Undiscovered Gold: What's the Use?

It is getting harder and harder to find something to feature here every week. I guess after writing a few of these things I have become jaded to most of the shops I "pounce" past on etsy. I love it when one of these shops grabs my attention with something truly unique.

I introduce to you ghowiellc by Susie McDonald. Unusual is one way to describe her work. Quirky might be another you would choose. I love it!

Susie has taken the art of mosaic and applied it to your pantry. She transforms dusty old salad bowls into living works of art to be displayed proudly year round. Some of her pieces have hundreds of tiny parts painstakingly glued to them creating a mini diorama.

And the reviews are in. While participating in the Austin Texas Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, feedback was glowing. Children and Men (not generally the target audience of a craft fair) were found admiring her bowls. Susie even heard some kids say they were "cool"; I would have to agree.

Undiscovered Gold: Under My Skin

I must be in the mood to stir things up. While doing my weekly search through the newest Etsy shops, the only ones that seemed to catch my eye had something controversial about them. The shop I have picked is no exception. Some may question why I think this shop has anything off about it; to them I say FUR.

I will just start by saying that I am not a vegetarian. I have eaten meat all my life. However I am pretty liberal. My children know that the chicken nuggets they eat were once real chickens and their eggs would have been baby chickens. To some that may sound awful, but to me it is important that my children make a conscious decision to eat another living thing. On the other hand, I would never pick up a gun and kill my own dinner.

Now, more importantly, why I love BuslinHeirlooms. Vintage. Many years ago, when people didn't wear faux fur, these pieces were "harvested". Rather then picking up a new pelt from the back of their ancestors, we can continue to wear one of these. Linda meticulously photographs the coats inside and out and makes sure to add any information about the owner and history.

Another benefit of buying vintage is price. a brand new genuine fur coat can cost a pretty penny. Buying vintage is as good on the soul as it is on the wallet. So if you are in the market, as far as I am concerned, this is the place to go.

Undiscovered Gold: making history

Welcome to the new year! You have spent all your money on christmas presents and hopefully got some great handmade items under the tree. Of course there is always a gift giving holiday just around the corner and this one is big: Valentine's Day. I know when I think of that holiday the first thing that comes to mind is jewelry. Maybe that is wishful thinking :)

Dragonflight Designs is a great place to begin your search for the perfect present. Jo Campbell, creator of this shop, is an artist, wife and mother, working in polymer clay. Many of her handmade beads recreate the natural beauty of shells and fossils. She embraces their simple beauty by allowing them to stand alone on a silver chain, cotton cord or string of seed beads.

All this beauty is created in Scotland, so be sure to order early if you would like it for your valentine. You can check out all of her daily creations on her blog, fan her on facebook, or find a greater selection jewelry on her website.

Undiscovered Gold: Re-Discover

I have had so many great shops featured here this year, I thought it might be nice to go back and look at them all again.

CHERISHtreasur... $40.00	maverickjune $55.00	StorytimeCandl... $3.00	ahorst1223 $4.00
rlviescas $30.00	ElonShartonBie... $600.00	strangetastic $16.99	GREENWICHst $157.50
SwellCrafts $3.50	Dignav $4.00	bluefangtooth $298.00	greenafrodiva $12.00
thewalnutrabbi... $18.00	lepetittee $18.00	TheFunkyPussy $39.00	thecreatecatal... $70.00

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The Create Catalog DIY Quilting Kits
The Funky Pussy Repurposed Pet Beds
Le Petit Tee T-Shirt Art for Babies
The Walnut Rabbit American Girl Doll Jewelry
Green Afro Divas Organic Bath Products
Blue Fangtooth Recycled Fashion
Dignav Printable Paper Dolls
Swell Crafts Greeting Cards
Little Party Boutique Party Paper
Greenwich St Repurposed Button Bouquets
Strangetastic Spooky Glassware
Elon Sharton Bierig Original Oil Paintings
Blackapple Bodysilc Temporary Tattoos
Riviescas Original Photography
Off-the-Wallmark Greeting Cards
Storytime Candles Creations in Wax
Maverick June Pillowcases
Cherish Treasures Repurposed Button Brooches

Most of these shops have gone on to great success, others are still waiting to be discovered. Check them out again, or for the first time.

