Featured Item: Amigurumi Jack "Sparrow"

To celebrate the opening of Pirates, today we're featuring this adorable little amigurumi from Amigurumi Kingdom. Amy's Babies had a Jack Sparrow as well earlier this week, but congrats to her- someone bought it! Now.. can I just say.. how much freaking cuter can you get than this adorable little Jack "Sparrow?" I think that's my favorite part, actually. As a maker of amigurumi myself, I am very disappointed I didn't think of the idea, but I bow down to Amigurumi Kingdom when it comes to creative and cute ideas for amigurumi. They've got the embellishment thing down, and all their products are adorable. They don't just sell amigurumi though- they also sell things for those of us who want something a little smaller to satiate our hunger for cuteness- like these Ipod Sprite buttons, or this Amigurumi Lollipop. They also have a non-etsy website, found here, with galleries of all their old amigurumi.

So, for those of you who can't crochet and just like the cute- go view and buy, and for those of you who crochet and love the cute- be inspired by the cuteness. I've taken some of their components into my own amigurumi making- Namely the beady black eyes and the small muzzle. Amigurumi with embroidered eyes or googly eyes just don't do it for my anymore. So, EMBRACE THE CUTE.

PS: Sorry about the lack of Theme Thursday- Hopefully we'll make it up to you later.

Featured Item: Fat Kitty

This Super Cute stuffed Kitty from The Sweetest Pea is just adorable beyond words. I don't know why it is that fat people are unattractive but fat animals and fat babies are cute. I guess it doesn't matter, really, since this kitty is about the cutest thing on the planet (for today at least).

The Sweetest Pea isn't just home to this kitty, though. They are home to an assortment of cute little fat stuffed animals, like the penguin, the elephant, and the monster. Top that off with great photo composition and the adorable-ness is just too much for me to handle, so I'm going to have to stay away from the shop for the rest of the day. That doesn't mean you have to, though. Check it out!

Featured Seller: Wicked Westie

Mindy, the owner of Wicked Westie Designs, is one of the very first people that I met when I first started trying to get into the 'community' of Etsy (namely, the red room). She's a fellow knitter and super cool person from the northwest, so how could I not love her?

Anyway, she had these Rainbow Jesus earrings that I really liked and that apparently caused a lot of controversy for her due to the association of rainbows with gay pride. It's pretty obvious she didn't mean anything like this- it was just a Jesus bead (super cool guy I have to admit, even though I'm not religious), and some rainbow beads. Course if you wanted to, you could call these your "Jesus is FAAAAABULOUS" earrings and take the flack. Somehow I don't think he'd mind that much. If you guys don't know by now, I adore rainbows- and jesus hanging from my ears was just too good to pass up, so after a bit of time, I finally got the earrings, and I wore them throughout my last semester at Cornell to give me luck.



I don't have as much time to wear different earrings now that I'm not in school anymore, but I still adore my little Rainbow Jesus earrings. Westie even sent me a treat with my order- mostly because she felt bad for taking 'too long' to send them out, but who refuses goodies? I highly recommend her as a seller- check out the cool stuff she's got:
Royal Sunset Necklace-Brown Cow Tank-Shelob's Web Necklace-Neckwarmer- Dark Blue-Coastal Beach Scarf

Be sure to check out her neckwarmers- they're really cool designs, and even though it's summer right now, it's never too early to think about fall, when a neckwarmer would be the perfect thing to keep you warm when it's not quite cold enough for a full scarf.

Featured Item: Punk Rock Accessory Kit

This great "kit" was part of the Etsy Coproduction contest, and was put together by Ingero, Pillowhead, and Nerdbomber, two of whom have already been featured on this site but I was reminded that this supercute kit existed and I decided that since the 4th is tomorrow I can do what I want and pick something ultra-cool from my favorites.

There was a lot of great stuff for the Coproduction contest, but this was one of my favorites. I love this because it really is a bitty little 'starter kit' for any punk wannabe- and while that may go against the idea of "punk," I love it and I think everyone should have one of these kits. Patches, pins, and a cute keychain- that's really fun, and this little set, to me, seems to be like the perfect way to punk up that jacket or bag that you have lying around. Sure, you'll wanna add extra stuff later, but this is a great start. It's just fun!

