Now that I'm Back in school..

I've got more time to spend procrastinating (I run out of things to do online because I spend so much time there).

So, do you want to know what time it is? It is REVIEW time! As you may know, one of my favorite Etsy stores, Gudonya closed some time ago. Deb had emailed me right after I made an order to let me know, and let's just say I was devastated. I thought "Oh god, where am I going to get my lip smoothies?"

THANKFULLY, though, Deb didn't leave me all alone like I thought she would. She trained up the new owners and they started Gudonya Too. Now, I really have to say I wasn't sure if the new kid would be as good as the original. I mean, there had to be some doubts, right? We'll all admit it- even training from the master won't always mean that you're as good.

Well, let's just say I ran out of Lip Smoothies and knew I had to find out. I put in an order. And..

Thankfully Gudonya Too is just as good as the original, and even better- they are adding all sorts of new products that have never appeared before. Like Shampoo. There's also lots more non-floap soaps (Don't get me wrong- I love me some floap, but I'm also a fan of soap that doesn't seem to go QUITE so quick- floap goes quick!) and lots of other fun stuff. One of my current favorites is the Oats n Ice bar. You know I love the peppermint, right? TINGLE!

So if you loved the original Gudonya, or are just looking for some really good bath and body suppliers.. head over to Gudonya Too. They've got the same great customer service and the same awesome products.



Now, onto some administrative stuff. This is going to be the first and last time I will say anything about this because I don't like to be pushy, but you may have noticed a small PayPal donation button over on the left-hand side of the blog. As you may or may not know, I'm in grad school now and this means that I'm broke double broke, so if you've got a few extra dollars you can spare to keep me living, please donate. If you don't, I won't hate you, but if you do I'd really appreciate any help I can get.

I hate asking for handouts, but as a person who often donates to others in need, I figure I have to be able to suck up my pride and take what help I can get. So like I said, I won't say anything more- but the donate button will stay there. If you've got something you can give, please do. Also, keep in mind that it IS paypal so anything under $2 probably won't be worth the time once the fees are taken out. Alternatively, if you would like to get something for your money, head over to my shop- I can do custom knitting and crocheting.

And if you can't do any of this, just remember that I am happy you're a reader. Thanks :)

New Years Eve Goodness

Well, in just one week I will be leaving my life in Montana to go back "Home" to New York. Hopefully I will never have to come back to Montana again. But we'll see.

In honor of New Years' Eve.. I give you the following.


Rainbow Love Bracelet from phranne


Maine Coone Print from OnlyPencil


Love at the Disco Pendant from Sojourn Curiosities


Custom Pencil Urchin from Jen Maestre

There's not much to say about these fun little things, but enjoy. I got 1 Christmas present from Etsy- a lovely pendant from Sojourn Curiosities from my fiance. Lovely stuff.

Uh oh.. new wedding ring candidate?

As you might remember, last year for Christmas I got my fiance and I these rings from Kathryn Riechert. I adore them, but Jeremy's not happy about the fact that the engraving is so public. I might've found a solution..


Edge-Engraved Stackable Rings by Delia's Studio

Now, even if I don't get these.. they're definitely worth checking out. They're really sweet!

Back for the Holidays

Phew! I know I've been really bad about updating, but now that I'm going back to CORNELL this spring I'll probably have tons more time to procrastinate and post on here. But.. Christmas is coming up. Before I show off some of the awesome things I've found, let me direct you over to the Etsy Gift Guides. Tons of great stuff to troll through. But we know what you really wanna see.. my favorites for the season! (and if you're looking to find some of your own favorites, seriously- hang out in the chat rooms- there's always good stuff being thrown around in there)


Viking Circle Pendant from Shy Violet
Okay, okay.. I know I shouldn't be putting so much knitting stuff on here but honestly, it's pretty, isn't it? And a steal at $30! You better snatch it before I do ;-)


Pearly Tree Necklace from Beads in the Belfry
Ok, this one has been sold. But she can make you a custom one. The only reason I haven't taken advantage myself is that the possibilities are absolutely endless. Would I want it just like this one, or do I want it in green and gold and bronze shades, or maybe deep red shades, or even rainbow?! Or do I want delicate silvery crystals.. who knows!


Eyeball Pincushions from Schmaltzy Crafts
She only has some custom eyeballs listed at the time of posting, but verybigjen makes these adorably loveable pincushions that are also, well, just a tad creepy. I love them. If eyeballs aren't your thing, check out the rest of her shop.

Now if you've been paying attention at Etsy, you may know that my all time favorite shop, Gudonya, has retired! Noooooo!!!

But never fear- GudonyaToo is in training with Deb herself and everything's still there. I love the new look- everything's very vibrantly colored, and though I can't vouch yet for the quality of their product I'm positive that Deb will make sure they're just as good as she was. Check it out!

Long time No See

Knitting Messenger Bag

Long time no see, people! I've found something perfect for knitters. I'll be honest with you- I dislike all the 'designer' knitting bags that have come out. They aren't really all that much different from regular bags (with a couple exceptions) and they tend to be very overpriced, in my humble opinion. But I'm not a fan of designer labels. I don't think the name matters.

That's why this bag. It's got everything a knitter needs all built in, and it isn't overpriced (not everyone will want to drop $45 for a bag but, hey, some people are willing to drop $1000, so I think getting a handmade, quality product outweighs the price). On top of this it's a very practical messenger bag design, with a roomy inside. What more could a knitter want?

A quick Gush

Another order from Cover to Cover. How can you not love it?

Featured Item: Vintage-Look Necklace

There's a new seller I've noticed, and her necklace and other wonderful jewelry just amazes me. I don't know where she finds her great findings but the stuff she makes is just soo lovely. And the jewels.. so pretty and colorful.

Featured Item: Fade From Rainbow Sock Yarn

I know, I know, you're sick of rainbows. But Seriously, probably THE BEST rainbow yarn is right here at etsy, and the best part is that you can also get a custom made yarn from the seller! So even if you don't like rainbows, this person does great work. The fades are incredible, and I simply love it. My rainbow yarn came today and the wool is nice, not particularly special but when is it ever? The colors are what make this yarn, and I highly recommend it. The seller is awesome! I'll be sure to update you guys with sock pics once I make them.

Dry Winter Skin Solutions

I am having this problem, and I know a lot of YOU are having this problem too. Unless you're lucky enough to live in the southern hemisphere, or a hot, humid place, a lot of you are probably suffering from dry winter skin- be it severe like my fiance's mothers, or moderately annoying like mine, or even just a little dry. I've spent the last week trying to figure out what to do about my own winter dry skin and have also been drooling over the great selection of handmade bath and body items on Etsy, thinking about what will finally free me from my winter dry skin problem. Here's a step by step "Guide" to better skin using products straight from Etsy!


First, you gotta get rid of the dead skin, plain and simple. I've been really digging the look of this sugar scrub by Althea Saps because it boasts the claim that it doesn't separate like other oily scrubs. The bonus of scrubs like this is that they usually include an oil, which is really one of the most essential things you need to get your skin feeling good again- your body's natural layer of "sebum," the stuff that keeps your skin lubed- gets depleted seriously in dry weather, so you want to try to replenish that! If you're more of a do-it-yourself type, you can even make your own sugar scrub, but of course I always advocate buying it from Etsy.


The next step, the first to actually getting the moisture back in your skin, as I read in an online article, is to try to get the oils back into your skin. What better way to do this than by using these butter beans from the Vintage Body Spa. I received a sample of these in the super-posh Little Black Box and I haven't been able to use them since I only have a shower, but after dissolving one in a sinkful of water to experiment, they are wonderful. Best way to use them? Let yourself soak in the water for about 10 minutes, THEN drop in the butter beans. This'll "plump" your skin with water and allow the oils to absorb better.


