The Best of Etsy: Week 2: Birds

This week I'm doing the best bird finds I've found from Etsy, from wonderful art to lovely accessories.


(photo credit: Hummingbird art by The Mincing Mockingbird)


(photo credit: Bird cuff by Albina Rose)


(photo credit: Handpainted bird necklace by iamabird)


(photo credit: Seagull silhouette by bialaKura)


(photo credit: Bird clutch by Sew Lola)


(photo credit: Goose with flower wings by Chipmunk Cheeks)

Featured Seller: Anca Gray

There is nothing as special as having a deep and unnerving passion for the work one does. Artist Anca Gray is not stranger to this. A passion for her art seethes from her every word.

After acquiring a degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology, spending a few years as an architect and designer, and working at a local organic restaurant, in 2010 Anca finally started working full time on her art.

"My parents say my favorite toy to play with when I was very young was a pen and paper. When we went camping, I would first sit down and draw the trees and mountains and only then run around and explore. To my mother's despair, I always loved getting my hands dirty, and creating is in my blood. Although I got derailed by family and society's expectations, in the end it was just a matter of listening to my heart, letting go, and jumping in," Anca said.

You can purchase the Romanian born, Chicago based, artist's beautiful mixed media artwork internationally through her Etsy shop, Anca.



"I love creating delicate new art pieces out of discarded vintage books and found objects! They become one of a kind, original, mixed media abstracts and figure paintings. I also create found poetry reclaimed from existing vintage books. I am interested in everything poetic, emotion, capturing and savoring unique moments in time and space, the simultaneous absence and presence of all colors, embedded memory of objects, texture, and a raw and feminine aesthetic. I wish for my work to reflect glimpses of hope and [to] help widen the horizons of possibility," Anca said.

Anca's artwork is also at times dreamlike and geometric, and always unconventionally alluring.



"My husband dubbed me Anca Gray because I surround myself with black, white, and gray, and lady gray is my favorite tea, of which I drink about a pot of every day," Anca said.

Her daily pot of tea might be what allows Anca to work often chaotic hours. "I'm fairly obsessive, so I stay with a piece until it is finished, which means it needs to be finished within days. I've been known to work on a piece for 30 hours straight, and only get some sleep once it feels complete. I often work on several pieces at once while I wait for layers of paint to dry."

Anca's inability to stop once she's started working on a piece, is a true testament to her passion. And every piece she creates and sells is a piece she truly believes is complete and ready to be hung in a buyer's home.



"I finally know what I want to be when I grow up, so I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am doing what I long to be doing. What I've always longed to be doing," Anca said.

Outside of her craft Anca enjoys everything about food, cooking for friends, reading food blogs, parties and afternoon tea with friends, camping, reading, skydiving, seeking god, and loving her husband all while trying to remember to breathe.

Anca is not truly sure where she will be in five years, as she believes that anything and everything can change within that time frame, but she hopes that she'll still be cooking for and feeding the people she loves, getting her hands dirty, and becoming more comfortable by the day in her own skin.

You can follow Anca's journey through her Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts.

SPECIAL TO MY READERS: Get 15 percent off your purchase at Anca's Etsy shop by entering promo code MORE15 at checkout!

Featured Seller: Lisa Lehmann

A lot of people might not realize that being a jewelry maker can be fiery. But Lisa Lehmann isn't afraid of a little heat, in fact getting to play with fire is what profoundly plunged her into the craft.

"I have a fine arts major in photography and illustration. I did graphic design for years, I hated it. I started playing around with making jewelry and I liked it a lot. Then I learned to play with fire and I was so hooked. It is my passion!" Lisa said.

You can find Lisa's sleek and rustically feminine handmade jewelry for sale internationally through her Etsy shop, Studio Jewel.



"I've wanted to be an artist since I was handed a crayon. I was meant to create," Lisa said. Although she knew she was meant to be a creator she wasn't so sure about the success her work would have.

