Etsy Favorites: claudiagpearson

I happened across claudiagpearson on Etsy by accident … or maybe it was a blog post … or tweet on Twitter. The online world is crazy; tis hard to keep track! Anyhoo, Claudia is a nifty illustrator from Brooklyn who happens to make one of my favorite collectibles – calender towels.

Add in the fact that her 2010 calender tea towel features local, seasonal produce & I was sold! Bonus: she sews on a small loop of fabric at the top corner so you can easily hang the towel. For me, it’s not a good towel without a fabric loop for hanging! (I’m just old school/European like that, haha.)

If you have an affinity for paper (as I do; my other weakness), you can buy Claudia’s 2010 local, seasonal produce calender as a poster print or monthly illustrations.

[Images courtesy of claudiagpearson]

Gift Wrapping with Etsy Favorites myfriendamy & endofthedaycrafting

The holiday season is fully upon us. With just 2 weeks until Christmas & 1 DAY until Hanukkah starts, the time for wrapping gifts is now! For both variety and creativity, I like to pick a “wrapping theme” each year. Inspired by an adorable post from Scoutie Girl, my chosen theme for 2009 is relativity simple yet delightfully stylish.

Wrapping paper: Whole Foods brown paper bags turned inside out

Decoration: 4 varieties of colorful baker’s twine (top left) from Etsy’s myfriendamy

Gift Labels: hand-stamped & beautifully-detailed peace reindeer manila tags (top left) from endofthedaycrafting

Both sellers have a fantastic selection & offered wonderful customer service that I won’t soon forget. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed wrapping presents this much!

[All images courtesy of myfriendamy]

Etsy Favorites: stephaniekao

I just found stephaniekao‘s superb ceramics via a tweet from Country Living Magazine. The ceramics themselves are made & fired by Robert Siegel, but Stephanie hand-decorates each one. Her website also features some freaking sweet illustrations!

My eyes are set on her Little Sunrise and Dandelions Coffee Mug. Great price, gorgeous yellow color, and such a swank design. This baby could keep my happy all winter, filled with warm tea & accompanied by my all-time favorite homemade French breakfast puffs. (Sorry, I’ve gone off into lala-land now.)

BONUS: Stephanie’s writes a blog of her very own. As you’d expect, she’s got great taste.

[Image courtesy of stephaniekao]

Etsy Favorites: PansyMaiden

Last month, my mum & I hauled my 10-year-old bicycle out of storage. We got it tuned-up and I’ve been riding it 3-5 times a week even since. It quickly became apparent that my purse wasn’t ready for my cycling adventures.

And so began my hunt for a new, bicycle-ready purse. It took me nearly a full week of checking over 50 different websites to try and find an affordable, eco/DIY-friendly bag. Many times over, I ended up on Etsy, browsing their hundreds of thousands of sellers.

Then … I found her … PansyMaiden. Made right in Boston, owner & hand-crafter Laura was fantastically friendly. Since all of her bags are made-to-order, I had to wait nearly 3 weeks for it to arrive.

[The bag I ordered: Pansy Maiden's Easy To Be Around Mini Messenger in Grey/Yellow]

Three words: worth the wait! The colors of my new purse are even my enchanting in person. The fabric is strong and Laura’s construction is solid. One of the best features: a super-long, adjustable shoulder strap so I can wear it is as a purse or a messenger bag. After checking out Pansy Maiden’s blog, it looks like I’m not the only one who enjoys bike travel.

[Pansy Maiden's **Limited Edition** Shake Sugaree Shoulder Bag in Seersucker/Denim]

[Pansy Maiden's The Bang! Bag in Brown/Lime]

[Pansy Maiden's Where There Are Trees Weekender in Grey/Lime]

[Pansy Maiden's I Was Made For You Faux Duffel in Orange/Grey]

Head over to the PansyMaiden Etsy Shop, or better yet, the Pansy Maiden website, which has its own online store with more options! Bonus: Laura also has a collection made from organic fabrics – swoon.

[All images courtesy of Pansy Maiden]

Etsy Favorites: IcingsPrints

I’ve been meaning to start writing about my hundreds of favorite Etsy.com stores … and there’s no better time than now! A particular post on Scoutie Girl’s blog couldn’t have come at a better time.

Thanks to my marriage & name change, I’m on the hunt for new business cards. Instead of just getting some from Moo.com (like I did just a few months before I got married – oops!), I wanted something slightly more custom. After a short search, I settled on IcingsPrints because of her colorful, part art deco/part modern surrealist designs.

Of course, I already have a logo for my business (the often recognized green apple) & I wanted to have that integrated into the card design. Aislinn did an immaculate job of customizing one of her pre-made graphics, as I requested (to save cost & because the visual is kick ass).

What do you think of the new business card designs?

All of IcingsPrints are designed to be printed at-home, but I plan on getting them done by a professional printing house since my home device can be a bit testy & inconsistent. Now I’m off to find the most eco-friendly business card printer that has the best deal.