I Want It - Housewares

I haven't done a "want it" post in a while and this morning the lure of a lazy, leisurely Etsy browse was just too much to resist.

I'm really feeling housewares right now, possibly due to the stuck-inside weather and impending holiday entertaining. Here are a few of my favorite finds:


PopWall


DishfulsOfDoodles


JaneJoss


MaryLittfin


OliveandRuby


DimmalimmHome

Great Gift Ideas for Her

Check out the LJ Design & Photo blog today for some great gift ideas for the ladies in your life - all handmade by fellow Etsy moms!


While you're at it, take a peak at the LJ Design & Photo shop on Etsy for some more gift ideas of the photographic variety. I'm a proud owner of these two:

Artisan Feature - able mabel

This week's featured artisan is Leann of able mabel. I've been a big fan since I began selling on Etsy. Leann's shop is filled with wonderfully creative, highly functional items for home and baby.

Tell me a little about yourself and what you do?
I am a stay at home mom who uses able mabel as a means of escape from the "real world". I love the "out" that creating gives me. It makes everyday life more managable.

What 3 words best describe your work?
Fresh, Fun, Functional


What inspires you?
This question is always one of the easiest to answer. My inspiration comes from everywhere! A piece of fabric or paper, nature, color schemes seen in stores, magazines, et.

What drives you to create what you do?
I suppose it would be the need to use a different part of my brain. The creative side.


What makes your work unique?
I try to find fun, interesting pattern to use in my work and make most of it one of a kinds.

What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
My work is my "me" time. I sneak it in whenever I can. I think it's perfect just the way it is.


How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
I'd be perfectly content if it stayed about the same. Granted, I'd love to sell more, but who wouldn't? :)

Where can we find you on the web?
Etsy: http://ablemabel.etsy.com
Artfire: http://ablemabel.artfire.com
Blog: http://mabelisable.blogspot.com

Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.

Artisan Feature - bijouxbead

This week's featured artisan is Darlene of bijouxbead. A fellow mom, Twitter buddy and incredibly talented Canadian jewelry artist, Darlene creates stunning beaded necklaces. I experienced the beauty of Darlene's work firsthand last Christmas and was truly amazed at the intricacy and precision of her work. Many thanks to Darlene for participating in this interview!

Tell me a little bit about you and what you do.
I am a jewelry artist from Toronto Canada. My work is represented by several galleries, and I have a small shop on Etsy.

What 3 phrases best describe your work?
Distinctive Wearable Art

What inspires you?
Canada and its inimitability

What drives you to create what you do?
The charitable work that I am able to do through Bijouxbead is the #1 reason I enjoy creating.

What makes your work unique?
My work is highly detailed and very distinctive. The entire necklace collection is multi-stranded and one of a kind featuring glass metal and stone, the bracelet collection features semi precious stone and handmade silver clasps, and the earrings are designed to compliment the bracelet collection.


What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
Achieving balance is my ultimate goal, isn’t it everyone’s?

How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
I am not sure where this business will take me; I have been very fortunate up until now, and I’m still on a huge learning curve.

Where can we find you on the web?
http://www.bijouxbead.com

Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.

Great Gift Idea: Sundae in a Bag!

Some particularly lovely friends of mine took me to brunch for my birthday recently. One such lovely friend gave me a particularly ingenious gift. I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for creative gifts for friends that don't require me to know the recipient's clothing size or which books she's already read.

This gift is quick to put together, relatively inexpensive and positively oozing with charm. A fun (but cheaper) take on the ever-popular gift basket concept, this clever gift is basically a sundae in a bag. Here's what you need:

1. Cute gift bag
2. Cute bowl(s) - one for each member of the family
3. Big bottle of chocolate syrup
4. Fancy sprinkles
5. Little jar of maraschino cherries

Voilà! In a pinch, you can grab everything at Target on the way to the party. If you're feeling crafty and have some time, use enamel paints to personalize the ice cream dish for an extra-special touch. Who wouldn't be delighted?

I Want It

TiLT Creations is nothing if not original. This little handpainted foldover clutch is no exception. So simple, it's almost like I could make it myself... only mine wouldn't be this cute... at all... since I can't sew... or paint. I absolutely love it!

Get it here (and on sale, no less!). And be sure to check out Theresa's blog for more TiLT Creations happenings.

Featured Artisan -- Lisa of LMcreation

This week's featured artisan is Lisa of LMcreation. Lisa creates pretty little handmade pouches, wristlets, and bags that feature fabulous prints and fun color schemes.

