Hoop Dreams.

Lauren Bacall embroidered hoop portrait, from Little Sasquatch.

Geometrics

My brain seems to be happier when geometric shapes and themes are in play. Doesn't matter if they're in the foreground or background--any "ground" works well. A clever arrangement of squares, a never-ending sequence of interlaced triangles, or even a mod-themed, geometric pattern--they all seem to stimulate my network of neurons.

Giclee print, $33 - from Inaluxe.

Embroidered necklace, $75 - from Spinthread.

"Moon" t-shirt, $25 - from Blackbird Tees.

Paper assembly card, $8 - from Essimar.

Friday Faves

Friday is upon us! And that means it's time for "Friday Faves"! This week was incredibly busy. My girlfriend was out of town, so I was managing her Etsy store (as well as my own). I had no idea it was so much work to pack up t-shirt orders! Now I know why she's so exhausted all the time...

Enjoy your weekend...and my faves!

Embroidered heart, $34 - from Miniature Rhino.

Stitched canvas print, $69 - from Laura Amiss.

Book mobile, $68 - from Shop House.

"Disco" fine art photograph, $25 - from SLG Designs.

Vintage bull figurine, $20 - from Shaving Kit Supplies.

Vintage pink skirt, $48 - from Zwzzy.

Friday Faves - The Saturday Morning Edition

Ok, so "Friday" Faves is technically supposed to be on Friday. I get it, I get it. You don't need to remind me that I'm a day late. But look, I had a super busy week (as I'm sure most of you can relate). So cut me some slack!

And hey, since you're already here, you might as well enjoy this belated Saturday morning edition of my weekly Etsy favorites. No theme...just pure awesomeness. Have a great weekend!

"There are lots of nice people..." print, $20 - from Laura George.

Embroidered wall art, $28 - from Monkey and Squirrel.

Personalized cuff links, $55 - from AF Orfebre.

Vintage desk tray organizer, $20 - from 26 Olive Street.

Verdigris patinaed necklace, $26 - from My Selvaged Life.

Baby head vase/planter, $40 - from Michael McDowell.

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.

Friday Faves

I love when Friday rolls around. Yes, it's wonderful that the weekend has finally arrived. And yes, the work week is over (for most of us). Those are magnificent reasons to love Fridays. But I love Fridays for one simple reason--every Friday means it's time for "Friday Faves"!! So instead of coming up with a creative blog topic, I can be incredibly lazy and post some of my favorite items from this past week! TGIF, indeed.

Today's featured artists are all members of the Artisans Collective (I'm a member too!). Here's our info:

Web: www.theartisanscollective.com
Blog: www.artisanscollective.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/theartisanshive
FB: www.facebook.com/artisanscollective

"One That Got Away" Birdcage T-shirt, $35 - from Blackbird Tees.

"Dionysus" print, $18 - from Amber Alexander.

Hand-embroidered wall hanging, $65 - from Mary's Granddaughter.

"View of the Sea" photograph, $25 - from Lucy Snowe Photography.

Kitty #26, $45 - from Penguin and Fish.

"Boy Meets Girl"custom cake toppers, $60 - from Goose Grease.

Friday Faves - Premier Edition 4/16/10

I'm starting a new feature, here on The Half Pint Review: "Friday Faves".  Simply put, these are my favorite Etsy items from the past week--all rolled up in to one craft-tastical, TGIF package!  In today's premier edition, cuteness, cleverness, and craftiness reign supreme.  Enjoy!

 Bacon and eggs rubber stamp, from Cupcake Tree - $6.

"Little's" doll house set, from Photographic Amy - $12.

Embroidered zombie pocket notebook, from Nowvember - $24.

Balloon illustration, 8 x 10, from Atticus Finch - $16.

Duo hanging bird feeder, from Joe Papendick - $75.

"Bromance" metal art collage, from Ladybug Circus - $300.

Plantable numbers tags, from Green Post - $8.50.

ETSY Shop Profile: Bybelinda

Earlier this morning, I was using the extremely fun "Pounce" tool on ETSY.  In addition to discovering previously undiscovered shops (shops without sales), Pounce allows you to see what items have recently been sold.  I chose the latter and "pounced" upon Bybelinda.  Her lovely shop features hand embroidered paper goods (greeting cards and journals), zipper pouches, and even super-fun, 5" x 7" art pieces (custom designs accepted).  Here's a great tip for my fellow ETSY sellers out there:  check out her item titles and photos--notice how incredibly cute they are!  Personally, I can't resist the "when i dip. you dip. we dip." hand embroidered big dipper ($16):

 

Other cute, clever items from Bybelinda:

 

"elephant heart elephant" embroidered card.  $4.50.

"hedgehog" embroidered moleskin journal.  $8.

 

5" x 7", "sit back. relax." embroidered chair.  $16.