Swing Set

Sometimes we love what you say as much as what you make. This great little tee from the medium control is described as "inspired by the endless childhood hours flying on the tire swing, leaning back so far you think your head is going to catch ground." Wheeee! (Swinger T-shirt. $20.00)

Book 'Em

We love this great little journal from Huey. It's got lightly lined pages and a sweet beaded bookmark, so you can write or draw to your heart's content. (Hardcover Beaded Journal, $15.00)

This Little Light of Mine...

Bet you never knew that maryink makes a brilliant assortment of silkscreened votive holders. Snap up a few for your next outdoor party, and it's sure to be a hit! (Silkscreened Votives, $16.00 for two)

Green Day

Okay, we know you animal lovers enjoy the plastic grocery bags for their poop-retaining properties. But it's time to go green, people, and that means it's time to shun the plastic bags for a more eco-friendly alternative. Luckily, Etsy has tons of handmade canvas totes. Now, go buy one of the lovely totes you see here, or find your own -- and make all your neighbors green with envy (hur hur)! (Market totes from top: Supa, Cascade Lemonade, Pink Posie Designs middle: bvann, Nest Pretty Things, Fort Cloudy bottom: Artsicle, Modern Charm, bagonebagshop)

Shiny Happy People

Cat Bishop is known for stacking fun, vintage-y cameras, clocks, and kitchenware in a way that practically brings them to life! Well, now you can also find those anthropomorphic little guys available as 8" x 10" matte prints. And that makes us very, very happy. (Fred and Ed Original Art Photo Print, $14.00)

Sweet Treats!

This adorable kids' baking set from nanaCompany includes an apron, six delicious-looking playtime sugar cookies, and a little wooden spoon, all tucked inside a cute orange and pink case. (Sweet Treat Gift Set, $40.00)

Indie Love

Etsy's own Lz Rocks! (octarine) has just embarked upon an exciting new indie adventure. Here's what she recently told us:

Tell us about 517521.

We are an indie department store that sells a vast array of new, vintage, and artist-made goods. We are on the first floor of the old G.C. Murphy building in Bellevue, Pa. We are hoping to open the basement (which used to contain the pet and toy departments) theatre/lounge in a few months.

EJ and myself (Lz) saw a vague ad on Craigslist; a week later we had ourselves a huge store and a whole lot of work to do. Andy started the store, then moved to Arkansas. Sam is just insane, but in the best possible way, and he helps us stay optimistic. This is the space of my dreams and I am so lucky to have the opportunity to try and make it work.

How would you describe the "vibe" of the store?

Eclectic. There are so many different things here, it is impossible to take it all in at once, but most people fall in love the minute they walk through the door.

What do you think your greatest challenges will be?

Raising funds to restore and improve our fabulous old building and keeping this huge space clean!

You'll be selling lots of artist-produced items. What items are you most excited about?

LemonCadet's yeti panties are incredibly cute and come with tiny plastic yeti combs! I'm also expecting lots of paintings and photography, as well as a ton of gorgeous handmade jewelry (including my own!) I'd love to get more handmade clothing ASAP.

It sounds like a very creative space. What else is going on in the building and the neighborhood that you find interesting?

The Creative Treehouse on the second floor of the 517521 building is a shared studio space with a darkroom, photo studio, spaces for client meetings, and so much more. It is a fantastic space with huge windows and wood floors (I can hear someone up there right now, probably doing something cool.) For a very reasonable monthly rent, artists get their own key which allows them 24-hour access to the Treehouse. They have their Open House on June 30, and I am really looking forward to working with them for future events.

Down the street, there is a great hot dog shop called Frankfurter's, a super swank restaurant called Vivo, and the best neighborhood coffee shop ever, Affogato (be sure to stop by for their Sunday pancake buffet!) The friendly, walkable neighborhood of Bellevue has lots of other great shops and restaurants, but if you're looking to booze it up, you'll have to bring your own: the church-going founders of the town made it so there are no noisy bars to add traffic and crime, but many establishments have BYOB nights, so you always have exactly what you want to drink.

Anything else?

