last minute {handmade} gifts for mother’s day

oh gosh, it’s this sunday, isn’t it? there’s still time to whip up a few handmade, last minute gifts for mother’s day. i’m in the mood for something a little less sweet and a little more personal. shall we?

love these clipboards // from marta writes

hop on over to marta writes for ten of her favorite last minute gifts, {perfect for tons of occasions, really} like these cute clipboards.

mud scrub // from adelyn stone

visit the tip junkie for a collection of bath & body products to diy for pampering mom {or let’s be honest, yourself}. this round-up’s got scrubs, lotions, face masks, and lip balm. {i’m partial to this coffee and sugar scrub from adelyn stone. toning and exfoliating? sign. me. up.}

simple and pretty // from lauren elise crafted

or how about just a nice bouquet of a flowers and breakfast in bed, just like when you were a kid? i like this simple diy bouquet that uses stuff you have around the house from lauren elise crafted. then make something delicious with your own two hands and shower her with kisses.

customize an e-card for mom // this one by nikki mcclure

can’t be with mom and it’s too late to send a gift on time? {send one anyway} and then get over here to these divinely different mother’s day cards. no, they don’t look like anything you can get at the store, but that’s sort of the point, isn’t it?

enjoy the last minute scramble!

why the shutters are drawn

i want to tell you about why my etsy shop is closed today. to read about the protest, click here. to read the funny version of how this all started, click here then read the update here, then read the continuing “legal” silliness here {all at regretsy and worth every hilarious minute of your time}. to read my version of events, keep going.

first, a little history: etsy was started as a marketplace for handmade items, distinguishing itself as a way to connect buyers to makers–not resellers. they later added vintage and supply categories. the goal was to be different than ebay or amazon, offering items that were not mass-produced {unless they were clearly marked as supplies}.

fast forward to today: etsy has become a lucrative business and a well-known name, even getting its own spot on the martha stewart show. who wouldn’t want in on that? but etsy has some staff that–with the assistance of people who flag items as violating the etsy do’s and don’ts–crack down on this behavior. unless of course they condone it, which in a nutshell is why i–along with other like-minded shop owners–am currently upset. {i even wrote a carefully crafted letter to etsy, only to receive a pat reply that they are “continually working to improve [their] clarity on shop policies”.}

so let’s pretend: imagine that there are two people selling purses. both are handmade because hands were actually used to produce them {much as my iphone is apparently largely made by hand}. one shop owner works out of a corner of her living room while her small children nap. she answers emails herself, packages and ships items herself, and sells her goods at a few local fairs. another shop owner runs a small factory and employs twenty people. she designs the bags herself, sources the materials, and hands over the sketches to be made into the final product by her workers.

so who should be able to sell on etsy? i’ve always envisioned it being that first person, or even a small group of people {which etsy would designate a collective} who work together to design, source, and create. but technically, the purses coming out of the factory are handmade. just not my version of handmade, even if –and that’s a big if–the owner is upfront about being a collective, giving credit to each person who helps create the finished product.

the reason my shop is closed today is that i don’t think that the second owner should be able to sell on etsy. because she doesn’t do all the work herself–and pays her workers wages as opposed to them having a share in the company, which is my understanding of a collective–she is better able to compete in this global marketplace and doesn’t need a unique venue like etsy. many of us crafters work another job, or live precariously close to the financial edge to be able to make our wares. we burn our fingers on glue guns, prick them with needles, get them stuck on packing tape. we have small profit margins, we can’t always buy in bulk and keep costs down, and when we take a business risk we take a huge personal risk. i’m sure the factory owner works hard but the fact is that it’s just not the same. i want etsy to honor that.

etsy is a special place. a community for crafters. i’d like it to stay that way.