Undiscovered Gold: DIY

Being a creative type I love to make things for people for the holidays, even if I am not knitting. This year I am making a earring frame for my mom out of an old frame and some window screen. If you are like me, or have someone like me in your life, this may be the shop for you.


Thecreatecatalog can get you started quilting with DIY kits in color combinations to die for. Rose and Mary of The Create Catalog love to put together these collections with everything you need and ship them off from their home base in London, England. Each package includes enough fabric and supplies to make one small striped quilt. 

It may be a little late to order your quilt kit in time for christmas, but this is a great project to get you through the cold winter months. It is also a perfect size for a baby blanket! Be sure to check out all the color combinations in stock.

Undiscovered Gold: No Pun Necessary

If you haven't noticed yet, its the holiday season. WHAT?!?! I know, you are probably sick of being reminded about that too. I do love some aspects of this time of year. Not the crowds at the mall or the music on the radio, but the generous spirit that is awakened in so many people. It is particularly important now that so many families are struggling to just make it through the day. Charities are struggling too.

This week's shop has so many things going for it; number one being its HYSTERICAL name, The Funky Pussy. Don't be offended, they sell cool things for your cat. I don't know about you, but my cats love to jump into an open drawer. Why not buy them a drawer of their own! Steve Maka, creator of these cat beds and other things, makes each item from reclaimed materials. Best of all, he is generous enough to donate 10% of every sale to a local animal shelter.

If you are still shopping for Christmas, consider buying from shops that will be donating part or all of their profits to charity. It is a win-win for everyone involved :)

Undiscovered Gold: for the little guy

Small business represent!


This past weekend was the first Small Business Saturday. American Express and 3/50 among others encouraged people to spend some of their holiday money in local shops and other small businesses in an effort to help mom and pop shops survive these years of economic pain.


In celebration of everything small, I introduce to you Le Petit Tee. A small shop, making small t-shirts for small people. Lefay Povey hand paints each baby sized tee with her unique art. Many of the images are created by her own son. There is a childish whimsy to the images and the names that coincide with them.

While searching for the perfect baby gift, Lefay was inspired to create this collection. She only make 2 sizes, newborn and 3 months. All her shirts are made of high quality cotton and she uses natural dyes to color them. Since each image is hand painted, images may be similar but every shirt is one of a kind. Lefay also offers to take her images and put them on any other shirt available.


Outside of her Etsy shop, you can also follow Lefay on Twitter. 

Undiscovered Gold: girly little girls

When I had my first child, we had no idea if we were having a boy or a girl. My husband and I wanted to be surprised. We bought everything in neutral colors and had names ready for both sexes. Even if we had known we were to have a girl, nothing would have prepared us for the frenzy surrounding one specific girl toy; The American Girl Doll.


Fortunately, The Walnut Rabbit is one of those shops that has your little girl in mind for the holidays. The walnut rabbit is a small workshop nestled deep in the woods of Northern Virginia They begin with an original watercolor of one of the American Girl Doll pets. The image is shrunk down to pendant size and attached to a piece of handblown glass. It is glazed and attached by its loop to a piece of satin ribbon.

The Walnut Rabbit doesn't just dress the doll of your little girl. Each pendant comes as a set; one for the girl and one for her doll. They even wrap it in an adorable little box with a satin ribbon and their mascot on the front.

Undiscovered Gold: for DIvas by Divas

Crazy busy is an understatement. It is the time of year when all of us on etsy stock our shops with every item we can think of in hopes that we will make lots of sales. It is also the time of year when new shops open to take advantage of the holiday rush. I think all of us could use a break and relax in a warm bath with some organic bath products.

GreenAfroDiva is here to provide. Her shop is full of bath scrubs, bath soaks and soap, all in unusual scents you are unlikely to find anywhere else. With names like Toffee Crunch and Mochachocolatte, they seem more like tasty treats then bath products.

