Yummy, Yummy, Yummy! More cupcake stuff. Don’t these books look like fun? I feel like baking now…
Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella; 500 Cupcakes: The Only Cupcakes Compendium You’ll Ever Need by Fergal Connolly; Super-Duper Cupcakes: Kids’ Creations from the Cupcake Caboose by Elaine Cohen:

Emily is yet another talented artist that you can find on Etsy. It’s been some time now that I’ve been admiring Emily’s art and I surely will be the proud owner of some of these prints.

Emily is a full-time artist and all-around crafty gal whose shop, The Black Apple, is overflowing with her amazing original paintings, prints and what she calls “all sorts of curiousities”. She also just shared on her blog that she had a bunch of pendants made with the images of her artwork on them. Yes, you can have her drawings with you at all times!

Head on over to The Black Apple and see what’s new with Emily. Hey, the holidays are just around the corner and she’s working hard to bring you new things including Christmas cards! Oh I can’t wait!

Here’s a few of what’s on my wish list…

The Pirate Girl Print; Bird’s Nest Girl Print; A Big, Strong Tree Print:

Appledress Girl Print; Rock N Roll Print Set; Typewriter Girl Print:

I think these are cute and would be so fun to have…

Suitcases from Paper Source:

Orange Riveted Suitcase-Small; Teal Rivet & Lath Suitcase-Medium; Red Rivet & Lath Suitcase-Large:

Have you ever wanted to do something or be someone that no one would ever expect? Something or someone out of your “normal” character and just totally different, opposite, crazy, maybe fun? How about being a rockstar? How about a tattooed rockstar?

Maybe this is why I was so impressed with and so hooked on this past season of Rockstar: Supernova. Secretly I’d like to be that free, not caring what anyone else thought of me. The hair, the makeup, the clothing, moving around the stage…While I can’t sing, I can dream, right?

So for those of us who just dream of things such as this, why not visit YellowMan. Here you’ll be able to fulfill some of those tattooed fantasies without it being a permanent thing.

Peter Mui, the founder of YellowMan, believes that tattooing as an artform. He decided to pursue the idea of creating wearable tattoo art. Gathering great artists together to assemble a line of clothing was quite a challenge and was well worth it. He’s produced an amazing collection of apparel for both women and men. The graphics are awesome works of art and are the alternative to someone (like me) who is not totally ready to commit.

Here are a couple of my favorite not-so-permanent picks:

Women’s Forever Hearts II Tattoo Baby Tee-Black; Women’s Skulls in Love Tattoo Tank Top-Blue; Women’s Oriental Myth Mesh Tattoo Shirt:

If you could be in a magical forest, what would you see? Talking animals, monsters, trees? In Lynda Lye’s Little Odd Forest you’d find all these things and more.

Lynda founded Forestprints Designs in August of 2004 from her home in Singapore. In October of that same year she launched her website which has grown and evolved to become the new label, Little Odd Forest.

In addition to running her shop, Lynda also has joined forces with Brandon (her web genius) to sell craft supplies and handcrafted goods at Craft Things.

I love browsing around Lynda’s site because there’s always something new and exciting to see there. Everything she makes is either limited in quantity or one-of-a-kind so you can be sure that you’re getting something special! Quirky, colorful and surely loads of fun, you’ll see all sorts of goodness in this forest.

Here are some of my favorite things from the “odd” place I’d like to visit…

The Snotty Bird Bag (Cocoa/Pink); Forest Elephant Paradise Tee; Crowned Bird on Cloud (Orange) Tote:

Forest Horse Cushion Cover (Sky Blue); Japanese Owl Print Tote (Navy) with Red Handles; Forest Mogoo (Green/Orange Felt):

As to how Leya comes up with such cute things to make? She creates owl pillows, fun bags, pouches, aprons and now even has these great obi-style belts in her shop, Curious Bird. She is even bringing back her vintage clothing section, so keep an eye out for that.

I’ve been a fan of Leya’s for some time now and always enjoy reading her blog. Leya currently resides in Philadelphia with her scientist boyfriend and her two cats (Motown and Mortimer). She finds inspiration for her designs in her vintage fabric collection as well as everyday objects.

So if you’re now curious about Leya, her designs or even her two cats, head on over to Curious Bird now.

