Filled with an eclectic mix of fabric jewelry, modern art to wear and unique accessories, today's feature is Tamdoll's Silver Mountain Originals on Etsy!
This shop has a variety of pretty items from tote bags to jewelry and a handful of sewing patterns. But I'm particularly drawn to the embroidered and felt brooches offered here and there's a series of them in autumn leaf colors that I adore.
Fabric brooches and pins make a great gift for teachers of young children and child-care workers, especially, since they are soft and therefore less likely to hurt when bumped or scraped against. The versatility of these brooches is terrific and those offered in Tamdoll's shop are beautifully made and completely adorable.
YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES ABOVE TO VISIT TAMDOLL ON ETSY AND TAKE A LOOK AROUND OR, IF YOU PREFER, YOU CAN CLICK RIGHT HERE!
If you like what you see in Tamdoll's shop, you may also enjoy visiting Tamdoll's blog or stopping by to say hi on Twitter!
An Etsy Treasury curated by mysticwynd ~ When That Deep Purple Falls...
Click on the picture below to be taken to a page where you can browse individual items you like that you see pictured here as well as the shops where these items were found and artisans behind them all!
Credits go to: Ametista, ArtsyTartsyJewels, BabbidgePatch, Eugena777, gilliauna, jnoriginals, MagdaleneJewels, Mostlyflowers, mysticwynd, PrizedPossessions, RainyDayArt, randomcreative, RockStash, sassalynne, SilverSmack, Thyme2dream and winemakerssister.
To me, April is the epitome of spring. A time of birth and rebirth, warmth overcoming cold and new life.
It's a time for new beginnings and spiritual growth and today's shop fosters this concept on a path that is near and dear to my own heart and life-affirming no matter the season.
CariocaWitch on Etsy is a shop filled with love and light. Ever since I first discovered this shop, I have returned again and again to pour over the beautiful goods offered there and even today I just purchased from them! In fact, I purchased both of the items pictured here in this post.
The Goddess poppet to the left is a representation of Persephone, the Queen of Spring growth and of the Underworld. As stated in the item description for the piece as well as taught to me in my youth and that I've taught to others throughout my adult life, Persephone was abducted by Hades and spends half year in the Underworld with her consort.
Persephone then spends the other half with her mother in her world. In Greek mythology she, goddess of the soul, is the possessor of its dark and frightening wisdom and she is also the harbinger of spring and a reminder of all the growth and hope that it brings along with it.
The other item purchased, the felted runes pictured on the right, were picked up for another of my favorite activities.
Teaching.
Although runes are usually made of wood or stone, I've picked out these runes, in particular, for the purpose of teaching children about their meaning and uses. I mentor in the pagan community and I can think up lots of fun ways to use these runes in educational games with children seeking pagan parenting advice and activities that adhere to the pagan path.
If you are interested in learning more about the pagan path or if you are already on it and looking for a worthy shop filled with love and light to browse through, this is the shop for you! There's lots of information and fun facts throughout CariocaWitch on Etsy and many wonderful items to browse through and enjoy.
YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES ABOVE TO VISIT CARIOCAWITCH ON ETSY AND TAKE A LOOK AROUND OR, IF YOU PREFER, YOU CAN CLICK RIGHT HERE!
You can also learn more about the life and times of the artisan behind Carioca Witch, Nydia Macedo, on her Bringing Up Salamanders blog!
Judaical and secular combine in today's feature shop who is a mutual member of the Etsy Bloggers Team with myself and a bunch of other Etsian bloggers.
LindaB142 on Etsy is filled with a variety of handmade jewelry pieces, many of which have a special religious significance as well as being made with care by hand.
Linda B's shop doesn't carry only Judaical and secular jewelry, of course, but also a wide variety of other pieces as well from classical jewelry pieces (necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc) to more eclectic ideas such as magnets, beaded bookmarks and other fashionable accessories for purses, zippers and more.
Linda is passionate about using bright colors and gemstone characteristics in her beaded jewelry designs ad most of the items in her shop are one-of-a-kind. She's been beading and creating jewelry for about 6 years and you can see her enjoyment in her work within the pieces on display in her shop.
YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE TO VISIT LINDAB142 ON ETSY AND TAKE A LOOK AROUND OR, IF YOU PREFER, YOU CAN CLICK RIGHT HERE!
You can also explore Linda's creative crafts further on her blog, or if you like you can stop by and visit her on Facebook or Twitter!
Today's feature shop is run by an artisan that I spent a great deal of 
time with online. We are both members of the Etsy Bloggers Team as well as mentoring members of the Boosting Etsy Shops Team on Etsy.
Both of these teams are geared towards helping promote others and helping other sellers "learn the ropes" of selling online. This is especially true for the Boosting Etsy Shops Team, where Karen works tirelessly to keep everything running smoothly both behind the scenes as well as up front and center for everyone involved.
Karen also runs her own shop on Etsy as well. MysticWynd on Etsy is filled with beautiful jewelry not to mention really impressive displays -of- that jewelry through her product photos as well. In fact, over the upcoming spring season, I hope to take a few lessons from her creatively inspired displays and try to incorporate them into my own picture taking endeavors.
Instead of being organized in the traditional (and often boring) sections of "necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc", Karen has set up her shop in a fresh and inspiring collections of sections such as "Angels, Fairies and Fantasy" and "Floral, Forest and Butterflies" as well as many other themes.
This shop is a terrific place to stop this spring to refresh your jewelry selection with some new pieces or just a fun place to brows and pick up a couple new favorites to add to your collection.
YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE TO VISIT MYSTICWYND'S ON ETSY AND TAKE A LOOK AROUND OR, IF YOU PREFER, YOU CAN CLICK RIGHT HERE!
You can also take a look and read over at Karen's Mystic Wynd blog where they often feature new crafting ideas, projects, reviews and other interesting tidbits.... Or you can stop by and visit her on Facebook or Twitter!
Paintings and beads, sculpture and jewelry. Drawings and much much more... that's what today's shop has to offer. BunnyKissd on Etsy is filled with fun and colorful bits of clay, pendants, beads and more to make you go "awwww!" and give a smile.
Diana, the artist behind BunnyKissd, is filled with artistic wonder and loves to express herself with a wide variety of mediums from paper, paint, glue and scissors to polymer clay, pencils, watercolors, photography and even the occasional computer art! She's a member of a number of teams on Etsy that I'm also involved with including the Etsy Bloggers Street Team and the Queer Etsy Team.
My favorite piece in Diana's shop at the moment is the beautiful crescent moon necklace you can see pictured here in this post. I have to admit, though, it was a hard debate for me because she has some of the cutest winter ornaments with s'mores and other marshmallow and snowman themes as well and they're all very cute. And also the hungry caterpillar sculpture that made laughter bubble the minute I saw it as well!
YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE TO VISIT BUNNYKISSD ON ETSY AND TAKE A BROWSE AROUND OR, IF YOU PREFER, YOU CAN CLICK RIGHT HERE.
You can also visit Diana on her BunnyKissd blog as well!
Yep, I'm belated. But I'm not that belated because although Sandi's birthday was on the 3rd of May... She has a birthday bash sale going on until the 31st, which means I made it in time for my readers to stop over during the next week and still take advantage of her 50% of everything in her shop deal she has going on right now.
I know! 50% off everything. How is that for a sale. Seriously amazing in my opinion.
Sandi is a brave and courageous breast cancer survivor who started crocheting at a young age and after the completion of her treatment started paying it forward by creating hats and caps for other cancer patients. She likens wearing one of her completed pieces to the sensation of being hugged, and with how much love she puts into every one of her pieces, I believe her!
Handmade by Sandi is filled with crocheted gifts from child and adult lace hats to cozies for both hot or cold drinks. She also has a selection of jewelry, head scarves, Boo Boo Bunnies (very cute) and items for kitchen, bath and beyond.
With her sale going on, this is the perfect time to stop in and take a browse around, too!
YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES ABOVE TO VISIT THIS WONDERFUL WOMAN'S "HANDMADE BY SANDI" SHOP ON ETSY AND TAKE A LOOK AROUND OR, IF YOU PREFER, CLICK RIGHT HERE.
When I was young, my family did a LOT of camping in the summer. Almost every weekend, in fact, and usually at least one week-long camping trip.
I used to love it. I grew up in western Washington, which is full of rain forests and cedar forests, darkly shaded paths and hiking trails, rivers, waterfalls and lakes. Camping was always an adventure. Not only did I get to spend as much time as I wanted barefoot, wild and free and enjoying nature... but I also got to play with fire.
