Etsy's suggest shops feature comes up trumps!

I decided to try the Etsy 'suggested shops' feature again, after the disastrous attempt last time (about 6 months ago) - seems like everything in life, the website gets to know you better the more you use it, and I found tons of stuff I loved and hadn't come across before. So this week's top 5 picks are all from the suggested shops.

1. Gustow Little Monster

Absolutely adorable little monsters, but I love the expression on this one the most. Look at him!

2. Monster Pet crochet pattern

My cats would never wear this. But I like that someone has managed to get monster hats onto their cat. I might just have to paint a cat wearing a hat now.

3. The Lonesome Accordionist print

This reminded me of a friend of mine called Claire, as she's called The Eternal Magpie and has just started playing the accordion. As good a reason as any I thought...

4. Nosferatu

I also liked the forest fox, but as he's been featured in a magazine already, I wanted to promote a lonelier animal. Look at his teeth - he's adorable.

5. Red acoustic guitar

Something out of the ordinary - I usually feature plushies and prints, but I loved these guitar sculptures so much! The size can be seen in this one (it's a penny in the soundhole and it's standing on a bent fork) and I'm a sucker for miniature versions.

Edibles on Etsy

I only realised today that Etsy has an edibles section! I've been picking through what's on offer, and here are my favourite edible items I've found so far. Feel free to recommend some more!

Featured seller - Chocolatecreators



Russian seller Chocolate Creators are fairly new to Etsy. I can't understand why they have only 1 sale, because their items are beautiful, original, and very reasonably priced.

Adorable Cupcake Cookies by TabbyCat13



Just as the name suggests, they are adorable, and you get a dozen for less than $2 each. I'm not sure they'd ship to the UK, but I had to feature them as they're so beautifully made.

Cupcakes in Jars by cupcakesinjars



Again, not sure about shipping to the UK, but what a fantastic idea! Surely they'd be easy to ship overseas? And just look at all the flavours, and the packaging!

Tootsie Roll wreath by auntiesideas



I keep meaning to make one of these, and fail miserably. They make many different flavoured candies into wreaths, but I like the colour scheme of this one, and the name of the sweets of course. We don't have them in the UK, so I'm imagining liquorice :)

Chewy Vanilla Caramel Pretzel Twisted Turtles by BlissCandies



I love chocolate coated pretzels, and they just don't sell them in the UK. I have to import them when my craving gets too much for me. These sound so delicious, I'm considering moving to the US, or failing that getting them shipped to a friend to pass on to me!

Chocolate and Gold Wire Necklace by wmahr



This necklace is REAL chocolate! It's expensive for one wear, but what a great attention seeking piece! They can use real beads for you if you like, but I thought this would be a great finale for this article.

If this has made you hungry, and you fancy something longer lasting, my 'coffee and bun' painting is available on Etsy or on eBay.

Today's Etsy picks - Paper Patchwork

I've been making my Paper Patchwork pictures all day today, and more or less finished five. It's my obsessional personality. I searched on Etsy to see if anyone was selling anything similar, without thinking 'I'll search for collage', as any normal person would. I searched for 'paper patchwork' and didn't find anything - I did find some other nice stuff instead though, so I decided to choose some for this week's picks.

Patchwork Washing

This is mine, obviously. I could see this in my head for days, but couldn't find any small pegs. Once I finally found some, I just did it straight away.



Life Is Like a Patchwork Quilt by Design4u



I think this is really lovely, and she ships internationally! Not enough Etsy sellers let you know they do this, and I'm often scouring the pages to see if they do. I'd love to see lots of different quotes on similar canvases.

Miss Kekoshi by mapetitepapeterie



It was hard to choose between this and The Patchwork Millipede. All of these delicate prints are really beautiful.

Patchwork Journal by brookiellen



I think these journals are perfect for gifts, and I really like the mixture of fabrics used. You can't beat cherries.