If you happen to be in the Pittsburgh area, please stop in and say hi! Call 412.223.2552 to check store hours. If you are interested in consignment - handmade or vintage - email me at mmmmLz@gmail.com :)

Anatomy 101

bonspielcreation has tons of stuff you'll want, including this zippy little leather purse. At approximately 5 1/4" x 4", it's a great size for change, cards, or even your cell phone. (Skeleton Wristlet, $18.00)

Knit Wit

This yarn from Knit! comes in the most cheerful orange we've ever seen! It's 137 yards of beautiful hand-dyed, 100% Peruvian wool. Start now and you'll have an awesome scarf before the first autumn chill! (Orange Colored Sky Hand-dyed Yarn, $16.00)

Spice It Up

This spice kit from purposedesign contains fifteen exotic spices like sliced dried ginger, curry leaves, cut lemongrass, herbal curry blend, and sliced turmeric. Each spice comes in its own glass-top container and it's all stored in a handsome brushed aluminum box. Oh, yeah, and did we mention that it's freakin' awesome? (Large Southeast Asian Organic Spice Kit, $34.99)

Loop-de-loop

We love all things simple and modern, and that's why we love these earrings from Elisa Shere Jewelry. A beautiful, one inch hand-hammered loop hangs from a sterling silver earwire. What could be simpler than that? (Big Loop Earrings, $20.00)

Yo Ho Ho!

Just in time for the summer party season, it's Supa's skull-and-crossbones table runner. The three black skulls silkscreened onto a 13" x 36" light blue runner would dress up any table in a totally piratey way. (Arr Handprinted Table Runner, $15.00)

Soap Opera

What could be fresher after a long, hot day than a cool shower and an extra-chunky bar of Daisycakes Soap's bamboo soap? It's made from scratch, and blends the clean scents of bamboo, ginger, citrus and cedar. Aaaaah! (Limited Edition Elements of Bamboo Soap, $4.50)

Best Dressed

Summer's coming, and this darling little sundress from Le Bouton is just the ticket for those balmy August days. It's made of cool, natural linen and is available in sizes 2T - 8. Sweet! (Easy Dress, $38.00)

You Saw It Here First!

Yep, you saw it here first! A few months ago, we were the first to feature these beautiful dish towels from PataPri. Well, now she's featured in this month's TimeOut Chicago and we get to say we knew her when! You can pick up the issue on newstands right now, or you can take a look at the article here.

A Lotta Fluff

This big rectangular pillow from joom measures 12" x 18" and features a cardinal and agapanthus flower in the cheeriest of oranges. Great for resting your weary head or perking up any corner of your room! (Orange Full Print Cardinal on Agapanthus Rectangle Pillow, $28.00)

Paper Paper Everywhere!

Well, after much deliberation and hemming and hawing and wondering whether the mess was gonna be worth it, we spent the whole weekend creating handmade paper!

After hunting down every last scrap of junk mail and newsprint and construction paper we could possibly find, we were ready to begin blending, swishing, screening, patting, pounding, and hanging it out to dry. It took the better part of two days, but we did it; and we sure are pleased as punch with the results!

As you can see, we got some really beautiful pics out of the deal as well. There's something about stacks and stacks of colorful paper that just begs to be photographed! You can find some of the paper we created this weekend for sale here in our Etsy store. But we're keeping most of it for ourselves. We're stingy like that.

Scrap Book

This stunning blank book from KupoKiley's shop has been constructed with genuine Japanese kimono remnants and is, as she says, "ready to hold your sketches, dreams, desires, or dirty little secrets!" (Stars and Silk Book, $18.00)

Rice Is Nice

Set the Asian mood with Montezuma Mudd's handmade rice bowl set. Each set includes two 4" tall bowls and two pairs of chopsticks. (Stoneware Rice Bowls with Chopsticks, $21.00)

As Featured On The CRAFT Blog...

We'd just like to send a great big thanks to Natalie for featuring our little blog at CRAFT last week.

If you haven't yet experienced the fabulousness that is Craft (and their sister magazine, Make) this is where you drop everything you're doing and hightail it down to the local bookstore. Find them and read them from cover to cover. They're seriously awesome and filled with tons of crafty goodness!

Anyway, this blog got a mention, as did both YoakeUK's Etsy shop and our own Sugarcube Design shop. What a rush!