A foggy morning at the market.

The last RiverFront Market of the season ended on a foggy note, punctuated with thunderclaps. Fortunately the thunder didn’t arrive until the very end, and we missed the rain. It was a good market day, filled with familiar faces, and I even got to see a few of my bags “in action” around the market, which always makes me happy.

Even though today was the last day of the RiverFront Market, next Saturday marks the beginning of the month-long Fall Market on the Riverfront. The first four Saturdays in October, from 8 a.m. to noon, Anodyne Design will be appearing at the Fall Market between Old Chicago and River Station in downtown Peoria. Drop by and say hello! It’s time to start thinking about holiday gifts, and what’s sweeter than something handmade?

For the past month or two, I’ve been lucky to have my booth next to another great Etsy seller, Hey Lola. She makes amazing jewlery out of recycled old jewelry, giving new life to pieces in need of a little love. She also always has this gorgeous display of recycled flower hair clip that I’ve loved seeing every week. Very creative and pretty stuff there! I’m miss being “neighbors” at the Fall Market.

Mushroomy Business Card Holder from Ginpins

I can’t stop smiling every time I look at this adorable business card holder. Three tiny mushrooms on a mossy green stand. Even the undersides of the mushrooms are perfect, with tiny gills. I just love it.

I needed a nice way to display my business cards at the farmer’s market, because I noticed that people either didn’t seem to see them or were afraid to take them when I simply set them on the table. I’m hoping that when they see them standing up behind these super cute mushrooms they’ll feel more comfortable taking one. And even if that isn’t the case, I don’t care, because I love these mushrooms so much.

The business card holder came from Ginny at Ginpins. She was very friendly and shipped the same day I ordered, which was awesome. She’s got all sorts of beautiful ceramic goodness in her shop. You really should check it out. If I wore earrings, I know I’d have to get a pair of hers… but which ones, tiny flowers or tiny mushrooms?

Sometimes, though, I see something on Etsy that makes me wish I had a kid to buy it for. Sometimes it’s a single item, and sometimes it’s a whole shop. Two of these shops that make me wish I had children are RaeGun and Sarah Jane Studios. RaeGun sells the most adorable handmade dresses for little girls (and also some grown up dresses, slings, and clothes for little boys). The dress pictured at left is one of my current favorites, the Measuring Tapes Peek-a-Boo Dress. RaeGun also has a blog worth checking out.

Sarah Jane Studios provides beautiful artwork under the heading “illustrating childhood.” And at least for me, this style of art does remind me of my own childhood. These prints remind me of images I saw in Highlights Magazine, and other children’s books. Each print is lovely, but some of my favorites are April Showers and Wellesley and Winslow — Christmas Post. The shop features prints and a variety of stationery. You can keep tabs on Sarah Jane Studios on her blog.

As for single items that make me wish I had a kid to shop for, check out the Arr… Change me booty Onsie (I like pirates), this Freshcut Peasant Dress, and Harry Hippo.

Two Etsy shops selling hand carved stamps stand out for me. They are The Mayberry Sparrow and Craft Pudding. Each has its own clear, unique style, and both create stamps that are undeniably cute. I absolutely adore the Tiny Ingmar Swedish Horse stamp at The Mayberry Sparrow. At Craft Pudding, I particularly love the little masked raccoon stamp. Of course, each shop has lots of other great stamps, too. And if I were you, I’d need to get more than one. Craft Pudding also has a great blog that I keep tabs on through my feed reader.

Do you use rubber stamps? Do you carve your own? Do you have any carving tips for me? My, I’m demanding today! Please, share a tip with me if you have one. Or any other comment. I don’t want to be too pushy.

You should definitely check out Alina’s shop. She has many beautiful pieces, and I was very pleased with her customer service and shipping. My little pitcher arrived quickly and wrapped in plenty of bubble wrap. Now that I’ve got it, I need to decide what to do with it (besides just smiling at it).

	His and Hers Coffee Cups by Alina Hayes Ceramics
	Be Delicious Shea Butter Soap by Two Rivers Soap Company
	Fuchsine Earrings by AntiGenre
	Queen Ann’s Lace Wrap Dress by Makool

Happy Valentine’s day.

If you want to try your hand at your own homemade lampshade, I found this great tutorial on flickr. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s definitely on my “to do” list. And if you’d like to get that homemade look but don’t want to actually make it, check out the cool lampshades at When In Doubt Draw Flowers and Garnish. Garnish has lampshades made with hand screen printed fabric and the ones at When In Doubt Draw Flowers are made with vintage wallpaper. (And while you’re checking out the lampshades, be sure to look at the rest of their shops. There are a lot of cool things to be had in both.)

There are so many beautiful serving dishes on Etsy, I can’t possibly do them all justice here. But I do want to show you a few of my favorites. Ant’s Pottery has a large collection of beautiful pottery in vibrant, earthy colors (my favorite). Two in particular that caught my eye are the large stoneware bowl with handles (“Is it a platter? A shallow bowl? A serving dish? Yes!”) and the Autumn Landscape Platter. There are also all sorts of beautiful casserole dishes, candle holders, bowls, plates and mugs.

Some of my other favorites come from Phenix Pottery. In the shop right now, they have a pretty casserole dish (and I love casseroles, so casserole dishes have a special place in my heart) with a cute curly-cue handle on the lid. Phenix Pottery also has bowls, pie plates, pitchers, vases, jewelry, and sorts of other functional and beautiful stoneware.

There are so many wonderful pieces in both of these shops, I suggest you take a look for yourself.

A Minky Eye Pillow filled with “an organic herbal mix of lavender, peppermint, orange peel and flax seed for an intoxicating breath of solitude.” That sounds perfect for my aching head right about now. Although I prefer the white, Wrapsberry offers them in a variety of pretty colors.

And before I relax with an eye pillow…

Soothing “headache relief” bath oil from Bazil Essentials with “natural essential oils of peppermint and eucalyptus, and sweet almond oil to moisturize your skin.” Soaking in the tub certainly sounds relaxing.

This simple camera pendant is the work of Timothy Adam Designs. Although the camera is my favorite, the shop is “full of ideas that were put in to metal,” not all of which are cameras. There are a variety of clocks, wine bottle holders, earring trees, and one fancy throne. I’m really in love with all of it… I don’t know a thing about metalwork, but something about these pieces really appeals to me… the way a simple design can so clearly evoke a complex object, the roughness of the metal that gives each piece a worn, loved feel, and the sense that these are meant to be used.

The best things to me are the ones that can be put to regular use. Although I love sparkly, fancy things plenty, it’s hard to enjoy something so special that it has to be put away until a “special occasion” arises. These pendants feel like something I could wear and enjoy everyday. Even that throne, I think, I could sit in as I please (and it might be enough of a “special occasion” for me to haul out that tiara I keep in a box).

Be sure to check out the shop and Timothy Adam Designs blog. Tell me, what are your Etsy/handmade favorites?