I think I will make this a tradition and post some of my weekly Etsy favorites every Friday. Enjoy the loveliness!!

Mirabel and her sweet prints inspired by Japanese folk art dolls (I had to post her Madonna print, it is after all Good Friday!):

Spring time wrapping paper and cards from Riff Raff:

Julie Lake stainless steel earrings, airy and light:

Handmade bags from The Wren, all the way in Cape Town South Africa!

I was recently hired as a freelance blogger for a new eco-blog called EcoSalon.com. At EcoSalon I will be covering artisan, decor and fashion items, similar to the things you find here at Little Willow but with an eco-edge. The thing that sets EcoSalon apart is its authenticity. It’s real people sharing how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle without being preachy or crunchy. For example you can find out how to properly wash a pillow (which I am doing as I write this), where to buy stunning recycled glass carafes made from broken windshields or how to get a healthy high from herbal espresso. I am really excited for this opportunity to contribute to the rainbow of “green” knowledge available to women! Feel free to send me suggestions and if my Editor approves, (yes people I have an Editor now, it’s the big time), we’ll write about it!

Thought I’d send some love out to a few of my favorite Etsy sellers today. Somebody’s sister has a birthday coming up and that lucky sister will be receiving a gift from one of these talented folks.

Felt and sterling silver jewelry from Colleen Baran:

Suezybees felt iPod covers:

Limited Edition Screen Prints by artist Anna Cote:

Lovely jewels from Second Sister:

Xenia Thaler is the magnificent Toronto tile design studio. They make tiles to hang on the wall and tiles to install. All the tiles are decorated by hand and all the glazes mixed from scratch. I like the idea of installing the tiles in a kids bathroom or using some of their more sophisticated designs for a kitchen back splash.

Sara sent my this link yesterday to YumiYumi and her giclee owl prints. Strangely enough when I got home last night I heard our neighborhood owl “hoo hooo” to me. I think he was telling me he likes these prints too.

I peeped Laura Laine’s gorgeous fashion illustrations in the NYT Style Magazine “t” this weekend. Laura is an illustrator from Helsinki, Finland. Her line drawings of women with their exuberant hair and trendy fashions are so whimsical and alive. Enjoy!

Well you know…

I love the simplicity of this hand cut illustration from A Little Hut. This is just one of the many limited edition designs by graphic designer Patricia Zapata. Check out her other paper cut designs, block print cards and her one-of-a-kind balsa wood art pieces.

I am loving this scarf and handbag from the Scottish gift shop Papa Stour. All of the goodies selected by designer Rosie Brown are handmade by Scottish artists and sold in limited quantities. This is one of my favorite spots to visit for inspiration. It’s more than a gift shop, it’s really an art gallery showcasing a diverse collection of contemporary art and craftsmanship from Scotland, and it’s a great place to shop for a unique wedding present.

Assuming you live somewhere snowy, I would imagine you might be suffering from the Winter blahs. Growing up in Buffalo, NY and going to college in NH I can totally relate. Molly, one of my readers, sent me these snowflake photographs which might help you appreciate the beauty of all that slushy brown nuisance. Molly is living in Jericho, VT, where the photographer Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley first discovered and captured the beauty of individual snowflakes under a microscope in 1885. His images are sold in black and white from his original negatives. I realize it’s a bit early to be thinking about Christmas but his pewter snowflake ornaments would make a great gift or you might collect the years that your children were born like Molly did.

Post Secret is a kickass community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Check it out.

My obsession for letterpress cards has now turned into an obsession with letterpress message posters. It started with my For Like Ever poster and then We Are So Good Together and now I have become an obsessive lurker of Keep Calm Ltd and their limited edition message prints. Founders Lucas & Hayley made quit a splash last year with their reprint of the popular British poster Keep Calm & Carry On from the 40’s. They are now working with several talented artists, illustrators and designers like Douglas Wilson (above) and Hazel Nicholls (below) who create and sell their own hand made screen prints through Keep Calm, all under $50 I might add.

I have always loved Japanese design so I was really excited to find out about Tortoise Life in Venice, CA. It is an incredible shop and website selling items from Japanese crafters making items by hand, using traditional techniques. These little stuffed animals made with wood block printed fabric representing the 12 signs of the zodiac caught my eye (2008 is the year of the mouse). Another unique item are these stone mugs. The artist actually picks the stones from the ocean floor to use as the handle. Simple and beautiful.

Dear Martin,

You stole my heart the instant I discovered you on your creator’s blog Sweet Nellie. I first fell for your irresistible smile and the heart on your rump but it was that stylish hat and scarf combo that made me swoon. I had visions of us taking a romantic gondola ride through the canals of Venice sigh*. Alas you have already found a home and I’m sure they will love you as dearly as I would have.

