Discover This: Handustry

Three words sum up today's Discover This featured artist and shop: Wow. Love. Want. The artist is Michel Belisle of Montreal and the shop is Handustry on Etsy. Michel gives such a soulful interview that I'm just going to get on with it. I hope you are just as inspired after reading as I was. Please be sure to visit Michel's Etsy shop when you're done. I'm telling you, you'll be wowed.

Name: Michel Belisle
Location: Montreal, Canada
Description of work: creating handmade objects at the crossroads of fashion, art, and crafts

How long have you been creating? I started about 30 years ago. Back then I studied fashion design and started a business. But life took me in different directions since. About two years ago I started contemplating what I could do when I retire to prevent boredom. It suddenly struck me that I could make good use of my creative self, making things and selling them online. My online adventure started last year. It is still pretty timid but I am slowly putting more and more energy into it. I find it quite rewarding receiving compliments about the work I do. It is a renewed sense of purpose also to create items when I know my followers will appreciate, as they are always wondering what will I come up with next!


Metallic Silver Pencil Pouch

 How did you get started? When I was young I was fascinated by the New Wave fashion movement, but had no money to buy any of the wonderful futuristic garments available. So I thought, well, maybe I can make those? After a few trials and errors I decided it was something I could do for a living and went to fashion school. And there I discovered something extraordinary: the knitting machine. That thing is amazing and can do wonders. Through knitting I developed a passion for fibres. Knitting is giving me the ability to create shapes, patterns and fabrics. I feel totally free when I use this medium. I started exploring crochet techniques and leather last year. I am working on various projects and experiments in order to blend all those materials and techniques together, trying to find my own niche.

Where do you find inspiration? Partly from avant-garde fashion designers like Rei Kawakubo, Junya Watanabe, Issey Miyake and Walter van Beirendonck, and especially from contemporary architecture. Space, volume, perspective, unusual use of materials play a key role in triggering my creativity. I spend a huge amount of time experimenting with fibres, fabrics and, recently, leather. I want my designs to reflect structural properties even though they are made of soft and fluid materials. I also like my creations to have a purpose. I understand, though, that my current offerings do not exactly reflect my abstract creative process but it is also a characteristic of my process to be progressive. I am taking my followers with me on the path to discovery.

Where can we find your items for sale? I currently only sell online. I have two shops, both with the same name, one is www.etsy.com/shop/handustry, the well known handmade and vintage online venue, and the other one is www.cargoh.com/store/handustry. This one is a Canadian curated online marketplace and is where I offer my more experimental creations.



Buffalo Hide and Hemp Experimental Necklace

Formally trained or self-taught? As I said above, I have a background in fashion design but I mostly consider myself as a self-taught artist as I am going in directions and doing experimentations that are closer to fibre art than strictly creating fashionable items. I must thank my tailoring and machine knitting teachers for giving me strong technical backgrounds onto which I can build confidently my own creative language.

Why would someone benefit from purchasing your designs. When someone buys one of my creations, I want that person to make it totally his or hers. I want people to experiment as much with it as possible even find it a different purpose. It would very much please me to find out that my creations are used as catalysts by others in their own creative efforts. It would create a kind of intangible communication, a propagation of creativity and a tool to achieve self-actualization.

Anything else you’d like to share? I’ll take this opportunity to tell everyone who would like to embark on a creative adventure that anyone can. Simply start a project and do it. Even if the result may discourage you. Continue, go on, do another one until you build confidence in your ability and develop your own style. It is almost always possible to reuse a disappointing result and make it into something totally unexpected. Most of my successful realizations come from unsuccessful experiments. Don’t compare yourself with others and create according to what you feel is right.

Wristlet-Leather Pouch
 Soft Grey With Distressed Blue Jeans and Tiger Print Effect

Special thanks to Michel for participating.  Keep up the great work!