What next? Well, you wanna moisturize. The biggest thing I've seen in all my research and struggles to find ways to make my skin better is to stay away from anything commercially produced that contains any kind of alcohol- this will dry you out in the long run. The other thing i've noticed is that natural plant fats like shea butter and cocoa butter are KING at not only keeping your skin moist, but they also supposedly speed healing and help with 'problems' like stretch marks and other skin blemishes. Thats where this great whipped shea butter comes in. SudsMuffin has a great line, but this is probably the one that attracts me most. It comes in three scents and is nothing but pure, natural, GOOD shea butter. The peppermint/tea tree combo would be excellent for sore, cracked, winter feet.


What about locking in all that moisture? Well, shea butter will do a good job but I like to have something that I can take with me on the go, something that provides a pretty good coating to keep my skin protected. These vegan lotion bars are the perfect answer. I have loved lotion bars for nearly a year now, and I have found a lot of good ones on Etsy. These look especially promising.


You know what the WORST thing for me is in the winter? Its having to wash my hands. My hands get SERIOUSLY dried out, even with all the moisturizing I do, such that I have to literally slather myself with the shea butter EVERY TIME I wash my hands. Well, THIS SOAP is just what you need, especially if you wash your hands a lot. Its loaded with cocoa butter and jojoba oil, and despite the name it doesn't have any actual "Silk" in it, so its vegan, for those of you who prefer to be without the animal products. I hear it also makes GREAT shaving soap.

Fall 2006 Featured Sellers

This is an archive of Featured Sellers from 2006. Please see the sidebar for more current features!

CC Jewelry
Ashabee's Creations
Young and With It
Laura's Knittage
Precious Meshes

Etsy's Growing Pains are my Own

Well, not entirely, but just be aware that I'm going through the blog to fix all the entries because Etsy just launched version 2 and all the photo urls have changed.

I'll try to post some new features today too.

The Perfect Rainbow Yarn: Lavender Sheep

Talk about amazing. I never thought I'd find it, really. The actual PERFECT rainbow yarn that I've dreamed about all my life. but I found it, in the colorway "Mine, Don't ToucH" by Lavender Sheep's Fiber Garden. In a supersoft merino sock yarn, this is by far the BEST yarn I've ever seen. I love it. Just ask my fiance, who snapped this pic...



He knows. He saw how excited I was. It's simply the best- and the other colorways are great, too. Vibrant, and not too dark- they are simply lovely.

Featured Seller: Duet

Who is Duet? Actually, this shop is run by two ladies- Duet and Lunamom, both very talented. The Duet is an earring that is meant for more than one ear hole- like the gorgeous one shown above. And well.. Lunamom just makes awesome clay stuff. I'm featuring them today because they're good friends and both of them are amazing artists. Seriously guys.. love this stuff. Click here to view the whole collection!

August 2006 Featured Sellers

Definitely Different Designs
Sun Daisy Gems
Precious Luxie
Cover to Cover
Wai Sze Designs
Twists on Wire
Clear Creations Stained Glass
Craftsman
My Olivette
Kidz Bedz
Shelly Lampshire Originals
Take off your Clothes
Snail Mail Creations
Dragon Lady Designs
StoryBlox
Maps on Leather
Chica Style

A few more Sunday Features

I swear I'm going to have a real feature post with real action shots sometime, but for now, a few more cool things from Etsy.


This pocket mirror with art from IvaArt is really sweet. I'm covetting it, but of course I haven't taken the final step and clicked the "buy" button yet. I've got an ATC from her and she also sent me a pocket mirror with some of her other art on it- Gorgeous. I adore it all.




OhSoRetro is definitely something of a legend on Etsy (and other places), and for good reason- Adrienne makes freaking AWESOME stuff. Not only does she choose wonderful "retro" fabrics which make her products fun and crazy, but as you can see, the workmanship on this and her other products is impeccable. That's what separates her from the rest. I have a card holder from her, and you should expect more action shots and gushing in the future from me- I'm just like that.




Just a little something for halloween from our favorite chainmaille artist, Sinister. What better way to celebrate than with properly colored earrings?