On Trend || It's Wedding Season!

Are you planning a wedding?  If you are you probably already know that Etsy is an amazing resource for creating a one of a kind celebration. From dresses to wedding party gifts, from reception goodies to sashes, you can do all your shopping in one location. The fun part is that you can work with a team of artisans from all around the world to make your wedding day truly unique and one of a kind. If you haven't all ready you should sign up for Etsy's wedding registry.  Whether you are planning a wedding or looking for that perfect gift for your favorite couple,  Etsy has you covered!

On Trend || It's Wedding Season
1. wedding favor soap ✦ Little Flower Soap Co. 
2. lace bridal sash ✦ branchbound
3. rustic candle holders ✦ Luke Lamp Co.
4. ceramic ring bearer dish ✦ Orly Design
5. bridesmaid clutch set ✦ Mama Bleu Designs
6. wedding hair pins ✦ be something new
7. I do stamp ✦ creatiate

You are invited to a Garden Party!

In this last month of Spring it's the perfect time for an outdoor soiree.  The smell of fresh flowers at dusk, drinks over candlelight surrounded by friends and family.  These are the perfect ingredients for a garden party.  I have pulled together some of my favorite finds that I think bring together a perfect outdoor celebration. Happy Spring!

Garden Party:

1. faux bois vase ❁ L & M Studio
2. peony note cards ❁ Giardino
3. 1950's floral dress  ❁ zwzzy
4. Rose Garden 8x10 print ❁ Pure Nature Photos
5. succulent wreath ❁ Eucca
6. stump table ❁ Real Wood Works
7. garden party aromatherapy ❁ Living Earth Botanicals
8. industrial wall sconce ❁ Luke Lamp Co
9. airplant in gold color block pod  ❁ Sea and Asters
10. bird feeder  ❁ The Bird on the Tree
11. bibliophile garland  ❁ Palimpsestic

Build a Collection || Our Giveaway Challenge

Our May giveaway with  Be Something New is in full swing!  The lucky winner will score a $40 gift certificate towards anything in Jill's fabulous shop.  We asked our talented curator's to build a collection around any item from Be Something New and here are some of our favorites. Don't forget to enter by May 14th!

Woodland Wedding  curated by Palimpsestic
1. vintage dress ● Zwzzy
2. flower headband ● Be Something New
3. lichen ring ● Peiffer Studios
4. custom wedding stamp  ● creatiate

Romantic Floral curated by Red Tile Studio
1. vintage hair clip ● Be Something New
2. floral pillow ● Jillian Rene Decor
3. shabby chic dress ● Broken Ghost Clothing
4. wedding ring dish ● Orly Design

Blushing Bride curated by lebotanicals
1. still life art print ● inameliart
2. rose garden lip balm ● Winsome & Green
3. gold and pink sapphire earrings ● Lunarbelle
4. flower bobby pins ● Be Something New

Herr u. Frau curated by Romy and Clare
1. wedding guest book ● Three Trees Bindery 
2. guest book wedding puzzle ● Bella Puzzles Too
3. bridal headband ● Be Something New
4. diy birch garland ● Palimpsestic

Garden Prep 101 || Start Planting!

If you are a gardener at heart, then this time of year is probably your favorite. I am lucky enough to live in a climate where we can actually start seeing blooms as early as the last week of February. That means we have about eight good months to get our hands dirty and tend to our gardens.  One of my favorite Spring activities is making the multiple trips to various nurseries.  I love looking for new plants to tuck into spaces, searching for the perfect organic fertilizer and just getting inspired by nature. 

Etsy has so many garden goodies it was hard to choose what I wanted to share with you. I wanted to focus on getting ready to garden, which actually takes a lot of work, but is well worth the results if you prep your beds and get all your supplies before you start digging! 

