houses for that light, hence the name Star House. May we all glow, grow, and shine."

paloma's nest

Looking for a wedding gift, mother's day gift or just need something to brighten your day? Click HERE...immediately. Paloma's Nest is nothing short of fabulous. Caroline Colom Vasquez crafts everything by hand from her home studio in Austin, Texas "with care, pride, and passion" and it shows. I was sold on this piece above for my bathroom even before I read the inspiration...

To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intellingent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - this is to have succeeded.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

the clever kitty

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm finally a member of the EtsyKids team headed up by this talented artist, Shannon. Her Etsy shop, The Clever Kitty, is full of felty goodness including the products pictured above. She has little lovelies for the hair, neck, fingers & toes for both you and your little one. And even if you're not in the market to buy go ahead and give her link a click. It's such a bright and cheerful place that I can almost guarantee you a good time!


Visit EtsyKids

fairy princess party

What fairy princess party would be complete without a ribbon wand for each of the princesses? This is my first attempt at a simple wand that could be purchased in bulk for party favors within a smaller budget. The dowels were hand painted and sealed rather than ribbon wrapped and there are no fancy flowers or ribbons but I think they turned out amazing. As did the three little princesses that product tested their own at this morning's egg hunt. The beauty is that, in more masculine colors these will be suitable for a little prince too. Please hold tight for a preview...

confessions of a soap junkie

How many things come to mind when you hear the name The Dirty Housewife? Don't answer that. Well the Dirty Housewife in this post caught my eye with images like the one above from her Etsy shop. I first saw her on Lemon Drop Studio's blog last week & since then have spent many moments shuffling through three pages of soapy goodness over and over and over again. I do confess, I haven't bought anything yet because, quite simply, I just cannot decide. I want it all! Here are a few other fabulous images straight from her shop. But don't say I didn't warn you. They are addicting...

sleep tight zuzu girl

Our little miss Zuzu has not been doing such an outstanding job sleeping these days so today after school she will be surprised with this sweet & simple dream catcher that I made while she was away. Hopefully it will inspire her to surprise us with many a restful night in the near future...

guess how much I love you?

I know you've read the book but do you recite this line to your child nearly every day like I do? And... do you own the necklace? I bet not! But now you can thanks to Kristen's Custom Creations on Etsy. She has over 100 fabulous items currently for sale in her shop and, as the name implies, she can do custom just about anything. Checkout Kristen's blog too and make sure you hang around long enough to read the sweet post about zuzu girl handmade.

irony, size 2T

Available at peek... aren't you curious. Totally cute but can you imagine putting this on your 2 year old? The irony. I suppose I could tell her it said *princess* and she'd never know the difference...

princess party pail

Thanks go to the generous parents in our pre-school class for helping to fund this fabulous auction basket for our Spring fund-raiser. I found the sweet pink pail at Pottery Barn Kids and I think it's the perfect vessel for our assortment. And, while I wish I could take credit, the oh so pretty petticoat is made by Oopsy Daisy Baby, Inc and was purchased locally at my friend Annie's shop, Goodnite Moon. Everything else is courtesy of yours truly.

I love the way the pair of daisy ribbon wands turned out with over four feet of streaming organza ribbon that's wrapped up tightly in the photograph. I anticipate there will be some in the shop soon...and I have a sneaking suspicion that Zuzu will be asking for a little lollipop headband for her collection as well!

This basket would retail for about $200 but we hope to collect much more for the benefit of our children. If you or anyone you know might be interested in something like this for your school I'd be delighted to help!

let's party!

These lovely labels are courtesy of a new Etsy shop called Print Your Party. Their assortment runs the gamut from invitations to party decor and obviously includes several different shapes and sizes of labels. But the brilliance factor here is that they are all provided as printable downloads. So they are affordable for the buyer (you provide your own printer and paper) and the seller doesn't have to carry any inventory. It's a win win situation.

There are several successful companies out there already doing this with paper goods but I love the way Print Your Party has positioned themselves as the complete party resource. They also do a great job displaying the labels and offering creative solutions for favors and table decorations. I chose to show you the baby collection (cause it's pink, I like birds & it merchandises well on the blog) but there are several other diverse collections to choose from. And you'll just have to check those out for yourself now won't you...

mommy's little helper

I lost Zuzu for a few minutes while I was posting on my other blog and when I found her she was in my craft area quietly attacking my supply drawers. She was trying to get my good tissue out in order wrap up one of her wands and sticker it closed with a "Hanukah 2003" sticker that she had just stolen from a photo album. I almost lost it before she softly remarked, "I want to make it like you do." My heart just sank. So I replaced the good tissue with a few sheets of red, gave her a real zuzu girl sticker and she got busy. What truly amazed me is that I never knew she was watching me...but apparently she was because she did a darn good job packaging up a wand for a 2 year old! So the question for the day is...how long do I have to wait until I can put her to work?

tweet, tweet.

Ain't she sweet?

hoot, hoot

This owl should be telling me that it's way past my bedtime but instead it's luring me to blog about it! This is a Big Hoot courtesy of Manic Muffin Totes on Etsy. The shop is stocked full of Lil' Hoots as well in the most darling array of fabrications. All of her quilts and appliqued items are done by hand & she accepts customer orders. Hoot, hoot for handmade!

pinwheels!

We have a neighbor on our block that always seems to have a few random pin wheels stuck among the flowers in their front lawn. It must have something to do with the nine year old that inhabits the house but I always relish in the whimsy as we stroll by on our way home. And then tonight I saw these fabulous pinwheel mobiles for sale at dosta beba on Etsy courtesy of tutus & turtles blog and, for a second, (a very brief one) I almost wished had a nursery to decorate. But I don't. So I figured I'd share with someone who might.

bin-go

Let me see. What to say? Um? Love these!

I'm the kind of gal that can't stop buying toys for her kids but truly can't stand to see them hanging around my living space. Toys are generally relegated to bedrooms and the very, very small playroom (which is also our guest room and my craft room, mind you).

Needless to say, I have a nightly ritual of carting toys back and forth from the dining room table to their more inconspicuous homes only to have the children return them to the dining room table eight hours later for breakfast. Sure I've tried bins, and baskets, and all kinds of contraptions but these? These are cool. The colors are cool, the size is cool and, even cooler? They fold down flat when not in use. Yeah, that's cool.

They are available here and thanks go to Kids Haus for the link and groovy photo montage. (Yeah, you'd think I'd know how to do that already. Not so much.)

pom-pom party

I don't have any weddings or fancy dinner parties coming up but who could resist these fabulous hanging pom-poms & coordinating napkin rings just for the fun of it? Apparently all that's needed to do it yourself is tissue paper & cloth covered floral wire. And, of course, these simple, four step instructions courtesy of Martha Stewart. Of course I can just picture our children trying to play volleyball with them now...

wall candy

Don't you just adore these wall vinyls by Wall Candy and available at Modern Seed? I could just eat them up. The stars on the *Nightly News* owl vinyl even glow in the dark. How fun is that?