Working out of Baltimore, MD, GreenAfroDiva is an African American owned company planning on taking over the personal product universe. She currently has bath on lock, and is working on fragrances, makeup, and green baby products. When she is not creating, she is a wife and mother, veteran, and student. You can read more about her on her blog.

Undiscovered Gold: Recycling at its best

It is just starting to get cold here in New Jersey. Leaves are turning shades of brown and yellow. It is time to start pulling out those heaver weight clothes. Old sweaters are boring you? check out what Bluefangtooth has done.

Every single one of the gorgeous creations in Bluefangtooth's shop have been created from recycled sweaters. Thats right, she has taken those old and boring castoffs and created new and amazing pieces. Each item is one of a kind and made of a mixture of materials ranging from Cashmere to Cotton. They are all made with external seaming for additional character.

Gwen, artist and designer of these masterpieces of fashion, began her creative journey at a young age. In the mid 90's she taught impressionable youth to explore their artistic side, then moved to work in the digital arts in the new millenium.

You can check out all of her current designs in her etsy shop. You can also learn more about her art and design work by checking out her website.

Undiscovered Gold

Toys have gotten out of control. So many bells and whistles, kids usually just end up playing with the box. It is a pleasure when someone reminds us of the simple joys an old fashioned toy can bring.

Dignav is an expert with the paper doll. Not only can you get some of the cutest dolls I have ever seen, complete with their paper wardrobe, you can get them a paper home or host a paper wedding.

Need a last minute play idea. Dignav has that covered too. All of her paper dolls and houses are PDF downloads! Just print off of your home computer, cut out and you are ready to play. 

Check out the shop, download your dolls and get in some good old fashioned playtime.

Undiscovered Gold

It must be party time, because I knew right away when I pounced on this shop that it was the one for this week!

Little Party Boutique has sweet little items, or so it says in their shop banner. I could not agree more. I was immediately attracted to the bright color choices and her use of pattern in daring ways. Who would have thought that a cupcake to have over sized pink flowers?

I especially love the die-cut butterflies on gift tags and birthday banners. They are placed as if they landed there on their own.

Stacy, a full time mom, just opened the shop in September from Jacksonville. She has begun to fill it with customizable items that are ready to ship the next day. If you have a party coming up for that special someone, it is definitely worth a look!

Undiscovered Gold

Maybe I am just being sentimental, or maybe I am a sucker for bright colors. Whatever the reason, this week's shop really caught my eye.

GreenwichSt is great for so many reasons. First, they have a shop filled with the most beautiful, colorful photographs. Each "bouquet" is more beautiful then the next. Secondly, they are designed to last forever; no drying of flowers necessary!

Most importantly, reduce-recycle-reuse. Buttons can be taken from this bouquet and used on cuff links for the groom, closures on a christening dress, or just placed in a jar on your sideboard to add color in your kitchen.

GreenwichSt is an interesting shop for other reasons as well. The ladies who run it live thousands of miles apart, one in New York City, the other in Houston, Texas. You can check out all the most recent creations on their facebook fanpage and follow them on twitter as well.

Undiscovered Gold

Maybe I am just in the mood for some halloween mischief, or maybe it was the gloomy skies covering the east coast the last few days, but this weeks shop will put you right in the mood for a scary movie.

Strangetastic haunts the town of Austin, Texas with his otherworldly curiosities. The shop opened in August of 2010 with a collection of small bottles. The glass vessels are spooky enough with wax dripping over their foggy surface, then we are treated to the story behind the item:

According to the old tales, the citizens of the town of River Derbane would trap ghosts within the very small confines of these bottles to prevent them from haunting the living.

Sealed with wax and cork, the tiny bottle also contains soil (perhaps from the grave of the deceased) and a scrawled note purported to reveal the last mortal thought of the spirit trapped within. Alas, the words cannot be read without releasing the trapped haunt.

Whether the artifact is genuine or a replica, haunted or a hoax, is for you to decide. But buyer beware, we offer no warranty for lingering spirits.