My Garden Prep 101 choices:
1. Ceramic Garden Markers || Orly Design
2. Ceramic Bird House || L & M Studio
3. Heirloom Seed Kit || Sarah Rainwater Design
4. Garden Melodies Print || Created by Storm
5. Waxed Canvas Garden Tote || Artifact Bags
6. Organic Herbal Salve || Roots Soap Co. 
7. Chalkboard Pots || One December
8. Air Plant Terrarium || Sea and Asters

Get Your Gardens Ready!

top left  Ceramic Herb Markers by Orly Design
top right  Chalkboard Paint Terra Cotta Pots by One December
bottom left  Vintage Toy Gardening Tools by Artma Vintage
bottom right  Organic Chive Seeds by cubits

Here comes the summer gardening season and starting your seeds inside is a great way to jump start the growing season.  Each year I start many of my garden vegetables and herbs in the house because summers here in Maine are so short.  We don't have the luxury with all seeds to just drop one in the ground and let it grow!  Herbs are a great place to start if you've never had a garden before.  You can prepare a small patch of ground outside or if you live in the city, you can even have an indoor garden!  I've picked out 4 items to help get you inspired!

What are you going to be growing this year?

Spring Fling Etsy Style!

1.  Spring Bright Green and White Mini Mod Dress by found it great
2.  Purple Velvet Women's Dress by Broken Ghost Clothing
3.  Purple Prom Dress by Assaf Pelleg
4.  1960s Tea Party Dress by zwzzy

I'm excited to announce that the last of the snow in the yard has finally melted!  Yippee!  Looks like we're headed in the direction of some smooth sailing for warmer weather.  I say it's time to get a vitamin D treatment by showing some skin!  I love wearing dresses and have an eclectic style that is pretty flexible - I can sing along with solid color blocking, funky, vintage cute or with bold patterns.  I picked out the above 4 dresses each for their own unique personality.  I can see myself wearing each one depending on my mood!

Which one fits your style?

Spring on the Color!

1. Vintage Green Empire Waist Dress by Miss Farfalla
2.  Coral Monochromatic Pleated Silk Clutch by Jes Switaj
3. Sterling Silver Post Flower Earrings by O Bliss Jewellery
4.  Sunflower Yellow Soft Leather Shoes by Ele Handmade

As we prepare to jump into April, I'm looking forward to warmer temperatures.  Although it's been known to snow in May here in the grand state of Maine, I'm looking forward to the snow melting and for the buds to start popping.  At the slightest hint of warmer weather, you'll see people busting out the shorts after being buried under wool all winter.  Bright colors return in the spring and I thought I'd put together a really eye popping outfit to welcome in April!

Are you ready for some bright colors this spring?

Rainy Day Finds

1.  coasters by pygmy cloud
2.  button set by sonstnochwas
3. it's raining oh deer! print by Louise Art Studio
4. dust after rain candle by Blushie
5. rain cloud stamp by Creatiate
6. walk in the rain print by the Paris Print Shop




April showers bring May flowers. We are only a week into a new season and yes it has rained a few days already here in Texas.  It's our rainy season and considering our hot +  dry summers we cherish our rainy spring days.  From colorful rain drops, to umbrellas, to rain inpsired scents there is something just fun about rain related items. Don't forget that rain brings rainbows! What's your favorite aspect of a rainy day?

Colorful Bedroom Decor!

1.  Batik Hexagon Patchwork Quilt by Ping Wynny
2.  Mended Vintage Pillow by Project Sarafan
3.  Preppy Pink Color Block Pillow by Jillian Rene Decor
4.  Hand Stamped Gray & Yellow Pillow by Giardino 

For those of you who know my Etsy shop Pig and Fish, you know that color is something Deb & I embrace.  We have a cottage here on the island named Verna Rose that we rent out weekly during the summer and she's maintained her original 1940's charm.  We've added our artistic, designer touches through such things as unique color combinations, stenciling, and refinished furniture.  As we prepare for the upcoming busy season, I began thinking about really plumping up the colors in the main bedroom.  That's what inspired this post!  I love the patchwork of various colors here in the quilt by Gillian of Ping Wynny and thought it would be great for using as a background with different pillows.  Then I just wanted to go crazy with different pillows that accent the cover, but don't match exactly.  I picked out 3 pillows from different Etsy shops - Irina's shop Project Sarafan, Jillian's shop Jillian Rene Decor, and Pat's shop Giardino. Each pillow has bold colors and patterns, but all of them compliment the cover and work together in a bright and expressive way.

