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Etsy. Ah yes. I signed up to sell things and have been busy buying things. This is what happens when faced with amazing handmade products. You just can't pass 'em up. At least I can't. =o)

Anyway, one of their gift guides has some fantastic ideas. It is the "Environmentally Friendly" guide.

MamaVSoap has some items showcased in the guide today. One of which is Mama V Vacation Breeze Soap. The descriptions says, "Picture a warm, tropical island. Calypso music wafts seductively toward your ears while sand, surf, and SPF 30 suntan lotion merge to form your perfume." Gladly, Mama V! She makes it easy to want her soaps because they are free to ship in the US and only $4.25 a steal for an organic product!

You will also find items from Katie Sue. She makes baby clothes made out of organic materials. They are adorable! Everyone who purchases an item will receive a free organic lip balm as well! Even better, Katie Sue will customize outfits for your little one if you ask. Perfect for gifting!

Always changing, so check the guide often. Or scoop the feed.

Labels: environmentally friendly, Etsy, gift guide

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| 1:57 PM | 0 comment(s)!

If you're anywhere near Grand Rapids, Michigan this weekend then you have got to stop by this event.

"Art and the Environment: Design Solutions is an exhibition on the green design features of the new Grand Rapids Art Museum. This exhibition, designed by wHY Architecture, design architects of the new museum, will feature creative ways to present and explain the key elements of green design as they are expressed in the new museum building. Four large-scale boxes constructed from the recycled wood forms-used to mold the building's concrete walls-will become display cases. Each box will feature an environmental element: Earth, Water, Air and Light. Visitors can open the boxes and discover the internal story of museum design. They will learn about the LEED certification process and the importance of protecting the environment through innovative design and construction."

May 10, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Grand Rapids Art Museum
101 Monroe Center St NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Labels: art museum, event

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| 3:48 AM | 0 comment(s)!

This has to be the coolest (or as Brae would say Cooliest) children's rocking chair I have ever seen!

This rocking chair made especially for your child artist has a pencil box armrest with sliding lid, a "flip-down" drawer beneath the seat for paper, markers, crayons and other art supplies and rotating color wheel at the top. The back of the chair which you sit against is also an 8 x 10 frame where your child can store their most favorite work of art for all to see (when they're not busy rocking of course).

Plus on the seat it has a cute little poem, "Apples are Red, Oceans are Blue, I love to make pictures, Especially for you! So give me some paper, I'll put on my smock, And start my next masterpiece, My Art Rocks!"

How perfectly adorable is that!?

Unfortunately it is too small for my little boy, but man he so would have had it if I had known about this a couple years ago!

Here's a link of you are interested in reading more about it!

Labels: artsy, chairs, children, rocking chair

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| 8:38 AM | 0 comment(s)!

This is more of a geeky post than a design post, but you'll see why I out it in this section.

If you're like me you have a trillion bookmarks related to design. I have everything from an AJAX folder all the way to an inspiration and scripting folder. It's how I roll. =oP

Well I just came across this search engine Design Resources Search Engine and just as it sounds, it searches through design resources online. Like deviantArt and BittBox for example.

It's also a good place for you to venture if you would like to keep up with the latest news in the realm of design. So whether you need vector tips, photoshop tutorials or just feel like putzing around then this is a great search engine to start with.

Labels: design search engine

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| 10:03 AM | 0 comment(s)!

"Mad Hatter Ceramics reflects my passion for all things whimsical. I love creating pieces inspired by Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatter's Tea Party. My favorite pieces merge form and function - they are artfully designed objects that can be used in everyday life."

Once upon a time I begged my parents for a kid's pottery wheel. I made a few awful looking things and realized it wouldn't be my gift. Haha. So I am always amazed to see such fantastic ceramics made by other people. Being able to craft on a wheel and sculpt something beautiful from nothing just by using your hands is quite a gift.

Elizabeth Langsfeld is a ceramic artist working and teaching at Creative Clay Studios in Alexandria, Virginia. Mad Hatter Ceramics is her online Etsy shop.

My favorite pieces for sale in her shop right now are the button glasses and the button vase. I think they are simply adorable. They are all different vibrant colors and have been glazed. Each piece is microwave, dishwasher and food safe which is a huge plus. You can mix and match to form a set or buy just one, maybe the vase, and give it as a gift with flowers in it.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

HAR ZION CRAFT SPECTACULAR
Sunday, May 4 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Monday, May 5 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: 1500 Hagys Ford Road, Penn Valley, PA 19072

MONTGOMERY POTTERS SPRING SHOW AND SALE
Colesville Presbyterian Church
Saturday, May 10 from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Location: 12800 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD

BALLSTON ARTS AND CRAFTS MARKET
Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday, August 9 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday, October 11 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Welborn Square (across from the Ballston Metro station), Arlington, VA

Labels: buttons, ceramic, Etsy

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| 8:37 AM | 0 comment(s)!

For archival prints and original drawings by Olivia Jeffries, the only place to shop is at "Restless Things". Olivia Jeffries is an emerging mixed media artist from the UK.

"She is continually influenced by her fascination for used paper; she enthuses about working on a surface that has already been given a sense of purpose in a previous incarnation."

She has mini prints for sale in her shop right now and they are simply enchanting. They are only $3! Each mini print is postcard sized archival print created from an original drawing on a vintage book page titled 'Sketch for Floral... ' and is printed on lightly textured, natural white archival paper.

For those of you interested in a limited edition piece you should check out her "In the dark, do I exist" print which is exquisitely forlorn. The sketch is drawn on an old envelope which further makes it one of a kind. Even as a limited edition the print is less than $18, such a steal!

Her favorite materials are paper, ink and pencil. You certainly can't get simpler than that. Yet each sketch and print ends up looking like an antique masterpiece.

Labels: Etsy, paper, restless things

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| 8:17 PM | 0 comment(s)!

What sold me was the "Travelling Felt and Pencil Holder in Whistle While You Work" it's cute, it's practical and it helps both parent and child learn to organize and keep things tidy.

PurpleFlowerDesign's shop currently has 55 items for sale. All handmade, all gorgeous and with fantastic colors, designs and textures to choose from. Whether a pencil holder, or a bag, pillow or sachet there are a ton of adorable items are reasonable prices.

Of course you all know I took the handmade pledge and am constantly trying to find new independent shops which have handmade items. I mean there isn't any other way to get quality products these days.

This particular female designer says, "I like to think of my handbags as functional art." You can tell exactly what she means when you look through the bags she has for sale and the bags she has already sent to lucky new homes. She takes a great pride in each item she creates and hopes it brings happiness to whomever purchases it.

Make sure to look through the shop and find her new "Daytripper" bags. She named them daytripper because they are large enough to tote everything you need for a day trip to the beach or park. Just as important as the functionality (which includes a magnetic snap) is the fantastic fabrics these bags are available in; so gorgeous!

Yay! Go shop!

Labels: bags, Etsy, organize, PurpleFlowerDesigns

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| 8:13 AM | 0 comment(s)!