felicia nilson’s creatures made of clay
Brown bear bowl : Grumpy Bear by MaidOfClay @ Etsy.
Felicia Nilson had sent me a very nice message through the contact page just after my post 100 great artists @ etsy you might want to visit…. She wanted to bring to my attention as she wrote it three other artists I might enjoy. And although two of these artists were quite interesting, I was actually much more attracted by Felicia’s “MaidOfClay” creatures and even fell deeply for a couple of them !
At the time, the Grumpy Bear above had not yet been sold and it was the first item I really noticed in her shop. I just love this bear ! It reminds me of that rabbit with an “attitude” I have written about here and there I realize I might particularly be fond of creatures with an “attitude” even though there’s also this extremely cute bear that only sold recently that I have been watching regularly ever so often ! Here it is :
How cute is that ? Can you resist that face ? And notice the “little white toenails” ? Aren’t they just great ?
Now here’s what Felicia writes about these hand sculpted ceramic bears :
The thing I love most about the bear bowls (…)
is the little white toenails – don’t ask me why :-)
Well, those bears with their little white toenails are terrific all right but I think some of MaidOfClay’s other sculptures are quite amazing too like this Goth Kitty Girl :
Goth Kitty Girl – Miniature hand sculpted porcelain bust.
Felicia Nilson deals with many different styles and some are not exactly to my taste but you should know that she has a lot of “cat related” stuff and – once again – I like the sculptures best. She is a member of the Etsy Mud Team.
blythe fashion : oh daisy
oh daisy – Turquoise wool bonnet with daisy button by loou @ Etsy.
So I am up for another round of funny hats for Blythe which I plan to release in the following days, but in the meantime let’s just enjoy this blue turquoise bonnet by loou. She also has an amazing pointy orange one called “orangelove” at the moment !
the camera camera case by hine mizushima
Camera Camera Case – Degicame No.12 by hiné @ Etsy.
Like most really great craft objects it seems so obvious that once you see it you wonder how it could even be otherwise. It is both amazingly simple and perfect. Meet the “Camera Camera Case” by Hine [hee-neh] Mizushima a Japanese illustrator/puppet stop-motion video artist/crafter living in Vancouver, Canada.
She has 4 different designs (all originals) but my favorite one is this 3D one. Her choice of color is fantastic and each Camera Case is handmade, unique and OOAK. Just love this one in this color though !
You can see more of Hine Mizushima’s work on her Flickr.
one red robin’s wonderland of softies
Doddi Bear #4 by One Red Robin.
Jhoanna Monte Aranez is one of those women with so many talents that you could spend hours browsing through her blog, her flickr in awe and admiration at her skills and seemingly endless inspiration. But then, of course, this is what inspiration should always be about, an endless round of springing ideas and creations.
I had wanted to blog about that Doddi Bear for quite some time now – every time I came across it in my favorites it really stood out, it has everything I love – and when I settled to write about it yesterday I realized it was no longer available, and couldn’t find it in the sold items either. It turns out that Jhoanna “recently sent her off to someone as a thank-you for a wonderful thing they did for her”!
She has made 5 Doddi Bears and only one is still available in her shop :
But – among other things – she also makes the most amazing doll-girls such as this one (sold too) :
I could go on and on and post many of her creations and really had to stop myself from posting more photos for I tell you she is such a creative woman, so I beg you, check her blog, check her flickr and of course her Etsy shop for there are wonders ahead…
fly me to the moon
Plane and Cloud Necklace by tearoseworkshop @ Etsy.
I love the poetic feel of that necklace. It sold today, but I am posting it nevertheless because I had planned to and it is simply beautiful.
blythe fashion : kawaii fabric @ lepetitboutique
Blythe Bunny Bunny Love Dress by Le Petit Boutique @ Etsy.
I bought my very first Blythe outfits from Claudia @ Le Petit Boutique and I must say that although her creations are not all to my taste, she always has the most wonderful fabrics.
I am not very much into “kawaii” fabrics (which is one of the reasons I have not bought anything from her since, that and the fact that I just don’t have the money right now to be buying doll clothes) but she consistently manages to find some that are really amazing and very sweet like this one with bunnies.