Featured Item: Relax... I'm a NINJA

Today we're featuring this ultra awesome Ninja Shirt from KiWi Cuties. This shirt was one of the first things I got from Etsy, before I even met KiWi in the Red Room. I got the shirt as a gift for my fiance, whom I love dearly. He really likes ninjas, monkeys, ninja monkeys, etc, though he apparently isn't as happy about pirates. Anyway, my point is, he really likes his ninja shirt.



KiWi Cuties has a great line of ninja stuff, from the Relax... Onesie to the Crouching Fabric, Hidden Ninja underwear. They also have some great stickers, buttons, and other ephemera. They are great to work with, and I love their customer service- when I bought the You Compute Me card for my fiance, they sent me an email letting me know it had shipped- saying "Your robots have been deployed." How fun!

Whats that? It's a Little Black Box!

First, a blog related announcement- you can expect that the Cool Stuff blog is going to be updating later in the day due to the holiday. I'll try to update early but you know how it is, what with holidays and stuff. Hee.

Now, onto the site spotlight. This week we're looking at The Little Black Boxes, a site that is very similar to The Sampler where customers can subscribe to the "Black Boxes" and recieve a box of awesome goodies for their cash. I really love these sampler type boxes- they are a ton of fun because you get to be surprised by the goodies, and they are also a great resource for indie designers- all you invest is a few samples, which you can make as big or as small as your store dictates, and you get tons of publicity, and hopefully some new customers.

So, if you like getting grab bags (like I do) or you want to donate some samples- head over to the Little Black Box!

Also- Look for Pocket and I in the August Sampler, and I will also be in the October little black box.

Featured Item: Sushi Soap

Today I'm featuring this adorable SUSHI SOAP from Kisu Kisu (which is apparently a loose translation of "Kiss Kiss"). If you haven't already noticed, I adore bath and body products- its kind of a way to treat myself. I also happen to really like sushi- well, actually, i only like crab rolls. I'm the boring sushi lover- I don't like anything remotely crunchy in my sushi, and I don't like truly raw fish, but c'est la vie. I like this soap.

This soap is sold in many different sets, and is packaged just like sushi- which makes it a great gift. You also get to pick your scent and what type of base you want for the soap- talk about custom service! These soaps? I'm looking at them for a gift for my good friend CC, my closest friend from college. Hell, I might grab a set for my other good friend from college- Milan. Either way, my Japanese-taking friends can look forward to these and other cute Japanese-type etsy gifts.

Theme Thursday: Skulls

Featured Item: Cranky Cat in a Tree

So, I'll admit that of late I've been having some trouble picking the features. Mostly because I have about 5 things I'm waiting to feature but, well, I have to do things- I have to frame something, I need to take photos of earrings (hard to do all by yourself!), I need to knit something... You get the idea. Anyway, before I start gushing about these cute kitties, I wanna add that I just got my earrings, just two days after I bought them, and they're completely and utterly awesome. I feel like a fangirl.

So, the Cranky Cats have been on my favorites list for a long time, and I think I'm going to end up getting a few prints as Christmas presents for my aunts, who both adore cats. I'll probably get myself one while I am at it. The prints aren't everyone's style but aren't they cute? I especially like this one because of the oversized cat on the tree- how adorable. If you didn't already gather that I like things to be out of proportion, I do, and that's why this print is my absolute favorite of them all. Others that I like? 1-2-3

How cute can you get?

Featured Item: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club.. Bale?*

Item no Longer Listed

There's a lot of cute stuff on Etsy, as we all know. But Amy's Babies has a large share of this cuteness. All her dolls are adorable, and these amigurumi turtles just take the cake. I mean, they're brilliant! What could be more adorable than actual amigurumi beatles than a bunch of amigurumi TURTLES dressed as Beatles? Definitely way cool.

So, while you're at Amy's Babies, make sure to check out the rest of her stock- she has some adorable snails and other types of dolls, and she's a really great person to work with. Definitely a top etsy personality. One of my favorites? The Military Turtle. Super cute.

*a bale is a group of turtles. Geekiness shall subside now.