Tell me a little bit about you and what you do.
My name is Lisa, my company is LMcreation and I make handmade handbags, purses, business card holders ... basically anything that I can sew. I'm a working mom with a full time day job, and I've been sewing since I was a little girl. I enjoyed crafts and learned to sew making dolls clothes! I've always enjoyed sewing as a hobby and even made some of my own clothes when I was a teenager.


What 3 words best describe your work?
Contemporay, Colorful, Functional, Fun (OK, that's four, I know I cheated!)

What drives you to create what you do?
I'm inspired by the many, many beautiful fabrics that are available these days. When I see the right fabric I just know that it's got to be made into a special bag or wristlet or whatever.


What makes your work unique?
I aim to make the best quality piece that I can in my own style and with fabrics that really appeal to me. When everything comes together in the right way it almost feels like I've made a fabric sculpture, not just a bag or purse.

What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
Sewing and creating new things is a way for me to relax and express my artistic side. That's the most important role for my work and I don't want it to change. Even though I've been sewing ever since I was small, I didn't try to sell anything because I didn't really know what to do or have a way to find customers, or even think that people would buy my things. LMcreation came along much later. I think that discovering Etsy motivated me to start LMcreation. Finding a site just for handmade goods and that was friendlier than ebay meant I could set up an online business in a few hours, which was just fantastic. I thought about it for two or three months then started my store in January 2008. I really didn’t know anything about running a business, but luckily that didn’t stop me. I’m still learning a lot and hopefully getting better each month. My husband has been a great help here, and helps out with a lot of the “boring but important” bits like keeping track of the finances when I'm short on time.


How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
Now that I've established that I can generate steady business for LMcreation online, I've started to do craft shows as well. I've still got a lot to learn but if I can do eight or ten shows a year plus keep my online business going (plus be a mom and keep my regular job!!) then I'll be happy for now. I would love to make LMcreation my full time job one day, but that would need some careful planning.

Where can we find you on the web?
You can find me on Etsy www.LMcreation.etsy.com, on Twitter http://twitter.com/LMcreation and on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_lisa/


Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.

Wordless Wednesday

I Want It

I don't know if it's the colors or the shapes... this gorgeous asymetrical necklace by amber leilani definitely reminds me of childhood. The vintage opaque Swarovski crystals conjure up images of vintage baby books and candy necklaces. The blackened sterling silver chain "dirties it up" just enough. Fabulous.

Get it here. And be sure to check out the amber leilani blog, Yellow Flower.

Featured Artisan and Giveaway! -- AbbaDabba Bags

This week's featured artisan is Monica of AbbaDabba Bags. I'm a huge fan of Monica's bags and the proud owner of two of her wristlets. Not only does she have an amazing eye for gorgeous prints and unique color schemes, her construction is flawless and her bags are virtually indestructible.

Leave a comment here and be entered to win a Deluxe Clutch in Amy Butler Coriander Pine! The winner will be notified by June 1st. Good luck!


Tell me a little bit about you and what you do.
My name is Monica and I am a mom, a wife and a bag maker. I made my first diaper bag in 2004 when I couldn't find anything stylish to carry. I was soon making them for friends and selling them by word of mouth. I now sell a whole line of bags online and have hundreds of satisfied customers across the country and around the world. I have been sewing since I was a pre-teen and officially started AbbaDabba Bags in 2007.


What 3 words best describe your work?
Bags, Fabric, Quality

What inspires you?
Fabric and colors inspire me. Sometimes I see a new fabric and instantly know which style bag will make it shine. Other times I find a fabric and design a new style to show it off. Getting a shipment of new fabric in the mail always makes me excited to sew!

What drives you to create what you do?
I have a love of purses and bags. I enjoy shopping for them, buying them and of course making them. I really love the creative process of designing new styles. It is good to have an outlet for your creative juices.


What makes your work unique?
I design my own patterns and try to be creative. I don't try to follow the latest shape or size of other sellers but instead focus on what I like. So far my customers like them too so it seems to be a good strategy. I also like to combine fabrics in new ways. It is not unusual for me to have stacks of fabric on my design table trying to find a new combination. The bigger my fabric collection grows the more fun I have with this process.

What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
AbbaDabba Bags gives me the opportunity to do something non-mom related. As a stay-at-home mom I give most of my time and energy to my kids. I think it is also important to have something that is separate from all that. An online business gives me the perfect flexibility to work around my family responsibilities. As my kids get older and enter school I would like to expand the business and the role it plays in my life.


How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
In the next 5 years I would like to broaden my own website and offer my bags directly to my customers. I'd also like to have my bags in a few local boutiques.

