the patched creatures of cocoon designs
Quilts Secret Friend n° 3 by Cocoon Designs.
Cocoon Designs makes amazing creatures out of old recycled pieces of sweaters. They are hand patched and OOAK. Some are even made to custom like these mushrooms or those ones.
I really like them ! Here’s another “pointy ears creature” :
Cocoon Designs on Flickr.
white wood felt booties for babies
White Wool Felt Booties for Babies by Joli Bebe.
Handmade in Australia using 100% pure Australian wool. This is probably what you would be wearing on the white soap carpet…
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…
pounce #1 : be happy now @ etsy
Baby wuth mum by Be Happy Now @ Etsy.
I discovered this great tool of Etsy only very recently and I’ve found a great artist today using it so it has inspired me to start a series of articles.
It’s called “pounce” and you can either browse through shops that have not yet made their first sale (the official line is : “Recently updated shops that have not yet had a sale”, so I do not know if it works with shops that have been here a long time and have not sold anything…) or else browse through shops that have just made a sale. I chose the first and stumbled upon Be Happy Now and I love her sense of color. She uses watercolors a lot, but not only for there is also this amazing carving painting that I absolutely adore :
This particular one listed there is called “Original Carving Painting” and I was confused at first with the word “original” associated with “carving” so I asked Jenny exactly what she meant by that and she replied that it was the first one made with the metal plate. So more are to come, which is good news for of course just as I was writing this article, 4 items including the ones I put photos of had already been sold !
Her prices are unbelivably cheap and I think she could really sell her original watercolors and her other artwork for more…
She also has a Flickr.
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…
girls reversible pinafore by lassie girl @ etsy
Sophia :: Girls Reversible Pinafore by lassie girl @ Etsy.
I absolutely love the patterns and colors of that one. These are the 2 sides of the same pinafore, and lassie girl has a lot more but this one is really my favorite. It is from her new Spring/Summer Collection and more will be added to the shop in the weeks to come…
nanacompany… pretty little things
ice flower tank for girls + camilla, crazy dot, half-apron for girls + playtime sugar cookies in a lil bakery box + playtime sugar cookies in a mini-valise style lunchbox, limited edition by nanaCompany on Etsy.
Those are only a few of the exquisite items you will find in Amy Sinibaldi’s shop!
I first noticed the cookies because I am only just discovering “felt food” so every time I come across one of these things, I feel like a child and look with amazement. But very often having said “how cute” well, there’s not much more left. I mean these things are “cool” and “nice” indeed but, so what? You see them and like them, and then usually forget about them.
I think Amy’s cookies go beyond the “cuteness thing”. They have this special quality, a kind of perfection achieved no doubt with carefully chosen materials and great care and love making them. Look at the full sized image on her Flickr here. Aren’t they just the nicest cookies you ever saw? Don’t you feel like touching them? I myself am not into pinky things and yet they appeal to me in a way I cannot totally explain.
Somehow I think there is something magical in Amy’s creations. She writes :
My husband likens me to a magic elf who only works when everyone’s asleep — pretty little things “magically” appear on the kitchen table in the morning!
I like the Fairy Tale imagery, because I think it acounts a lot for the beautiful world nanaCompany proposes. Those creations seem to me to be more related to a fantastic and ideal world than to the “real” world.
They are meant to be gifts :
a unique and special gift… perfect as a birthday present, end of school surprise, or merry happy un-birthday treat!
And this is exactly what they are, “unique and special”, thus clearly stating to the child you are offering them “you are unique and special and deserve to have beautiful things because I care about you”.
Amy Sinibaldi is making them for little girls, and the modern woman in me – noticed how I managed not to say the word “feminist” here, oops now i’ve said it – the modern woman in me is wondering why it is still only girls who should get offered cooking ustensils (the miniature “just-her-size” wooden spoon) and aprons. Some might argue that the fabrics nanaCompany uses have definitely “girly” patterns and colors. I am not so sure. And anyway, cookies are not just for girls, are they ? And the kitchen is no longer the realm of women exclusively, at least not in my world…
This being said, Amy Sinibaldi’s creations are more modern and less “conservative” or “nostalgic” than they might appear at first sight. The fabrics she uses are elegant and I particularly like the from tokyo with love apron, and pink lemonade is fresh and nice too. There is also another tank with a bit more color and less classical feel to it : pretty posy tank.
Note that she can customize your order. For instance you can ask for your favorite color for the buttons on the ice flower tank. You can also order an adult size apron for 28$… (Anyway she pretty much makes everything upon order, so that you have to allow 2 weeks for your order to be ready to ship.)
Enjoy !