Etsy.com is the coolest online store for all things handmade and vintage: clothing and accessories, housewares & decor, art, and a huge array of other stuff. Actual people, all around the world, make each product by hand and sell it in their own little “shop”, you pay easily through paypal, and your purchases are mailed to you direct. I love supporting artisans and artists, knowing their story, and having something that’s one of a kind and not mass produced. Most sellers take custom orders as well… Want a seamstress who specializes in organic, sustainable cotton dresses to tailor something to your specific measurements? Etsy! Here’s a little glimpse into some of the variety of wonderful, quirky & fun items I’ve found on Etsy… then go dig around for your own awesome finds!
Thumbprint silver heart pendant Made by Fabuluster, they send you an impression kit and you send it back with the fingerprint of yourself or a loved one, which they then handcraft into this necklace. They also make rings and other jewelry out of them. Imagine a loved one in the armed forces leaving with your fingerprint around their neck, or having one made with a new baby’s little fingerprint. Totally unique! (Good Valentines Day present fellas, wink wink!) |
White Kimono Top Made by ChiccaStyle, this is a gorgeous, soft & sensual top (that could be worn as a dress) with kimono style sleeves. It’s stretchy & would be flattering on any body type! |
Sparrow Bangle Bracelet Made by FrostedWillow; what a unique bracelet! You’d never find this at Target, and I bet you’d get compliments every time you wear it. Guess what – it’s $17.95! |
“Truffle” bag, in Indigo Made by Morelle. Talk about outstanding… handcrafted Italian leather, in this brilliant indigo color. It’s a large bag with ruffles, and would be both utilitarian and stylish. So rad. |
“Apple Key” Cuff Links Made by Creative Dexterity. Talk about geek chic… my man would love these. This particular set is pricey, but when you find something like this on Etsy, just do a search & your likely to find something similar that’s more affordable. Or just spoil your man rotten!! |
Moss Terrarium Made by BlitheGardens. This is an apothecary jar filled with slow growing moss and lichens… this would be a cool way to bring some “nature” into a drab office cubicle! Actually, it makes me wanna go on a hike to find my own moss and make my own. Would be fun, huh? |
Cinnamon Roll Soaps Made by Soapopotamus. HA! They’re goat’s milk soaps that look and smell like cinnamon buns! I’d want to eat them. I bought some “donut” soaps from Soapopotamus at Christmas and everyone loved them. I kept a set for myself |
Maraschino Glossy Lip Tint Made by FlourishBathBody. I’ve bought this & adore it. It’s the PERFECT hybrid between hydrating lip balm and colored lip gloss. It’s not sticky or goopy, it’s not “lipstick” color – just the right tint, and it’s made of all natural ingredients. Final touch: it’s in an oval tube, so it won’t roll all over the place. Flourish is a perfectionist & it shows in all of her products. I have a vanilla roll-on perfume of hers as well. ……And this lip tint is only $6. REALLY. |
 “Big Drip” Modern Wall Clock Made by Pilotdesign. Now this is a statement piece. It’s tendu wood laminate on MDF with a modern, funky cutout pattern. I dare you to find anything like this at the mall… Etsy is so great for one-of-a-kind pieces. |
 Screenprinted Linen Napkins Made by Bloomsong. This talented artists from Paris hand screenprinted these lovely vintage flowers onto these linen napkins. This makes me want to cook a fancy dinner & pop a bottle of wine! |
Artsy, Geeky & Photo(y) web coolness, compiled especially for you. Yes, you. You’re just special like that.
Make Your Own Gummy Candy: No longer must you search high and low for the elusive gummy bear. No, dear friends. No more venturing into the woods to find his hidden lair, risking life and limb.
Gentlemen of Bacongo: Incredible. As reviewed by Maggie York-Worth in Cool Hunting: “Photographer Daniele Tamagni’s new book Gentlemen of Bacongo captures the fascinating subculture of the Congo in which men (and a few women) dress in designer and handmade suits and other luxury items. The movement, called Le Sape, combines French styles from their colonial roots and the individual’s (often flamboyant) style. Le Sapeurs, as they’re called, wear pink suits and D&G belts while living in the slums of this coastal African region.” … “Sapeur Michel comments on the strange combination of poverty and fashion, “A Congolese sapeur is a happy man even if he does not eat, because wearing proper clothes feeds the soul and gives pleasure to the body.”
NPR Tiny Desk Concerts: You, and your favorite artists, are now liberated from the concert arena hype and overpriced tickets. NPR brings you mini, impromptu “concerts” – intimate and unplugged – by a tremendous range of talented artists. Andrew W.K. like you’ve never imagined him, playing beautiful classical piano. Zee Avi, the youtube darling, playing her guitar and singing in her unassumingly brilliant way. The perfect website when you’re sitting at your office desk, munching on your sandwich and want to drown out the world for 15 minutes.
There is No Fall: Fear, Terror and the Psychology of the Mortal: Who better to learn a lesson about methods to overcoming fear than from a world-class rock climber? “There is no fall” doesn’t of course mean that you will not fall, but that the fall doesn’t enter your mind and that focus then becomes on what is immediately in front of you.” Brilliant, right?
Etsy Stalker: You’re either cracked out on Etsy – jonesing for your next organically grown, handmade, soy-based scented candle fix – or you’re not. If you are, Etsy Stalker should be a regular hit for you.
18% grey t-shirt: Photographer? Better yet… assistant? This “inside joke”, 18% grey t-shirt will give you instant street-cred. Or at least prove your sense of humor. There’s even one with a full Macbeth card on it!
and finally (you know I had to go here…)
Just for you! Sites, articles & interesting tech folks I’ve want to share. (Tip: I use Delicious to manage bookmarks and assign a “blogworthy” tag for sites I stumble on. Makes it a snap to write a post like this – get right to the “goodie”!)
- FeedRinse.com – Filter your RSS feeds with FeedRinse. If that “1000+ new posts” stares at you every time you login to Google Reader, this little site can be worthwhile! I subscribe to Apartment Therapy, but they post more than any feed ever it feels like. With this site, I can set filter parameters “Ignore posts with [...] in them”, etc. Process: create an account, export your Google Reader feeds, import that file into FeedRinse, set up filter parameters, export the OPML file, and re-import it to Google Reader. Pretty quick & easy. NOTE: It will add all the feeds in as a duplicate and doesn’t put them back in folders you created (maybe you’re smarter than I though).
- mLearningAfrica.net – mLearning, or Mobile Learning – is a new education initiative in Africa. Why fight the trend? It is a mobile generation now, why not use the technology kids are already hooked on to augment traditional education? Mobile sites to practice algebra, researching projects via google mobile, connecting with other schools and students… it’s all very progressive! Man, would I have loved that in high school!
- TechSoup.org – Bringing technology to non-profits. Impossibly cheap software & licenses, bargains on refurbished computers and servers… just for non-profits. Kudos for helping others & bringing technology to those who really need it!
- CompletePlanet – a search engine for “Deep Web” research. Let’s face it: Google doesn’t always do the trick when you need to do some real research, especially for academic purposes. CompletePlanet finds topic-specific databases and search engines from all topics from agriculture to education to politics to science and more. For instance, I went to “education”, then “curricula”, and found links to databases full of curriculum and lesson plans. Fantastic!
- Tweak your way to a better finder – Useful and nifty tweaks for getting the most out of finder in Snow Leopard.