Want more? You can find stories on their website Strangetastic.com.

Undiscovered Gold

Corn Syrup

There is definitely a trick to selling your art. First you must create amazing images. Then you must find a way to get your work to the people. That used to require a gallery or other retail location exhibiting your work. Now artists are lucky enough to be able to find their audience online directly.

Vantage Point

What does this have to do with my choice this week? Well, here is an amazing young artist fresh out of school who has already found at least one fan in me.

Elon Sharton Bierig has a great future. He considers himself a surrealist, taking realistic imagery and bringing it into a conceptual space. Of course what caught my eye was his series of hands. Anyone who is familiar with my work will know that is a bit of an obsession of mine, though my hands are nothing like the tangle of fingers he has chosen to portray.

He has priced his work to sell. If you are shopping for dramatic pieces for your home, this is the place to find them. All the work in his shop is oil in various sizes ranging from 9"x12" to 42"x18". He ships from his home in the Bay Area of California to everywhere.

Dexterous Growth

Outside of his etsy shop, you can see his portfolio on his official website. You can find him talking about his art on twitter and facebook as well.

Undiscovered Gold

Sting Bodysilc Ray Orange and Black

This week I had very difficult decisions to make. As I pounced through the shops that have yet to have a sale, i found TONS of fantastic choices. There were new jewelers, knitters, painters and everything in between. I choice this shop because it was so unusual.

Blackapple Bodysilc could call itself a jewelry shop. It could just as easily call itself temporary tattoos. What they create falls somewhere in between. The pieces are handmade silicone which can be worn anywhere on the body you can find a clean, flat surface. Due to its natural adherent quality, it can be washed and reused.

Zero, the artist behind these creations, lives and works in Los Angeles. Since losing her job in the economic downturn, she decided to throw herself wholeheartedly into her art. How lucky we are that she decided to do just that!

Skullberry Bodysilc Orange and Black

Her work is not for everyone. Zero herself says that it is "alternative" fashion; it is designed for lovers of tattoos and other forms of body art. Many of her pieces listed currently take texture and color from lizards and snakes.

If you are looking for something different in body art but don't want to make the commitment to the permanence of most, this is the perfect solution. I look forward to seeing what amazing work fills her shop in the future!

Undiscovered Gold

The Danielle Card

This week I needed a laugh. All week I have been feeling terrible due to a case of vertigo. I have been unable to drive and have had a hard time knitting as well. But enough about me, lets talk about this great new etsy shop!

Off-the-Wallmark is brand new. When I say brand new I mean she just opened her shop yesterday. It is not a surprise then that it has yet to be discovered. Already she is showing great promise.

The Katelyn Card

All I know about Allison Horst is that she lives in Santa Barbara, California and she has a dark sense of humor. She gives her cards female names like Danielle and Katelyn.

Her illustrations are so fun and light-hearted, which takes some of the edge off of these morbid ideas she references. I hope one day to have the occasion to need one of these cards, like a friend going on a diving expedition or a heart transplant. Wait, maybe I dont want that second one.

Anyway, check out her VERY brand new shop and pick up a card for the one you love.

Undiscovered Gold

Green Monster Candle

I got a late start this week on my search for the best new shops in the handmade universe. As you can imagine, it is hard to choose from the tons of new shops that are added every day on etsy. Fortunately for me, most of them are not as cute as StorytimeCandles.

Can you believe there is a story behind storytime? Missi Burgess, an avid soapmaker, was itching to find a super cool beeswax candle. Not finding anything to her liking, she created her own molds, filled them with 100% beeswax that had been made locally, and TADA! She created her own line of funky candles.

Pink Peace Sign

These candles are designed for everyday use but can easily be used for a birthday cake or other special occasion. As you might have expected, my favorite is the this Pink Peace Sign. It has 2 hemp wicks, one in each of the pointed fingers. I just love things with hands :P

Since her shop just opened this week, she is just starting to list her amazing little creations. I look forward to seeing what other adorable ideas she comes up with the make with wax.

If you like her work, be sure to follow Storytime Candles on Facebook.