What do you think?  It's pretty Pa-Zaam, isn't it?     

Color Focus | Not so Mellow Yellow

It's now officially Spring and this Spring it's all about color. The brighter and bolder the better.  I thought the neon trend from last year was a one season thing, but everywhere I look neon is staring me in the face and I am kind of in love with it. If you want to dive right into Spring then go with a bold yellow.  It will put a smile on your face and little sunshine in your life. No mellow yellow allowed. It's all about going BOLD!


Color Focus Favorites:
1. Little Fox || Gingiber
2. Ranunculus || The Paris Print Shop
3. Arrow Necklace || A Quiet Curiosity
4. Vintage Bolero || Nemres
5. Striped Tote | Bayan Hippo

Freshen Up & Get Ready for Spring!

1.   To Market Shopper Bag by Cloth and INK
2.  Colombian Emerald Ring by Erin Jane Designs
3.  Red Petal Watercolor by Louise Art Studio
4.  White Porcelain Bird House by M & L Studio 

I went outside on the back porch yesterday with my bare feet and even though it was quite chilly, I felt the coming of spring.  To help welcome in that energy, I've selected 4 items from some of my favorite Etsy shops.  Helen of Cloth & INK recently listed her new shopper tote bag in her swallow fabric.  I love that it was designed with shopping at local farmer's markets in mind and it's made me feel so anxious for the outdoor markets to start up again!  Next, I just want to live inside the gorgeous milky minty color of the Colombian emerald ring by Erin of Erin Jan Designs.  I have a pair of Erin's morganite stud earrings (which by the way Erin, I love!) and know that Erin's designs embrace such a simple and elegant feminine quality.  I would probably wear her ring, like my earrings, all the time too!    Keeping in line with the modern lines that I love, I chose this watercolor painting by Louise of Louise Art Studio.  Her use of a limited color palette really unifies this lovely piece and is perfect for welcoming back spring!  Finally, one of the things that really lifts my heart in the spring is the return of all the birds.  Who would object to this beautiful porcelain bird house by Meg and Luce of M & L Studio?   Actually, forget the birds - I want to move in!

Happy "it's almost spring" Everyone!

  

Style Guide Challenge || Spring Escapes

beach || semisweet studios
city || the paris print shop
mountains || studio by the forest
country || giardino

It's that time of year again. Yippee! Spring Break is here. Now the big decision, where do you go to escape? From the mountains to the beach, from the city to the country, it's time to break away and relax.
This month's Style Guide challenge will take you all over the world and give you our examples of how to vacation any style + anywhere.  The possibilities are endless.

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Style Guide Details:
On the 16th of each month, you can count on us to bring you Inside Etsy.  We work with a team of talented gift guide curators who also happen to be shop owners on Etsy.  Why is that important?  Well, you can trust us when we say that we all spend way more time than we may be willing to admit not only managing our shops, fulfilling orders, and answering questions, but also on creating what Etsy calls a treasury.  It's a tool that you can use to put together a showcase of 16 items together in a group, which then means we spend even more time finding those items by scouting around for favorites!   We know how to navigate around and through our own internal networking, we know where to look for those quality items.  Through our gift guides, we do the hard work for you!  Sound good?  Excellent. 

Over the course of the next 3 days, we'll be sharing our Style Guide Collections with you.  These are theme based collections.  Want to see them?  Click here or on the button over on the side that says "Style Guide".  Presto.  Your personal Etsy shoppers at your service!!

Fresh Five || Spring is here!

One of our goals is to find the best shop's on Etsy and share our favorite finds with you.  We also want to showcase the latest or "freshest" finds so that's why we created our Fresh Five.  The Fresh Five will be five items that are new to a shop +  share a common theme.  This weeks theme is Spring is here!  It's just around the corner and these Fresh Five feel like Spring to us.

