Etsy Finds

Dog Stare by joykilledthepoet

Etsy has so many talented and creative people!

I love this shop by joykilledthepoet.  She makes jewelry and bookmarks.  She sells prints of her photographs like the one above.  I love her creations and her varied talents.  I also love that she mixes those creations all in one Etsy shop.

Pure raw chunk honey by honeyrunfarm

 Then there are those people who have a "unified" shop that features one thing.  But then, they get so creative with that one thing and make so many different products with it.  This Ohio couple started with one beehive.  The hobby became an obsession and now they have 110 hives.  They sell honey in their Etsy shop and at local farmers markets.  They also make beeswax candles and cold process soap from the gifts from their bees.  They have a cute blog here that also tells you where else you can find products by this busy couple.

Blue Cowgirl by Carla Sonheim

 I enjoy Carla Sonheim's art.   It's whimsical and fun and doesn't take itself too seriously.  However, it is expressive and the texture and color draw your eye in.  Carla's Etsy shop has original art and prints.  Right now her shop features girls, but soon she will get her animals series posted on her shop.

Wild Rose Ring by Osiris Jewelry

This shop features handmade jewelry (rings, earrings, and pendants) by an Australian jewelry artist who uses reclaimed or recycled materials.  She's open to custom requests.  I can only imagine what the items USED to be.  Before they became these beautiful creations.

If you haven't visited Etsy yet (or lately), you ought to visit these shops above and look around.  And buy!!  And then let your fingers do the shopping as you wander from small shop to small shop looking at all the creativity that abounds there at Etsy!

Thanks for looking!

My Favorite Things

My online and Etsy friend from rikrak studio challenged her blog readers to list their 10 favorite things here. 

So . . . here goes:

Family by Renee's Funky Country

1.  Family and Friends:  I love my family and friends.  We get together when we can for the good company and good food.  And the support.  And the teasing. 

Double Chocolate Fudgy Cake Truffles by lollidreams

2.  Chocolate!!!  I love chocolate almost as much as I love my family and friends.  It's yummy.  It makes me feel good.  It soothes me when I'm stressed.  It gives me energy. 

Baseball Scrabble Tile Pendant by threescoopsoflove

3.  Baseball:  My dad loved baseball so I watched and listened to baseball the whole time I was growing up.  I listened to Vin Scully broadcast the Dodgers games until the Tucson radio stations no longer carried those games.  I used to keep score while listening on the radio or watching on TV.  Now I love baseball because it's fun to watch and listen to while I'm doing grown up tasks.  It's comforting (except when the Diamondbacks go into a slump).  I watch it with my Significant Other and we watch it with my mother when we go to visit her.  When I'm ready for a break from my work, I can sit and watch for half an inning (or so). 

Valle Vidal in northern New Mexico

4.  Getting Outdoors:  We love to get out of the house and into the great outdoors.  Hiking, backpacking, camping.  We like it when life gets simpler.  No TV.  No computer.  No convenient phone.  You concentrate on the next meal and what will we do today?

The Charlie Pirtle Memorial Raffle Quilt that I made for the 2010 Becoming an Outdoors Woman in New Mexico workshop.  It's based on the Dusk 'Til Dawn quilt pattern designed by McKenna Ryan. 

5.  Sewing and Quilting:  I love to sew and to make quilts.  I get to play with colors (see below) and fabric and textures.  When I get to do that, I make things that are pretty.  Sometimes, those pretty things are even useful.  And it brings some family and friends together, too. 

Super Ricohflex camera by collectorsville

6.  Photography:  I've always enjoyed taking photographs, starting with the Brownie that my parents gave to me.  This camera above reminds me of the cameras that my parents used when I was little.  I have those cameras now.  I have a new Nikon now and I took a brief photography class, so I know a little bit more than I did before.  I'm enjoying trying to put those things into practice.  Oh, but the remembering them is so hard!

Vintage Collection of Steinbeck books by scoutHOME

7.  Reading:  I started reading with my dad when I was very young.  I love the entertainment and the learning.  What pleasure I get from books and stories!

Beef Roast for Company by $5 Dinners

8.  Food and Cooking:  I LOVE to eat!  I love to cook, too.  I also love to cook on a budget.  I have plenty of cookbooks, but I enjoy getting ideas from the Internet, too. 
 

My friend Kim's calla lillies

9.  Color:  It soothes and excites and warms and calms.  I love Arizona sunsets and sunrises.  I love flowers and other bits of color in the desert. 

Map Envelopes by DrakonsLair

10.  Travel:  We love going places.  I guess I come by it naturally, as my parents loved to travel and I started before I was two months old!!  I like to see new places.  I like to eat new foods.  I love to get a taste of local culture.  And . . . I love being away from home.  And . . . then coming home again. 

So, what do you think of my favorite things?  And now I want to know--what are your favorite things?  Think about them, enjoy them, and then share them.  I'd love to hear yours.