Whoooo! Today has been such a hectic day for me as I'm trying to get packed to leave Germany on Thursday, visit everyone to say goodbye, and I'm prepping the apartment since I'm leaving until May (cleaning out the fridge, doing all of the laundry, you know the FUN glamorous parts of life). In a few days we are flying back to New Hampshire not knowing if our home even has electric since it currently does not and may not for several more days due to the massive ice storm that hit recently. So! My day has been crazy. But enough about ME. Let's talk about some incredible and hard working Etsy sellers and peek in on what they're doing, shall we? Ready for Etsy Take Five Tuesdays? Good, me too. First up we have j.mendicino ceramics and her shop called Pretty Random Objects which is a collection of work by j.mendicino and her family. I LOVE and I do mean LOVE these squirrel vases. Wow. How can anyone NOT go bonkers over them!? Via the lovely Nina in Vorm (who wrote a fantastic post on contemporary ceramics if you want to check that out, click here).

Now let's talk about Blue Bicicletta, motivational art by Nicole Docimo. Nicole just wrote to me about her work and I liked it the second I clicked over. Motivational art that isn't 'office space' cheesy is the best. No eagles soaring over the sunset with the words "Dare to Fly" or anything corny like that, Nicole's work is fun, modern, and quite refreshing. I am drawn towards work that feels positive, happy... I guess it's because I don't see the need to dwell on dark things as they tend to wear me out. I like a little edgy 'dark' art now and then, but mostly I'm all for the feel good stuff. Psst: Nicole is a blogger, too.

Next up is color and whimsy from Modern Pop, a shop I heard about via my bloggy friend Marisa. I really like their calendar for 2009 - it's round! It's the first one like it I've seen and think it's a clever idea. Their prints are fresh, bright, with lots of energetic color and spirited creatures. Great for children and adults, especially their beautiful personalized stationery.

I love the work of graphic designer Lisa Evans, also known as Firefluff, based in the UK. I just read a feature on her in one of my husband's Photoshop magazines and I couldn't take my eyes off of her work. I want one of everything in her shop. It's enchanting, surreal, fairytale-like, oh I admire her talent so much. What gorgeous work and attention to detail. You simply must check out her blog too. Amazing stuff.

And last but not least... if you love La Pomme in France you will go nuts over her other shop called La Pomme Stories. This lady is super creative, I can't get enough of her lovely handmade books filled with fairy tales and creative stitchwork. These are the kind of books that we all wish we had the time to make for the little kiddies in our life. La Pomme reminds me so much of my late, GREAT aunt who passed away when I was 14 years old. As a fine artist and teacher, she made special things for me like this that I still carry close to me in my heart. I truly believe giving your children handmade things when they are young instills in them an appreciation for creative arts and crafts that never dies...

I hope that you've enjoyed my picks for this week. Remember, I'm always looking for new shops to feature in this column so if any have crossed your path lately that you'd like to share, kindly leave their link in the comments section below or email me at holly AT decor8blog.com. Thank you!

BONUS: This week I have a little bonus find for you: Zippity Dooda. Please check out her artful agendas...

(images above linked to their sources)