Etsy Favorites: Yoga Goods Part 1

The kinds of yoga-related merchandise available never ceases to amaze me. From yoga clothing & mat bags to inspirational art & colorful home accessories, yoga has become a source of creative spark & financial means. Best of all, many yoga goods are made by small businesses & devoted individuals, like folks with shops on Etsy (an all-time favorite site) …

a) Simha Capri-Length Yoga Pants from Kayayogawear
b) “Make Time for Your Yoga” magnet from artsyville
c) Custom Yoga Me Olive Wood Stamp from ahueofduckeggblue
d) Hand-Painted Yoga Mat with Waves from flowyogamats
e) Om, Universal Bliss Handmade Soap from sacredsuds
f) Lavender & Rice Eye Pillow – Kleo in Pink from ChenGallery

… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. As the name of this post suggests, this is just the beginning in an ongoing series of posts. Stay tuned for more very soon!

[Images courtesy of their respective sellers]

Artistic Treats: Mayuko Fujino

Made from Washi (Japanese handmade paper) and magazine pages, Mayuko Fujino‘s works are a visual delight of colors, shapes, and subtle three-dimensional texture.

Unfortunately, I can’t read Japanese, so there is little else I can learn from her website … so I’ll let her artwork do the talking:

What did I tell you? Her works are like paper masterpieces!

Big plus: Mayuko Fujino has an Etsy shop, selling both originals & prints.

[Images courtesy of Mayuko Fujino]

Artistic Treats: Aimee Sicuro

Week after week, I find yet another reason that I adore San Francisco. Though I doubt I’ll ever live there again, I long to visit and reconnect with the many friends I made there. Tis a pity that I didn’t meet Aimee Sicuro during my 3 years in the city.

Finding Aimee’s illustrative works in the December 2009 issue of Yoga Journal (YJ, stop being so awesome!) led me to her website. From there, I found that Aimee has both a blog and an Etsy shop! Swank

With a client list ranging from the Wall Street Journal and Good Housekeeping to publisher Simon & Schuster, it’s clear I’m not the only one who fancies Aimee’s talents.

(From the December 2009 issue of Yoga Journal – enchanting, no?)

[Images courtesy of Aimee Sicuro]

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]

The Package Cometh: Stephanie Kao Little Sunrise & Dandelions Mug

Yesterday was a rare November day in Connecticut. A cloudless sky & 70-degree temperatures were enough to make anyone smile. Arriving home from a college class, I found a reason to grin like crazy. After a minor shipping error, my Little Sunrise & Dandelions Mug from Stephanie Kao was delivered!

The mug is a bit more golden yellow than the picture on Etsy, but the hand-painted details are enchanting. Holding an item that was lovingly made by another person is both emotional and energizing. You won’t get the same feeling from something you buy at Target or the mall. This one purchase furthers my adoration for one-of-a-kind goodies created by the hands of someone I can talk to.

Another bonus: Stephanie personalized the mug just for me! <3

Good thing my last name changed from Everman to Klein when I got married – I don’t think my old name would have fit (haha). Now, I’m off to brew some tea to give the mug a test run.

[Images taken by Victoria Klein]

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.