Birds Birds Birds

Two new pair of earrings, inspired by our feathered friends, now available in my Etsy shop.

Bluebird Brownbird - Leather, Brass, Lapis Earrings

~Marsh Hawks~
In the morning they glide
just above the rough plush
of the marshlands,
as though on leashes,
long-tailed and with
yard-wide wings
tipped upward, like
dark Vs; then they suddenly fall
in response to their wish,
which is always the same--
to succeed again and again.
-Mary Oliver (from her collection titled Dream Work)

And guess what? This May, the 4th to be exact, Tangleweeds on Etsy will be turning three years old! A celebration is definitely to be had. Use the coupon code "birthday" to receive 35% off your entire purchase from my Etsy shop through the rest of the month of April and on into May.

Peregrin Falcons - Leather, Brass, Steel and Labradorite Earrings

These beauties are going to be hard for me to part with. I'm kind of in love with them. . . Also, of note, I have a VERY limited supply of these two leathers. I'll only be making a few pairs of each of these before they're gone for good! 

Peg and Awl

My new favorite Etsy shop for candles and other accoutrements for the home: Peg and Awl.

Mountain Goats- 3 Antique Old Growth Pine Candle Holders with decoupage Victorian Images

Apothecary Spice/Tea Rack Made of Reclaimed Hardwood

Large Bare - Reclaimed Wood Desk Caddy

I put some of their candles in my Xmas Wishlist Treasury on Etsy. I love the simple, rustic nature of these useful, handmade treasures. I may need to buy some of these goodies for myself after the holidays as well. We shall see.

A new year is coming

Yes, indeed, a new year is coming and I may need one of these:

2011 Weekly Planner - leather - handbound

This rustic, leather, day-planner is available from My Handbound Books, one of my more delightful recent discoveries on Etsy.

Red Onion Woodworks

For today's Thursday Etsy Feature I thought I'd showcase an Etsy shop I just discovered yesterday, Camille's Red Onion Woodworks.

Natural Edge Salvaged Maple Serving Tray

I love the simple, rustic, earthiness of the serving trays, cutting boards, and various style platters that you can find in this shop. Taken straight from Camille's profile on Etsy, here's a little bit about the creator of these functional pieces of nature-wonder:

"I'm an off-grid mom of two. I start every morning by milking my dairy goat. My husband, Henry, is a horseshoer, farmer, botanist, Spanish interpreter, and sawyer among other things. He and our friend Stu have milled up vast stacks of beautifully figured bigleaf maple lumber. All the logs for this project were salvaged from industrial logging operations, backyards, and storm-damaged areas, so you can rest assured that each tree had a long and full life."

A Perfect Natural Edge Cheese Board

I feel like Camille's work is the kind of great kitchen pieces you can have around for a lifetime, and then pass on to your children. The prefect antithesis to our throw-away society!

Black bird black bird

This little birdie is on my *wishlist* for Christmas. Jeff, I hope you're looking at this blog post =). They are from the lovely Etsy shop, Blue Terracotta.

These lovely crows are made from remnants of black linen and lace. I think they are perfectly whimsical and fairytale like and I would love love love to have one for my home.

Or maybe even two!

Peruse the lovely handmade creatures such as owls, birds, butterflies, and fish at Blue Terracotta.

Beautiful Lamps

A quick Thursday Etsy Feature today, this lovely Sewing Pattern Lamp from Umbu.


I love the light, airy-ness of this lamp. I think it would be perfect in my bedroom!

Animals and Bones

Today for my Thursday Etsy feature I thought I'd showcase the work of a good friend of mine. She has recently opened her Etsy shop, Marin Camille.

hand-embroidered on calico, antique frame. 10''x12''

I became acquainted with her work at an art opening she had at Fivepoints Arthouse in San Francisco. Marin hand-embroiders her own designs on vintage fabrics and then picks the most perfect frames to accent her work.

wingbone

little pelvic bone

walrus skull

I love the subjects she chooses to portray, the animal bones, the full bird skeletons. The choices of fabric and frames ads a strange elegance to the whole piece. Recently, my boyfriend and I were sitting around talking about some more things we need for our new home, and we both decided that a trio of Marin's pieces are in order for a particular spot in your hallway.

ribcage

Marin does have a show coming up soon, which I do believe will be held at the fabulous vintage store, Pretty Penny in Oakland on College Ave. She'll be introducing some new work. . . but I'll leave the nature of it a surprise. When I know details about the show I'll be posting them here and on my facebook page as well.

A few favorites. . .

Well, we all know that I've been a bit lax in the blog world as of late. . . between moving and selling at arts and crafts fairs every other weekend, along with all the other usual stuff of life, I just failed to find the time for a while. But now that Jeff, the kids, and I are moved I'm slowly finding the time again for all of the things I want to be doing (like yoga, tending to this blog, thrifting, and so many other things that I still need to wiggle back into my days!).

I want to get back to doing my Thursday Etsy feature, but thought that today I'd share some wonderful pieces from various Etsy stores that I've been lusting after. . .

