Whovian Etsy Top Ten

My apologies, my lovelies.  I have been far too snowed under with work for the past few weeks.  All the deadlines, all the stress, all the getting up at 5:15am, all the headaches.  But I have this weekend to sort my life out a little, and the first thing on the agenda is this weeks Etsy Top Ten ^-^

As you may have worked out from the title, this week is all about Dr Who.  As Dr Who is a UK series (and totally awesome), there was a lot of items to choose from this week, and it was hard to narrow it down to just ten (although my Ritzy Pick does let me cheat and push it up to eleven).  But somehow I managed.  Hopefully you'll find something here that you really want, or that you know a friend would adore (it's coming up to christmas, you know!).

Enjoy ^-^


1.  Fez Tea Cozy sold by HumbugsHouse

This is just too adorable.  A fez tea cosy for any fan of the eleventh Doctor.  As we British are also notorious for our tea addictions, this item is incredibly English in its existence.












2. Book Clutch Bag sold by CelfaChrefft

I love things like this.  I am an avid reader, and I also own a wallet.  Therefore, upcycled books made into bags appeal to me quite a lot.  I love the handle and button on this item - simple, but suits the theme.  A really wonderful idea, and beautifully made.















3. Number Ten Bookmark sold by bethydesigns

So cute!!  The tenth Doctor is my favourite, which is why I decided to feature this particular one from the seller.  But don't despair if another Doctor has stolen your heart, the seller has many different ones, all as adorable as this one.  As I mentioned above, I love reading, and so this item is practical as well as awesome.  Love it.














4. Dalekanium Roll On Perfume sold by GeekyCandlesCo

These guys make the best stuff!  I love their shop, and I want pretty much all their items, and not just out of pure curiosity as to what various sci-fi things smell like.  And it's not just perfume; the seller also has candles, soap, and scented tarts (I had to look up what they meant by that one.  My mind had initially gone somewhere else...).  Eco-friendly, and just plain friendly.  Check out all the odd scents of the sci-fi universe.













5. Bow Ties Are Cool Shoes sold by Bunnypumpkinboutique

Ermagherd!!  I absolutely love these shoes!!  They are just so cool!  And if tweed isn't your style, check out the sellers other items; they're all as cool as this pair of heels.  I love the little cog charms on the sides, and the bow is just adorable.  A really wonderful design, and beautifully made. Want.

















6. Fez Mini-Top Hat sold by OohLaLaBoudoir

The design of this is just amazing.  Very much the eleventh Doctor all over.  This really does make the fez cool.  Really well made by an experienced seller, this item makes an awesome addition to any Geek-Chic wardrobe, or just as a unique piece of art to display at home.

















7. Police Box Belly Ring sold by AimToCharm

I've had my belly button pierced for so many years now that I forget it's there, and just wear the same belly-ring all the time.  This however, would definitely push me to change.  I love this little TARDIS belly-bar, and I would be more than happy to get my less-than-flat stomach out to show it off ^-^ love it!



















8. Snowflake TARDIS decoration sold by KasumiCrafts

So cute ^-^  Very christmassy, and would look great on any christmas tree.  Or even added to a Dr Who costume or outfit as a little embellishment.  It could be added to a necklace or bracelet, or used as a phone charm (if that's still a thing - I may be horribly behind the times here).  Whatever you decide to use it for, it's a wonderful little decoration, which any Whovian would be happy to own ^-^



















9. Soft Kitty Inspired Pillow Cushion Cover sold by Hx5Designs

Squeeeee!  I love this little Soft Kitty variation.  Those crazy Daleks, always up to mischief!  If cushions aren't your thing (you strange, strange person), then the seller has many other variants, including mugs, wallets, and even a clock.

















10. TARDIS Skirt sold by PicknMix

This is just amazing.  Really well made and truly unique.  The seller gets the fabric made especially, and will make the skater-style skirt to order.  A great addition to any Whovian's wardrobe.  Love it ^-^

















Ritzy Pick
Upcycled Vintage Rotary Telephone sold by lovekittypink

 

I love the fabric used for the decoupage on this gorgeous vintage phone.  The great thing is that this is in 100% working order and can be used with the majority of UK landline connections.  A wonderful, unique gift for any Whovian ^-^  At £190, this makes it our Ritzy Pick of the week, but well worth the monies. I especially love the little Dalek in the middle of the dial.  Squeee ^-^

Video Game Etsy Top Ten

Greetings all ^-^

Welcome to this weeks Etsy Top Ten!  Every item this week is video game related, and there were so many awesome things to choose from :) Well done, Etsy sellers.

Enjoy:

1.  NukaCola Light sold by GeekeryGamingLights

I've been playing fallout 3 recently, so this is setting my nerdy-gamer senses alight :P  Love the game, love this light.
















2. Koffing Knitted Plushie sold by PixelKnitting

Koffing!! Super cute knitted plushie here.  Pokemon is awesome anyway, but give me an adorable plushie pokemon & I will be one happy gamer ^-^











3. Legend of Zelda 3D paper Diorama sold by TheEllenConnection

This is just awesome!  It must have taken so very long to construct, and the detail is amazing.  A very cool piece of art.










4. NES style USB controller sold by IgnisFatuusBooks

Love this ^-^  It's so very cool!  It looks like something you'd find in the wastelands of a post-apocalyptic nerdy world.












5. Companion Cube Necklace sold by BuyMerchandiseOnline

Yay!  The companion cube!! Yes, I am one of those people who like to tell you how the cake is a lie.  And I love this necklace to remind me how much I loved the companion cube.














6. Pokedex Notebook sold by IgnisFatuusBooks

Now you can have your very own pokedex!  However, you'll have to fill it with interesting pokemon data yourself... or whatever data/drawings you want to.  I'd draw pokemon... but it's up to you... I guess :P














7. Ocarina of Time, songbook, & bag sold by ZeldaOcarinaStore

This is amazing!  You can actually play it!  And there is a song book with it!  Want, want, want!













8. Tonberry Earrings sold by TheTrinkTrunk

These are such an amazing idea ^-^  A Tonberry is an enemy from the final fantasy series, which holds a knife and a lamp.  They are damned hard to kill, and your best bet is to run away from them. Such a cool idea to make Tonberry-accessory-accessories










9. Moogle Chocobo Rider Wallet sold by 6DiamondInTheRough9

D'aaaaaw.  Love Moogles and love chocobos, so a Moogle chocobo rider is overly cute :)  Plus, this is a really well made wallet & the detail is wonderful.  Love it ^-^















10. Cage Cameo Keychain sold by brightpindesign

I am a big Bioshock fan, and given the choice, I chose the cage (because pfft birdies).  Love this necklace - a subtle nod to other Bioshock fans who notice your necklace ^-^

















Ritzy Pick
Skyrim Dragon Mask in Copper sold by thomasotom

This weeks ritzy pick is a Skyrim-inspired dragon mask.  It doesn't just come in copper, but many other metals as well - so take your pick.  A really cool idea, and is big enough to wear, or just hand on the wall as a cool piece of art.  Made by a university model-making student, you can be sure this will be a really well made, and interesting piece of art :)

Shakespeare Etsy Top Ten

Greetings all ^-^

This weeks Etsy Top Ten is all about the Bard.  There are some really cool items here, by some wonderful sellers, so take a look and enjoy!



1.  Macbeth pin brooch sold by FanFayreJewellery

I love this little brooch.  The cauldron is so cute!  And if Macbeth isn't your favourite, the seller has lots of other pieces relating to many other Shakespeare plays.













2.  A Midsummer Night's Dream Brass Cuff sold by JezebelCharms

This is such a cool design, and A Midsummer Night's Dream is my favourite Shakespeare play ^-^  A wonderful statement piece of jewellery.  Love it.

















3.   Sonnet CXVI Necklace sold by DuDidesign

This dinky little necklace is so very cute ^-^ It has 60 blank pages for you to write in (I love stuff like that!), and includes the sonnet.













4. Much Ado About Nothing Comic sold by AwkwardBex

This is such a cool idea!  I really want to read this and see how the artist has re-imagined the play ^-^

















5.  A Midsummer Night's Dream Notebook sold by ImmortalLongings

Love this.  So purdy, and like I said, A Midsummer Night's Dream is my favourite play.  However, if you prefer another, the seller has many, many more to choose from: from Romeo & Juliet, to King Lear.




















6.  Knitting Bag sold by KellyConnorDesigns

I can't knit, but I do enjoy puns ^-^  And I'm sure many knitters also enjoy puns.  Everyone enjoys puns!   I do wish I could knit...














7.  Charm Anklet sold by FanFayreJewellery

For some reason I really love anklets.  Bracelets always get in the way, but anklets are just lovely!  And this one is wonderful.  Pick a charm from the collection and get your own Shakespeare-themed anklet to enjoy ^-^














8.  Macbeth Pendant sold by JezebelCharms

There are quite a few necklaces like this on Etsy, but this one stood out to me.  It's not just the quote, it's the design and the wonderful caligraphy. Also gotta love the blood spots ^-^


















9.  Twelfth Night Cufflinks sold by LiteraryEmporium

Love these little cufflinks. Really simple and subtle, but gorgeous.













10.  Quote Necklace sold by FragileEliteDesign

Another quote necklace, but a lovely one.  And this oft-quoted line fits several people I know ^-^

Dragon Etsy Top Ten

Greetings all ^-^

This weeks Etsy Top Ten is full of those wonderful mystical beasts known as Dragons.  Many of them on this list are overly adorable.



1.  Polymer Clay Victorian Dragon sold by VictoriasDragons

This is so adorable, I may die.  And it's not just Victorian Dragon, there's loads of others too!  Like Zombie Dragon, and Gamer Dragon, and Pie Making Dragon. They are all hand-made from Polymer Clay, and they have such wonderful detail.  Just look at his Top Hat! So cute ^-^
















2. Sleepy Guardian Dragon Plush sold by CuddlesGalore

I want this.  I love cuddly toys, and this one is just awesome.  It's super-soft, has gemstone eyes, and is also a DRAGON!! A cuddly dragon!!  It just wants hugs ^-^











3.  Sapphire Dragon Ring sold by MONVATOOLondon

This gorgeous brass ring is so very cool.  I love the colours and the design is really unique.  Also available in Topaz, Rose Gold, Rodium, and several more colours/metals, this ring looks great no matter which one you go for.













4.  Dragon & Pearl Ear Cuff sold by cherryblackboutique

So very cool.  I love ear cuffs, they're just so awesome!  These are especially awesome because they're dragons, and really well designed.  I love the pearl hanging from the dragon's tail. They come in emerald green,sapphire blue, or garnet red.  Either way, you'll have a mini-dragon pet perched on your ear ^-^















5.  Red Copper Dragon Locket sold by NanukDesigns

I love this idea.  There is a little polymer clay dragon curled up in a brass locket on a copper chain.  Available in several different colours, these lockets are a wonderful addition to any outfit ^-^















6.  Red Hinged Valentines Dragon sold by FantasyFigures

D'aaaawww! I just love this little dragon!  It's made from polymer clay and little hinges - that's the bit I love.  It's a really interesting and novel idea, and brought to life wonderfully.














7.  Dragon Leather Ring sold by Menagering

This is a very cool idea.  The ring is made from leather & hand painted.  You can also get one with Swarovski crystals for eyes.  Because it's made from leather, the dragon can curl around your fingers however you want him to.  A nice way to mix it up ^-^















8.  Dragon Mask sold by MaskedOddities

These terrify me, but they are awesome.  Really well made & detailed dragon masks.  They're made from polyurethane and latex, so they're durable and waterproof.  Hang them on the wall for an awesome decoration, or wear it to terrify your enemies ^-^















9.  Handpainted Large Wine Glass sold by Glassmagyck

In my Etsy searches for my weekly Top Ten, I have stumbled upon many hand-painted, etched, and glittered wine glasses.  They never really make it into my Top Ten because although they are cool, there's always something a little bit more quirky or unique that bumps the wine glasses from the list.  However, this one really stood out.  The painting is wonderfully done, and the seller has so many other designs that I love.  The moonlight effect of the base colours is stunning and really finishes the look.


















10.  Dragon Earings sold by huiyitan

There are loads of dragon-based pieces of jewellery to be found on Etsy, but these really stood out to me.  They're so purdy, but really simple and subtle. Also, the way they're posed on the photo makes it look like they're kissing, and that's just adorable!
















Ritzy Pick
Dragon Sculpture sold by GreenHandSculpture

This is just terrifying.  Terrifying and awesome!  For £500, this beast could be yours.  It's been welded together from scrap metal, and is 25" long, and 20" tall.  I love the detail that's gone into this piece, and I can only imagine the time and dedication that goes into making something like this.  If I had the money, this would be happily hung over my staircase to make me feel happy & scare my friends and enemies alike ^-^  Brilliant work.







That's it for this week, my lovelies.
Live Long and Prosper ^-^

Spotlight: Just One Step

Greetings all ^-^

A few weeks ago, I posted the Big Cosplay Etsy Top Ten.  All of those costumes were really inspiring, but the one that really caught my eye was the first:

Anna's coronation dress

Sold by JustOneStep, and made by the shop owner Natalie (known by her friends and family as Tink), the detail and the professional finish of the piece just set my crafty fangirl sirens blaring.  I decided to find out more about this seamstress & her methods.

Amazingly, Tink has only been sewing for the past five years.  Her first inspiration came when her Niece hit the fancy dress stage.  Unimpressed by the shop-bought costumes, Tink decided to try her hand at making something better.  Her mother-in-law, who used to do her own dressmaking and involved Tink in the process (cutting out pattern pieces), sold her her first sewing machine.  From there Tink turned to books (ALL the books!), YouTube, and Pinterest for help and inspiration.

From there, this self-taught seamstress began sewing with the cheapest material she could find; upcycling old curtains from charity shops, or anything else should could use.  To be honest, I think this is a great idea, as it takes a while to hone your skills, and there's no point wasting money on wonderful material if you're going to make a pigs ear of whatever you're making!  Practice makes perfect ^-^

Belle

Mulan

All that practice and patience definitely paid off.  Tink's Etsy store is now filled with Disney character inspired costumes.  Fancy dress or cosplay, all her items pretty much hit the nail on the head when it comes to detail.  As a very nit-picky cosplayer myself, this is something I really look for if I'm buying a completed cosplay.  Otherwise the differences between the costume and the original character design will bug the hell out of me!  Tink makes what she loves (she'd wear them everday if she could!), and this is reflected in the finished products.

Until recently, these beautiful costumes were only available on Ebay, but Tink quickly found that Ebayers are only really looking for a bargain.  Making something like this from scratch is expensive and time consuming.  Tink found that "[people] didn't quite grasp the hours that can go into one outfit", and as much as she wants to keep her items affordable, she still needs to cover her costs.  Something that has been mass-manufactured from iffy materials might be easy to turn a profit on at a relatively low price, but breaking-even on handmade items can be difficult if you're pitching to the wrong market.

Cinderella

That's where Etsy came in.  A friend mentioned the website to Tink as an alternative online market place, and she found it suited her much better.  Setting up shop was simple and affordable, and the sense of community is something you won't find in many other places.

Rapunzel

Since setting up her Etsy shop last year, Tink has also started branching out into different crafts.  She is currently working on her own handmade wigs; some of which are available in her Etsy store.  This is just amazing to me, as I have difficulty just putting on a wig, let alone making one!

Tinkerbell wig

However, life as a talented seamstress is not without it's gripes.  I asked Tink if she had any pet peeves when it comes to sewing, and it turns out she does have a couple:

1. Pricking yourself with pins (personally I miss my pincushion and stab my thigh, but Tink has a habit of holding pins in her mouth meaning her lips suffer more than my legs.  She wins at "accidental sewing self-harm" by almost swallowing one of her pins!)
2. When the spool runs out as you're half-way though a seam (it's always the bobbin for me, and I never notice until I've finished.  Curse my unobservant nature!)

But, of course, there are good things too.  I was intrigued to hear about a mystical box that sits on Tink's kitchen table.  It is full of things that have been thrown in there with the view of "I may need it again one day!", and sure enough, the box of requirement coughs things out just as you are looking for them: "the amount of times I've dug in that box and found what I needed is unreal... I love that box".  I choose to believe it is a small part of Hogwarts.

I also enquired about Tink's other hobbies, and it turns out she is a budding artist (look out for a painting on one of her princess skirts - such an awesome idea, I wish I'd had it first) and a dab hand in the kitchen.  She even made her mum and step-dad's wedding cake (I would have crumbled under the pressure... because cakes crumble... and I'm not that great at baking.  That's the joke).

Aurora

So, if you're a Disney fan (and who isn't??) I wholeheartedly recommend visiting this lovely lady's shop.  I love her work, and just from chatting to her on Etsy I can tell she is a great person.  I know my work isn't quite up to this standard yet, but finding another self-taught dressmaker is wonderful inspiration to keep practising and improving.  I hope anyone reading this who is trying to teach themselves to sew, or is even thinking about it, will return to their thimbles and pins will renewed vigour! 

Live long and prosper ^-^