I have been wanting to blog about that dress for a few weeks now – and simply did not find the time to do it – and now it is on SALE along with a few other dresses by Claudia.
yoshitomo nara’s my sweet dog by vilac
My Sweet Dog by Yoshitomo Nara.
It seems artoyz has recently widened their range of products to wooden toys – not just any wooden toys mind you but a small selection from the Artists’ catalogue of Vilac.
I’m not so fond of the Keith Haring’s chairs or the “Raymond” pencil holder/pot by Hervé Di Rosa, but I discovered “My Sweet Dog” recently when writing my article on Nara and it is simply perfect.
Furthermore, Vilac is located in the Jura (France) where my family comes from (both my parents were born there) and the toys are manufactured with great care there, which are all good reasons to buy those toys…
the art of junkyard sam
TreeSpot (limited edition print) by Junkyard Sam @ Etsy.
While “searching for mushrooms” the other day, I discovered this great artist Junkyard Sam @ Etsy.
Even though I am very much attacted to Lowbrow Art, his work at first sight might not exactly be what I am more drawn to for it has a kind of “cleanliness” about it – probably due to the use of computer in the process as well as to the fact that Junkyard Sam used to work in the game industry – which might have deterred me a bit.
However, examining more carefully the works presented @ Etsy, I could not help but feel something compelling in his art. There is indeed definitely a universe here, a brand new world created and opening before us, for us to walk in and encounter strange creatures… And if you read Junkyard Sam’s introductory words which go :
Welcome to the land of “Tong Picnic”, a world where strange people befriend animals to travel across bizarre lands full of good citizens and scary monsters!
plus the titles of his works as well as the descriptions, you realize that although this universe might be unknown to you, it does exist to some and is indeed very real, since the land and the creatures that inhabit it all have names.
Meet T’nip Whirl :
A Portrait of T’nip Whirl (limited edition print).
the country life by blueberry bandit @ etsy
The Country Life – Original Painting by blueberry bandit @ Etsy.
I realized recently that age – and probably experience – has brought me a broader perspective on Art. When I was younger, I had this very ‘elitist’ view upon all things artistic, there was basically ‘ART’ and the rest of it – which could then be dismissed as not really worth looking or considering.
Of course I am an educated woman, I did go to university but my studies were not related to Arts and my artistic culture and background I had to build for myself so I think it was really important for me to have strong positions upon things and forge my own personal opinions from everything I was reading or seeing. Hence the somewhat harsh view upon most things that did not come up to my (very) high standards as to what Art is or should be.
With time, I have acquired a more flexible and I truly believe a more interesting approach to things. So while I love Rothko, Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell, Dubuffet, Chaissac and so many others, I also love that rabbit.
I stumbled upon this painting while researching “mushrooms + art” on Etsy for an article I am writing, and if you think that dots + red and white mushrooms would suffice to make anything cute, think again. This is not ‘cute’, or at least not just.
In her profile blueberry bandit writes :
My name is Sara, and I am a lover/creator of all things cute. Not too cute, mind you. I try to add just the right amount of humor and attitude into the mix when I can.
Attitude, right ! Love that rabbit’s ‘attitude’ !
Check out the description under the painting :
Ah, the country… Fresh air and polka dots all around! This surly bunny enjoys the country life so much that he just might crack a smile. If you watch carefully, you might catch him in the act!
Attitude, right ?
I can already imagine that rabbit over my desk, me waiting for him to “crack a smile”…
This is an original painting.
P.S. : Oh, and it does not show in the shop for there are none available at the moment, but Sara also makes great plushes.
blueberry bandit :: blog
blueberry bandit :: etsy
blythe fashion : pinkmint dolly @ etsy
Turquoise Hat + Plum Dress by Pinkmint Dolly @ Etsy.
I wanted to include some of her hats in my “Funny hats & Bonnets” article but I had too many great items already so I couldn’t fit them in. This one is even more beautiful I think, I love that turquoise color, and the beads sewn onto the plum felt fruits really add to the beauty of the thing. It is OOAK.
The plum dress is a separate listing and it is reversible so when you don’t see the embroidery, you have a nice turquoise button as a contrasting color touch.