"When I started making jewelry 10 years ago, I never knew it would take off like it did," Lisa said.

But her success has left her with almost a thousand Etsy sales, and only one possible regret. Because she was unsure of her success, she titled her shop, "thebeadgirl", though that isn't her brand name. "I'm trying to shift people to realize my actual store name is Studio Jewel even though I may be 'thebeadgirl'," Lisa said.

Whether you call her the bead girl or know the shop as Studio Jewel, Lisa Lehmann's jewelry is plain and simply organically pretty.



The finishing result may be visually appealing, but according to Lisa, the actual act of creating can be otherwise.

"Making beautiful pieces of jewelry is a VERY dirty business!" Lisa said.

But this fact far from deters Lisa from her passion. What makes her such as wonderful seller is that she plunges into the often unrecognized mess of creating beauty, and loves it.



Besides making jewelry, Lisa still enjoys photography as well as cooking. She also homeschool's three of her four children, making her life a balancing act of work and family.

In five years Lisa would like to continue to see her company grow, but with a little bit of help so she can concentrate on simply being a jewelry designer and not so much of everything else that comes along with it.

You can follow Lisa's journey through her Twitter, Facebook page, and Blog.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR MY READERS: Get 15 percent off your purchase from Lisa's shop by using the promo code: justbecause15 at checkout.



(photos curtesy of Lisa Lehamann's Etsy shop & Facebook page)

Sweet Finds: Kitchen Additions

What does your kitchen mean to you? I'm a big eater, I love food. I've always been around people that love food. My family, my friends, my husband now, so a kitchen to me really is one of the most important parts of a home for me. One that I feel like should always feel homely. When I lived with my mom, I always felt that feeling. Her kitchen is so warm and the right amount of mismatched, so when I got married, I tried to do the same. Although we're still a little aways from getting it as perfect as possible, Joe and I are getting there.

The following are some of my favorites kitchen finds on Etsy.com including my pears photo print, that I have the feeling we'll be hanging up on our kitchen real soon.

Cutting Board - Gray Works - $60 USD


Teapot Clock - Decoy Lab - $48 USD


Blue Hand Printed Tea Towel - Oelwein - $21 USD


Stitch Apron - The Elms Vintage - $18 USD


Magnet Knife Block - Feel Felt Found - $110 USD


Pears Photo Print - ZoiShop - $25 USD


Holiday Cookies - The Piece de Resistance - $24 USD


What's your favorite loves?

Sweet Finds: Stud Earrings

I love stud earrings. Out of all possible accessories, these are among my favorite and they're the ones that have stuck the most over the years as I've grown away from wearing rings and necklaces.

The following are some of my favorite stud earrings from some great creators on Etsy.com.

Raw diamond studs - Specimental - $155 USD


Charcoal heart studs - vesperminiatures - $14.20 USD


Cube Studs - michellechangjewelry - $36 USD


Sterling silver studs - huiyitan - $31.02 USD


Amethyst Studs - toosis - $44 USD


Thunderbolt Studs - TheAngryWeather - $159 USD


Which is your favorite?

Sweet Finds: Rings

I love rings. When I was a teenager I used to wear at least four between both hands, every single day in high school. Although I mostly now just wear my wedding band and engagement ring, I still love rings. The following are some of my favorite rings, in my sweet finds segment.

Crochet Ring - dualchocolate - $65 USD


Circle ring - nihanatakan - $35 USD


Ring set - colbyjune - $215 USD


Baby elephant ring - michellechangejewelry - $128 USD


Neon yellow geo ring - amerrymishap - $13.99 USD


Ruby ring - tesiaalexandra - $90 USD


Sterling silver ring - gemagenta - $58 USD


What's your favorite?

Featured Seller: Kiva Ford Glass

Glass blowing is handmade at its most enticing. And there are no glass blowers quite like Kiva Ford. His miniature and inspired glass creations are impeccably made and awe-inspiring.

