These Boots Were Made For Reading.

I have trouble finishing books. However, a pair of legs sticking out of the pages might be a great visual cue for me to pick up said book and continue reading.

"Legs in the Book" bookmark, from Olena Mysnyk.

Recycled Racers.

Tour De France notepads, from The House Sparrow.

Spin, Spin, Spin.

Circles cuff, from SDG Jewellery.

We've moved!

The Half Pint Review has joined forces with Blackbird Tees! Our new collaborative blog, Featherette, was officially launched in January 2011--which sadly means the Half Pint Review is no more...

But fear not! If you love handmade and vintage goods, you will love Featherette! Each week, a revolving theme helps us corral our ever-wandering minds, and we're able to bring you our favorite-est of favorites--on a daily basis. So come on by and join the fun!

Hunting For Cuteness.

Felt mounted bunny, from Planet Fur.

If only hunting were always this cute. Find more felted trophies in Planet Fur's Etsy shop.

Morning Moment Of Zen.

"Mr. Tea" mug, from Lenny Mud.

In Focus: Crafterall.

Lake Superior cardstock silhouette, on teal.

Topography cards, red, set of 4.

Retro tulips, purple, hand-cut card.

Lake Minnetonka, white, paper art.

Find more handmade, paper art in Crafterall's Etsy shop.

The Tiniest House.

"Little Home No. 41" clay ornament, from Rodica.

This is a tiny house. It's a cute house too. Find more tiny, cute houses in Rodica's Etsy shop.

Hand To Mouth.

Hand-decorated bowl, from Sometimes She Does.

Find more hand-decorated ceramics in Sometimes She Does' Etsy shop.

A Renter's Delight.

Yellow picture frame, from Emma Shirley.

Hoop Dreams.

Lauren Bacall embroidered hoop portrait, from Little Sasquatch.

King Of The Wallets.

Made-to-order wallet, from Picklehead.

The Electric Company

For the past few weeks, just before bed, I've been unplugging almost every single electronic component in my house. It's an experiment really. And the goal is to see if I can save any money on my $25 electric bill (that comes every 2 months). Most likely, I'll only save a few bucks. But hey, if just 10% of the population did this, we'd be using a lot less power! We'd also be saving enough money (per year) to go out and buy something unique, handmade and/or vintage (i.e.--shop on Etsy).

Here's my estimate of how much money could be saved and put towards the handmade sector of the economy:

-We'd save approx. $2.50/month on each electric bill. That's $30 per year, per person.
-If 10% of the U.S. population did this, that's about 30 million people (conservatively).
-30 million people x $30/person/year = $900 million!!

That's right--$900 million could be spent towards handmade goods if just 10% of us unplugged our televisions and computers each night. Think about that the next time you're wondering what you can do to jump start this economy...

Repurposed light bulb vase, $11 - from Star Redesigns.

Vintage Primary clock, $21 - from The Vintage Apartment.

"TV Bikes" Print, $20 - from Press Print.

"As Seen On TV" embroidery, $185 - from It's A Stitch.

ETSY shop profile: The Lime Shop

While doing a little ETSY recon (searching for my next batch of treasury goodies), I stumbled upon The Lime Shop.  Newbies to the ETSY universe, The Lime Shop features a lovely assortment of handmade iPod and iPhone cases.  Each are cute, simple and colorful.  So cute, in fact, you may think twice about putting that phone of yours back in your pocket!

The Lime Shop on ETSY: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Thelimeshop
Twitter: http://twitter.com/thelimeshop

Graffiti Houndstooth iPhone case - $29.

Spring Blooms iPhone case - $29.

Large Houndstooth iPod case - $31.

I Heart Stripes iPhone case - $32.

The Lime Shop also features their own line of handmade friendship bracelets.

Smiling (and knitting) can be good for your health

Recently, scientists have linked smiling to several different health benefits (boosting of the immune system, lowering blood pressure, releasing endorphins and producing serotonin, among others).  But it doesn't take a scientist to realize that one of the best benefits to smiling is that it can become utterly contagious.

I promise, Janelle Haskin's ETSY shop will make you smile.  If her photos somehow don't get your facial muscles turning right side up, then seeing her super-cute, hand-knitted scarves and accessories will surely do the trick.  Have a looksy...and be sure to pass that contagious smile along.

Fluffy neckwarmer in avacado.

Large bow in plum.

Earwarmer in black and cloud.

Fluffy neckwarmer in slate.

All of Janelle Haskin's items are handmade and "knit to order".  Even that phrase brings a smile to my face...