PoppyLuxe Designs

PoppyLuxe Designs has a knack for combining new and found items to create one of a kind pieces that are just right for gifting to the special people in your life. Especially if that special person is one who appreciates the green nature of up-cycling and handmade items.

Making Memories Decoupaged Picture Frame

PoppyLuxe Designs has a shop on etsy.com where you can find picture frames, trinket boxes, glass items, switch plate covers, and plaques. Kimberly, owner of PoppyLuxe, will even customize items to your specifications.

Ready to Love Again Picture Frame

PoppyLuxe Designs creates one of a kind artworks using a variety of mediums. Though decoupage is the inspiration behind many of the items you will find in this nifty shop, it soon becomes obvious that this artist has a few other tricks up her sleeve.

You Gotta Have Faith Jewelry/Trinket Box

This is one of my favs:

Flower Burst Switch Plate

For inspiration, check out the PoppyLuxe Designs blog where Kimberly shares her creative process and the on-going quest for groovy items to up-cycle into her fabulous creations. She also features fellow artist from time to time with lots of pictures to share her finds!

Connect with PoppyLuxe Designs:

Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PoppyLuxeDesigns
Blog: http://poppyluxedesigns.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/PoppyLuxeDesign
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fresno-CA/PoppyLuxe-Designs/373312192942?ref=nf

PoppyLuxeDesigns is also the Featured Artist at: http://boostingetsyshopsteam.blogspot.com/2010/03/featured-artist-poppyluxe-design.html

You Need Soap

Artesia does not make soap. The world is probably a better place for it. However, I have found a wonderful soap maker on etsy.com for your artisan soap needs: Swan Mountain Soaps. These soaps and body products are full of the stuff your skin loves: butters, oils, and healing herbs.
Christina of Swan Mountain creates cold pressed soaps and natural body products from scratch, often including the gifts from nature found near her Alaskan home. Her five kids and supportive husband often help with the harvesting, packaging, and testing. Three cheers for Test Monkeys!

Glacier Blend Shampoo Bar

Swan Mountain Soaps are absolutely gorgeous! The photos are lovely, too. It is no wonder Swan Mountain made the Front Page of etsy.com twice last week!

Alaska Rain Soap

One of the many wonderful product lines Swan Mountain offers is their Scents and Sensibility line of perfume oils. These olfactory treats are inspired by some of Jane Austin’s characters: Elizabeth, Jane, Charlotte, Georgianna, Emma, Harriet, Elinor, Marianne… and Mr. Darcy of course!

Swan Mountain Soap’s blog is a fun place to learn more about Christina’s products. You might even learn a bit about yourself if you take her Soap Personality Test. Go ahead – it’s fun!

http://swanmountainsoaps.blogspot.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/swanmountainsoaps

What's Better Than Bubble Bath?

Today is the day I FINALLY add Bath Bliss to my etsy store. I have been making this product for a while now and the time has come for it to go out into the big wide world.

Bath Bliss is a bath powder that when added to running water fills your tub with mountains of fluffy foamy bubbles and....get ready... colors the water! Yup! My favorite is purple water with clouds of snowy white bubbles. Mmmm....

The test monkeys LOVE taking a bath when this bath powder is added to the water. They especially like it if they get to choose the color. I usually have blue, green, purple, pink, and orange on hand. (Technically I have yellow too, but well, it just doesn’t seem right to sit in a tub of yellow water…)

I envision some of these making their way into Easter baskets in a few weeks. The pretty pastel colors are very spring-like and how can you beat the fun of a colored bubble bath?

Sugar Pine Boutique

Today I want to introduce you to an artist of many mediums who currently works with two of her favorites: hand crafted soap and creative sewing projects. Sugar Pine Boutique is a wonderful shop on etsy to find gifts for the eco-savvy in your life. Browsing around Sugar Pine Boutique's etsy shop and blog one finds natural handmade soap, bath accessories crocheted from sustainable plant materials and even upcycled materials turned into hip fashion statements.

Hand Crafted Soaps

This 7 oz Green Apple Soap that comes with a peach colored bamboo and cotton handmade washcloth.

Creative Sewing Projects

The Schweet Tote is a cute 10"x8"purse just the right size for your daily necessities: keys, water bottle, wallet, phone, kid's snack or a book.

Sugar Pine Boutique on etsy has cute gift sets that come packaged and ready to give to your special someone.

The set comes with hand made soap and a bath accessory made of aloo. Aloo comes from a nettle-like plant in the Himalayan Mountains that is harvested and spun into yarn. It is eco-friendly, sustainable and makes an excellent exfoliatant. The gift 'box' is constructed from soft flannel and recycled vinyl or remnants.

Sew Creative Me is Sugar Pine Boutique's blog where you can get a glimpse into the artist's life and follow her creative process. While your there, check out the origami boxes that your handmade soap can come packaged in- so cute!