Kiva has perhaps one of the most unique creative jobs out there. He creates glass instruments for scientific use, and he has perfected his glass blowing technique through his creation of complex scientific glass instruments. He also teaches at the Jersey City Art School, and conducts glass workshops throughout the year.

In other words, Kiva breathes, lives, and is enveloped constantly by his passion for glass blowing, meshing complementing work and creative arts to constantly create his glass works.

You can find his wearable and miniature glass creations for sale internationally through the Kiva Ford Etsy shop that he runs with his sister, Andrea Ford Quinones. While Kiva is in charge of the molding aspect of the shop, Andrea, a classically trained musician, is behind the product design and conceptualization.



"Kiva's artist work is influenced by his interests in history, mythology, and the natural world. his creations span from delicate pendants and tiny vases to large, elaborate bottles encasing glass animals, figures, and even smaller versions of themselves!" Andrea said.

Kiva's influences have brought him to create even the most enticing of glass creations, from wearable glass earrings to tree ornaments with miniature glass animals in them.



"Working with glass requires a lot of patience, attention to detail, and foresight. With one wrong move, you can lose hours of work! You have to think fast, and this inspires a certain kind of creativity," Andrea said.

Like many artists and musicians will tell you, their level of expertise was not gained overnight, but is the product of years of practice and study. It is evident that Kiva has spent an overwhelming amount of time perfecting the art and reaching the level he is at today.

Interested in learning more about Kiva Ford creations? Watch Kiva at work during the five minute video by Alex Rappoport, where you'll be taken into the unique world of glass blowing by someone who has mastered the art.

Handmade Portraits: Kiva Ford from Etsy on Vimeo.

(photos curtesy of Kiva and Andrea, video by Alex Rappoport)

Sweet Finds: Feathers

I love feathers. And they seem to be trending this season as well, so I thought for this week's Sweet Finds segment I would go all feathers out. Hope you enjoy these fabulous finds.

Long feather earrings - alixq - $20 USD


Feather necklace - novella- $52 USD


Wings headpiece - ArturoRios- $295 USD


Peacock feather print tee - sealmaiden- $28 USD


Feather kraft 2012 Calendar - MilesOfLight- $15 USD


Spotted feather etching - ateller28- $25 USD


Feather extension - NoMoreTwistHandmade - $24 USD

Featured Seller: Hug A Porcupine

Watch Project Runway and one thing you'll see over and over is the panel telling designers with simple designs that their garments are gorgeous. The same goes when designing accessories. There is something about simple geometric designs that go a long way.

I was immediately drawn to the simplicity of the necklace and pin designs from Hug A Porcupine, and their simple clean-cut photography.

You can purchase the Singapore based shop's quirky animal and geometric wearables internationally through their Etsy shop.



Such as it would take a huge amount of boldness to literally hug a porcupine, the shop encourages its buyers to go out and be bold with their perky and bright colored wearables that truly have a positive and lively feel to them.

"Our name has a subtle and somewhat hidden message in encouraging others out there to do extraordinary things despite challenges faced," Hug a Porcupine creators said.



The creators of Hug A Porcupine plan to keep creating wearable art and expanding their range of accessories over the next five years. You can follow their journey through their Tumblr.


(photos curtesy of Hug A Porcupine)

Sweet Finds: A Touch of Lace

Lace is one of the most feminine touches that you can add to your clothing or accessories in my opinion. It looks so light and delicate that it truly brings out the softness in any accessory or clothing item it is in. Although I don't own a lot of lace items, it is one of my favorite trends for the fall. The following are some of my sweet finds a touch of lace style that have been wonderfully handmade or are vintage finds.

Lace collar - branchbound - $19.99 USD


Lace necklace - TheWhirlwind - $26 USD


Lace thigh high's - iheartnorwegianwood - $69 USD


Lace earrings - fr33na - $8 USD


Vintage coin purse - Tuuni - $55.71 USD


Maxi dress - breadbuttervintage - $216 USD


Lace blouse - simplicityisbliss - $185 USD


What are your lace finds loves?