Fresh Five
1. Antique Chair in Ikat Linen ||  Chez Boheme
2. Emerald Garden Original Painting ||  Created by Storm
3. Oatmeal Milk Bath for baby ||  Growing Up Herbal
4  Hand Block Printed Storage Bucket ||  Papa Totoro
5. Spring Flowers Apron || Oktak

Color Focus | Floral Patterns in Purple ( or perhaps Red Bud)

The beginning of Spring to me always starts with those first blooms on our red bud trees. That hot pink- fuchsia- purple color that bursts forth around mid February means Spring has begun.  I started to post this as a floral pattern roundup and then realized that all the flowers I had picked out reminded of the colors on the red bud tree. I guess it only makes sense as spring is officially only two weeks away + floral pattern is hot right now. Don't these shades of purple and pink make you excited about a fresh new season? Let the garden lounging begin!

Color Focus Favorites:
1.  Retro Dress 1940's Floral || Let's Backtrack
2.  Hellebore Flower Photograph || Pure Nature Photos
3.  Silk Scarf || By Cinne Worthington
4.  Spring Clutch || Mama Bleu Designs
5.  Green Dress || Assaf Pelleg

Blossoming Into Spring

1.  Woodland Nature Photography by Pure Nature Photos
2. Pair of Vintage Enamel Containers by Project Sarafan
3.  Custom Tea Dress by soho mode
4.  Floral Vintage Headband by Be Something New

When I saw this beautiful collection by Aki of Etsy shop oktak titled abloom, I immediately fell in love with the soft and dreamy world she created with her 16 selections.  The Etsy treasury system is such a fantastic way to showcase your favorite items together in a mini gallery setting and it's a wonderful tool for creative expression.  Spring has been ever present on my mind as I anxiously await the melting of snow and bursting forth of color.  I have also been giving the word "flowering" a lot of thought lately as it pertains to my own personal blossoming this year.  It's such a lovely metaphor for an inner awakening, a transformation that then organically comes to the surface and "flowers" into a new reality.    Many may not even be aware of all that is getting ready to blossom in the world, but it is already here.  Now we just have to open our hearts and receive.

What's blossoming in your heart this year?

    

Celebrate Spring with Yellow!

1.  1950 Prom Dress by zwzzy
2.  Yellow Stud Earrings by Ear Sugar
3.  iPhone Cover Case in Yellow by Red Tile Studio
4.  Personalized Yellow Clutch Set by Mama Bleu Designs

One of the first signs of spring here in Maine would be blooming daffodils and forthysia.  What do they both have in common?  They're yellow!  It's March 1st and even though we still have a good 8-10 inches of snow on the ground, in my heart I am feeling the coming of spring.  I love how the color yellow comes exploding onto the landscape and welcomes the awakening of the Earth as we begin our seasonal shift into summer.  To help awaken the spirit of spring, I've put together 4 yellow colored Etsy finds!  Each one brings a little bit of sunshine into my heart and reminds me that underneath the white snow, spring is patiently waiting!

What does the color yellow remind you of?

  

White, White Everywhere - I Need COLOR!

1.  Bright Stripe Infinity Scarf by Seven White Rabbits
2. Geometric Leather Stud Earrings by Boo and Boo Factory
3.  Sterling Silver and Polypropylene Bracelet by mabotte
4. Ceramic Turquoise and Orange Bead Necklace by Orly Design

After living in Maine for nearly 16 years, you'd think I'd get used to the idea that there are really only 3 winter colors here: brown, green and white.  The many pines trees break up the otherwise brown landscape and after our big weekend storm, everything has been magically covered in a massive white blanket.  It's right about this time of year that I start to yearn and ache for some color!  So, I'm giving myself a healthy dose of some bright and juicy color here in my post - it feels like a shot of sunshine in my veins!  I love wearing bold and colorful accessories and each of my above picks meet those criteria - those cute leather earrings are especially intriguing.  I literally have a scarf for every season; from light silk scarves to heavy wool scarves.  However, I have yet to add a circle scarf to my collection and so I picked out this colorful stiped infinity scarf by Chelsea of Seven White Rabbits for it's hip and modern look.   I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to shedding my wool sweater, shearling slippers and thermal underwear!