Thoughts on Thursday: Music

It is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful. It has the beauty of loneliness & of pain: of strength & freedom. The beauty of disappointment & never-satisfied love. The cruel beauty of nature, & everlasting beauty of monotony ~ Benjamin Britten

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. ~ Aldous Huxley

Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Where words fail, music speaks. ~ Hans Andersen

Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence. ~ Robert Fripp

To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable. ~ Aaron Copland

Music is the Voice that tells us that the human race is greater than it knows" ~ Napoleon Bonaparte

If music be the food of love; play on. ~ William Shakespeare

Music is what feelings sound like. ~ Unknown

As I play the game of life, I try to make it better each and every day. And when I struggle in the night, the magic of the music seems to light the way. ~ John Lennon, Intuition

Discover This: IlzesCreations

The Discover This Series is on a roll!  Today I bring you a wonderful artist named Ilze all the way from Latvia.  Talk about talent!  She crochets, she knits, she felts, and she creates some of the most stunning pieces on Etsy.  I am always inspired by the talent of others, and Ilze certainly brings inspiration.  Enjoy this Q&A with her, and be sure to visit her links posted at the end.


Name: Ilze
Location: Latvia
Description of work: Freelancer

How long have you been creating your items?  I've been creating handmade items as long as I can recall. At first it was sewing. I made simple clothing for my dolls. At age 10 I learned to knit and crochet. Since approximately age 14 I had learned mostly all the basics and was able to earn some pocket money with selling my handmades. 

Felt Case in Black with White Daisy
for iPhone

How did you get started?  Art and crafting is in my family tree. My great grandmother was a teacher in craft school. Both my grandmothers had good skills in sewing and crafts. Also my mother is an artist and creates handmade items. Spirit of handmade has been there already before I even was born.

What inspires your designs?  I'm getting inspiration from color combinations, nature, flowers, internet, movies, magazines, my own mood and from many other things. For example, I was inspired from my own photo of a bee in my garden and I made felt bee hair clips.

Do you sell your items?  I'm an individual merchant. I have a small shop where I sell my crafts and different amber jewelery and souvenirs. Also I accept custom orders. Recently I joined Etsy where I offer felt and crochet accessories - felt flower brooches and pins, felt hair clips, felt purses and cases, crochet hats and knitted items. 

Red Flower Felt Brooch

Are you a formally trained or a self-taught artist?  Mostly I'm self-taught. At first I learned from books and my mother gave me advice. I have also taken several courses. I find information on the internet, in magazines, from other artisans, then I try to turn my ideas in reality. I don't stop self training until I get good results and myself and others are satisfied. 

Why would someone benefit from purchasing your designs?  Accessories have the capability of changing any clothing look to more brighter and stylish. For example, felt flower brooch can change boring, casual black shirt or dress in seconds. Even if they are served as a gift, but gift receiver doesn't wear brooches in the regular way, brooch can be pinned to a bag or a hat! There are many options how to use brooches, so all can find best way of using them. I also offer felt iPhone cases, they are a great and useful gift if you are not sure about gift receivers taste in style. Here in Latvia we have quite cold winters, therefore it is important to keep body warm and crochet hats, shawls, knitted socks can help in that alot! 

Anything else you’d like to share?  I have many ideas, therefore check my shop often for new crafts and designs. 

My Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/ilzescreations
My blog: ilzescreations.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/ilzescreations

3-6m Baby Pink Beanie with Cherries

Discover This: All Things Granny

Look, another fellow Etsyan! I've decided to ramp up the Discover This series with more posts about fabulous artists and their incredible handmade wares. Allow me to introduce my friend and fellow crocheter, Angela of All Things Granny. She's smart, talented, and a really nice person to boot. Angela currently manages 5 shops on Etsy. Yes, 5. Is that incredible or what?  Check out her other 4 shops listed on her Etsy Profile. Here's what Angela has to say about her thriving business:

Name: All Things Granny
Location: Arizona
Description of work: Crochet Designer

Reversible Cotton Granny Square Pot Holder

How long have you been creating your items? Over 35 years, since I learned how to crochet.

How did you get started? I learned to crochet back when I was just 8 or 9 years old, my mother taught me the basics, and I eventually learned how to read patterns. I made gifts for people throughout my life, and I also have a small dog sweater business, but my love for baby items got me started making Baby Blankets.



Custom Owl Granny Baby Blanket

Where do you draw inspiration for your designs? I get inspiration from everywhere I look in nature, magazines, even on the Internet.