Fortunately for all of us Martin has some equally adorable friends. Winkworth and Head Scarf Hettie both handmade with love and care by Trish Millener are available on her Etsy shop Sweet Nellie.

Gosh darn I love these paper cut sculptures by Sanfran67! I would not object if the hub-eroo splurged and bought me one for Valentine’s Day. P.S. I really like the deer design.

This print called “Max & Jules” by artist Geneviève Gauckler makes me laugh. I can’t remember how I came across Product of God but they have lots of great crazy, cool and affordable limited edition prints by some of the top contemporary graphic artists and illustrators, they even have a print by Beck. It’s a cool site, check it out!

Ok so this one was really more for me than the hubs but it looks really cool with all the other prints up in the “man room”. I am sad to report that the printmaker Dylan Fareed of I Am Still Alive no longer has any of these prints in stock. I basically harassed the poor man until he got back to me with the good news he found a few more while he was going through a studio renovation, so I got lucky. I will keep you updated in the future when he has more creations available.

I have to share the other awesome print I got the hubs for his “man room” in honor of Wilco his other favorite band. Artist, illustrator and all around cool dude, Grady Mcferrin sold me the commemorative Fillmore rock poster he created for Wilco’s three night run in the Bay Area in 2004. I still remember those shows because I heard about them for 2 years until I finally saw them at the Greek in Berkeley last year and saw for myself what all the fuss was about, yes, Tweedy rocks! Check out Grady’s site for other Fillmore posters and to see his other brilliant designs.

The hubs was thrilled with his Christmas present! A little background: the hubs is a musician among other things and he has a major thing for the Grateful Dead. He claims they were partly responsible for his move to San Francisco after college where we ultimately ended up together, so I guess we have the Grateful Dead to thank for our marriage!

For Christmas I decided to deck out his “man room” with some music artwork. The pièce de résistance was this incredible print by artist/typographer extraordinaire Marian Bantjes. The Fader music mag did a whole issue on Jerr-ball (as I like to call him) and asked her to create a diagram of Jerry’s musical influences, including his predecessors, contemporaries and the next generation. I then had it framed by this incredible framer and it looks amazing! I’ll try and get a snap of the framed version to add because it kicks so much a–!

I beelined it for illustrator Jaime Zollars’ table at the BB. Her spooky fairy tale inspired silk screens have a hopeful quality combined with something not so pretty like pink elephants carrying a coffin or an angry owl surrounded by chopped trees. I wish I had a chance to ask her the story behind the little girl and the bird tree print I purchased but her table was swarmed by fans of her work. Her work is reminiscent of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales which often have scary or ugly but compassionate characters, like his story The Ugly Duckling which celebrates inner beauty. These prints seem to celebrate hope or beauty in a dark or lifeless landscape.

Every Christmas I excitedly await the newest Christmas Krinkle ornament by artist Patience Brewster. This year she’s doing all eight (hmmm, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Donder, Blitzen, Cupid, Comet and Rudolph), oops make that nine, of Santa’s Reindeer. Here are Blitzen and Donna (aka Donder), they make a nice couple I think. You can buy them from Department 56 online for $30.

I have found my 2008 calendar! I opened the NYT Magazine this weekend and saw this calendar from The Dolphin Studio and knew it was the one. Ceramic artist John Ffrench (yes, with 2 ff’s), and his wife Primm started making these calendars back in Ireland for their friends with watercolors, pen and ink, collage and silkscreening. As time went on and the project evolved, they included their daughters who designed their birth month and now the tradition includes their grandchildren contributing as well. The calendars are 12 x 24, silk screened prints and cost $58 through their website.

Or maybe just for my husband….

Limited Edition Letterpress Boston Head Sox Print, $64.95

Lebowski Fest T-Shirt and Sticker, $2-$15

life, the big lebowski and what have you,$12

Lil Will had a dynamite birthday this year! Even though I did drop a hint or two over the interwaves, I was still completely surprised when I opened the box with Amy Nordstrom’s gorgeous four leaf clover earrings inside. Then to top it off the hubs totally blew me away with this gorgeous collage by artist Stephanie Levy. I am one lucky girl.

Esty seller Corid made these adorable and affordable ($18) prints from a recent artwalk show he had in Palouse, Washington, anyone know where that is? The archival prints are based on his ink drawings on vintage paper with acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil and a white sharpie. The prints are laid over a tea stained layer which gives it that vintage look.

I’ve posted about Frazier & Wing previously but wanted to share her latest White Mobile Collection. With Winter upon us these white mobiles would be a nice addition to your standard holiday decorations but pretty enough to keep up all year round. Made from heavy stock white and colored artist paper which is handcut into multi shaped elements with your choice of accent color. Below is a snap of her multi-colored mobile made from recycled magazine pages.