Sweet Patchwork Doll by pinkytoast



I chose this one because it's something I had in my head, and I would never do it as well as this. I really love the style of these prints which are available on mirrors and keyrings as well.

Patchwork cat Greeting Card by dailypaper



I chose this one as I love the mixture of red, black and white, and the really simple shapes used to create the cat. It's obvious what it is, and yet there's almost no features. It also gave me the idea that I might scan in my collages and use them to create cards myself!

Five Types of Teabags

I've been listing my new cards today, and whilst doing so, I thought about what else might be on Etsy with similar tags. I've been using the type of tea as a tag, so I tried each teabag type I'm planning on listing, and picked my favourite thing which came up under each one!

Here is my card. It has a poem on the front called 'Friendship Brew'. I stopped listing after I put 4 on, as I had some feedback on the forums suggesting I take photos before I put them in the bags. I hadn't even thought of this!

Here's one of my cards



Assam

Luckily for me, searching for Assam brings up lots of tea, my card and this item!

1898 Historical Map of Bengal and Assam from BananaStrudel



Old maps are fascinating. I've always loved the look of contour lines, and regularly use something like them in my paintings (such as the Orangutan). The only thing is I always want to cut them up, and it would be such a shame to destroy a map like this. I hope someone will find it, and cherish it in a frame.

English Breakfast

Breakfast Necklace by Chinachichi



Two of my favourite things are knitted food and huge necklaces, so as soon as I saw this, I knew it needed a wider audience. So far this lady hasn't made any sales, and I don't really understand why! They're like nothing I've ever seen before.

Ceylon

Glass Tile Pendant - Vintage Foreign Stamp by OutOfTheAshes



I'd really like to try making these glass tile pendants. However, they always look as if they must be fiddly, so I think I'll carry on looking at beautiful items like this one.

Earl Grey

earl grey tea petite wall hanging by CakeEaters



You might be surprised to see this from me. Usually I pick hideously bright, or ridiculous things. What really appeals to me about this tiny wall hanging is the mixture of textures and media. Anything miniature or with buttons added will usually get a second look from me too.

Lady Grey

1920s fashion, flapper - Lady in Grey Coat print by Gint99are



Since seeing The Changeling, I can't get cloche hats out of my mind! I've asked my friend Gemma to crochet one for me, but in the meantime I'll have to make do with admiring this print from a series on 'Ladies of the roaring 20s'. I love her severe yet beautiful face.

Octopus Picks on Etsy

I'm thinking of having an octopus tattooed on my other arm, so of course I'm searching around online for designs I like. There's a cornucopia of octopi on Etsy, so here's a rundown of the best ones I found.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19887185



So, let's not beat around the bush. This one is mine. It's the first thing I painted with interference colours, and I'm still proud of it. I'd love to see it go to a good home.

Deluxe Socktopus

by BlackbirdFashion



This take on the sock monkey is adorable. The colours in the stripes, and the expression on his face, compliment each other perfectly to make a very desirable toy or collectible.

Octopus - water Art card

by blauerelefant



This art card with 3D elements is a beautifully abstract representation of tentacles. The artist has stripped down the main features of an octopus to make the subject recognisable, whilst not figurative.

Tumorphus

by EveryEskimo



Another plush, but in a totally different style. There's something cute about this nesting octopus, and yet slightly threatening in her face. When I look at her, I can't decide if she's benevolent or dangerous. Whichever it is she's beautifully made, with perfect detailing.

Octpus Suction Cup Ring

by OctopusMe



This jewellery made from real octopus tentacles is something you either love or hate. Personally, I love the texture of the silver, and the way the suckers are used to hold the turquoise. If I could have one thing from Etsy, it would be one of these rings.

Giant Tentacle Necklace

by RobotGhost



To finish with, here's an extremely gaudy necklace I nearly bought, until Ian saw it over my shoulder and decided he wouldn't go anywhere with me if I wore it. The mixture of colours used in all their jewellery are exactly the sort of clash I enjoy, whilst the use of tentacles is eye catching and bizarre.