Jamaica mon!

I'm in Jamaica until May 29, so I'll be blogging when I return!

Lillypod

Jennifer is a jewellery and handbag designer living in Wales UK. She’s been making jewellery for the past 7 years and graduated with a BA in fashion. She started her accessories business soon after and the rest has been history!
She mainly uses natural materials and semi precious stones, but has recently discovered the beauty of exotic woods. Way back in the 1980’s, I had an obsession with wooden jewellery. I had a massive pair of wooden square earrings, not nearly as nice as Lilypods, but I loved them and probably still have them tucked away in a box somewhere.
She also makes beautiful retro inspired handbags which will be added to her Etsy shop soon.
Click on the post title to view her entire shop!

If 1 Had Words

Nikki Trexel is a photographer based out of Lincoln, Nebraska. She has a passion for photography and in exploring the beauty of something overlooked into something fascinating. That`s what I love about her macro shots... you may look at a grassy field every day of your life and its just... grass. But when you get close to it, frame it in a shot and capture it`s essence, suddenly it`s art!
She sells her original photographic art in pearlescent prints, regular matte prints, framed and matted prints, greeting cards, and calendars.
This is a quote from Etsy shop which I just love. ``The art comes from within, and the camera is the medium.`` So true!
Click on the post title to see her shop!

Kumquat

Michelle is the Montreal artist and designer behind Kumquat. I love the word Kumquat! Great shop name!
It’s as easy as this to have your very own super cool return address labels... decide on the style you’d like, put your text in the “message to the seller” when you’re checking out, receive a proof via convo. within 24 hours and bingo – your labels will be shipped 3 days later! How’s that for service?

I think Michelle and I would get along just fine... she’s a self described paper freak as well... I understand, maybe we can start a support group?
Check out her fantastic shop by clicking on the post title!

Kim Smith

Kim is a jewellery designer living in Wolverhampton, UK. She’s a wife, mom and self described beadaholic. I can relate! As a jewellery designer myself I’ve always loved sparkly things.
True story... I was at a shop here in Vancouver called Beadworks digging through their bin of African glass beads. This little boy came up to me and asked if I’d help find him a purple bead. I was looking for him when his mom came up and told him it was time to go. I looked up and who was it? Susan Sarandon! I did a double take, but didn’t say anything, just smiled. I love her though, so it was kind of exciting!
Back to my featured artist... I love these yummy bracelets so much! They’re just juicy, aren’t they? She also makes earrings and necklaces, but the bracelets just captivated me!
Click on the post title to see her entire collection!

Liva Rutmane

Liva Rutmane is an art student in Latvia, and I find her Etsy shop most interesting. I loved being in art school, because you had the freedom to try so many styles and mediums, and this is evident from her shop. She’s got original work, etchings, drawings and woodcuts. Some of her subject matter is pretty different, but in a good, thought provoking way!
Check out her shop to see just what I’m talking about by clicking on the post title!

PHOTOmenagerie

Nicole Underwood is an artist and photographer based out of New Mexico. She has a BFA degree with concentrations in printmaking and photography and her work is definitely a good combination of the two mediums. Her work is so ethereal and unusual. For me her pieces evoke a sort of surreal, spiritual and fuzzy edged altered reality with many layers to uncover. I love the images with the horses... despite my *small* fear of them since I was bucked from a pony when I was 5!
Click on the post title to see her shop!

Pink Pear

Tricia is the Tyler, Texas based designer behind Pink Pear. Her jewellery has such a vintage romantic feel... kind of makes me want to go shopping at Anthropologie to buy some clothes to go with it! Ah, if only we had Anthropologie here in Canada, but I digress.
I love the colours she chooses. So yummy, they kind of remind me of colourful candies... so pretty, and the pieces are so delicate.
If you need some romance in your life, have a look at her shop by clicking on the post title!

rEVOLV3r Apparel

rEVOLV3r Apparel creates these incredibly cool custom wall art decals in the city of Townsend, Delaware, and these are some of the most fabulous ones I’ve seen! From pop culture to poetic to lovely and decorative, there’s something for everyone! The one in the middle shows an example of a custom decal where you can have your very own face on your wall, or your dogs, or your kids...
All of the wall decals are made from durable vinyl that will last at least 5 years outside and virtually forever inside. It’s quite remarkable how much a wall decal will transform a room... it adds instant style... and makes a statement!
He also does some original art and some really fab belt buckles.
Click on the post title to check out his shop!

AK Sheridan

Amy Sheridan is the creator and designer behind AK Sheridan. She’s been a freelance graphic designer for the past 10 years, and makes these adorable and sweet birth announcements and invitations.
I love anything customizable, and these are about as custom as you can get! You can either purchase the Digital File and print the stationary yourself, or if you’re lazy like me, you can ask Amy and she’ll print it up for you for an extra fee.
I don’t have any kids myself... but maybe I can send out a new puppy announcement when I get a second dog! Now that’s an idea!
Check out her Etsy shop by clicking on the post title!