Where can we find you on the web?
My Website: www.AbbaDabbaBags.com
My Etsy Shop: http://AbbaDabbaBags.Etsy.com
My Artfire Shop: http://AbbaDabbaBags.Artfire.com


Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.

I Want It

I'm fascinated by chainmaille in the same way I'm fascinated by optical illusions - I look and look, never quite able to make my brain understand what my eyes are seeing. Appealingly simple and impossibly complex at the same time, this gorgeous sterling silver roundmaille bracelet by Chainmaille By MBOI catches the eye and keeps it dancing from one glittering ring to the next. The look is rich, minimalist, and just a teensy bit goth. In two words - very cool.

Get it here. And check out the Chainmaille By MBOI blog here.

Featured Artisan -- My Beautiful Girl

This week's featured artisan is Samantha of My Beautiful Girl. A fellow member of Artiste Congo and all-around super fabulous gal, Sam makes gorgeous, high quality handmade cloth diapering items and boutique clothing for every member of the family.

Tell me a little bit about you and what you do.
My name is Samantha and I own My Beautiful Girl. I am the mother of 3 and currently TTC. I have been married to Trent for almost 14 years! Wow, the time sure does fly. I have always enjoyed crafts, but didn't specialize my skills until I was in my 20's. Now I enjoy sewing boutique clothing, wetbags, cloth diapers and many other miscellaneous items.


What 3 words best describe your work?
functional, cute, affordable

What inspires you?
My children are a huge inspiration. I also love vintage chic items and trying to put a modern spin on them.

What drives you to create what you do?
My families needs are my biggest drive. My daughter and niece needed rompers for the summer, so I created them. I needed comfy shorts and great fitting yoga pants, so I made them!



What makes your work unique?
My work is unique because I create each and every piece by hand, one at a time. I rarely make duplicates and everything has a function.

What role does your work play in your life?
My work keeps me sane; it gets crazy with 3 kids, 2 businesses, a husband, a house and pets. I schedule my day just like any other working Mom and the stability makes getting it all done, much easier.

What role would you like your work to play in your life?
My future goals are that my business will be an even bigger financial contributor to the family income. But with more income, comes more time. Its a hard act to balance.


How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
I see the business thriving and focusing more on clothing and less on cloth diapering items.

Where can we find you on the web?
All of my information and locations to buy can be found at www.mybeautifulgirldesigns.com.


Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.

Featured Artisan -- LoChristine

This week's featured artisan is Lori of LoChristine on Etsy. A fellow Fabulous Artistic Mom, Lori creates fun and funky jewelry with lots of personality.

Tell me a little bit about you and what you do.
My name is Lori Hadley and I design jewelry! My etsy store, LoChristine, has a sampling of earrings, bracelets, and rings that I’ve created. I began creating jewelry many years ago but just recently opened my etsy store and began selling items to the public. I love playing with different color and shape combinations of beads and forming metal. Designing and creating is both comforting and exhilarating at the same time!


What 3 words best describe your work?
earthy, funky, free-spirited

What inspires you?
Most often, I am inspired by nature and the beauty in the world around me. However, I cannot work without some of my folk tunes blasting in the background! The music itself provides an inspiration for my designs.

What drives you to create what you do?
My head is filled with ideas and designing jewelry has provided the perfect outlet. It’s a great way to express myself and reach out to others.


What makes your work unique?
I use numerous elements common to other artists, but assemble them in a way that is unique to me.

What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
I’m currently a stay-at-home mom to my 5-year-old step-daughter. I try to do most of my crafting while she is at preschool. However, after she enters kindergarten this fall, I plan to devote more time to both creating and promoting my work. Creating jewelry at home also allows me the freedom to travel with my husband (a fairly well-known tattoo artist) and pursue other interests.



How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
I definitely have big dreams for myself, but know that it takes time. Initially, I plan to get involved in craft shows and network around my community to consign my wares at various places. I just recently landed my first consignment at a local coffee house.

Where can we find you on the web?
Etsy - http://lochristine.etsy.com
Blog – http://lochristine.blogspot.com
Flickr – http://flickr.com/photos/lochristine/

Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.

I Want It

As you might imagine, fairies are very important around here. My daughter's favorite movie (by a long shot) is Tinkerbell, she has a fairy door in her room, and she wears wings several times a week. As I'm contemplating a "big girl" redesign of her room for her fourth birthday this summer, this series of prints by Angel's Hair is providing lots of inspiration.



You can get them here. And check out the Angel's Hair blog here.

I Want It

Let it never be said that I don't enjoy some sparkle now and then. What I do require, though, is a tasteful, simple design - from there, bring on the bling. That's why I positively adore the "Glitter All the Way" bracelet by Always Wired Bead Lady. Both understated and impossible to ignore, this gorgeous piece is the perfect accompaniment to a simple dress. Love it.