Colorful Spring Fashion

1. 1960s Pastel Tunic Dress by zwzzy
2. Wool Felt Purse by Loft Full of Goodies
3. Sky Blue Chalcedony Gen Earrings by Caprichosa Jewelry
4. Spring Tote Bag by Bayan Hippo

I received my copy of Better Homes and Gardens the other day and on the cover it states, "Easy, Livable COLOR".  The words are set against an image of beautiful purple, pink and brown tones which made my spring fever go zoom!  I shared some of my Etsy spring picks in my post on Monday and I'm continuing that spring color trend with today's fashion selections!  Using zwzzy's ultra cute 1960's tunic dress as a starting point, I pulled together some items that pick up the colors in this dress.  The solid purple pink color of Vildan's handmade spring tote bag accents the pastel pink flowers without distracting from the delicate floral design of the dress.  I thought this outfit called for earrings that dangle, so I've selected these handwoven beauties from Mireille of Caprichosa Jewelry with their sky blue gems - delicious!  Finishing off my accessorizing, I picked out this modern felt purse by Natta of Loft Full of Goodies as I'm a real fan of little pouches and purses—you can never have too many!  It's still winter in Maine, but by golly - I'm ready for spring!

      

Spring Fever!

1.  Pink Magnolia Photo by Semi Sweet Studios
2. Chartreuse Flower Tote Bag by Oktak
3. Fabulous Frocks Brooch by Trees 4 the Wood
4. Spring Flowers Headband by Be Something New

Crunch, crunch, crunch...  That's the sound of the snow under my feet as I walk around outside with my heavy down coat, knit hat, ski gloves, wool scarf and big foot boots.  Last week was freezing here in Maine with temps in the single digits—brrrrrrr!  Can you blame me for having a serious case of spring fever right now?  Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the four seasons as each one helps you to appreciate all the others.  The transformation of the winter landscape into spring is probably my most favorite.  The air shifts, the birds come out to play, the trees start to bud, and it's an absolutely magical season.  Best of all?  Color!  When I look outside my window right now I see bare brown trees, white snow, and green pine trees set against the blue of the sky.  Springs brings forth a burst of color and not to mention warmer temps!  In the meantime, I'll sit here by the wood stove and satisfy my spring fever itch by seeking out beautiful items on Etsy and sharing them with all of you!

Spring Critters - Who Do You See in the Backyard?

1. Vintage Spring Bird $21.99 by Anna Lou Vintage
2. 5 x 5 White Rabbit Art Block $29 by Red Tile Studio
3. Ceramic Blue Dragonfly Square Tray $18 by Catherine Reece
4. Hedgehog Stud Earrings $20 by Studio By The Forest
5. Pink Butterfly Pouch $32 by Mama Bleu Designs
6. Amigurumi Bumble Bees $20 by Sabahnur

Do you hear the birds chirping?  See the little white bunny coming out for some fresh air after a long winter?  Granted this year's winter, rather 'winta' as we say it here in Maine, was super mild and we only had to shovel a handful of times - can't complain - it always feels great to say goodbye to one season + transition into the other.  'Sayonara' short days, dark skies at 4pm + cold weather as we dive right into spring.   One of the first things I notice here in Maine, a real sign that spring is here, are the birds.  They're out singing, flying here + there, making new homes and I love how they're just enjoying themselves - we could learn a lot from these wise creatures!  The chickadees are the first birds I notice + it got me thinking about all the wonderful critters who visit each year come spring.


So, I went to some of my favorite Etsy shops to see what critters might pop up - who's ready to help me celebrate spring?  You don't have to be a nature lover to love these cute finds.  From crochet bumble bees to dragonfly trays, hedgehog earrings to rabbit art blocks, butterfly pouches to vintage birds - we've covering a lot of ground!  The studio here in Maine attracts a ton of dragonflies of all different shapes + colors - they're such beautiful little creatures!  What about you?  What critters do you see in your backyard come spring?