couture dolls--the freaky edition

I like weird things. And these dolls are weird...and some are a little scary. Be warned!

This is a handmade siamese twin doll by Christy Kane

This skeleton baby was hand painted and designed by Natamon

Lil Bigfoot by Cursters Minions

The Swim Team (Kettle Sisters) doll by The Shroeder Sisters

Malinda Osborne by Wendi Gratz

Well...I suppose I'll finish getting ready for my first fair which is...TOMORROW! I don't have too much to do, but it's time to stop procrastinating nonetheless. I hope you enjoyed my little diversion as much as I did.

ribbit

I've been Christmas shopping for handmade items. My sister is always the hardest to shop for. One thing she loves---I mean LOVES---is frogs. She has hundreds of frog items in her home, as well as real life frog habitats. So I thought I'd show you some of the neatest frog things on etsy.

"Ride the Frog" and "F is for Frog" by Sonia Romero (sheridesthelion)


Here's a frog beanie by Crochetroo in Australia.


Tadpole Bag by The Frog Bag, who donates a portion of her profits to charity.


Little frog dish by Tile Smile


An original frog drawing by Thaneeya


Ribbit!

show-off

I have my very first art fair on December 1st. I've been wanting to be in a fair since I was little helping out at my mother's craft fairs. Everything's happening so fast; I hope my show goes well and that my booth looks full enough. I've been making my own displays which I'll show you at a later date, but for now, take a look at some of the beautiful ways other people are showing off their jewelry (and more!).

This is a "colossal" wall mount jewelry holder by Claudine's Closet. She has other displays but this one really caught my eye. I love how the roots of the tree can be used to hang things from as well as the branches.

This ceramic hand is very elegant. It comes in many colors at Clay Maid's shop.

It was hard to decide which display to feature from Moxie Metal, but I chose this wrought iron earring holder because it reminds me of a music stand.

Whimsy Love has a great idea here--fork easels! They come in smaller sizes as well. A great way to display sale signs, business cards or fliers, or other paper arts you sell or collect.

When I saw these business card holders/ring displays, I had to special order some. They're elegant, unobtrusive, and clever as anything I've ever seen. Made by Jewels Curnow

Beth Millner has designed these charming and simple earring displays that will not detract from your item. They even stack together for easy travel.

In addition to everything else I have to pull together this week (eep!), I'm designing some displays of my own. I'll photograph them soon to show you. If you'd like to share any of your designs, please send me a message and I'll be glad to include them here.

snug as a...bat in a hat?

I just went to Nashville to visit my parents for Thanksgiving. I had a wonderful time, but it was cold! It's considerably warmer back home in New Orleans, but I'd still like some winter gear, especially since half of my head is shaved into a mohawk. I have dreads, but not a full head of them of course, so I'm looking for a skull cap.

So if you're worried about losing body heat through your head--I've always heard 80% is lost--you might want to check out these hats that will keep you warm and make you look hot.

The soft explosion hat by yarnings by sienna She calls is a grenade/hedgehog.

red crochet hat with black accents by lazy mama designs . Can you tell I like red and black yet?

microsuede beanie by Rin the Red.

Beatrice hat by Electric Bluebird

purple skullcap by Cabo Designs

purple and black fun fur beanie by Melon Bean

Stay warm! And look for my next showcase on displays as I gear up for my first art market!

'tis the season--holiday cards

Thanksgiving is over! I hope you all had a holiday. Now, it's time to start sending out greetings--I think this is the first year I'll actually send out cards. I'm having some great cards printed to advertise my store...more on that to come. For personal use, I also the funniest cards from Time2Cre8 They're from her "Quoth the Raven" series inspired by Edgar Allen Poe. Nothing says Christmas like Poe.

Here's some others I'm fond of: by Citrus Tree

Stocking full of squid handmade cards, by tofu nutloaf who has a number of great off the wall prints for Christmas, including the single celled santa.

santa totem card by pink dixie

this is a diy christmas tree kit--it lights up! you can send it as a card. by tech diy.

scribble sketch cards by Shawna L. Handke . There is a variety of them in this set of 24.

Thanks to everyone who's viewed my shop--stay tuned for holiday sales in December!

creature comforts and comfort creatures

I don't know where it came from, but last night I saw a little zombie doll on etsy and it cracked me up. Suddenly I was browsing for "plushies," which is very strange if you knew me. But I think I need one. Here's some of the adorable things I've found so far:

Amigurumi crochet--I'm not sure what it is, but there are all sorts of great patterns on etsy to make little critters. Here's an example of an octopus by Happy Whosits
Amigurumi doesn't seem to be just for creatures--people are crocheting joysticks, food items, hats and purses, and all kinds of crazy things.


Lumps of coal-- Mrs. Santa Claus brought me a lump of coal once in my shoe but it wasn't as cute as the lumps Magic Yam is making.
They also do a pet rock series. I think it's hilarious.

Sycodians--Adoptacritter makes these. They're from the planet Sydocia and each has a backstory and interests. This is Parsley, who is a basket weaver:
Sydocians are squishy--I asked, because often toys with lots of hair are more like decorations than friends.

After a lot of looking, I found Alma from Huddle. .
She's simple, small, and perfect to sleep with. I kept going back to her page and I finally bought her.

These little guys are all low end because that's what I was shopping for. I might start a collection. But I know there are some high end, more artisan creatures out there that may not be for comforting but are amazing pieces nonetheless. I'll have to feature them soon.

i'm here!

I didn't really know what a blog was before I saw the lovely blogs that etsy users keep. I'm glad I found etsy--it's an incredible community! I had no idea there were so many independent artisans selling on the web. Finding etsy really made me believe I could start my own jewelry business and gave me the confidence to put myself out there.

I'm gearing up for my first fair on December 1 (freretmarket.org). It's been a whirlwind. I started making jewelry in a class at a community college about 3 months ago and now I have a small inventory and a mini studio. I've been wanting to do this for years---it's the first artistic pursuit I've undergone that I haven't lost interest in or gotten lazy about. I love working with my hands and metal is just fascinating. Jewelry has such endless possibilities.

I'd like to post about what I'm working on and how my business is coming along, but also about other work I've seen on sites like etsy and from local artists. There's a lot of inspiration out there. If you'd like to exchange links or chat about techniques, whatever, drop me a line!