Sew Creative Me - http://sugarpineboutique.blogspot.com/

Sugar Pine Boutique - http://www.etsy.com/shop/SugarPineBoutique

The Beauty of Lightkeeping

Some artisans have a natural ability to express love and joy in their work. One such being is Anastasija, of Lightkeeping. She creates the kind of jewelry that lends a certain subtle energy to the wearer.

In her Etsy shop awaits a collection of jewelry made from lampwork beads, Czech glass, semi precious stones, wood, felt, clay and metal.

You will find a spectrum of colors and expressions from elegant to whimsical.

Snatches of poetry and bits of pretty prose grace several of her product descriptions adding to their mystique.

"Looking through the light morning mist, she spotted the most beautiful butterflies sitting on yellow flowers, whose leaves and stems were encased in drops of dew, how lovely she thought to herself, such beauty!

Another fun twist to her shop right now is the Etsy Ireland St. Patrick's Day 2010 Treasure Hunt. Light Keeping is one of 13 shops taking part in this fun game that ends in a fabulous prize for the luck winner. It's easy to play, head on over to Lightkeeping's shop to get started: http://www.etsy.com/shop/lightkeeping

(Did I mention St. Patrick's Day is my Birthday?)

Appreciation for all things beautiful is lovingly expressed and shared on Lightkeeping's blog http://lightkeeping.blogspot.com/ . There you will find a collection of beautiful handmade items and Etsy treasuries chosen by Lightkeeping and fellow Etsians.

This Treasury includes a lovely piece by Lightkeeping:

Lightkeeping is the place to find that "just right" gift for any aged woman in your life. And don't forget Lightkeeping's blog for those moments of eye candy zen we all need for sanity and inspiration.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lightkeeping
http://lightkeeping.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/lightkeeping

Easter Basket Finds on Etsy

Easter Sunday falls on April 4th this year and now is the time to start thinking about goodies for the kiddo’s Easter baskets. When I think about gifting, I also think about where those gifts come from, how meaningful they are, the quality of the workmanship, and the message of love I am trying to convey buy choosing the proffered item.

Here are five fabulous ideas for Easter basket fillers found on Etsy.com. They are all handmade and will inspire hours of creative play.

Bunny Crayon by TALKTAGZ

This cute guy looks yummy but he is really a 5 ½” x 3 ½” re-colored crayon! He is a nice size for little fingers and comes packaged for gift giving. TALKTAGZ carries a selection of cute re-colored crayons in a rainbow of colors for you to chose from.

Three Pocketdolls by German Dolls

What could be sweeter tucked into a basket or ready to pop out of a colorful egg? These Waldorf style dolls to fit in larger-sized plastic eggs for Easter and then your little one’s hand and pockets for continuous comfort and play. German Dolls has Pocketbabies in over 40 velour colors and 4 skin tones and will chose three special ones to fill your order. They are 2.5-3” tall and Oh, so cute!

Mini-Stacks by Sidewalk Sensations

One of the sure signs that spring as arrived is chalk-wielding children on the walkways. Inspire your kids with a Mini-stack of sidewalk paint in colors of your choosing. Yes! Sidewalk PAINT made from non-toxic ingredients that are safe for your kids, pets, and environment. Each Mini-Stack by Sidewalk Sensations comes with a one inch paint brush and is tied with a tulle ribbon to match the colors.

Play Clay by An American Daisy

What about Easter candy, you say? Don’t worry, An American Daisy has you covered with yummy vanilla candy your kids can PLAY with! The soft dough comes in nine colors for you to chose from so you can get the wee one’s favorite colors or match the basket theme. To make things even sweeter, An American Daisy will include a roller, sculpting stick and a cookie cutter for each ball of Play Clay.

Mini I Spy Bags by The Crafting Corner

How about a toy that improves fine-motor and reading skills AND can entertain a child in a quiet-play situation? These Mini I Spy Bags are 5”x5” of soft material filled with treasures hidden in nontoxic pellets that can be found through a small viewing window. It’s like an Easter-egg hunt you can take with you! The Crafting Corner has I Spy bags in over 70 different fabric patterns so there is something for everyone.

Meet Taylor House!

Chaucee is a crafty gal who loves to haunt vintage shops near her town. She has combined these two loves and created Taylor House on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/taylorhouse

At Taylor House you will find knitwear made from luxurious extra-chunky yarn. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling just looking at her cowls and scarves.






Taylor House also carries vintage accessories like purses and groovy vintage leather belts.





Taylor House’s blog is a fun read at http://thesearched.blogspot.com/ were she shares some of her great finds and currently has a giveaway promotion were you can snag some super cute wearable art!



And guess what? She even does custom orders – Taylor House made for you.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/taylorhouse

A New Adventure!

Whee!! Artesia officially has a blog. The learning curve is steep on this one, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it shortly. After all, Facebook and Twitter were once unknown territory but are fast becoming old stomping grounds.