Featured Seller: ykonna

[note: I started this post a month ago... and then didn't finish it :x until now! In honor of this seller, I shall say it is because Papa YG distracted me with all the comebacks happening ^^]

[note 2: I really need to learn to use the Preview button instead of editing and then publishing over and over again -_- And sorry this one is so long ><]

Okay, so this girl deserves more sales. How did I find her? On a whim, I decided to do a search on Etsy for some kpop artists I'm into, because hey, you never know, right? Surprisingly, I found about 5 results for one group, and maybe 4 for another. All from two or three sellers. Including ykonna (or G)!

Needless to say, I was pretty excited. Upon clicking on one of the necklaces, I decided to browse ykonna's shop and found like 8 more kpop-related pieces. So of course I had my eye on a few of them, and wound up messaging her about how excited I was to have found an Etsy seller who was into the kpop scene (yeah I can be a dork like that). Sadly, a couple of the necklaces I wanted sold before I could buy them, but I still got a super cute Super Junior one! Along with a Kirby necklace set and a pair of earrings.

Here's where I wish (again) that I had working camera here in the middle of nowhere with me, but it's way back in California. And old. But functional! So maybe one of these days... Point is, I wish I could show you pics of G's packaging. Totally gift-ready, totally compact, AND comes with some candies, business card/note, and some of those kawaii little Japanese die-cut stickers!

Each item comes wrapped in a colored tissue cloth thing (I don't know the technical name for it, sorry ><), which is then placed in a little gauzy gift pouch printed with foil patterns. Sooo cute! And I can tell you right now that she wraps them up really neatly, I couldn't even replicate it after opening mine ._. If it's a set, like two necklaces, each is individually wrapped in the tissue cloth thing, then both are placed in the same pouch. Earrings are wrapped in a single piece, but are placed such that they won't get tangled or damage each other :) I also got another little extra, a matching SuJu phone/bag charm!

G ships from Greece, and it's all registered (just under $7 no matter how much jewelry you buy), so you can be sure it'll arrive safely and in 1-2 weeks, unless your post office is a butt like mine is. (But my order still arrived in a week!) She also sells OOAK cyberlox hair falls, which are pretty cute, but I don't wear falls so I can't tell you how they are... As for her jewelry, it's not just colored chains and some beads hanging from them--which I also love!--but she'll literally put those metal joiners between beads to make a necklace or any attachments. You can definitely tell G puts a lot of work into it.

You can also find a lot of unique charms in her shop, a lot of them are Japan- or Korea-imported, like rare anime or Hello Kitty charms. (And hello, she had Kirby!!!) From single- and multi-layer chokers to dangly earrings, statement necklaces to chunky bracelets, and a ton of things in between, EVERYTHING is OOAK. Errrrrrthing! She also takes custom orders and will shorten or lengthen necklaces if you so desire.

We still talk to each other about kpop too! Spazzing out about all the new releases, it's good times. She's a total sweetheart, and her shop is so cute to browse through, and she makes quality stuff! But I've had my eye on this scissors necklace ever since she listed it (it's in my fave colors! :D and it's scissors :]) aaand on the steampunk princess set, not to mention I'm still considering this classy Hello Kitty set (I'm so bad T_T), so hopefully no one buys them while I try to figure out if my PO will be stupid about my registered post again >.> Boy I abuse emoticons. Sorry!

Anyway, on to some of my current favorites in her shop!

[Ball chain necklaces] Super Mario Bullet Bill stress toy necklace

[Earrings] Cinnamoroll FOR YOUR EARS! Also, colorful zebra with stars.

[Rings] Hello Kitty, always a no-brainer (hahaaa I'm such an Asian girl xD)

[Bracelets] BIGBANG (love! but teeny wrist QQ); white chunky bracelet

[Phone/Bag Charms] a different Hello Kitty; rainbow Cinnamoroll

[Hair Falls] metallic black/blue; I'm such a sucker for teal and purple...

[Necklaces] b/w One Piece; feminine statement necklace; cute 2PM choker

She also had some Sailor Moon long necklaces up but they all sold (not surprising). Sailor Scouts were Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus--besides Meatball Head herself, I've always loved Mercury :3 though a lot of my friends were partial to Mars and Jupiter... Anyway, you should check her out! :]

[Embedding a song also for her xP GD&TOP! But it's seriously a nice groove. More hip hop, and not your typical kpop]

Vivifromage Contest

Hi my name is Vivian and I'm really bad at updating blogs (including my personal -_-). I guess you could say I was recovering from almost getting run over by a minivan, but really I've just been on a giant kpop kick lately, and there's so much out there that it takes a significant amount of time to get through even just a small portion of it. But I love it! :)

But anyway, I figured what better way to kick off my slightly less sporadic blogging (again) with Vivifromage! Virginie (or Vivi) is one of my most favorite independent designers, as everything she makes is of impeccable quality, her packages get from France to the US in like a week, and she's a super cute French girl! Have I mentioned she's super nice? Oh, and I consider her the queen of Threadless (and other t-shirt) reconstructions.



