Summer Essentials 2009

With the warm Summer weather I find myself reaching for cool, light accessories. Searching among Etsy, the choices are endless.

One of my favorite and recent purchases is this hand dyed silk scarf by Teresa of YarntoSpin


With all the upcoming Picnics and Barbeque's why not help the enviroment with eco-friendly Unpaper Towels by AthenaCreates


Make any kid (or child at heart) smile with a Plush Sea Creature for their bed (or head) from ObeyMyBrain


Now for items near and dear to me: Jewelry

Be Stylish and Bold in Colorful Pieces by this Aussie Girl and friend EarlyBirdCreations


For that Special Wedding or Event get Beauty and Quality at what seem to be below wholesale from a Etsy Favorite CoryellDesigns


Or go Boho with one of my favorite bracelets from BeadSeedandTwine


I could go on and on here. Feel free to post your favorite finds.
For more items from Etsy enter search terms - dailychallenge - or - sdec - to find items from my friends the Bittersweets and Etsy San Diego team members.

Cheers for Cooler Weather!

November is here, at last. Living in Southern California, I'm ready for some cooler weather. I just love the crisp, overcast sky and smell of damp leaves in the morning...goes great with a warm mug of coffee or tea. So in the spirit of all things fall-like I'd like to show off a few of my selections as the seasons Etsy Must Haves:
Ginny of Ginpins in Northern California makes awesome Clay pieces includes buttons,mugs, pendants and more. Here is just a sampling of her many designs:


Need something to sit that mug down on? How about a custom coaster set from Elle of ElleQuilts :


And who would not want to wrap themselves up in a warm, cozy scarf on these cool, chilly days? Here's a fave One Of a Kind handmade beauty from Celeste of Crickets Creations:


Stash your lip balm ( I love the Strawberry and Coffee & Kahlua from DaisyCakesSoap ) and other goodies in a lovely felted bag by Sue of MaddyandMe :


All of these Stylish Finds were choosen from shops on Etsy.com. The place to find all things handmade! Have a lovely day.

Manic Monday Florals and Finds

This weekend has flown by.
While I spent the majority of my weekend with my family, I did have time to experiment with acrylics. I came up with my rendition of an Quilly Chrysanthemum (also know as "First Lady").


I've been observing plenty of floral inspired creations recently. They are a part of spring and summer that may be most difficult to part with.
As an Etsy shop owner, I'd like to feature a few of my favorites from other Etsy shops:

Fen of BeadFloraJewels creates an array of intricate beaded florals. She uses extreme detail in each handcrafted piece creating bouquets, hair adornment and more. This is one of my personal favorites in her collection:



Heather of BeadifulBaublesSC creates a variety of original jewelry pieces. Today's example is a lovely display of her talents. Inspired by lace originating from her grandmothers' wedding gown she has created this piece draped with pearls:



Jennifer of iWunder knits these small colorful flowers. They make the perfect accessory to a scarf, handbag or as an applique or pendant:



Another one of my favorites are printed cards from Karen of Yarrow1 . Among her artistic creations are prints of her original artwork and her floral cards are perfect to have on hand:



This is just a small sampling of what can be found among these shops. Take a look to the left of this blog at the list of Challengettes and visit their shops. You'll be amazed at the talent and variety you find!

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The Etsy Angels and friends have teamed up to make donations to the Susan Komen Foundation.

Here is an up to date list of shops participating:


Wildlifer78 (Chloe Boutique) - 25% - THINK PINK shop section; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5201027

CBLandCompany - 25% -THINK PINK shop section; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=30355

BeadznStonezSupplies - 10% from sales of any PINK supplies
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5564707

ArrivingAngels - 25% - THINK PINK shop section
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5620032

AuntPsBoutique - 25% - THINK PINK shop section
arrivingangels second shop!!!
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6314077

CraftsByChris - 50% - THINK PINK shop section; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5197639

SewingGranny - 20% of THINK PINK shop section
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5192730

TigerLilyStudio - 20% of THINK PINK shop section; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5354139

MerkabaJewelry- 20% THINK PINK shop section; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5048756

SilkCreekGallery - 20% THINK PINK shop section; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=17694

Maranda - 20% any item with PINK; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5064214

SilverCrystalJewelry- % of sales from PINK items in shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5114778

BeadedTail- 20% THINK PINK shop section; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5410290

CindyJoy - 25% THINK PINK shop section; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5013831

ScrapbookForever- 50% THINK PINK shop section
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5935102

Ozarknana - 25% THINK PINK shop section; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5809669

BCArtwerks - 50% - THINK PINK shop section; 10% rest of shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5597256

TheBumbleBeeStudio - 20% of October Sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5356220

MountainEagleCrafter - 20% of THINK PINK shop section
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=1451


Friends helping the Etsy Angels:

JacJewelry - Portions from PINK items as well as all sales for October
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5729098

BrassHussey - 25% of THINK PINK shop section
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5308892

SocialCircles- 10% of October Sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5176403

JudyEvansCollection - 50% of sales from Breast Cancer Jewelry
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5958947

AdornedYou- 25% of Think Pink shop section
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6126324

MyMiniMocs - 15% of shop sales during October
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5128475

NovusArt - 25% of shop sales during October
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5452056

BeadGoddess61 - 50% of THINK PINK section
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5113183

SewHappyDesigns - 10% Think Pink items
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5395802

WhatsThatSmell - 100% of sales from Pink Sugar Soy Tarts
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15789502

go2girl - donating 25% of sales from THINK PINK section and 10% from rest of store
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5753434

ClayBeadsAndMore - donating 20% of pink item sales.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5469658

OdetoJoy - 50% of sales from this note card
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15880553

gardenjewels - donating 25% from sale of this windchime
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14262604

The Cuties!!