regretsy :: crafts gone wrong

No doubt you've heard of Etsy.com, that long-haired, Birkenstocked love child craft website of Amazon and eBay. It's a crafts-only marketplace (and now vintage too!) oozing with personality. Picture Martha Stewart reincarnated as Ani DiFranco and you get the gist. It's the go-to site for handmade fashion, furniture, toys and housewares. I sell both my art prints and my vintage collectibles on Etsy and swear by it.

But have you heard of Regretsy.com? I hadn't, until my super web savvy DIL Sasha sent me a link to this hilarious website that delivers some of the funniest most outlandish crazy items that some people get away with selling on Etsy.com. Take a look at some of these and have a laugh!

PINK LEOPARD GOAT COAT

Description

This is clowee, my pygmy goat. Isnt she adorable?? She is an indoor goat and acts like a dog. She is my model for all my goat clothes.

On Sale Pop Tab and Safty Pin Get Out Of Jail Free White Crochet Choker

Description

This choker is 15" long and 1" wide. The band is all hand crochet in white size 1o crochet thread. It features pop tabs held together with copper safty pins. At it's center is a chance car "Get Out Of Jail Free" from a monopoly game. The card is covered in plastic.

Now on sale! Was 20 dollars and now only 15!

Frida Kahlo Uterus Plushie

Description

Complete with uni-brow and an unyielding creative presence. Modeled after the feminist icon and artist Frida Kahlo: this plush features a braided floral hair-do, full and serious lips, her signature uni brow, large colorful earrings with floral inlay, two golden necklaces and a Spanish style skirt. This plush is made of soft flannel and animal friendly fiberfill. She measures about 11 1/2" from fallopian tube to fallopian tube

Christmas Nativity Meerkats

Description

Christmas meerkats in the spirit of an infant school Nativity play!

Joseph Meerkat is wearing a loosely belted tunic and is gazing protectively at Mary Meerkat who wears a traditional blue gown. Her shawl drapes modestly over her head and has convenient openings for her ears to pop through.

Rag Rug Necklace

Description

Handmade from post manufactured silk cut-offs and inspired by the traditional textile craft technique of rag rugging.

This Unique range of jewellery is created by looping the silk pieces into a shaped bed of hessian.

Merkin Hairy Panties Size Large

Description

Working the Merkin! Fluff the Muff!

These hair panties have brown faux fur that will not shed.

Who knew there were these "unusual finds" lurking amidst your average ordinary crafts / stuff on etsy. Not I ! Check out Regretsy.com - it's a riot AND JUST COOL!

kids :: make & color!

 

I as "Mimi" am always looking for ideas to keep the grand kids busy! Over at Chez Beeper Bebe, Holly has an easy tutorial on making these sweet little coloring books for the kiddies. Or have them make them for each other. That'll keep 'em busy! LOVE THESE!

Cuz they're JUST COOL of course!

treasured trash :: what to do with that fish bowl

I have a fleamarket / garage sale obsession. That's how I get all the treasures that I list on my ebay auctions at PopArtCafe , not to mention how I've furnished my home (even down to cleaning and office supplies) which is about 99.5% great finds from these places. Not only do I save A LOT of money this way but I think ( and visitors will agree) that it looks pretty JUST COOL! Anyway...found this great idea over at a fav blog of mine, Beach Vintage, and have to do it - after all, I think I've passed up a kazillion old fish bowls at all the tag sales I've hit in the past 30 years!Yup - I'm that old ;)

those comfy slipcovered sofas and other accessories don't hurt the look either...

Simone Georgette ... "Picked up this glass fish bowl from a second hand store for $5.00. What on earth was I going to do with it? I had no intention of using it for it's original purpose. So here's the equation. Sand from my favourite beach + 2 candles = FAB atmosphere at night..."

food :: zero calorie Christmas Cookies

Not quite Christmas cookies so not quite zero calories, and not quite edible either. But what a great substitute for the fat and calorie laden real thing!

Knitted cookies! Hungry for a sweet temptation but don't want the calories? Here's a versatile pattern that will help you use up scrap yarn and keep your creativity flowing! Learn to make spiral shortbread, macademia nut, chocolate chip, classic and fudge m&m cookies, peanut butter chip, frosted, sprinkled and smiling sugar cookies and old-fashioned peanut butter cookies grandma used to make. Use these high-fiber goodies as magnets, coasters, children's play food or just a fun kitchen display. With a little imagination you can design hundreds of cookies from this master recipe! Finished size approximately 3 ¼”.

made by candypopcreations

craftiness :: three just cool christmas wreaths

I'm no Martha Stewart but when it comes to crafting some cool Christmas wreaths I'll take some lessons from her to make these unusual three. Simple to make, pretty to look at and a classic addition to your holiday decor!

