Tag: craft

Posted in Arty sparks, Sparks in the wild, Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

Doggone

Posted on by Cate

If you’ve read my post Walk on By, then you’ll know that I don’t have a problem with fake dogs. In fact, my Ikea dog Goldie is one of my best mates. Which may say more about me and my life than it does about Goldie, but I’ll save that analysis for another time. Anyways, I think that fake animals are great and there should be more of them – whether you’re after fake company, fake walking pals, or fake protectors to guard your home, fake it up, I say.

Which is why I was delighted to find a very talented fake animal maker (NB, that’s not her official job title) on the etsy website. Excited at the thought of adding to my fake pet collection and providing a fake pal for Goldie, I thought these amazing, life-like dogs were too good to be true. I could put these two out as guard dogs and they would definitely keep the possums away. And if I wire up an MP3 player with a growling dog soundtrack on repeat play, then seeya, annoying neighbourhood kids! My mind started to wander, full of possibilities for these “I can’t believe it’s not butter” canine equivalents. Perfect looking and no maintenance – surely the recipe for any great relationship… I would call them Snowy and Snowi and we would go on walks, relax in the sun, read the Saturday paper and generally pal around like an episode of Lassie. (Or Neighbours, before the untimely end of dear old Bouncer.)

And the product title on etsy specifically says LARGE Size Pet Sculpture. Yes, with large written in capital letters, wouldn’t you think that would mean life-size pups and all of the good times I dreamed of in the above paragraph? Well, hold your LARGE horses, people. Contain your shock as you look at this next photo. And see why my vision for a life with Snowy and Snowi vanished in an instant.

If you are more forgiving than me, other LARGE size pet sculptures are made by FeltedFuzzies.

Posted in Food sparks, Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

Charming

Posted on by Cate

I know that St Patrick’s Day is over and I promise this is the last Paddy’s Day post. Probably. But I just couldn’t hang on to this for a whole year without sharing it…and really, this is so much bigger than St Patrick’s Day. I dare you not to be captivated by the very name of this product: St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef and Cabbage Charm Miniature Food Jewelry. Just look at this incredible handmade charm – it looks exactly like a bowl of soup that Heather’s grandma makes. (Heather is the lady who crafts the charms, although this one is lacking the ketchup that she apparently adds to the real version of the soup made by her grandma.)

Heather’s online shop is something to behold – whether you’re a foodie, a jewellery lover or just like weird looking stuff, it’s worth checking out. I bet you will find a gift there for a loved one or even a one that you don’t love quite so much. Heather’s shop is called Sweetnsavorytrinkets, which pretty much gives the game away. Mini macaron charms? Yes, please! BBQ ribs or Cheese enchilada earrings? Totes! Jumbo gummi grapefruit necklace? Alrighty!

And another favourite: 1/12th scale Shepherds Pie in a terra cotta bowl. Why? Well, why not?

If you’re hungry for more, Heather’s charm kitchen is open here.

Posted in Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

St Patrick’s Day, every day

Posted on by Cate

And a very happy St Patrick’s Day to you. With so many cheesy Paddy’s Day products around, I struggled to pick one to feature today. But I settled on this.  Its full title: St Patrick’s Day Necklace – Tiny Terrarium with Lucky Liam the Leprechaun – Irish. It’s a mouthful, to be sure, but it’s also a pretty cool way to carry St Patrick’s Day around with you every day. Or just on those days when you fancy the company of a tiny polymer clay leprechaun tucked into a bush of preserved moss, stuffed into a little glass jar, corked and strung onto a necklace. Which, let’s face it, is probably every day.

I love St Patrick’s Day and I especially love the way that everyone seems to find some otherwise hidden Irish connection that entitles them to join in the celebrations. It’s a great day to catch up with friends, maybe drink some green beer and eat some green sausages if so inclined, tell some tall tales, listen to music and generally have a good time.

Whether you’re Irish or not, that’s a pretty great way to spend a day.  And even though it’s not a holiday outside of Ireland, it is a Saturday this year, so get craic’n and have a wonderful day.

(And if you’re totally taken by Liam the Leprechaun in his tiny terrarium, wander the website of Messy’s madness on etsy.)

Posted in Arty sparks, Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

These boots are made for readin’

Posted on by Cate

I love etsy, the online world of arts and crafts people – some of whom have amazing talent and produce truly beautiful work…and then there are others, who hopefully haven’t packed in a lucrative day job in search of megabucks via their etsy shop. I’ll let you decide which camp this latest find falls into, but in the spirit of St Patrick’s Day, I was taken by the product title: Irish boots with green clover. Legs in the book. 

Off to a good start, I looked further and found a picture, surely worth 1000 words…

Wow. What strange world had I uncovered? What are these legs in the book all about? And what happens to all the bodies? Is there another, slightly poorer selling, series of bodies in the book? Turns out they are fancy bookmarks made by a lady in the Ukraine, whose motto seems to be ‘never stop sharing your LOVE’, which is very nice. But I doubt that the Valentine’s Day version of ‘legs in the book’ were used as a substitute for roses or diamonds by many romantics this year.

Anyways, in case you still can’t quite get how this all works, here you go:

Aha. To top it all off, the legs appear to be shipped to you in a beautiful gift box, which is long and narrow – eerily like a brightly coloured coffin, to be honest. To share your LOVE with some legs in the book, check out Olena’s shop on etsy.

Posted in Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

A beanie, to be sure

Posted on by Cate

Given that it’s the week leading up to St Patrick’s Day and we should be celebrating all things Irish, I thought I’d continue the theme with another great find from the treasure trove that is etsy. This “St Patrick’s Day Inspired Beard Beanie” is extraordinary and would make the perfect gift for any child, or person with a small head who wants to disguise their face. Created by Jamie in the USA, this is a practical way to keep children warm in the cold weather. And to scare their little friends and confuse their teachers and aging grandparents. Order your beanies from Momma B’s Hat House & More on etsy.