Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive

I have finally decided to face the fact that the look I've created for The Marlowe Co. (banner, icon, color scheme) doesn't accurately reflect our wares, so I'm administering a tonic to our sickly, meek doctor of a shop identity and waiting to see what sort of man or monster will emerge.

I.e., I'm making Mungo vote on the new banner as I realize I can't be objective about what would look good and accurately reflect what the shop is about.

I can tell you the new look will likely be bold and colorful as our pendants are such playful and bright things. While I'll miss the current look (far from a meek doctor, the look and shop name were inspired by my favorite fictional character, Det. Philip Marlowe from Raymond Chandler's fantastic novels), I embrace the change and look forward to brightening the place up. I hope that it will please all my wonderful current customers and draw new eyes to our colorful candy-like wares.

Has everyone seen the latest Etsy Finds spotlight? If you like the lounge/retro aesthetic, check out Classic Cocktails. I've always been a fan of that aesthetic myself (I have many pieces from the '40s, '50s and '60s around my home), and this is one of my favorite Etsy Finds spotlights so far. I love the fact that a person could pretty well furnish her entire life via Etsy.

I may have actually fallen off the planet.

Wow, that was a long lull in posting. I should be ashamed. So I come to you bearing gifts to ask for mercy.

Down Home Girl


My first byhand.me spotlight, and I think I'll be utilizing this tool more often for some themed sharing posts.

Music is like air for me. When I don't listen to music for a while, my internal deejay starts playing songs I hate, apparently in an effort to make me listen to something, anything, to cleanse my brain. I frequently get on band-centric kicks, and right now my listening consists almost entirely of music from Old Crow Medicine Show and the Felice Brothers. Both bands draw heavily from American roots music and inject it with their own amazing energy.

I think of myself as a city girl who grew up on a farm, and my mother was born and raised in the South, so OCMS and the Felice Brothers build a comfortable bridge between my past and my present. This spotlight was inspired by OCMS and takes elements from their songs "Wagon Wheel" and "Down Home Girl". (I posit the theory that Ketch Secor is the sexiest man to ever wield a fiddle.)

If you've never heard of the Felice Brothers, I enthusiastically encourage you to check out this YouTube playlist I made of some of the best examples of their work.

You Should See...

Haven't done one of these in a while and decided one was overdue. The You Should See... series is where I showcase pieces from talented Etsy crafters that, while not on my personal Favorites list, are very worthy of attention.

Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe Necklace



I never thought I'd use the word "adorable" in reference to surrealist art, but this Magritte tribute necklace from Rachael Sudlow Jewelry? Frigging adorable.

Willa Necklace



I'm a sucker for this type of wire tree pendant anyway, but the colors of the stones used on this particular specimen from The Pebble Collection are magnificent. It reminds me of the Maple trees that look like they're lit from within when they turn in the autumn.

Duckling



That's right: I'm bringing the cute today. I'm not usually one to coo and melt over cutesy animal toys, but some of the felted animals out there really get me in my soft spot. This guy from .:do little design:. is one of the worst offenders of the bunch. So sweet he makes my teeth hurt.

Gender Neutral Soap



Something about the name paired with the picture on the label of this soap from Seattle Sundries tickles me. And I really want to know what cocoa powder, vanilla and sweet birch smell like together.

You can take the girl out of the goth scene...

...but her heart will always be black around the edges.

My Etsy artist spotlights so far have been for items I felt were great and worthy of recognition but weren't items that I had personally favorited. So this time, I'm focusing on three Etsy shops that are on my favorites list. And you'll find that they all have a little something in common.

Madame Talbot's Victorian Lowbrow and Gothic Lowbrow



Satan, skeletons, serial killers and other sinister images adorn the elaborate pen-and-ink artwork of Madame Ashleigh Talbot. Madame Talbot's posters recall times long past when magic was real, quacks did not yet have their own talk shows and sideshows were still a viable source of income. With a grin and a wink, Madame Talbot pays homage to a variety of subjects such as Sweeney Todd, the Black Plague, Robert Johnson, Dixieland Jazz, Lizzie Borden and Man's Ruin.

You can also sample her art through T-shirts, apothecary and mourning dolls and framed curios.


Artwork by Monique Motil



Using her skills as a costume designer, Monique Motil creates gorgeous art dolls with a difference. Monique uses skulls, claws and bones from creatures passed on, then drapes and dresses them with elegant materials and the finest of details to create a vision of decadent decay.

While these creations aren't everyone's cup of finely-brewed tea, there's no denying that they have a unique and fascinating spirit. Author Christopher Moore was even compelled to make them characters in his book A Dirty Job.


foldedpigs



foldedpigs offers the perfect dinnerware from which to eat some spicy, spicy brains...or just a hunk of tiramisu. Meredith Host uses her morbid sense of humor and skills with pottery to repurpose restaurant ware for the home. The heart, brain, skull and even the bugs that might feed on all of those parts when they're in demise adorn Meredith's delightfully gruesome plates, bowls and cubs.

Joining the line are Meredith's new brain bowls, handmade in porcelain with interiors painted in lurid red. Imagine eating your corn flakes out of these containers. Brain food, indeed.

You Should See...

Items for sale on Etsy that have struck me as fantastic:

Balancing Cat Card



I think if I received this clever card from Pocket Studio, I'd want to display it on my desk instead of just putting it back in the envelope like so many other cards.

Power Line Plate



I'm not sure why this plate (and the other Power Line wares) from Urban Soule calls to me, but it does.

Keep Calm and Carry On Spoof Calendar for Men



You can probably learn much about me just from knowing that I prefer the mens' version of this print-it-yourself calendar from little brown pen to the womens' version.

Oops Coasters



One of the things I like best about Etsy is coming across incredibly clever (a word I seem to use often when talking about items on Etsy) products like these industrial felt coasters from Studio Wonjun.

Stuff 'N' Things

Had a sale on the moustache pendant the day after I posted it! Maybe it's because I'm still a greenhorn, but each sale is a little thrill for me. And a sale on the moustache pendant is especially thrilling since it is our first family-designed piece. It's exciting to think that something my family created is travelling across the country to be made into something marvelous by someone we've never met.

I like the fact that two of our customers are also seller/crafters on Etsy. Every time I make a trek through the other shops on Etsy (which I do often because I cannot seem to do any work on the shop without getting distracted by the shinies and pretties), I find something that impresses the bejesus out of me. So many very talented people making amazing things - it makes me happy to see it.

You Should See...

Every so often, I will be posting items from Etsy that strike me in some way or other. Things I don't end up putting on my favorites list, but things I feel should be shared just the same.

Shy Tree Spirits



From almapottery, these little guys are just beguiling. I want to put one of these little sweeties on my window ledge, but I'm sure my cats would murder it in a matter of days.

Silver Rabbit Charm



This lovely bunny is from pinksupply, and it makes me think of one of my favorite books of childhood, Rabbit Hill.

The Whimsical Art of Hidden Eloise



This is just one of many beautiful illustrations at HidenSeek. They all have a little bit of magic in them.

Three Graces Cameo



From labellesavage, this necklace puts me in mind of the Paris sections of the HBO John Adams miniseries, which I have been watching obsessively. I can picture this around the neck of Abigail Adams as she attends an opera in Paris.

What Etsy items strike you as too good to keep secret?