Check it out…

Patchwork Obi/Belt; Wool Felt Zipper Pouch; Lady Caruso Tote Bag:

Yet another great Blog of the Week…

Rare Bird Finds was created by Mei-Lynn and Sharla. Separately they are both extremely talented gals. Mei-Lynn is the CEO of Hella Good, LLC, a bath products company, and Sharla is the owner of Sharma Designs, where she sells her handmade jewelry. Together, however, they are the creative minds behind Rare Bird Finds.

At Rare Bird Finds, Mei-Lynn and Sharla work hard to discover cool, unique products and support indie artists. They search for the rare items that you may be looking for to satisfy that hard to please person in your life. They’ve got reviews on the things they’ve found online as well as great designer interviews, which are featured every Friday. They keep you updated by posting rare finds about four to six times per day!

You can look forward to a contest where you can vote for your favorite “Rare Bird” designers and boutiques. What a wonderful way to help support independent business owners!

Bookmark this blog and sign up for their feed to stay current with what the newest and rarest bird finds are…

Fiona Spring and Genevieve Yue started Lettre Sauvage in 2004. They create letterpress stationery, note cards, occasion cards and imprintable invitations and announcements. All cards are made by hand with the use of their metal letterpress, which lives in the basement, onto 100% cotton acid-free papers.

At Lettre Sauvage they are committed to the belief in the “power of the written word to form bonds between people and to direct the course of history.” They even have a commitment to donate 1% of their profits each year to organizations who help to protect the rights of people to express themselves in writing!

Find their stationery and cards at their Etsy shop or at Petaline.

Blossom Notecard; Deep Love Notecard; Cosy Notecard:

A former first grade teacher and current stay at home mom is responsible for these works of art. Drawing cute and creepy things is what Lida considers to be her specialty. Pidaface Place is a little shop I found while crusing around on Etsy. You’ll find drawings, cards and journals there and you can get custom invitations and journals made as well.

Not only can you purchase her spooky little art pieces, but you can also have Lida do a custom creepy drawing for yourself or a cute drawing for your child. Head on over to Pidaface Place now or check out Lida’s My Space page.

Here are a couple of creepy drawings that I like!
Punkling Drawing; Piggie Cupcake Drawing; Love Not Hate Drawing:

Shipping is free on all orders within the United States.

Valerie has just put up her new fall collection at Holland Cox. As if there weren’t enough to choose from at her shop, now there’s more! I was so excited and had to take a look around right away.

Realizing that all she really wanted to do with her time was sew all day, Valerie started Holland Cox. Her first bag was made from old clothing that she had both made and reconstructed. From that dream of just wanting to sew, Valerie has made sure it became a reality.

Handmade wristlets, wallets, envelope clutches, sashes and more can be found as part of her new fall collection, each made from quality fabric and sturdy interfacings.
By the way, there’s a Spring 2006 clearance sale going on right now as well!

Here’s a few faves:

Night Blossom Classic Bag; Flower Power Sash; Red Phoenix Envelope Clutch:

What do you do when dad or hubby don’t have anymore use for those neckties? You make bags out of them! Yes, that’s what I said…

Donda Designs does just that. Backpacks, tote bags and messenger bags are a couple styles you’ll find at their site. When I received an email from Karen to check her shop out I was curious about how hip these designs would be. The really are cool and aren’t stuffy in any way.

Here’s a couple of my picks:

Brown is the New Black Backpack; Burgundy is Best Tote; A Punch of Paisley Messenger Bag:

I’ll admit that I like cute PJs. Do I wear cute PJs? If you ask my husband he’d tell you no. But I think they’re fun to look at. I like the idea behind nice things that you can wear to bed that will make you feel special. Nothing too fancy, nothing too contricting, nothing too outrageous. You gotta be comfortable, right?

Well, if you want to be comfortable and fashionable check out Bed Head PJs. They’ve got a big selection of fabrics and styles to choose from. Renee Claire is the woman behind this line of pajamas and is in demand by celebrities and fine retail shops across the continent. These PJs have been seen in O Magazine, In Style, Vogue and more. Made of high-quality fabrics, these are definitely some of the fanciest clothing articles you may ever wear to bed (or maybe even at all)! Sweet Dreams…

Here are a couple:
Bubble-Chocolate with Pink PJs; Lace Pique PJs; Arabesque Short Mandarin PJs: