Getting Etsy-ed Out!

It's official: I now have two store fronts on Etsy.com. One is for my wearable art (right now, that just means felted hats), and the other shop is for my fine art (paintings).
Since it takes me ages to upload pictures and add virtual merchandise to my shop, it might take me a while before I can say I'm in full-swing business, but let's just see. Wish me luck!

Fabulously Handmade Art at Etsy

Okay... so I've joined Etsy.com (see my shop with its one test painting in it... more to come soon!). Etsy is an DIY ecommerce platform where you can sell your handmade wares (art, clothing, jewelry... anything you make with your own hands), and sell online. It's an easy setup for someone like me. While the contents of my own shop are a bit slim at the moment, I've got an extensive list of favorite items being sold by other people:

Recycling Old Vinyl into New Designs

The other day, I was walking the dog, and I came upon a box of "free stuff", sitting on the sidewalk. Naturally, I stopped, and marvelled at a collection of old vinyl records. Despite not owning a record player, I felt compelled to tuck the collection under my arm, and continue on home. They've been sitting in my living room for a few days now, and I'm wondering what to do with them. Scanning the internet for inspiration, I found these cuffs, on "Cut Out + Keep - a step by step crafty community" (a punk or retro precursor to Etsy.com?). I was thinking of making a mobile, however.

Any other suggestions? If anyone has any thoughts, I'll take them, and promise to photograph and post what I end up creating.

Haircut 2.0 - The Ultimate Wearable Art

It takes a very brave soul to ask random strangers to cut one's hair... which is precisely what this young guy, Bilal Ghalib did. He's calling it Haircut 2.0. Crazy? You decide.

Kitch Lives On: The Nantucket Whale

Among other notable styles that surfaced in the eighties, the preppy thing was all in. It was the rage to sport those little alligator Izod golf tees, red or pale yellow clam diggers, and canvas tote bags with repeated Nantucket whale motifs on them.

I thought everyone knew about these, but last night, at a friend's house for dinner, the hostess had never heard of the Nantucket whale pattern (that I thought was so popular, because I had a college roommate who owned one of everything ever made, that had a whale on it).

Perhaps the East Coast fad wasn't as commonplace as I remember it being, but apparently there are still a few Bif's and Buffy's roaming the planet. They keep places like Vineyard Vines (who are actually cultivating a following of sorts, by showcasing some particularly interesting preppy people here), in business.

Fashion Twist: Orthopedic Grandma Shoes

Who, but Dr. Zen, would design a shoe that "helps in the prevention of skin breakdown and other foot problems"? This design of leather-like, pudgy material boasts a secure closure, which "ensures the shoe stays on", and a fake lace velcro flap. How practical is that?

Orb Watch Design Concept

Travel through time and space with these sleekly designed watches. The ORB bracelet--designed by Serbian student in Torino, Italy, Djordje Zivanovic--cleverly indicates time by the movement of coloured lines that circulate around the smoothe plastic bracelet.

Watch out for this talented designer!

More Than Just a T-Shirt Design

One Top has held its annual t-shirt design contest (sorry, entries were due in December '07), and have revealed its winners. As of yesterday, the funky t-shirt designs are on display in Montreal, as part of The Montreal Fashion Week.

The contest was open to all, and received both English and French language designs... Thought-provoking, often politically motivated ideas evoke both intrigue and that "oh, how clever" feeling. Check out the gallery of designs here.

Birthday Slippers

When does a boy become a man? Well, some tag the age of thirteen as such a milestone... and this year was my godson's thirteenth birthday. For the life of me, I have such trouble figuring out what to give him as a gift. He lives over 3,000 miles away, in sunny California, and we rarely, if ever speak... I don't have much connection with him beyond the daily exchange of joke emails between his mother and I.

So... I found a pair of brown, corduroy, "grandpa" slippers, at the local dollar store. How fitting (pardon the pun). My 70+ year old father duly package them for shipping, carefully cutting the styrofoam so that the slippers (lopsided to begin with) would not lose their form. They had styrofoam support on both the inside and the outside of the slippers, and were then placed in a suitably sized box, addressed, and mailed to California. Okay, I inserted a $20 bill, so that Cheapie Auntie Claire could not be accused of being *totally* off the mark. Happy birthday, Cullen!