Gift

My friend, Sasha, gave me this perfect little clutch for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. Of course, she made it! I just love everything about it: my favorite color, felt, velvet leaves, vintage button and pretty lining. It was wrapped beautifully, too. I only wish I had a photo.

Sasha is the best at wrapping gifts in a pretty and unique way, with a vintage twist.

These photos aren't the best, as I snapped them quickly upon arriving to work this morning. But you get the picture.

Thanks so much, Sasha! :D

Fun Trend

Have you seen those funky pieces of jewelry out there? The ones made with discarded silverware? I love them!

Spoon Ring by SilverSpoonDesigns





Fork Bracelet by MarchelloArt



Monogrammed Vintage Spoon Bracelet by BentSpoonJewelry

Amazing fork cuff by forkwhisperer




Another beautiful spoon ring, this one by goorsendjewelry

Spoon Earrings by jjevensen

Jingle BellZ Knife Necklace by SpoonerZ

Sneak Peek!

Another sneak peek at what I've been working on for the art show. 2 more weeks!!!

Etsian of the Week: TheWindyHill

It's been a while since I've done an Etsy post, so why not start up again by featuring my mom's new shoppe? Before starting out on Etsy, she sold quality, handmade clothing for Himstedts, as did I. You can still buy a few of her ensembles here {KinderCottageKeepsakes}, as well as see past creations.

Her new venture on Etsy is made up mostly of handmade, anime-style, felt dolls. We have decided they are so weird that they're pretty cute! She also sells upcycled rings made with vintage earrings and buttons, plus fabric covered button earrings. So stop by and look around. She'll have new items up soon! :)

www.TheWindyHill.etsy.com

Sneek Peek

Well, this is my first post about me in a while. ;-) I have been busy with Umbrella Ave. and work, even though very neglectful of the poor little blog. I hope you'll all forgive me when I show you some peeks at what I've been working on. I've decided to add a new line of miniature stuffed animals to my shoppe. They won't premiere until the art show in November (wait.........I didn't post about the art show?.......wow, I really have been neglectful), but I want to show a few photos here. These are only progress shots of my newest stuffie addition, but you can see the other animals I've made in the last photo. These will be sold separately in little jars with lids. The inspiration came from the last issue of Where Women Create, which I will try to post photos of next week. Don't hold your breathe, though. I would hate for anyone to pass out while waiting for me to get in gear. ;-)

Lovely spools of thread which were used in my new line of embroidered footwear art.

(see last photo)



Cluttered workspace

The stuffies are completely sewn by hand with reproduction fabrics!




3 new lines: Owl-themed mirror necklaces, Vintage Stuffies & embroidered footwear art

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Inspiration

Wow, I've been very silent in the blogging realm lately. Between finishing and listing a couple of things, my regular work schedule at a local boutique, shopping in the city for my sister's b-day, trying out some new items for the shoppe, and just plain laziness............I have not made the time that I should. I apologize to any regular readers. But I promise to try and do better this week!

For lack of anything prepared, I am going to showcase a really neat idea that my friend, Sasha from thegildedbee, just posted on her blog.

{I know, I know...........I'm such a cheater}

Here are a few photos of Sasha's homeade, vintage bookcover postcards. Click here to see how she did it. :)

Another GildedBee Giveaway!

Sasha is really going at it! Another giveaway from the lovely blog IAmTheBee. :) Click here to enter!

Pretty Retro-style Dresses

I love these dresses by Michelle Tan. They have such nice darts and curves. The pleats on the green dress are really flattering. :D

Sneek Peek #2

Another sneek peek of what's coming to the shoppe............

Shabby Floral Rings

I just added new inventory to the shoppe! See them all by clicking on the Umbrella Ave. link in the left hand sidebar. :D

Shoppe Preview #1

Since temporarily closing my Etsy shoppe, I've been busy working on new inventory. Here is a preview of what will be hitting my shoppe later on this month (hopefully).

Featured Etsian: Extraseed

Since I seem to be on a shoe kick lately (no pun intended), here is a new seller that I found on Etsy. What adorable, well-made shoes! They are handmade, using recycled car tires for the soles.........very cool and green, too. I love the shapes, colors and fabrics. They look like high-end store-bought shoes!

See many more styles at the shoppe: extraseed

Featured Etsian

My featured seller for the week is dragonhouseofyuen. What funky, fabric animal sculptures! They would be so retro/mod hanging from a Christmas tree, strung on a piece of twine and hung around a window, or just sitting on your dresser. Btw......I just love how the artist community calls these "sculptures" now instead of plain old stuffed animals. It fits them better, since these really are pieces of art and not cheap children's toys.

My favorite sculptures here are the squirrels, but there are so many different styles and patterns to choose from, that you'll have to stop by the shop and decide for yourself. :)

Excerpt from dragonhouseofyuen's profile page:

"Annette Tait of Dragon House of Yuen

I grew up in Zambia, the Highlands of Scotland and Outback Australia surrounded by animals. I am inspired by nature and have a great love of all animals. My art is animal oriented and comes from the heart. All my work is originals and has been designed and created by me. (Please see)My fine art website: www.dragonhouseofyuen.co.uk"