 

 

market recap

rellas bellas turquoise necklace

the sew funky market was a big success, as usual. thanks to everyone who came out to join us on a rainy saturday!

there were tons of great vendors, many of whom were new to me. {so many new things to covet!} as usual, i took home some goodies, like the necklace above made by jen of rellas bellas. and this gorgeous inlaid wood pendant necklace from heartistics.

heartistics clever pendant

*sigh* oh, the dangers of being surrounded by beautiful things.

there’s one thing i can’t share with you because it’s a gift, but you should definitely check out alphabet city studio for adorable children’s clothing, made by the amazing {and lovely} carrie. her stuff makes me want a little one right now just so i can buy her stuff!

alphabet city studio cuteness

is that model for sale? super precious.

{p.s. i’m also coveting one of junky gypsyz lovely lit signs. in an amperand, i think.}

couldn’t resist

you know how you sometimes stumble across something so fabulous that you think you’ll burst if you don’t share it? theron humphrey’s photos of his coonhound, maddie, on stuff have me positively gushing. check out every image here. then maybe order one for your house. just an idea.

if you’re feeling particularly love-y towards dogs today, check out these brave life-saving dogs then vote for your favorite. so many inspiring stories. so hard to choose!

i’ve never done this before…

but here goes. i love the photo i took of the cambodian nun so much that i’m entering it in a photo challenge over at i heart faces. {they’re having a black and white challenge.}

i hope the image speaks for itself, but i want to give you a little back story: we were walking through a temple early in the morning, and we passed this woman giving luck/friendship bracelets in exchange for a donation. i didn’t want a bracelet, but i marveled at how her face lit up when she smiled. i kept walking and realized that if i didn’t go back and get her picture, i would regret it. thankfully she lit up again and let me take her photo. {i gave her a donation afterwards.} i played around with the grayscale settings in photoshop and added a pretty heavy vignette so that all you would see is her face. it’s funny that with all the notions i have of beauty {none of which include wrinkles or missing teeth}, hers is one of the most beautiful faces i’ve ever seen. so glad i got this shot.

want to see more of my faces? i’ve got a flickr set dedicated to them.

wish me luck! also, if you’re looking for tips on becoming a better photographer, check out i heart faces. i’ve found tons of good ideas as well as some inspiration there. and you should definitely check out some of the beauties from the black and white challenge!

happy happy!

however you celebrate today {or don’t}, have a happy one. i’ll be stuffing my face and sharing stories with my family.

don’t you love this image? get the free printable here from the lovely lemon squeezy.

sweet & simple philosophy

short, sweet, and oh so right on.

i first spotted this on pinterest via jennifer brashear. but it had no link to the creator of this beautiful image. after much sherlock holmes-ing, i find that we can thank drake for the words, ben liney for the photo {his work is gorgeous!}, and jessica tierney for putting it all together with a gorgeous font. good collaborative effort, right?

{click on the photo to be transported to the image.}

beauty in tiny details

have you seen the beautiful pictures of microscopicness at nikon small world?! some of them are just amazing photos, and others remind me of other things {like the semiconductor that looks like an antique japanese painting}. some are creepy cool and others are windows into tiny worlds. if you want, you can vote to help choose the winner for this year {and while you’re there, check out some of the past galleries}.

water droplet containing a pair of mosquito larvae // dr. john h. brackenbury

temora longicornis (marine copepod) // dr. jan michels

the tiny bits that make up sand // yanping wang

cross-section of sugarcane root // debora leite

down feather // harry leung

semiconductor wafer surface // dr. pedro barrios-perez

chemistry was never so pretty // lars bech // 1996 winner

gearing up!

i’m gearing up for sew funky marketplace! this time it’s twice as big, so they’ll be lots of goodies to check out. and there’s that big holiday coming up…

come join me october 8th at the riverside marriott from 9:30 to 3. all the new additions to the booth will be waiting for you to see.

what the fuss?!

here’s all the info for the sew funky marketplace! hope to see you there! {if you’re nowhere near southern california, i’m willing to accept a rain check until i’m closer to you.} someday soon i promise to bombard you with father’s day ideas, recipes, and cards instead of all this craft fair stuff. pinky swear.