Favorite Shop: Holly Levell

Holly Levell is an artist I recently discovered on Etsy.  Living and working out of England, she creates incredible made-to-order soft sculptures out of everyday objects.  Her website is chock full of photos of her work, so definitely check it out!  It is really great stuff. 

Written by Rachael of Open Eyes Press.  Images courtesy of Holly Levell.

Favorite Etsy Shop: BeautiSHE

This fabulous Etsy shop, BeautiSHE that is located in California, takes reclaimed items such as mirrors, wall hangings and candle sconces and turns them into great new pieces that would brighten up any room in your house. Check out a selection of their items below.

Your CHOICE of Color.... Set of Two Upcycled Painted Vintage Homco Candleholders http://www.etsy.com/listing/107375221/ornate-candle-sconcesyour-choice-of

Aqua, Teal, Greys and Greens - Modern Ornate Frames Set of 6 Upcycled Painted Frames 

Bright Owl family Teal Lime Green Aqua Yellow Upcycled Vintage Metal Owl trivets 

Modern Candlesconce Collection of 4- Teal Gray Grey Green Aqua.. Upcycled Ornate Scrolly wall modern candleholders 

Large Vintage Yellow Ornate Mirror 

Written by Abby Bohn from www.abigailleigh.etsy.com

Favorite Etsy Shop: MaryJudy

Bright colors! Funky patterns! Bold shapes!

That barely scratches the surface of items in one of my favorite Etsy shops - MaryJudy Ceramics. Her work just makes me SMILE.


Mary Judy says this about her work:
All original hand-built kooky & colorful ceramic art from Dr Seuss to Beetlejuice !

What's not to love?

A few years ago, in an effort to 'be good to myself', I began buying myself a birthday present each year. One of my first purchases? A little quirky happy colorful dish like the one below. (though mine is small)

Mary Judy Ceramics, serving bowl

 And I am seriously considering one of these square bowls. It is perfect for business cards as shown but I think it would also be great for keys or loose change sitting in the entryway of a home.

Square dish - perfect for business cards or keys or change - PERFECT Back-to-School Teacher Gift

 And just look at this pitcher! How fun and irresistible is that?

Playful Pitcher

Check out Mary Judy's ceramic shop on Etsy for more fun items!


Written by Janice of Doxallo Designs Studio

Favorite Etsy Shop—Graphic Anthology

Ah! How wonderful it is when my worlds collide!

 I was browsing on Pinterest for the 5th time today (wish I was joking...do they have AA for Pinterest?) and I found this really cute print from Etsy...which sums up my whole day pretty much:

Time for Coffee print 

How cute is this? So then I naturally started browsing through the shop it came from...and as I suspected...other cute things! Go check out Graphic Anthology for other cute stuff like this:

Always Say Please and Thank You print 

 Shut the Front Door print 

 Eat Dessert First print makes me want to redecorate my kitchen!! 

 written by Lauren of JerseyGirlDesign

Favorite Etsy Shop: Greg Warm Brodt

I really like local artists whose work reflects their surroundings, so when I came across GregWarmBrodt, I was immediately drawn in. Greg creates hand cut linoleum block prints of Baltimore landmarks, such as the the Bromo Seltzer Tower and the Dominos sugar plant. These have a real nice folksy feel to them. I think a series of these on a wall would make a real nice addition to anyone's home!

Check out Greg's site for more great prints.

Written by Stacey Phinney   

Favorite Etsy Shop: Olele

I've become a bit obsessed recently with folding hand fans.  A friend of mine brought one back as a gift from Japan a couple of years ago, and I've found it to be so useful!  It's lightweight, easy to use, and fits into every bag I own (not to mention, it is a serious lifesaver for those hot and humid summer days!).  I've been considering purchasing another one, which is how I stumbled upon the fabulous and funky Olele on Etsy.  Each fan is handcrafted by Spanish-based artisan Karmele Luqui using top quality wood staves, and a beautiful array of ethnic fabrics.  They come with matching leather cases as well, so the fan stays in tip-top shape for years to come- what a wonderful and unique gift, perfect for keeping cool during these final days of summer!

Written by Rachael of Open Eyes Press

All photos courtesy Olele.

Favorite Etsy Shop - Motherbored

I love the creativity of MOTHERBORED. Michelle recycles desktop-laptop computers into beautiful unique jewelry and accessories.  No two pieces are alike.  There are necklaces, cuff links, earrings, key chains, belt buckles, hair pins, and tie tacs.  They are beautiful and unique!

