Sea urchin skeletons aren’t exactly as common to find on a beach as driftwood or clam shells, but if you live in the right place, these beautiful objects can be picked up and made into eye-catching pieces of art.
1. Jellyfish ornaments
via Gifts & Stars
Winter and late autumn can be miserably cold and rainy seasons, which is probably why so many ‘comfort days’ happen in November to February. (The days when you say, ‘Actually, never mind my plans. I’m going to stay in bed, read a book, and have cookies with tea.’) A fine addition to any comfort day, or any winter day you wish was a comfort day, are fuzzy felt slippers. You can make them yourself, or find any number of lovely pairs on Etsy. For ideas, check out the shops of these thirteen talented shoemakers:
Acorns are a wonderful source of beauty, and they’re plentiful enough for you to try anything with them. Of course, you might use them as food–e.g., by making acorn flour or coffee–but even then, you’d have the acorn caps to create things with. Here are sixteen great ideas to start with:
1. Felted acorns – perfect for all kinds of seasonal decoration.
via Felt Jar
Thanks to the Phantom of the Opera and Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Red Masque of Death‘, masquerade balls are just creepy enough to be appropriate for Halloween. Even if you don’t throw an out-and-out masquerade, though, a Venetian-style mask is a great costume option, with or without a matching outfit.
1. Filigree metal mask – Bollywood-style
via Masque Boutique
For the ambitious, here are fifteen cute baby quilt designs to make.
For the realistic, here are fifteen talented quilters that can make a cute quilt for you.
1. Rag quilt – ‘Silent Cinema’
via Southern Charm Quilts
Whether you’re looking for an engagement/wedding ring, or just a special gift for someone you love, looking for the perfect ring can be an overwhelming task. For a good start, check out the beautiful work of these sixteen jewelry artists on Etsy:
1. Peaces of Indigo – artisan rings made from recycled silver and gold
Birch bark is often used as tinder for camp fires, but if you’re stuck in the city or have too much bark on hand, there are dozens of other ways you can use it. The bark’s flexibility and beautiful pattern make it perfect for decorating objects, especially for weddings or parties with a rustic theme.
1. A guest book or writer’s journal
via Three Trees Bindery
If you search Etsy for clothing made in Tel Aviv, you’ll discover a remarkable number of chic Israeli designers. Their overall style is a combination of simplicity and femininity, perfect for those special occasions that require a classy dress.
Most baby shower decorations seem to emphasize parenthood with, for example, bottles, pacifiers and a lot of baby-carrying storks. If this isn’t your style, a sophisticated alternative is simply to focus on one color, like pink or blue, and use only subtle baby references. This approach is shown perfectly in the following baby shower cookies, beautifully decorated by bakers on Etsy.
1. Brush embroidered cookies
via Amber Spiegel
In case you missed it, a recent post listed ideas for upcycling library cards and included a little painting by Vickie Moore from Winged World. Now, Vickie is sponsoring a giveaway for Grains of Earth readers! One lucky person will win four woodland animal prints on library cards. These little pictures would look great in a library, classroom or nursery (basically, any room that has books).