Present Wreath (instructions here)

Paper Wreath (instructions here)

Forest Floor Wreath ( instructions here)

All of these handmade wreaths are JUST COOL!

craftiness :: ez family portraits

Did I tell you my Little Picasso School of Art starts up in mid January? We're solidifying the plans now and am I excited. I found another great project that I know the kids will enjoy doing - I'll be adding a few creative embellishments to this one - but it will definitely work!

alexandra hedin’s family portraits

Alexandra Hedin is the genius behind this crafty idea. She is also a lifestyle and entertaining expert in the Pacific Northwest. This is one easy as pie project and you can get the directions for her family portraits over at Design*Sponge. A line of family silhouettes can add a personal touch to any interior and can be as modern or as traditional as you want to make them, depending on the paint and all the little details. The neat thing about this is that you can customise them to the room and walls via color and details. These ones are JUST COOL!

craftiness :: pretty teacup candles

Aren't these wonderful? With very little effort you can take those pretty china cups and saucers that you have hidden away in your cupboards and never use and turn them into something functional and pretty. Check out the easy as pie directions on making these sweet teacup candles over at Design Sponge. They shouldn't take more than a few minutes to whip up and use very few ingredients. I think that these would make a great hostess gift as well as a thoughtful gift for the shabby chic lover on your list. And while you're at it, make a couple for yourself too ;) They're JUST COOL!

craftiness :: it starts today!

Hey people! Today starts a new JUST COOL DESIGN section on my blog called CRAFTINESS, (another great reason to subscribe to my feed) . I'll be posting some very cool DIY craft projects I have found, that will make your home stylish as well as make thoughtful gifts for giving. Great timing, huh? And just in time for Christmas. I love handmade gifts and I wouldn't mind getting some of these this Holiday season. Type the word "craftiness" into the search box at the right or just go the category "craft" for more fabulous DIY's.

Oh and if you have any hip and crafty projects you'd like to share, email me and I will post them , with credit to you, your blog, your grandmother - whatever.

art - distressed and framed

I've been framed! I received an email this morning from a happy customer who just received the painting she commissioned from me and she's already framed it. Here it is in the distressed frame she did herself.

Sooo... I was reminded of the many pieces of painted furniture, signs and even some of my paintings on canvas that I used to distress with a crackle finish. This is a little different from her technique and creates a shabby chippy cottage look like you see in the sample below.

I love the aged character this gives a piece and it's really simple to do. You don't have to go out and buy all those kits and concoctions at the craft store to do it either, infact you have everything you need right on your paint shelf.
Here's a simple lesson in crackling.

get your supplies together:



a board, or whatever you want to crackle
two contrasting water based paint colors (one for the bottom coat which will end up the crackle color and one for the top coat, the overall color)
white hyde glue - like elmers glue (i even use the yellow wood glue when i don't have the white)
wide paint brushes
a blow dryer
stain (if you want a grunge look)
spray varnish/sealer
Base coat the piece with the color you want for the cracks and let it thoroughly dry.

Pour the glue on top of the dried base color and brush it in all directions to totally cover the base coat. Sometimes I thin it with a little water to make it easier to spread but don't thin it out too much. Let it thoroughly dry.

Paint your top coat (which must be water based paint or it won't crackle) over the glue that has dried, making sure to do it quickly without going over your brush strokes. Now that it's totally covered with the top coat , it's time for the fun!

Get out your trusty blow dryer and dry the paint on the high heat setting.

In a short time you'll begin to see the paint crackle. When it gets to the crackle look that you like, stop and let it finish drying thoroughly.

If you want a more distressed look that emphasizes all the crackle lines, you can wipe a dark stain over it to get into all the cracks and then wipe it off.

Finally, protect the surface with an oil-based sealer. A matte or eggshell finish looks better on crackle than a high-gloss finish .

Play around with it! Try using different consistencies of paint and glue for variations in the crackle size and uniformity.

The skies the limit with your new found craft! Imagine little tables, shelves, wood turnings for candlesticks, frames etc..

Crackling is JUST COOL!

FREE FORM DESIGN

It's Sunday - time to relax...
maybe do a little arts and crafts?

check out some instant origami here

OH OWLS!

OWLS! Mysterious bird creatures that they are. They enchant us, they mystify us, they are wise. They tell us stories and folklore is filled with them! With a little help from my Etsy friends here is a wonderful selection of handcrafted art that is ALL OWL. Please check them out and see what other unique items that these artist's etsy shops have to offer and BUY HANDMADE. Thanks Etsians for providing this content!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade popartcafe.etsy.com

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade vintagewarehouse.etsy.com

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade wendypresseisen.etsy.com