Etsy Take Five Tuesday (& Craft Markets)
It's time to share five of my most recent favorite Etsy shops! There are many beautiful things to enjoy that are handmade with love by some very talented creatives out there. Handmade is the big holiday theme this year, have you noticed? Interiors magazines from Australia to England, the Netherlands to the US, Germany and beyond are all a-buzz about handmade - no doubt due to the influence of bloggers who have been heavily promoting handmade arts & crafts for years now. More on that below my finds...
Peggy Wolf - This German artist is one I've shared before but I can't take my eyes off of her gorgeous watercolor-y collages of lovely ladies. Great prints, fun colors, adore!
Blushing Pearl - Custom design and letterpress cards, tags, business cards, wedding ephemera and more!
White Owl - This sister duo makes some of the most feminine yet edgy pieces of jewelry with lots and lots of vintage charm (and charms!).
Sweet Harvey - A design studio that prints their designs on textiles, papers... so many sweet things to choose from!
Helkat Design - More union jacks! This studio run by two textile designers in England churns out gorgeously tactile hand printed pillows and others that show a combination of both hand print and applique work. I love seeing these two techniques combined.
Handmade crafting as a trend in holiday decor is all the mainstream rage this season. If you cannot make things by hand yourself due to limited time or perhaps you are self-conscious about your work, you can try a craft that is relatively easy but still fun and somewhat challenging - use a kit or try a DIY exercise online from one of your favorite websites or blogs. Remember, the more you make things and practice, the better you will be become and with each accomplishment your self esteem grows and soon you'll be making beautiful things completely on your own.
Of course, time is always an issue and some simply don't have extra moments to sit down and take time to learn a craft, especially during this hectic season, and if that is the case then you have thousands of talented sellers to buy handmade products from. Be on the look out for indie craft fairs in your local city, or when you travel try to find them because cities like Boston, New York and London (to name a few) usually have many arts & crafts shows this time of the year.
Of course, you can also scout for handmade products online through your favorite blogs and online marketplaces, like Etsy, DaWanda and so many others...
See anything that you love this week? Any etsy shops that you'd like to share with us in the comments section below, including your own? Will you be attending a handmade market this season in your season or elsewhere? If so, please put a link to it below!
(images: linked to their sources above.)