Coral Museum Hoops

Scuba Skirt

Olympic Rings

Temescal Twist Cowl

"Prayers" earrings

It's funny for me to be finding myself so drawn to silver. . . I'm not usually, maybe it's the seasons changing, making me crave something a bit different? I also know that I could stand to own a few more knit pieces for the cold weather that is soon to descend upon us. The cowl is from this great little Etsy shop called, Dandyal. Alice, the woman behind all the great designs also makes a jar cozy that I think I have to have!

That's all for my Etsy favorites for now. . . Next week I'll be back with a full store feature. . . now I just have to decide which shop!

Shobha Ohal Designs

This week's Thursday Feature is a shop I just discovered today! I saw her ring on the front page of Etsy this morning and just knew that I had to feature her shop.

sketch ring $68.00
This first ring features an original sketch of hers from a photograph she took at the Tuillerie Gardens in Paris.

sterling silver flower ring$68.00


another camel ring$68.00

I think her rings would make great gifts. They'd be the perfect accent to just about any outfit. . . But I'm a sucker for BIG rings! Stop by her shop today!

Spinthread

For today's Thursday feature I bring you another jewelry artist working in fiber and thread and fabric, Spinthread.

ginkgos earrings $35.00



peacock fan necklace $55.00



Lorena designs and makes these funky and fun necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and accessories. Quoted from her featured seller interview:
"Long story short; I draw, then draw again on the embroidery fabric, embroider, cut out, apply lace, sew it all together, attach hardware and finally, ship! Sometimes I wish it was as easy and fast as it sounds. But the results are incredibly worth the long process, and as one of my returning customers put it—-you gotta wait for the good things."

pastels bracelet$40.00



Her jewelry adds a lovely pop of color and attitude to the simplest of outfits, or pairs nicely with vintage dresses and tops. There are so many ways to wear her designs!

striped poles earrings$40.00



Head on over to her shop and pick up something new and lovely and handmade to add to your summer wardrobe!

Kjoo Fiber Jewelry

For this week's Etsy feature I thought I'd share another jewelry artist with you. There are so many stunning jewelry shops on Etsy, such a huge array of styles to choose from. I've always loved fiber jewelry, and recently discovered Kjoo on Etsy, via Portugal! Maria João Ribeiro designs and makes all of these lovely creations.

leather and cotton necklace $75.00

leather and cotton cuff$135.00
set of 4 leather rings $50.00

Check out her shop for more colorful, ready-for-summer jewelry!

Scarlett - Handmade Gemstone Jewelry

Today's feature is a jewelry shop I just recently stumbled upon. I was instantly mesmerized by her intricate wirework and luscious choices of gemstones and color. Gorgeous work!




All of her jewelry is handmade from sterling silver and 14k gold filled metals, and genuine gemstones. She specializes in detailed wire wrapping techniques, and custom designs.



Stop be her Etsy shop, and find her on Facebook, here. I'm sure, you too will be entranced by her mystical, lavish jewelry.

Mimi Kirchner

Etsy feature of the week!

For this Thursday's feature I thought I'd share with you the handiwork of Mimi Kirchner. Her dolls and other fiber creations are made from primarily vintage and recycled materials. And they are full of whimsy and character!

Tattooed Lady doll- dark lady

Kitty Doll


robot man in plaid- nerdy

School girl doll

red stripes Tattooed Lady doll

Stop by her shop and take a look for yourself!

New Feature

I've been sellling on Etsy in one capacity or another for the last four years. Over that time I've window shopped many a wonderful Etsy store. If I had more funds you can bet I'd be buying from the plethora of amazing stores far more often. But, given my tight budget, I usually end up "favoriting" all of the shops I find myself drooling over, which has led to 20+ pages of favorite shops. There are so many shops in my favorites catalogue that I someitmes can't find the one that I"m looking for!

So I thought I'd start a new feature on my blog: Every Thursday I'll have an "Etsy Feature". It'll specifically feature an Etsy seller. I'm thinking I'm going to leave it open to all types of Etsy sellers. I might feature a vintage seller one week, a jewelry artisit the next, a furniture designer the following, and so forth and so on.

So, for this week, I bring you, Poaplum, a lovely little jewelry and bags shop.

The lovely woman who runs this shop creates unique but beautiful jewelry creations out of fabric and cardboard. First and foremost, I love the textured, 3-D nature of her work.

This fabric necklace is probably one of my favorite pieces in her shop right now. The best part about it? It can be worn 3 different ways. Also, besides being eco-friendly, her work is pretty easy on the budget. One of her colorful, circular, cardboard Caracol necklaces will only set you back $55. Not bad, if you ask me!

Oh, and this cuff bracelet. Even being made of cardboard it still looks classic, like a piece I'd want to wear every day.

More examples of her work:



To quote her from her profile on Etsy: "“Eco-friendly”, fun, practical, and most of all, original, that is how I want my work to be!"

Take a stroll on over to her shop and get yourself one of her amazing one-of-a-kind pieces!