It's Monday Again

I don't have any fun pictures for you, so I figured I'd just blather for a bit about Etsy-related stuff and hope one of my co-bloggers comes up with someone to feature today. First off..
Awesome Etsy Sales:
Half Off on All earrings at Totemic- I snagged a pair of caged dice I've been eyeing since before I bought the coloring book.
$10 off a purchase of $60 or more at mLee original art (prints only)- I haven't featured mLee (yet *wink*) but I have bought several things from her- mostly non-art but she's got gorgeous stuff, so this is a great deal. I snagged an art card from her this morning.

other
-Remember how I wasn't quite happy with the scent of the Gudonya Baby Legs Shaving Soap? Well, they made a new scent. The jury is still out on whether it's good or not but I know for a fact that the Hibiscus floap smells good (free samples) so the Hibiscus Baby Legs Shaving Soap should be good as well.
-Remember Aoi's Art? Remember the orange Peel Good earrings? Yeah, they're mine now. They are 10x more adorable in person. I am soo amazed with the detail that goes into these minscule pieces.
-Guess who made some whipped shea butter? I did, with materials from Bramble Berry Soapmaking Supplies. Now, I'm not selling it, because it's in ziplock tupperware containers, but it came out really good and I just wanted to share my non-etsy-related excitement.

Anyhow, that's it for today but if you're looking for a fun way to check out new items go to the Etsy Time Machine 2. I compulsively check it every day and I have a lot of fun as well as find a lot of cool stuff.

ps

Etsy is in WIRED MAGAZINE, the issue that came out today. Woot.

Featured Item: Tooled Letter Cat Journal

So, I was hanging out in the red room once again, as I am wont to do.. and some new people came in! Before I go into detail, let me just say that my favorite thing is when new people with awesome shops come into The Red Room. I do a lot of my shopping straight from the red room, so I adore when new people come in. Back to business though- last night this husband and wife team came in last night- and boy is their stuff ever awesome! I picked the cat journal because I love cats- but there's a lot more at Hot Dog 'n' Bun.

I know leather is not for everyone but this stuff is just lovely, and there's more than just leather binder journals. Seriously. Check them out- they deserve it.

Saturday Site Spotlight: Wickedly Chic

So, due to some of the ever-popular forum drama over at Etsy, I was introduced to a totally awesome website- Wickedly Chic. Wickedly Chic has a similar goal as we do- to review products and let consumers know what kind of awesome, cool stuff there is out there. Kim, who I have been hanging out with in the Red Room, is ultra cool, and runs the site along with Liz, whom I actually met in chat last night. Both of them are extra nice gals, and they do a great job getting indie crafters to the forefront.

Wickedly Chic runs contests and publishes great articles on indie designers, with the current article being Your Summer 2006 Survival Kit, which reviews some great summer finds, including some Whipped Clean from my favorite bath and body Etsyian- Gudonya. Wickedly Chic is also offering free advertising on their "Rolodex" until September, and has very reasonable advertising rates- the site is quickly growing and it's a great resource for indie designers and those of us who love to buy from them.

In other news:
Not really self promotion persay, but some of us bloggers have signed up for The Sampler (namely me and Pocket) for August, and I'll be doing some bracelets in the October "Think Pink" (breast cancer awareness) Little Black Box. Both sampler sites are great ways to have fun and get cool samples from indie designers, so definitely check them out!

Featured Item: Starry Night Pendant

Today, I'm bringing you something from my favorites. This pendant has been on my favorites at Etsy for quite some time, and someday I'll probably get around to buying it. The problem I have with this pendant is while it is gorgeous... SO ARE all the other pendants. The artist, Samantha Kocsis, has a store FULL of lovely handpainted, handsculpted pendants that are wire wrapped and absolutely gorgeous. Many of the pendants are tarot inspired or inspired by paintings (like the starry night pendant above), and they are all simply gorgeous.

When I finally do decide which pendant to buy, you can be sure I'll be back here with an action shot- but until then, I'll just have to drool.

Theme Thursday: Rainbows

You may not be aware of this yet, but I dearly love rainbows. Rainbow themed front pages on Etsy are due to incessant begging on my part, so how could I NOT do a rainbow theme here?