Features on hold for a bit

Hello folks, I know a lot of you regular readers have been returning here only to find that I haven't updated the daily themed Etsy features here for at least a week. I don't want to keep you hanging, so I am posting to let you know that I have put everything on hold for a couple weeks because my family is going through a very trying time, my grandmother is very ill.

If you are the praying type, please keep us in your prayers; if you aren't, please keep us in your thoughts. Thanks for being patient and understanding while we go through this.

Much love and peace to you all.
~Kelli

Thrifty Thursday: I'll Fly Away

Here are some beautiful examples of bird-themed artwork. All items are priced under $25. (Clicking picture takes you to the item's individual page, clicking text takes you to the Maker's shop)

This print of a mixed media illustration on an antique book page is simply beautiful and eloquent.
$18.00 from carambatack




This fantastic 9x12" original painting is so fun. Any wall would be fortunate to display it.
$16.00 from erikajones



This adorable little miniature original painting would be perfect to brighten up a small nook in your home or studio.
$20.00 from intheforest




I can totally see this ACEO (Art Card/Edition/Original)framed up in a shadowbox with other trinkety goodness.
$7.50 from InspirationAvenue




Seeing these loveable little birdhouse miniatures are made from vintage fabrics and other findings always make me smile. (These would look marvelous in a shadowbox setting too...that is, if you're into shadowboxes)
$24.00 from RobinsEggBlue




I saw this exceptional art print and couldn't help but imagine this little fella was saying "Take a picture, it'll last longer".
$16.00 from MechelleDesigns

Wonky Wednesday: Doubletake!

All the items below were found searching the tag "weird" on Etsy. Most of the stuff people list under that tag is quite mild on there (for me, at least, and I have been known on occassion to be a little "weird" myself so I might just have a high tolerance for strange), but indeed there were some items in those search results that caught me off guard and made me click them instantly. Mostly because they were so frickin' awesome.

(Clicking pic takes you to item's page, clicking link takes you to the shop it came from)


I can't tell you how much I have always wanted a brain in a jar. I remember the summer after I turned eighteen and I was invited to dinner at my boss's house. Her partner's grandfather was a doctor and he had inherited an interesting curio of a brain preserved in a tall wooden case that you looked down into. At first the case looked like an old radio, and worked like one of those antique movie viewers, but boy were I and my 3 other co-worker companions fooled when we finally looked down inside. It was one of the most awesome things I'd ever come across in all of my 18 years...(I didn't get out much as a kid) so yeah, this brain in a jar brought back memories.

from YourOrganGrinder




Don't let the picture scale fool you, this baby is huge! It stands over 2 feet tall!This wormbaby sculpture is on a whole new plane of awesome that few folks are brave enough to venture into. I just love seeing the creativity that comes out of the Etsy community.

from ArtAkimbo




I have a thing for things that look back at me. I just can't help myself. This lucky eye pendant is pretty sleek.

from cherryhilldesigns




These are baby booties---CAN you believe it?!? I think these little creations are jaw-droppingly wonderful! How awesome would they be to pair up with a little outfit for either gender made from that Kaufman "Chopsticks Please!" fabric? The possiblities for cute are endless!

from sushibooties




Yes. This is indeed a zombie Christmas ornament. Here's an equation for you: Zombies + Christmas = Awesome freakin' ornament. I mean, zombies are awesome as a rule...but then you add Christmas?!? That's one of the most rad days for awesome on the calendar (tied with Chanukah for our Jewish pals) but behind Halloween, of course, because Halloween produces a WHOLE LOT of awesome. This combines awesome things from both holidays! That's like getting a surprise onion ring in your frybox!

from RW2Gallery

TeamBluegrass Tuesday: It's Hip to Be Square

...or, a little rectangular. HAH!
(Clicking pics take you to that item's page, clicking text links take you to the page of the shop they belong to)



Sugar Scrub in your choice of scent
from MayleesGarden




Little Note Cards
from FacesAreFunny




Birds of a Feather Collaged Clipboard
from Smackinart




2 Vintage Smoky Glass Panes
from Gypsywoman




First Aid Zipper Pouch
from peanutbearys




The Molten Olive Mosaic Frame
from domosaics




Pink Shell earrings
from dentedhalo




Custom Business Cards
from WickedSisterDesigns




Flower Box Pendant
from BijouterieEdith

Miscellany Monday: Kawaii Food!

Oh how I love little food with faces...
(Clicking picture leads to the item's page, clicking the shop's name leads to shop page.)



Hunter the Cheese Toast Plush
from Pumpkinpye517



The Angry Pickle
from Bittersweeets



Mini Marshmallow
from ScrumptiousDelight



Fried Egg Charm
from Komodokat




Rudy the Turnip Pal
from Flowerhead

Support Handmade!

Navigating Etsy: Acronyms & Terms

I have heard from a few visitors to this blog that they had never heard of Etsy before running across my site. Instantly a lot of them were interested. So, I thought it would be a great idea to start a series of posts that will help you get to know Etsy a little better. Today's post is about a few of the Acronyms and terms you might come across in casual browsing of items or shops on the site. I've tried to divide them into groups as to where you might encounter them. (I will also be adding to this list as I see fit, so you might want to bookmark the page for this post and check back sporadically)I hope you find these helpful!