Smeeta

Rita is the creative mind behind Smeeta. She formed Smeeta while she was in Taiwan pursuing a career in the music industry. Inspiration struck and she’s been making cute things ever since! She’s based out my hometown of Vancouver as well and is super involved in the local craft scene, participating in various shows around Vancouver, like Got Craft and The Etsy Spring Fling. How did I miss that show? I would have loved to have gone and done some SHOPPING! Oh well, maybe next year… is there a mailing list I can get on?

See her adorable shop by clicking on the post title!

R. Potter

R.Potter’s Bloks are hand painted on wood and come in a variety of sizes. I like that you can arrange a little grouping depending on your style... or have a whole bunch and swap them out to create new looks on your wall from time to time. She also does commission work, so you could have whatever the heck you want painted on your bloks! (within reason, I’m sure) grin(:
Presently based in Brooklyn, R.Potter has lived all over America and also in Japan (how I’d love to live in Japan one day!) She also makes really cool bags from reclaimed materials (my current favourite kind of eco-friendly activity!) Because each bag is made from different types of materials with it’s own wear and tear, each has their own story.
Click on the post title to have a look at her shop!

violetjulia

Julia is a Virginia based artist who makes these incredible prints from her original Polaroid photographs.
Having always lived in the city, her move to rural Virginia has inspired her to revisit her love for instant Polaroid photography. These photographs are a selection of works from several series that explore the deep forest and rural landscape. The images reflect her interest in finding the details in the unbroken areas of the forest. She is also attracted to the expanses of land where built environments mingle with nature in between cities.
Polaroid photos were kind of ahead of their time, weren’t they? With film camera’s you just had to hope you got the money shot, but with the Polaroid you got to see your pictures right away.... it really was the most amazing thing to see the picture develop right before your eyes! I was never able to take pictures that look like this with my Polaroid though!
Click on the post title to check out her shop!

Cutie Pie Company

Based out of Bronx New York, Milly handcrafts her items with great care, from the printing to the packaging. She exposes her screens on the gocco, and either pulls the prints by hand or print them with the gocco machine. Most of her designs are either illustrated by hand or culled from vintage sources.
She sells gift tags, cards, prints and original art in her shop. Her work is a good mix of vintage and modern. I love her silhouettes! Very sweet!
*Did you know? According to Wikipedia...
The word silhouette is an eponym of Etienne de Silhouette, a French finance minister who in 1759 was forced by France's severe credit crisis during the Seven Years War to impose severe economic demands upon the French people, particularly the wealthy. Because de Silhouette enjoyed making cut paper portraits, his name became synonymous with these portraits and with anything done or made cheaply. Prior to the advent of photography, silhouette profiles cut from black card were the cheapest way of recording a person's appearance.
I just thought that was so interesting that I’d share!
Click on the post title to view her shop!

Colorworks

Amy Stoner is the creative mind behind Colorworks. In Canada we would call her Colourworks, but I digress. (:
She creates these beautiful Encaustic Paintings and Collages in her Portland, Oregon studio. Encaustic is an age old technique of painting with molten natural beeswax. I did an encaustic workshop a couple of years ago and it was a blast! The best smelling art to make, that’s for sure! Many of her pieces contain collage elements including hand-pulled carved woodblock prints that she makes on my Richeson etching press, as well as drawings, art paper, fabric and vintage ephemera .
She paints only on recycled and reclaimed wood, so that it gets a second life as beautiful, original art. I’m a sucker for anything that is repurposed. Why throw it away when it can be made beautiful or useful?
Click on the post title to check out her shop!

Rachel Austin

Rachel Austin is a Portland, Oregon based artist. She creates fantastic pieces that are all different but have a few common themes running throughout, maps being one of them. If you look, many of her pieces are painted onto a map, then she takes a name from the map to name the painting.
Many of her paintings have to do with flight as well. Birds, planes, paper airplanes are all common elements to many of her works. I love the organic nature of the pieces. I’m really digging her colourful and abstract florals as well, so many lovely textures and bold shapes!
Her shop has a good variety of items... everything from jewellery, magnets and little pocket mirrors to prints and lots of original art!
Click on the post title to check out her lovely shop!

Melabo

Megan Bogonovich is an artist and ceramic teacher who lives in Concord New Hampshire. She makes kooky and cool ceramic sculptures and bowls. At first glance you think you’re just looking at normal figurines, then upon closer inspection you see that it’s a man’s head in a nest of baby birds, or a squirrel headed bride standing beside her human headed husband. I love things that make you think... and wonder!
Her bowls are quite beautiful as well. She screen prints the images onto flat porcelain, then pinches them into these cute tiny little bowls! According to her you can only get about 37 peanuts into the bowl, but that’s OK, peanuts are fattening, and 37 is probably a good handful!
Click on the post title to look at her shop!