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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.

UFO The Aliens Are Coming by Dream A Little @ Etsy.

Once in a while you stumble into something that simply sweeps you off your feet and it might just as well be because I love SF so much but those little aliens are the cutest ever ! But the real thing though is the flying saucer or UFO, for they would not be as interesting without it. This whole set totally rocks !

It is OOAK and an original creation by Dana Dunn and had I a little bit of money I would have bought it right now.

Seesterne
I love Sea Stars. They may well be my favorite shape of all and I found those gorgeous red ones on DaWanda in fleecefrau’s shop. Check out the price, just out of curiosity…

Phony Pie - “Gerry Glitter” + Phony Pie - “Tom Pussy” by Applepiepussy on DaWanda.

I’m a sucker for colors. I just seem to never get enough of them. They’re one of the reasons I started buying toys and as a photographer I don’t think I will ever want to use black & white much more. So of course when browsing sites like Etsy, DaWanda or Flickr colors are mostly what I am looking for and my lists of favorites are bursting with them.

This is why I’m starting this series called “The World in Technicolor”.

#1 Applepiepussy on DaWanda

They’ve got names such as “Crazy Cupcake”, “Phony Pie”, “Female Chauvinist Pig”, “Lucky Bastard” etc and for the most part they are meant to get attached to your phone (or whatever you like). They’re wonderfully cute, beautiful and full of colors. They’re not expensive. They are made by Mariko who has started Applepiepussy to be able to create “cute accessories” while she is mainly working with her boyfriend in their design agency Loaded ink in The Netherlands.

Edit : On March 2nd 2008, Applepiepussy no longer has a shop on DaWanda, you will now find all her creations on applepiepussy.com + she also has a great gallery on Flickr.

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 !

nanaCompany on Flickr