Terms you might see in a listing description or listing title:

AOP - Artist's own pattern. The shop owner created the pattern for an item instead of using a commercial pattern bought in a store.
BOGO - Buy one, get one (second item is usually free or half off)
Destash – This is used to describe term used when one is selling items from their supply stash in effort to make room for more supplies or to get organized. Kind of like Spring Cleaning your craft studio and then having a garage sale…online.
NSFW - Not safe for work. This is used as a flag to let users know there is adult content ahead. It is used when there is nudity or otherwise risque content that would not be pleasant to be caught viewing if somebody just happened to look over your shoulder.
OOAK - One of a kind. This is probably one of the most common acronyms seen in the titles of an item listing. It is used to denote the item being sold is not a reproduction and shall not be reproduced. (But I must admit, I’ve seen this term abused just a teensy bit from sellers)
OSWOA - original small work of art. Artwork that is small in nature. Also known as an OM (Original Miniature)
PIF - pay it forward. This term is when someone offers an item in their shop for only the cost of the item listing (.20 cents on Etsy) and whatever the shipping costs are, in exchange for you doing an act of kindness for another person or offering an item in your shop under the same premise. (Buyer Beware: Some shops are falsely using PIF as a marketing ploy to unload some of their goods to some kinds hearts in the community. They are marking up the shipping costs to ridiculous amounts to recover the original retail price of their items. Use caution: “True” PIF listings only ask for the .20cent listing fee and a REASONABLE shipping fee, it does not cost 6 dollars to ship a pair of earrings) I should really do an article on this in the future. *Gets my investigative reporter hat out of the hallway closet.*


Terms you might see in someone’s profile or shop policies (and occasionally in an item’s description):

B&M - This stands for "Brick and Mortar", meaning a shop with a physical location.
Convo – This refers to Etsy's private messaging system. You start a conversation by clicking on "contact this seller" on seller's shop page.
SAHM - Stay at home mom
SRA - Self-representing artist, someone who doesn't have an agent/advocate
SRAJD - Self-representing artist jewelry designer
WAHM - Work at home mom


Terms you might see elsewhere on Etsy:

BNR - Buy and replace. Buy an item in a treasury or forum thread and replace it with one of your own.
Etsians/Etsyans – Members of the Etsy community. It is used to describe buyers and shop owners alike.
Heart - This is the term used when you put a shop or item into your Etsy favorites. So if you are in the forum and someone refers to having “50 hearts”, no need to call the Men in Black, they’re not an alien, just someone who is well-liked.
Treasury – A treasury is an item collection of someone’s favorites on Etsy (that someone is called the ‘curator) a list of favorites, and they can be organized by color, theme, location, or even just a miscellaneous collection that someone wants to share with others. After a few days (usually 3), the treasury disappears off the Etsy site, to be enjoyed no more. *single tear streaming down cheek*
The Storque - Etsy's official super-blog. There are TONS of information on the Storque, not to mention a lot of groovy shopping and gift guides. Every Etsian should check this on a regular basis.

Wonky Wednesday!

Today I woke up in a surreal mood...
(Clicking picture takes you to the individual item's listing, clicking link takes you to entire shop)


I love it when a collage sets a scene in a whole new dimension.
Starlite Nite print from LoveDogCardCompany


One of the masters of the surreal...Salvador Dali Tee
from vortextradingcompany.


This melting clock hat, titled "Watch" is so flippin' great I could look at it all day. from tomokotahara


Check out this Adelaide Gazelling print from GrandOleBestiary. In fact, check out this whole shop because everything in there is A-Mazing.


In the spirit of Rene Magritte, (one of my favorite artists) this pendant is not a pipe. Check out TillyBloom's shop, it's chock full of awesome.


This print, titled "I Remember Falling" just stands out to me. Talk about another shop that is pretty awesome, check out the rest of the eye candy over at lightleaks

How I Spent My Summer Vacation with Chloe B

I have the most interesting 3 month old niece...She's a total diaper-clad drama queen who can go through 15 different emotions in 60 seconds flat (literally!)---and I can't get enough of her.



The photography studios in town were closed for the holidays, so my Mother and I makeshifted a session in the light tent I use to take my Etsy product photographs (it's HUGE and the perfect size to fit anyone under 3 feet tall inside. I still need to adjust the depth of field focus and do some color correcting in Photoshop, but I just couldn't resist sharing this little tyke. I made everything you see in these photos below (with the exception of the starry tiara, and well...Chloe. HAH!)

Favorite shots of the day:


She had never worn tulle before, so her reception of her Independence Day dress wasn't exactly received in the best of spirits. This is still my fave pic of the whole day, even if the misery is clearly apparent on her adorable little face.



Here are some shots of her in her little Punker Baby outfit. She went from this:




To this:




And back to this:

in less than two minutes. Man alive, she is a child after my own heart. I love this kid! LOL

TeamBluegrass Tuesday: Ceramics!

(Once again, clicking the item's photo takes you directly to the individual listing, the link to the shops' names take you to the owner's shop.)


I love this Small Ceramic Pod Pendant
from Tabmade




I saw the craftsmanship in this Black Oak Leaf Tray and my jaw literally dropped and I proclaimed to the skies that it couldn't be real!
from HarmonArt2




I would totally follow this little bunny down the rabbit hole.
from MissDaisyW




Check out the deep glazing on this curve mug
from CampanaCeramics




I really dig the backstory behind this little Wood Fired Friendship Vase
from VeskoMom


And I ran across these two little non-ceramic-themed gems:


I just can't get enough of the eye candy that keeps coming out of Shemake's Studio.



I don't know what this says about me (you know, being a responsibly stuffy grownup with no sense of humor and copius amounts of decorum, know-how and what-for ---can you can tell I'm lying yet?) but I stalk FacesAreFunny's Shop regularly, and I regularly find myself chuckling like Beavis & Butthead because I love every item in this shop. It's the REAL gems like these that keep me coming back.