Etsy Love: Wall Decor

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Diana

*On occasion, I take a look at some of the beautiful items found at one of the best places for buying and selling hand-made and vintage: Etsy. Buying hand-made and vintage lets you own beautiful, unique objects with character. It keeps things out of the landfills and supports artists and small businesses who are trying to make a living doing what they love. If you have a particular theme you’d love to see, drop me a line and let me know. *

One of my on-going projects this summer has been de-cluttering and redecorating my studio/office. I’ve been getting rid of tons of crap I didn’t need, and that’s been leaving me with some newly empty walls that I’m itching to fill with some awesome indie art. Here’s some of the pieces I’m considering. Which do you think I should get?

Original Framed Abstract Wood Sculpture Art, $65

Paint Square

Lovely Lady Yellow Flowers Design Original Watercolor 8×10, $40

Print Maker Jenn

Castle Rock Original Map Painting, $85

Rachel Austin

Create – Hand Embroidery in 5″ Hoop, $25

Merriweather Council

Passing Shower – Limited Edition Giclee Print, $25

Eloise Renouf

Crocodile Scales, $30

Farouche

Etsy Love: Bath and Beauty

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Diana

*On Wednesdays, I take a look at some of the beautiful items found at one of the best places for buying and selling hand-made and vintage: Etsy. Buying hand-made and vintage lets you own beautiful, unique objects with character. It keeps things out of the landfills and supports artists and small businesses who are trying to make a living doing what they love. If you have a particular theme you’d love to see, drop me a line and let me know. *

I’m not a big fan of putting mysterious chemicals on my skin. I’d much rather stick to natural ingredients that have been proven to have positive effects on the skin over the centuries. If those items are handmade by artisans, even better. I think that’s it’s a good and positive thing to pamper yourself, and these items are the perfect way to do that.

Olive Blossom Perfume Oil

“Live in the moment”

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Diana

I’ve noticed some changes in my style lately. I think these changes have mostly evolved over the past year, as a result of working at a middle school and from deepening my practice of yoga.

I have no tolerance for uncomfortable clothes anymore. Shoes that kill my feet after eight hours, restricting and tight button downs, clothes that fit too tight or constrict in the wrong places. These things didn’t bother me so much when I worked a desk job, but in education, you’re on your feet for a majority of the day. Yoga has given me a deeper awareness of my body and how things affect it, so it just doesn’t make sense to wear things that are uncomfortable.

These changes have led to a greater simplicity in my look. I don’t like to wear a ton of accessories anymore – usually just two or three is fine. I do mix patterns and colors somewhat, but I don’t like to go for loud or outrageous combinations. The only change I am a little sad about is the fact that I hardly ever wear heels anymore. I still wear them sometimes – but only for special occasions, and very rarely, for work.

Tee: Ann Taylor Loft
Necklace: Etsy (don’t know the seller)
Capris: Levis (thrifted)
Purse: Morelle
Sandals: Clarks

Quote: Amit Ray

Etsy Love: Origami

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Diana

*Every Wednesday, I take a look at some of the beautiful items found at one of the best places for buying and selling hand-made and vintage: Etsy. Buying hand-made and vintage lets you own beautiful, unique objects with character. It keeps things out of the landfills and supports artists and small businesses who are trying to make a living doing what they love. If you have a particular theme you’d love to see, drop me a line and let me know. *

The beautiful, geometric folds of origami can apply to more than just paper when it comes to Etsy.

Origami Fabric Tiles Necklace, $25

Chomel

Silver Origami Cat Earrings, $32

Allegro Arts

Origami Kuru Shou Sienna, $38

Homako

Sterling Silver Origami Crane Necklace, $30

Piper Blue

Etsy Love: Clean and Modern

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Diana

Black Leaf Studs Sterling Silver, $65

Lila Ruby King

Draping Silver Drops, $40

Local Library

Modern Leaf Earrings, $19

Splurge

Large Silver Cuff with Geometric Pattern, $160

To the Metal

Sterling Silver Ring Remember, $377

The Jewelry Story

Etsy Love: Tick Tock

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Diana

I’m still in the midst of re-doing my kitchen, and it now seems that part of that entails getting a new clock. I’ve had a reproduction kit-kat clock for years, but they just aren’t as good as the originals, which are way out of my price range (I saw one on eBay for $225). My Kit Kat is starting to bite the dust, which doesn’t surprise me since it’s made out of cheap plastic. So now I need a replacement. Here’s my criteria:

It needs to be battery operated. I think corded clocks look tacky and are potentially a fire hazard.
It needs to be readable/ have numbers. There’s all sorts of crazy, artsy clocks out there. I need something that actually tells me the time.
It needs to have a retro/mod feel (though not necessarily be vintage)

Here’s what I found:

Large Retro Modern Clock with Numbers, $62

Uncommon

Vintage Bulova Yellow Wall Clock, $38

Drowsy Swords

70s Modern Wall Clock in Faux Bois, $25

Zelda 110

Vintage School Wall Clock, $65

AM Radio

Etsy Vintage Love: West Bend

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Diana

Folks, I think an obsession is brewing. It started with a small and growing collection of vintage Pyrex as well as a few Hazel Atlas mugs. Now my love (cough, obsession) with vintage kitchenwares is expanding to a new realm: West Bend.

I first took notice of West Bend when I was putting together an Etsy Vintage Kitchen set awhile back. I fell in love with the iconic mid-century look of the fork and spoons bean pot. Then I did more research and realized that the penguin ice bucket I grew up with came from the same brand. Now I’ve ordered a set of canisters for my newly painted kitchen. It’s obsession I tell you. Obsession.

West Bend Serving Oven, $9.99

The Treasured Past

West Bend Mustard 9 Cup Percolator, $17

Forrestina Vintage

West Bend Penguin Ice Bucket, $17

Marriane Clare

Mid-century Fork and Spoons Bean Pot, $10

School of Vintage

West Bend Mustard Striped Tin Canisters, $8.50 (sale)

Boots N Gus

Etsy Love: Men’s Edition

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Diana

While shopping for my man, I found a pretty good selection of awesome stuff on Etsy. I’ve always found shopping for guys kind of tricky, so I put together a set of guy-friendly awesomeness I found on Etsy.

Note: I know that creating a gendered list can create some issues. Please note that I’m not saying all guys will like these items, nor am I saying that women should not like them.

Alien Invasion Men’s Glow-in-the-dark Tee, $18

Northwest Shirts

Wooden iPhone Dock, $25

WouldWorks

Sandalwood with Aloe Vera and Rhassoul Clay, $5

Beautiful Soaps

Mid-century Modern Clock, $16

Look Back Vintage

50′s Navy Striped Silk Tie, $22

Hold The Wire

Vintage Grey Fedora, $29

Bright Wall

Gift-Guide for Librarians

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Diana

As we all know, it’s the holiday season and everyone’s out buying gifts. Since I’m a librarian, I thought it would be fun to put together a librarian-themed gift guide. Normally, my posts like this are Etsy focused, but today, I branched out a bit with items from other sites as well. Now you know exactly what to get for the library nerd/ bibliophile in your life

Note: (Gift cards to your favorite local independent bookstore are pretty awesome too).

Tea Time With Dewey, $12, American Library Association Store

(It has the Dewey number for tea on it. How cute it that! They have ones for coffee and hot chocolate as well)

Unshelved, $14.95

(I subscribe to Unshelved’s blog, and I’m always cracking up every time I read it. This is a must for anyone who’s ever worked in a public library)

Lovely Bag in Mustard Yellow, $29, Bayanhippo

(Because every librarian should have a gorgeous tote to carry home his/her books in. Leave those ugly conference totes at the reference desk.)

Library Card Notebook, $6, Crab Apple Design

(Because I’m nostalgic for old library technology that’s no longer used)

That’s How I Roll T-shirt, $25 (sale), Cafepress

(This tee is perfect, because pretty much everyone who’s ever worked in a library has had to push a book cart at some point. There’s an insanely huge selection of library related items on Cafepress.)

Open Page Book Holder, Standard Size, $11.50 and Up, Book Mate

(That’s a dreadfully boring picture, but it’s an insanely useful item. I’ve had one of these for years, and along with their Fold N’ Stow bookholder, I’ve used it to read books while eatting, knitting, running on the treadmill, etc. It makes reading while doing other tasks so much easier, because your hands are free)

Etsy Love: Re-use me

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Diana

Once upon a time, people reused everything. Money was too tight and resources too few to be able to afford the luxury of disposables. As technologies became cheaper, more and more one-time-use items appeared. Now, most people think nothing of the plastic bags, paper coffee sleeves and other items that get used once or twice and then tossed into the trash heap. Let’s reverse that and go back to items that were made to be used and loved over and over again.

(Don’t forget! We have a reusable produce bag giveaway going on right now. Click on over to check it out)

Reversible Slacker or Go Getter Coffee Sleeve, $9.50