You can get it here. And check out the Always Wired blog here.

Featured Artist -- Hearts and Laserbeams

This week's featured artist is Steph Calvert of Hearts and Laserbeams. Offering everything from these supercool robot melamine plates to the "Fruit and Nuts" print series (see "Peach Robs a Bank with the O.C. Kids" below), the Hearts and Laserbeams shop is tons of fun to explore.

Tell me a little about yourself and what you do.
i'm an artist/designer living in long beach, california with my husband josh and cattle dog jimmy the greek. hearts and laserbeams has been my full-time job for a full year now, which is so exciting! there's two facets to the business which really helps it pay the bills. the main source of income for the company is freelance graphic design for various apparel companies doing fun character tees that later show up in places like hot topic and walmart, and then the more creatively fulfilling side is my own personal artwork. i love painting, drawing, sewing, knitting, crocheting, needlefelting, and pretty much any other crafty thing i can get my hands on!

What 3 words best describe your work?
wacky goodtimes fun!


What inspires you?
in my own personal work, i like to pull a lot of reference from things that have actually happened to me, jokes that have come up among friends, and other fun ideas that just come up. i'm totally into robots and cupcakes and stick figures so they all play a pretty big part in my artwork!

What drives you to create what you do?
my biggest driving force is that if hearts and laserbeams doesn't work out, i'll have to go out and get a real job!

What makes your work unique?
there's a real sense of lighthearted fun to it. i'm a big believer that i should be having fun doing what i'm doing since it's my own stuff - if i'm not enjoying myself than what's the point?


What role does your work play in your life? What role would you like it to play?
oh i am always working on some level, whether it's actually creating artwork, or spending time on the internets marketing the hell outta my stuff, or making mental lists of all the things i'd like to get done! i feel like i do have the ability to shut it off though, so that i can have good solid quality time with family and friends. i think ultimately i would love to be able to cut back on the work load a little, and concentrate more on the art/design side of things and less on the backend stuff like web design and accounting, but i'm honestly not a big enough company to hire help yet!

How do you see your work and/or your business evolving in the next five years?
i hope i hope this real estate market picks up because when we finally sell our condo we'll be moving to a place with room for an art studio, meaning i can start screenprinting my own tees again! (if you or someone you know is looking for a condo in downtown long beach, ca, be sure to check out www.1919beverlyway103.com!) along with that, i'm working towards designing coordinating lines of housewares and paper goods so i can start concentrating on getting wholesale orders from shops across the country - in the next five years i'd love to grow that to the point where i'm making more money from my own artwork and less from the design work i'm doing for others - it's just way more creatively fulfilling, you know? i wanna be the next paul frank! but you know, the paul frank where paul frank was still there. :)


Where can we find you on the web?
www.heartsandlaserbeams.com
www.heartsandlaserbeams.etsy.com
www.twitter.com/hrtsnlaserbeams

www.myspace.com/heartsandlaserbeams
http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=644454314&ref=profile (steph calvert)
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/hearts-and-laserbeams/30806011676 (hearts and laserbeams)

www.flickr.com/photos/stephlehman/
www.longbeachcraftmafia.com
www.uniquewomeninbusiness.blogspot.com
www.californiacraftersclubofetsy.blogspot.com


Are you an artist or craftsperson? Would you like to be featured here? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment here with a link to your shop, and I'll be in touch about future opportunities.

I Want It

I just love this simple little journal by ARRRT! Maybe it' because it's pink. Or maybe it's because it's kind of grungy, but still cool and clean. Maybe it's just because it seems destined to be filled with all the very most intimate musings of a woman who is super sassy, highly capable, vulnerable-yet-confident... and perhaps even the slightest bit awkward in a wonderfully endearing way. Anyway, it's pretty great.

Get it here. And check out the ARRRT! blog here.

Stuff I Love - Trunkt Market

This morning I bring you some treasures from the new Trunkt Market. Hosted by 1,000 Markets, the Trunkt Market is the first and only way to buy directly from your favorite Trunkt artisans.

Take a peek at a few of my favorites.


Ferris wheel 8 x 8 photograph by 1,000 Beautiful Things


Aqua swirl ring by metamorphosis


1958 Buick photograph by James C. Ritchie

Rustic floral petals by At Fallen Leaf Creak


Music To Her Ears brooch by Tilly Bloom


Another World 8 x 8 print by sMacshop


Mini "to the nines" earrings by boldsimple

Find more work by the exceptional artisans of Trunkt here.