When I came across today's feature shop, it brought me back and made me smile all at the same time.
Nathaniel Luckhurst's photography is beautiful. Gorgeous, actually. And he has a lot of pieces in his shop that make it very easy for me to reminisce about my camping and hiking adventures.
In fact, l like the picture posted just to the left in this blogpost, many of them are perfect resurrections of my memories as many, many of my camping trips and hiking paths looked just like many of the forest land photographs he has to share in his shop.
Since moving to Canada, I haven't really gone camping. I suppose I could blame it on growing up, but I think the fact of the matter is that I never actually realized how much work was involved in all those camping trips back when I was a kid. The preparation (and supplies) needed is phenomenal!
Still, with spring soon slipping into summer and memories stirred by Nathaniel Luckhurst's beautiful prints, I feel the urge. I might just have to take a weekend to enjoy a much-missed-and-longed-for taste of nature again.
TO VISIT LUCKHURST PHOTOGRAPHY ON ETSY, YOU CAN CLICK THE PICTURES ABOVE OR, IF YOU'D RATHER, CLICK RIGHT HERE!
Did you know that February is Heart Health month? This wasn't something I was aware of until just recently.
Being a hypoglycemic with hyper-metabolism, and still in my youth, I don't usually think of these things too often. At least not how they apply to me personally. But when I heard that it was Heart Health month, I started to become curious.
What if this was something I did have to watch? What kind of sacrifices would I have to make? For absolute sure, McDonald's and pizza would have to go. I have no doubt these indulgences are at the top of a very long list.
What interested me most, though, is the number of things that didn't necessarily have to be cut out of your diet IF ate in moderation.
No, moderation does not mean cutting down from a pound of 
bacon with breakfast to 1/4 pound of bacon. It means cutting down to one or two pieces of bacon instead of the entire package. So make sure when you moderate, you do it to your doctor's recommendations instead of your own personal scale of measurements.
One of the things I learned wouldn't necessarily need to be cut out is chocolate. And for me, that's a HUGE relief to my possible 20-or-30-years-in-the-future happiness. I have a major sweet tooth and chocolate is my absolute favorite.
According to the Cleveland Clinic Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute, a moderate amount of chocolate can be a benefit to your cardiovascular heath instead of a detriment to it. If you're interested in the article where I found this information, you can find it here.
As a personal connoisseur of chocolate, this is terrific news! I'm especially a fan of the chocolate and fudge from Aunt Billies. They make a wide variety of different chocolate treats as well as other candies (their peanut brittle is to die for) and they also offer many of their bests in sugar free as well. In fact, I can honestly say I've never tasted sugar free quite as good as theirs.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO CHECK OUT AUNT BILLIES WEBSITE AND BROWSE, BE SURE TO CLICK ON ANY OF THE PICTURES ABOVE TO BE DIRECTED TO THEIR SITE OR, IF YOU PREFER, CLICK RIGHT HERE.
When I was a kid, my sister and I had a lot of energy to expend, and I expect that we were probably real difficult to keep up with. One of the things I remember the most about my childhood, though, is being set down with our family's spiritual/parenting mentor and beading at the coffee table with her and my sister.
For some reason, this activity could fill up hours of our day where we would sit and bead while we caught up on recent events in our family, our future plans and our lives in general. And, even though we were stuck sitting at a table, there was no restlessness or boredom because we were always engaged in both creative activity and interesting conversation.
I've decided that next winter I'm going to be resurrecting one of these projects that I used to enjoy the most on cold snowed-in days.
Each winter for years, our mentor would come to visit on the first snow-day where we were stuck home from school and she would bring with her the supplies a very special project only done on this one special day each year.
On the first snow-day of the winter year, we made snowflakes. Not paper cut outs, although she did teach us that too. We made awesome, shimmering beaded snowflakes. Each one a unique piece of art that we'd later hang on the tree or in our windows. Sometimes we used forms and at other times, as we became older, free formed.
Next winter, I plan to have a collection of these to list in our shop for the holidays. So that we can share one of our own cherished traditions with everyone.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE SOME EXAMPLES OF BEADED SNOWFLAKES, HERE'S A FEW SHOPS THAT CURRENTLY HAVE SOME IN STOCK: ZVIOLET, VINTAGEGIRLDEZIGNS, AESTHETICSANDOLDLACE, CARAMIADESIGNSBYV, SONOMASTREET
