Red Delicious

I know, I know… Long time, no post. Needless to say things have been a bit crazy, but overall in a very good way. Some recent developments include house-hunting, children’s book reading, and general everyday goodness.  I’m honestly thinking about shifting the perspective of this blog a bit to something a bit more “review” oriented… Idunno, just things I’m thinking about. I really do love blogging and have missed it since my creative juices have temporarily dried up.

Anyway,  the other day I decided to let myself indulge in a little bit of jewelry. I don’t usually wear anything but my wedding ring, but I love necklaces and have been looking for one that will suit my daily  needs while also looking kind of fun and vintage. I found Citizen Fox on Etsy and snapped up this gorgeous apple necklace without hesitation.

Get this–it was only $10!!! What a steal. It’s unique, vintage, and ever-so-adorable. I’m not sure why I wanted to wear an apple every day. Somehow it makes me think of fairy tales, spring, and how nice life is.

Splish Splash

I was always aware that vendors on Etsy sometimes do fun trades with one another, kind of like a bartering system. I had never done one before until recently when I was contacted by Patty, the wonderful lady behind Pixie Soap.

I’m so darn glad that my very first trade went well. I was a little confused about how the entire process could go, but luckily Patty was very helpful. I traded several of the Grateful Panda Notepads for one big bar of yummy Cocoa Crazy Soap and a cute handmade pine soap dish. In case you’re wondering… those are real globs of cocoa stirred all through this soap. The smell is amazing.

I’ve been using the soap for the last two days and all I can say is, WOW! I’m a chocolate lover as well as a soap-addict so I knew that this soap would be one of my faves but its rich smell and smooth texture really make me look forward to bath time. Patty uses a ton of wonderful oils in her handmade soaps so your skin comes out with a light chocolate scent as well as a very luxurious feeling. Sounds weird, but I can’t wait to finish this lovely bar of soap so I can have a good excuse to buy more and experiment with other flavors.

Fun with paper masks

Many thanks to the fabulous Matt Cipov for providing this (and several other) super-cool printable paper masks! I found Matt on Etsy and was so taken in by his unique illustrations that I had to run over to his website and check out the rest of his work. He has a very fun “free stuff”-type section with some really cool desktops as well as these sweet animal masks.

Check out some very cool art here–and don’t forget to make your free animal mask! They’re perfect for sneaking up on your loved ones and scaring the crap out of them.

Cool Etsy Find: Le Hot Tomato!

Usually I only have eyes for paper products, but I just discovered the cutest aprons from Le Hot Tomato and wanted to share them with you guys.

Besides being just plain fun, Le Hot Tomato‘s wonderful product pics add a touch of retro whimsy to their already adorable products. Le Hot Tomato provides cool vintage aprons for the naughty housewife in all of us!

I especially love how each product seems to have a fun little story around it. And props to them for finding such a beautiful pin-up!

Check out some of Le Hot Tomato’s products here.

Cool Etsy Find

While doing a search for art for kids, I stumbled upon Stephanie Fizer‘s gorgeous prints.

I just love this one of Alice in Wonderland. I’m a big fan of the books and various movie versions so I was immediately drawn to this print. And can you believe that this was colored digitally?

I think Stephanie Fizer has truly found that elusive balance between the hand-drawn and the digital. The results look very much like a traditional children’s book, but with something special that you just can’t put your finger on.

Check out the rest of her lovely prints here!