Where can we find your items for sale? I sell on Etsy.com and also my own web page,  http://www.aandboriginals.com/

Do you have any formal training, or are you a self-taught artist? I am self taught.

How would someone benefit from purchasing your designs? I think people benefit by buying handmade items in general. The quality of my items is top-notch. I think an heirloom baby blanket that can be passed down from generation to generation can be a priceless gift for any new Mom, and Baby.



Custom Granny Square Baby Blanket

Special thanks to Angela for participating in the Discover This series on the JMO blog.  Beautiful work, my friend!

Thoughts on Thursday: Friendship

I recently lost two highly valued friendships.  They weren't lost due to death, but due either to simply growing apart, an inflated ego, or a casual disregard for another's feelings.  Whatever the reason, I am heartbroken.  

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Author Unknown

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world. ~Leo Buscaglia

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. ~Elisabeth Foley

A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out. ~Grace Pulpit

Constant use will not wear ragged the fabric of friendship. ~Dorothy Parker

The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had. ~Author Unknown

The language of friendship is not words but meanings. ~Henry David Thoreau

Friends are kisses blown to us by angels. ~Author Unknown

A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked. ~Author Unknown

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen. ~Rod McKuen

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~Lois Wyse

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive. ~Anäis Nin

Since there is nothing so well worth having as friends, never lose a chance to make them. ~Francesco Guicciardini

Discover This: a Breath of French Air

After a much-longer-than-anticipated hiatus, the Discover This series is back! YAY! As you may know, I love giving a big shout out to my fellow Etsians, and this here is no exception. I am a huge fan (HUGE!) of handmade soaps and, after trying my first handmade bar years ago, will never ever go back to using store bought soap again. Enjoy this Q&A with Elizabeth of aBreathofFrenchair on Etsy who makes some decadent soap in her own St. Louis, MO home. As an added bonus, take a peek at Elizabeth's creative process in her videos on youtube and while you're there be sure to subscribe to her channel. So without further adieu, I present to you aBreathofFrenchair....

Name: Elizabeth L.
Location: St. Louis, MO
Occupation: Soap Maker

How long have you been creating your items? I have been making soap since 2007.

How did you get started? I started out by researching soap making on the internet. I read about soap making and I also watched lots of videos on Youtube. I started with melt and pour soaps, and a year later started making my soaps from scratch.

All Natural Olive Oil Shea Butter Soaps

(one word:  WANT)

Where do you get your inspiration for your products? I get most of my inspiration from my garden. I have a huge garden where I grow many of the seeds that I use in my soaps. I also love to read cook books. I recently started making whipped soap and I use this to decorate my soap cakes and cupcakes, so books with lots of cake pictures are fun to read.

Do you sell your items? If so, where? I sell my soaps on Etsy and I also am part of an artist co op at Fusion. Our shop is located at Chesterfield (MO) Mall, on the second floor.

Do you have any formal training, or are you a self-taught artist? I am self taught.

Bright Red Star Shaped Soap (what guest wouldn't love these?)

How would someone benefit from purchasing your products? Handmade soap is much gentler to the skin. My soaps are mainly made with olive oil and can be used by all skin types. I don't use chemicals in my soap and many consumers have commented on how much better their skin feels after using my soap.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?  I have started making videos on how I make my soaps and body wash on Youtube. I love to show people how soap is made and what goes into my bars/body wash. Click HERE for my channel.

Ruby Red Grapefruit Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes

(hello yummy!)

Special thanks to Elizabeth for participating in the Discover This series.  Go check out her Etsy shop now!

creative nuggets

"When we are in the midst of making something, in the actual creative act, we know we are who and what we are because we forget our public reception for a minute. We become the art itself instead of the artist who makes it. In the actual moment of making art, we are blessedly anonymous. Even when done in public, the act of making art is a private act. Creativity is always between us and our creative energy, us and the creative power working through us. When we are able to stay clearly and cleanly focused on that, then we are able to do very well."

~Julia Cameron, the Artist's Way Every Day

Thoughts on Thursday: Sarcasm

I'm feeling a little punchy today....


