crafty admiration

The year of the fox

| ehpyle

Foxes are everywhere these days – on tea towels, infant booties, and tote bags. They are felted, illustrated and linocut. Perhaps it’s the influence if the 2009 Wes Anderson film Fantastic Mr. Fox, but as a decorative motif, an icon, a totem, the fox is popping up all over etsy.

Find these fantastic foxes: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8/ 9 / 10 / 11 / 12

Of course, the fox has also been cropping up at Target, Pottery Barn and Boden, which would lead me to believe that as a trend, the fox is reaching saturation, and that perhaps 2013 could be called the year of the fox. It was only when my children showed me the viral video “what does the fox say?” that I became certain: Yes, indeed, 2013 must be the year of the fox.

Etsy Love: Hunting Faeries

| ehpyle

hunting faeries - fox

Sometimes I like to browse Etsy for ideas of things to make. Sometimes I click around, marveling at the amazing creativity, raw talent and visible skill. Other times, an Etsy store makes me dream.

Hunting Faeries does just that. This shop makes me dream of children running barefoot on soft, leaf-covered forest floors, their little hands collecting pebbles, leaves and acorns. A feast of tea sandwiches, fresh fruits, and a pastel frosted cake is laid out on a garlanded table. The sun is shining, everyone is happy and there is not a computer, ipad or smartphone in sight.

hunting faeries - fighter pilot

Of course, the winsome designs in Hunting Faeries also show skill, talent and amazing creativity, but it is the dream — the dream of sunshine and frolicking children — that keeps my index finger hovering , trying to decide: which would my youngest child like, fox? fighter pilot? or gladiator?

hunting faeries - gladiator

As any fan of Mad Men can tell you, this dreamy desire is just what advertisers have been working to inspire since atleast the early ’60’s. How very 2013, how very DIY-digital-age, that a handmade, homemade, online business inspires it in me.

Disclaimer: I did not receive anything in exchange for this post… all photos from hunting faeries

 

 

Etsy Love: Giardino

| ehpyle

This is a blog about making things – things I make and things other people make, books about making things, blogs about making things, and of course, handmade things themselves.

So its inevitable that I will post some of my favorite etsy stores – artists and artisans that inspire and delight. We’ll call this category etsy love, even if a few might not be etsy merchants or artists.

Screen Shot 2013-06-21 at 1.45.12 PM

I’ll start with Giardino, purveyor of hand printed, hand sewn table linens and pillows, among other things. I have loved this etsy shop for some time. I have even been inspired to dabble in hand stamping on fabric myself. (More on that another time.) Somehow, I feel she gets the scale, color and patterns just right. Sigh. Etsy love indeed.

Giardino etsy store

*** all photos in this post by Giordino.. of course!