Here are some of my favorites:

Recycled Computer Flex Lead Necklace

 Vintage CPU 1978 Recycled Necklace

24K Gold Hard Drive Computer Necklace

  written by Erica at Becca & Mars

Favorite Etsy Shop - Uncorked Jewelry

Uncorked Jewelry sells very cool, unique jewelry and cork boards made from wine bottle corks. If your looking for a great gift that no one else will have, this is definitely the place to shop.

British Flag Necklace - Upcycled Cork in Test Tube - 

London Invasion by Uncorked Jewelry  

Octopus Ring - Upcycled Wood - Silver Hammered Band - 

Adjustable by Uncorked Jewelry

Wine Cork Necklace - Bluebirds - Upcycled Silver 

by Uncorked Jewelry

Wine Cork Board - It's a Cupcake War - upcycled by 

Uncorked Jewelry

Written by Abby Bohn from Abigail Leigh Handbags

Favorite Etsy Shop - Oyma

I love the wooden fishing boats made by oyma.  These little boats make me want to hit the cool waters on the hot Baltimore days.  I love the bold colors, little details and nostalgic feel of these little, handcrafted boats.  Sail away!

Here are some of my favorites for the warmer seasons.

 

 

Wooden Boats - Set of 8 - in different colors

 

 

 

Wooden Boat - Fishing Boat

 

 

 

Wooden Boat - Fishing Boat - Trawler / Handmade - Hand Painted

 

 

 Written by Katie of Charms City Company

 

Favorite Etsy Shop - Little Blue Studio

Baltimore based Little Blue Studio offers beautiful brooches, corsages
and hair accessories. Most of the collection is made up of fabric
flowers with fabulous beading. Custom options are also available.
Great for brides!

Here are some of my favorites -


Fabric Flower Brooch - single bloom corsage pin in nude



Bridal Hairpins - custom set of 2 bobby pins



Double Bloom Fabric Flower Brooch

Written by Becca & Mars

Favorite Etsy Shop- Odelae

She Sells Seashells...

I really fell hard for these beautifully crafted journals from Odelae.What a lovely way to record your thoughts and drawings.So dreamy!

My Favorite Etsy Shop: Treetalker

Treetalker makes me smile - and think. The artist, Rachel Tree Talker, is a painter primarily. (Well, she is on this site. She also makes wonderful pixie hats and scarves and such on her Talk2theTrees site.)

What I love about her is her style and her willingness to share her gift. She paints amazing images of big-eyed girls or fairies like the one here.

And she also loves to paint nature - seen through her eyes, of course.

Her original artwork can sell for up to $300. But she knows that many of us just want to be surrounded by inspiring and beautiful things but don't have either the budget (or, in my case, the wall space) for those. So she also creates 5x7 and 8x10 prints that sell for much less.

And then she uses the images to create jewelry by encasing her own original artwork in plastic. The pendant shown here is a tiny version of the painting above.

She is generous with her gifts, sharing poetry and stories on her blog. She inspires with paintings like this one, which she describes as being inspired by recent events in her life: "Sometimes life rains down on you, and it seems to rain a lot, but we should never forget that it's the rain that brings the blossoms." Words for us all.

Submitted by Marcia Dresner at Wood Art for Living

My Favorite Etsy Shop - Nanoukiko

I love the organic, simple and warm feeling of the jewelry Natacha makes and sells at Nanoukiko.

I have ordered several items from her and been so pleased with their beauty and comfort, not to mention how fast they came from Canada.

I got one of these woven bracelets and find myself reaching for it all the time. Here it is in Plum.

She has a few braided necklaces with beads, all light and pretty.
And her woven necklaces would be so easy to layer in with several others, adding almost no weight.
She often runs coupon specials so check her shop banner when you visit.

Written by Clare of Fiorella Jewelry

My Favorite Etsy Shop - Midwest Alchemy

Ohio based Midwest Alchemy offers a collection of absolutely amazing rings and pendants. Using the electroforming process, Midwest Alchemy makes beautiful creations with copper and gemstones. Who wouldn't love to give or receive one of these?!

Here are some of my favorites -

Copper Ring Turquoise Handmade Ring

Ring Druzy Copper Geode Agate Gem Stone

Mens Unisex Copper Ring Black Beach Pebble

Written by Katie of Charms City Company

Favorite Etsy Shop - The Nestat Windy Corner

One of my favorite Etsy Shops is The Nestat Windy Corner.  I think these handcarved eggs are unbelievable and so beautiful. I was really surprised to find out how she makes them. She uses a high speed drill, which I would have thought would crack the eggs in an instant!

Written by Stacey of Studio G 

Favorite Etsy Shop - KnitKnit

I love KnitKnit's little creations. Full of characters and lots of details make perfect knitted and felted accessories in her shop. The owner chooses her materials very carefully with “green” in mind so it makes her creations even more special!

Written by Insung of NAMOO