"It's always darkest before it turns absolutely pitch black." ~ Paul Newman

"I am not young enough to know everything." ~ Oscar Wilde

"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please." ~ Mark Twain

"Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow." ~ Mark Twain

"I'm not so good with the advice....can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?" ~ Chandler Bing

"They worship the ground that he walks away from." ~ Sarcasm Society

"Absence makes the heart want to fondle other people." ~ Sarcasm Society

"To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first, and call whatever you hit the target." ~ Ashleigh Brilliant

"My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I'm right." ~ Ashleigh Brilliant

"Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again." ~ Unknown

Thoughts on Thursday: Truth

...it shall set you free...

"The wise understand by themselves; fools follow the reports of others." ~ Tibetan Proverb

"A culture is made -- or destroyed -- by its articulate voices." ~ Ayn Rand

"A half-truth is a whole lie." ~ Yiddish Proverb

"A lie hides the truth.  A story tries to find it." ~ Paula Fox

"A man can never hope to be more than he is if he is not first honest about what he isn't." ~ Don Williams, Jr.

"A platitude is simply a truth repeated till people get tired of hearing it." ~ Stanley Baldwin

"Abandon the search for truth; settle for a good fantasy." ~ Unknown

"Advice is seldom welcome, and those who need it the most, like it the least." ~ Lord Chesterfield

"Always tell the truth - it's the easiest thing to remember." ~ David Mamet

"Everything you read in newspapers is absolutely true, except for that rare story of which you happen to have first-hand knowledge." ~ Erwin Knoll (my personal favorite)

"False face must hide what the false heart doth know." ~ William Shakespeare

"Falsehood is cowardice, the truth courage." ~ Hosea Ballou

Wednesday Wishlist: Circle of Friends

It's been a while since I posted a Wednesday Wishlist...heck, it's been a while since I posted at all (shame on me!)...so today I'd like to pay tribute to some of the fine, talented folks that can be found in my Circle of friends on Etsy.  As of last count I've added about 90 artisans to my Circle and am always on the hunt for more.  I'll dedicate more Wishlists to these fabulous friends of mine but for now, I present you with a random selection of pure awesomeness.  To learn more about the featured item and the artist's shop, right click on the shop links to open up a new window. 

Handmade Coptic Bound Journal with Skeleton Key

in Pale Green by Thenibandquill

Fine Art Photo Print ~ Nesting in Numbers

by TheGinghamOwl

Magnetic Denim Pocket ~ Leopard Spots

by ItsSoSue

 Handmade Knit Hat ~ The Seed Beret in Citron Yello

by pixiebell

Brown Trout Coffee Mug Etched Glass

by bradgoodell

Hand Felted Light Green Scarf/Shawl

by avivaschwarz

Mini Men Crayons

by LilDoodlers

Light My Fire Hand-dyed Wool Yarn

by dye2spin

Dirty Bugs Cocoa Butter Cold Process Soap

by BuzzPlanet

Small Blue Ceramic Watercan

by NicePots

Thoughts on Thursday: Secrets

We dance round in a ring and suppose, while the secret sits in the middle and knows. ~ Robert Frost


The secret of two is God's secret, the secret of three is everybody's secret. ~ Proverb


A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets. ~ Gloria Stuart


A writer should have this little voice inside of you saying, Tell the truth.  Reveal a few secrets here. ~ Quentin Tarantino

Celebrity and secrets don't go together.  The bastards will get you in the end. ~ George Michael

Books let us into their souls and lay open to us the secrets of our own. ~ William Hazlitt


The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart. ~ Saint Jerome


To know that one has a secret, is to know half the secret itself. ~ Henry Ward Beecher


Secrets are things we give to others to keep for us. ~ Elbert Hubbard


There are no secrets better kept than secrets everybody guesses. ~ George Bernard Shaw

Thoughts on Thursday: Lovesick

Love sought is good, but given unsought is better. ~ William Shakespeare

All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream. ~ Edgar Allan Poe

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. ~ Albert Einstein

Love without return is like a question without an answer. ~ Unknown 
 
Every wall is a door. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Maybe part of loving is learning to let go. ~ Unknown

Faith isn't faith until it's all you're holding on to. ~ Unknown

Never be sad for what is over, just be glad that it was once yours. ~ Unknown

Thoughts on Thursday: Perseverance

The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground. ~ Unknown


Saints are sinners who kept on going.  ~ Robert Louis Stevenson


In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. ~ Robert Frost


It always seems impossible until it's done. ~ Nelson Mandela

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

In order to get from what was to what will be, you must go through what is. ~ Unknown

Thoughts on Thursday: Change

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.  ~Mary Engelbreit


When you are through changing, you are through.  ~Bruce Barton


Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed.  ~Irene Peter


Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.  ~Faith Baldwin


Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.  ~Pauline R. Kezer


God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me.  ~Author Unknown

Peek Inside The Creative Process: Hand-dyed Fiber

I've always loved getting a peek into an artist's or crafter's creative process.  I find it's not only interesting and insightful, but inspirational as well.  There's a level of intimacy involved when an artist allows a glimpse into their creative world, and I'm excited to offer you a little glimpse into mine.

Today I embarked on a creative journey:  to take raw, organic fiber (Rambouillet sheep's roving) and hand-dye it using the trusty Kool-Aid method.  Yep, Kool-Aid.  I acquired a rather large volume of the roving for free from the kind lady that sold me my beloved Lendrum Spinning Wheel.  At the time of purchase, I was an inexperienced spinning wheel spinner (I wasn't bad on a drop spindle, though), and she gave me the roving for practice.  So since I had the day off of work and the house pretty much to myself, I decided that today was as good a day as ever to give hand-dyeing a go.  Here's how it went:

First, I measured out 1 1/2 oz. of roving.

Undyed roving, after shearing, cleaning, and carding.

Next, I filled a large pot with water and added a splash of vinegar.  I heard that adding vinegar would result in deeper color saturation.  Once the water came to a low boil, I removed it from the heat source and mixed in 1 package each of Cherry and Orange Kool-Aid.  Then I gently submerged the fiber into the Kool-Aid bath.  After about a 45 minute soak, the water left in the pot was clear so I knew my fiber had drank up all of the cherry/orange color mix.

Doesn't look very appetizing, I know.

I then emptied the pot into a colander I had placed in the sink and gently squeezed as much excess water as I could from the wet, fibery glob.  The last step was to lay out the newly dyed fiber on a towel to air dry.  You can see from the picture below that some of the fiber soaked up more color than the rest.  I surmised this was because I left the fiber alone as it soaked without rotating it in the pot so that the color would coat more evenly.  I attempted to fix this issue with the next batch.

Newly dyed fiber with an (unintentional) ombre effect.

Moving along to the next batch.  This time I used 1 package each of Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade and Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid.  Here's a look at it during the soak.

Fiber soup

This time I rotated the fiber a few times during it's 45 minute bath and voila!..an evenly coated batch.  Yay!  I was careful not to agitate it too much otherwise it would felt, and we don't want that.

MUCH better!

I had time to do one more batch, so I decided to see what would happen without adding the vinegar.  For the final batch I used about 1/2 cup of store brand grape drink mix.  I was going for a real vibrant purple, which I unfortunately did not achieve.  As you can see below, the color hardly saturated the fiber at all.  So I've concluded that I will be using vinegar in my Kool-Aid dyeing projects from now on.

This was supposed to be a rich purple.  :(

And there you have it!  My first foray into hand-dyeing fiber.  Part II of this project will take you inside my studio for a little spinning action.  Once these freshly dyed fibers have been dried and drafted, I will feed them to Eloise, that Lendrum wheel I mentioned above and whose pic is below, and let her work her magic.  With a little help from me, Eloise will transform the fiber into a beautiful skein of usable yarn.  Can't wait!

My beloved Lendrum Single Treadle Spinning Wheel.  love!

Wednesday Wishlist: Hearts

Hello all.  In keeping with the whole Valentine theme going on all over the place right now, I devote this week's Wishlist to all things love-ly, and made by fellow Etsyans of course.  Show them some LOVE please and right click on their name to open their shops in a new window.  My dear sellers, I love you all!

XOXO,
Jean

World Peace Alternative Apparel

by rctees

(PEACE!)

Thinking Inside the Box B&W Fine Art Photograph

by bauerart

(this really captured my heart.  bravo, bauerart!)

Zipper Bag for Yarn

by TopShelfTotes

(ok, as a knitter and crocheter, I LOVE this!)

Red Toile Fabric Stationery Gift Set

by prettypeardesigns

(fabric stationery.  awesome!)

 Untold Story Bone Earrings

by Simplish

(tell me your story, and I'll tell you mine)

 

Broken Heart Greeting Card

by thecattsuglybabies

(LOVE!  LOVE!  LOVE!)
 

Antique Oddity Major Atom the Victorian Sideshow Midget Photo

by diabolus

(love me some vintage photos!)

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

by gatelinesalsa

(can you say 'yum'?)

 

 Stoneware Pottery Plate with Hex Sign

by misspottery

(misspottery has the prettiest pottery on the planet!)

 

OverSoul Alien

by oversoul

(you can't find a more lovable alien anywhere!)

 Meraviglia Eccentric Ring

by FridaWer

(now that's amore!)

 The Maharani Collection Limited Edition Beaded Bangle

by wintergarden

(I am truly in awe.  Gorgeous!)

 Felted Crochet Handbag

by BlackDogFiberStudio

(BlackDogFiberStudio, oh how I love thee!)

 

Whimsical Cottonwood Fairy House Carving

by RiverOtterRustic

(Whee!  I want one for my garden!)

 

ACEO Dragon Watercolor

by AnikasArt

(RAWWWRRRRRR!)

Jean Cuisine

Fun fact about me:  I LOVE to cook.  Love it, love it, love it.  Trying a new dish in the kitchen is a culinary adventure I always look forward to.  I was at my good friend Pam's house recently for a New Year's celebration and her husband, Tony, made this spicy salsa/relish-type dish with shrimp that was simply divine.  He called it ceviche.  I called it delicious!  So delicious in fact that I ate like three whole bowlfuls of it.  Of course after I scarfed it all down he informed me the proper way to eat it was spread on a tostada, but let me tell you it was just perfect eaten with a spoon right out of the bowl.  So on my next trip to the grocery store I picked up ingredients to make my own version of this tantalizing dish.  (I know it's not really cooking per se, but still.)  It didn't turn out exactly like Tony's, but it's pretty darn close and just as yummy!

 

How I made it:

About 25 medium size shrimp (or as much as you want), chopped or you can leave them whole

5 roma tomatoes, chopped

3 avocados, cut into bite size pieces

2 Mexican scallions, chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (I love cilantro and used A LOT of it!)

Juice of 1 lime (make sure to get every drop)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and eat!  Here I added a few chile and lime tortilla strips (yum!).  I had made a pot of white rice for dinner so paired it with that and it was quite good.  Tony's dish had more juice, but I think he may have used a tomato other than roma.  

This dish is now one of my favorites, and I'm adding it to my permanent recipe book.  What are some of your favorite dishes?  I'd love it if you'd share them with me!

Here's to good eats,

~Jean

Wednesday Wishlist: Top Treasury Picks

First blog post of the New Year!  Woot, woot!  I've been on a roll lately over at Etsy making treasury after treasury, so for this Wishlist I've handpicked 10 of my faves from a selection of my treasuries to showcase here.  No particular theme or color palette, just random picks that will leave you in awe.  Of course, I'd love for you to right click on the shop names below each photo to show these awesomely talented Etsyans some much deserved love.  Check it out:

Crochet Pattern - Sushi

by skymagenta

Resistance..Fine Art

by lewfoster

Paris Wedding Tags

by creativevisions

Rock Paper Scissors, Mixed Media Print on Wood

by retrowhale

Totem Pole Pillow in Fruit Salad

by shapescolors

Recycled Acoustic Guitar String Bracelet

by foxdesignsjewelry

The Coolest Necklace Ever for Detectives

by mLindvall

Vintage Brown Recycled Bike Clock

by 1byliz

Passport Cover Vintage Milan Map

by sugarcanetrain808

Cowboy Zombie Skeleton Guitarist Steel Sculpture

by zedszombieranch