Props for My Homies

I know I know I've been away for far too long but I'm back and want to feature a couple of new Etsy shops from some Portland ladies I know and love. First. I met Erica Essink at the handmade bazaar almost a year ago. I loved her table display and jewelry and now I am happy to announce that she has set up shop on Etsy as Happy Cake jewelry. The name basically describes just how awesome and delicious her jewelry looks!

As perhaps the antithesis of Happy Cake, now there is Trashy Deluxe, a new incarnation from Small Things Designs, inspired by your trashy yet flashy side. Trashy Deluxe is happy to do custom orders and scripts too!

I Like to Ride My Bicycle

The weather is getting colder and so are my little hands! Well, HandbyHand has an adorable solution. She remakes woolen clothing into fingerless bicycling gloves with a hand embroidered bicycle tire on top. Because she uses used clothing, the sizes and colors may vary so you'll have to check out her shop and see what she's got!



Decorate your walls with bike art...or cloud art, or laundry art, or tree art...by Brenda Rose! Using reclaimed wood and plexiglass, Brenda Rose creates simple 3D deisngs in Portland, OR.

Are your Apples cold?

1. Then they might need an apple jacket! When I first saw these I was biting my knuckles trying to hold back cries of cuteness. I was also thinking, this is the most ridiculous useless thing I've ever seen, until I saw the description and saw that it was to prevent bruised apples....GENIUS! Made by Jacqueline Knits, they come in sizes for pears as well like the one above.
2. I'm not a huge fan of pachouli, nor nag champa, but I do love a good prayer flag. Especially psychadelic prayer flags for knitters. God knows we need those prayers when we run out of yarn on the last row. These prayer flags, by Flederhaus can be custom made in American Sign Language as well!

The Uterus as Art & Craft

Just for fun...here's a slideshow compiled of images I found of uterus arts and crafts from Flickr and Etsy. If I really had it together today I would be able to link them all to their respective craft sites...but I'm not quite there yet. So for now, just sit back and enjoy!

It's Pillow Mania Up in Here!

And by "up in here" I actually mean on my computer right now. I'm feeling pillow crazed at the moment and I'm searching for just the right pillow to adorn my backaching (but oh so cool and retro) couch! Here are the contenders. First, vying for the higher end but still affordable are those in the huge selection at Joom's Etsy Shop. Most of her pillows are bird/plant related and come in a wide variety of colors and mostly large but simple designs, my personal favorite being Love Birds(and ringing up at $28).
Coming in next for the midrange priced pillows, are those select few at Jamric, specializing in unique screen printed images and quad-like retro fabric sewn pillows like this one, The "Maharam Sputnik Star Patchwork Pillow" (ringing up at $25) may not actually match my chartreuse fuzzy couch but there are many others in Jamric's Etsy Store that will! And lastly, but not leastly, are the very few handsewn pillows from vintage fabric that Olive displays in her Etsy Shop window! These pillows are extremely affordable as they are sewn from found vintage fabric and ring up at only $11. Shipping for all shop items is only $4 make this $15 pillow cheaper than anything you would probably even find on sale at Urban Outfitters! I think I've found a winner!

Mutha Crafter

So you think you're not crafty? Mutha Crafter might think otherwise! Made by a mother for mothers...and babies....and fathers...and...well you get the idea. She specializes in a small handful of designs, highlighting the craftiness of motherhood, which she prints on onesies, tees, magnets, buttons, etc. It's the perfect gift for any mother-to-be or to-been! Also, check out her other online venture I Break Plates, filled with tons of jewelry re-made from broken ceramics...

DIY it right!

A few months ago I had the pleasure of being contacted by Heather Mann, editor of CROQ Zine, a publication about anything and everything craft! History of crafts, how-to craft projects, meet people who do crafts, and all other things do-it-yourself are included in each issue (now numbering 10). CROQ is also a great way to advertise your business with affordable advertising space available in each issue. CROQ can be purchased online or in various Portland, OR bookstores like In Other Words, Reading Frenzy, and Powells City of Books.