fabulous felt pouches

i was hunting the internet for christmas and hanukkah gifts this evening, since i'm always panicking at the last moment and i thought i'd get a head start this year. i decided to start with etsy, because it's a wonderful place for unique presents. anyway, it was there that i came across the seriously cool products by working class heroes. they make pouches made of felt and leather for laptops, ipods, sun glasses and more. and they'll even do custom sleeves if you send them the dimensions of your laptop.

skinny laminx

the talented heather moore (aka skinny laminx) probably qualifies as a bonafide etsy celebrity. she's an illustrator and designer from south africa and she sells gorgeous tea towels and pillows in her etsy store. her illustrations have a real retro feel to them, but they're really contemporary at the same time i wish she'd do a limited edition line of fabrics!

cute boots

just came across these cuties from otchi-potchi on etsy. i think i've seen a japanese craft book that has patterns for fabric booties, but somehow they look difficult to make! if making them will not be an option i might have to buy a pair of these to wear on the colder days, when flip-flops are not an option. this from the girl who'll wear a pair of flip-flops with socks around the house...

killer bunnies

these amazing bunnies are the work of dawn, who's a self proclaimed plush-a-holic. i'm not sure if that's a condition you have to go to a support group for, but her plushies sure look dangerous. it must be the combination of the eyes, the graphic patterns of the fabric and the strong shape. she sells her gorgeous creatures in her etsy store and although there are always enough bunnies to buy i always seem to lust most after the ones that are already sold. i guess i'll have to look more often!

etceteramedia

i have been looking for a little pouch to keep papers in since i've had my wonderful leather mammoet bag. the only problem with the mammoet bag is that it's huge and hasn't got a lot of separate spaces. then, a few months ago i saw a seller called etceteramedia on etsy, who makes pouches, cases and bags out of industrial felt. i decided to order the olive file filer and an olive ipod case, they were both so nice! after the first package went missing in the post the lovely kelly of etceteramedia was kind enough to send me another one and it arrived at the beginning of the week. i have to say it's even better than i expected, the quality is amazing and the olive colour gorgeous. while surfing i now found out that they have a website/webstore. and now i've seen that they make really nice handbags too. what's a girl to do?

cheeky moopy

since i've been writing this blog i've become more and more amazed at how many creative and talented people are out there. one of them being carly of nest studio from australia. her moopies are so original and fun that it just makes you itch to try and make something like that! well, luckily you can! carly sells kits for her moopies in her etsy store. each kit comes with a pattern and pieces of fabrics, leftover from her toy making.

selvedge pin cushions

this is one of the best ideas i've seen in a while: using the sides of fabric you normally discard. these pin cushions were made by manda of tree fall design, who apart from being super creative sounds like a lovely lady. she was inspired by a quilt she saw made of selvedge and has saved her own scraps ever since, trying to find a purpose for them. unfortunately the pin cushions in her etsy store have already sold out, but hopefully she'll put some more up in the future. i know i'm not throwing my selvedge away again!

wunderkammer

de maakster van deze haakwerkjes, Jessica Polka, heeft altijd al een fascinatie gehad voor rariteitenkabinetten en is toen met haar haaknaald aan de slag gegaan. het resultaat is hele mooie werkjes die vooral erg origineel zijn. op de blog van craft magazine staat een klein interview met de maakster. je kan haar werk bekijken in haar etsy shop, waar je patronen en haakwerk kan kopen.

etsy

ik weet niet hoe bekend etsy inmiddels is, maar voor degenen die het nog niet kennen: het is een website waarop mensen, vooral zelfgemaakte, dingen kunnen kopen en verkopen. rechts onder aan deze pagina kan je wat van mijn favorieten zien. één van de leukere verkopers is stiksel, een meisje uit rotterdam die hele toffe tassen maakt van oude ptt postzakken. stiksel heeft ook haar eigen blog, klik hier om het te bezoeken.