The Craft Begins

1.  Cast from a real seahorse, this lovely little pendant is a reminder of the sea.  Find this and more sterling silver elegance (including adorable peapod necklaces) over at Sudlow.

2.  Collage art never fails to impress me, and this piece from Linda Solovic shows why.  Intricately detailed and an obviously steady hand.  Her work is incredibly fun and colorful – definitely worth checking out!

3.  I’m a sucker for all gemstones cut in a way that leaves them super sparkly, and these earrings are no exception.  There’s so much beauty in the world, so why wear plastic?  Choose Archaic Design instead.

4.  When I go to the beach, I’m more excited about wandering around and picking up all of the little bits that I find than anything else.  I’ve got a little collection of sea glass going on, but I don’t live near a beach, otherwise it would be huge.  This little vial reminds me of happy times spent collecting, and you get a piece of cobalt glass, which is very hard to find!m  Real Scottish beach glass jewelry can be found at Artisanne.

5.  I found a sea urchin once on one of my beach wanders, and I got it back in one piece, just to have it break in a tragic moving accident.  Star of the East makes sure that never happens by curing their sea urchin jewelry carefully.  Earrings, rings, necklaces and more, all featuring sea urchins.

Thanks to this week’s great sellers!

Here’s what I’ve been crushing on lately.

1. Satsuma Press‘s letterpress lovelies.  They make invites, stationary, calling cards, wedding invites, and just a whole lot of pretty letterpressed things.  I’m a sucker for it, I know, but they have nice modern design with a bit of a natural edge that’s really appealing.

2. I know that jewelry is all over the place, but that makes the occasional item that stands out all the more interesting.  I’m loving the line by Gemella Jewelry – the pieces are intricately crafted, with beautiful high-quality gemstones and a lovely approach to a traditional medium.  Great for mother’s day!

3.  I’m not afraid to admit it.  I go to garage sales A LOT.  At least I did before I moved to Arizona and discovered the wonders of one-stop flea market shopping.  However, it’s been a lifetime hobby for me and I can’t imagine going much longer without returning to the futile chase.  This amazing app solves the problem of “how do I hit as many garage sales as possible in one quick, efficent route?”.  It uses vulcan mind-meld to work google maps into craigslist listings and creating the perfect internet use.  All hail the almighty lifehacker.

4.  A photographer from Boulder, Colorado is attempting to photography one million faces in just one year.  She’s turned it into a great way to raise money for charity, as well as meet lots of interesting people and support lots of interesting causes.  It’s fun to keep up with her progress and to see all of the amazing faces out there.  Check out more about the project here.

5.  Speaking of photography – wow.  That’s all I can say to describe this photograph.  Taken by someone called Funambula (?) you can check out here tumblr here.  I love the sense of whimsy, and that color combination is just to die for.

6.  Speaking of whimsical, who doesn’t want some rainbow cupcakes?  I’ve been seeing them everywhere lately and I’m dying to try to make some.  It looks like someone turned a leprechaun into a delicious, sweet sugary mess.  That’s right, I said it.  You can find a tutorial here to make your very own – if you do, I’d like to see what they look like!

7.  I was always taught in art school to NEVER use typography unless it killed you, especially in painting.  This lovely print makes me smile and say, screw that!  Love the message, love the execution.   Part of the 20×200 project (offering limited editions of awesome art prints for just $20!) I think that I need one on my wall.  Unless this year happens to kill me first.

8.  (not pictured)  Has anyone ever heard of this blog, Decorno?  I stumbled across it last weekend and did the thing where I clicked back so far, I felt a little ashamed of myself and had to stop.  At some point, it just gets creepy.  Anyway, the information is interesting, and the writing is FANTASTIC.  I’m not sure if it’s nobel-prize worthy, but it makes me laugh, and damnit, that’s enough for me.

That’s all for now, folks.  Thanks for allowing me to slowly dig through my bookmark list.  I hope you find something to pique your interest.