She's holding a contest right now, which runs until December 4th (should be Saturday) at 8pm CET. I've no idea what the CE stands for, but that's where the internet comes in :) At any rate, why not just do it now?? The prize: 50€ (about US $70 / £45) credit to her shop! Off the top of my head, that's a little more than one of her dresses (in general). Good deal! So how do you enter? Post the link to her Facebook page (which is hyperlinked in "Vivifromage," above) and leave a comment saying you did here. Have Twitter? For another entry, tweet her page and something about her work/why you like it, and leave another comment under your original comment. Blog posts count too!

Personally, I've lost count of how many Vivifromage pieces I own... But I can honestly say I've never been disappointed (unless I lost an auction or missed out on something by an hour :p) and I love every single oneeee. From all the photos, I know it looks like I only buy her dresses (well they are amazing), but I have multiple skirts and shirts, a vest, a shrug, and a purse! In fact, one of my absolute favorite DIY pieces EVER (and which I get compliments on all the time, aside from her purse) is this Dark Mario ruffle collar w/bow shirt. <3

[edit] OMG I forgot to add that she makes COATS! Like, legit overcoats. Freals. Check it! [/edit]

Lipgloss and Black Contest!

There's a ton of independent designers that I love and follow, and found through dozens of About Me pages on eBay (on dial-up, no less!) years ago, and thankfully Lipgloss & Black was one of them! Er... Two of them? Since they're sisters?

I remember I kept clicking on their site, to see if it had been updated from their hiatus page, and then bam! One day, they were back! And on Etsy! Oh Etsy, I love you so. But I have to take a break from you because I just bought a bunch of kpop imports. D:

Anyway, they JUST launched their brand spankin' new website (Emphasis on the spankin', I was seriously happy with the design and I'm not even a graphic designer! More of a graphic observer, maybe.). And to celebrate, they're doing a giveaway contest!

It's really easy, all you gotta do is leave a comment on this photo, saying which item(s) is(are) your favorite in their store, and that's your entry!

Of course, since there are so many networking sites today, you get one extra entry for each re-post/linkback to their photo. Which means, your Twitter, your blog, and your Facebook link post thingie. Another comment for each one, and that's four entries total! It wasn't really clarified, but I *think* you get an entry for each "sharing" you do, so if you Tweet about it like once a day, and comment about it, you get another entry for each? Not too positive, but it didn't say NOT to do it, so I'm guessing it's all good.

I myself have been a huge fan of their suspender skirts (I own a slightly pleated purple one, and I've been eyeing the teal!) and I immediately fell in love with their Motodress that they debuted on the new site. It comes in black and gray and I'm pretty sure it's way better quality than the Forever 21 version I saw a couple months ago. Based on the L&B pieces I own, they use reallllllllllly high quality cotton knit--it's pretty thick, so it's durable (and sucks you in if you need it), and warm enough you can wear the skirts in cooler weather with tights and boots! And of course, it's cotton, so it's totally breathable.

They also use bamboo fabric for some of their designs! I haven't tried bamboo fabric yet, but I love eating bamboo shoots, so it's probably amazing. Even better? They use their fabric scraps to make reusable totes, and include one with every order! The bags not only keep your goodies together and protected in the envelope, but they're also usable forever! They're the perfect size for grocery shopping in Asian countries, I should know, I took mine to Taiwan :)

Oh wait! I forgot the most important detail! The prize is a $50 credit for their store! Meaning... that $70 suspender skirt would wind up being $20 + S/H. OR you could get a bunch of accessories (omg the zipper bow headband in purple! leave me one, k guys?) or any other combination. If you win, you've gotta use it all at once though... Which is literally no problem, because their store is full of amazing, including a tank that has a skull cut-out in the back. (Check it!)

(Psst! If you use coupon code LBFB10 to get 10% off, good now through Oct 4th at midnight! I know y'all have Facebook, don't try and deny it :D) The contest runs for a week, so get on it!

Featured Seller: Smarmy Clothes

Yaaaaaay I *just* received some FairyTails from Smarmy Clothes, so she gets today's post! I've been an admirer from afar of Lex's work for yearrrrrrrrs now. I don't remember exactly how many, but I can tell you right now that almost every DIY designer I know about today, stemmed from discovering Shrinkle on eBay when I was in high school, and plodding through tons of About Me pages (on dial-up no less!). Plus, you really can't go wrong because she has the word SMARMY in her name. :D

I was hoping the pink "Shooting Star" dress would be my first ever Smarmy purchase, but I couldn't justify a formal dress when I was already nearing the end of college. Of course when I finally said "Screw it," it had sold literally hours before. Boo.

So instead, I kept lurking around her shop, and had my eye on her colorful hair streaks. I love dyeing my hair, but I can't really do it anymore, which is unfortunate because I kind of miss walking into science lectures with fuchsia or purple hair. (No guarantees on NOT dyeing some part of my hair teal next year though...) So these clip-in streaks are genius! Not to mention you don't have to fumble around trying to hide the clip in your hair, because it looks like a normal animal clip.

Bonus! You can mix/match the animals you want, AND you get to choose up to 5 colors for the streaks. I was boring and just wanted two colors, but it turned out super pretty! I got turquoise (pale teal) and blue moon (vibrant blue), and I wound up being her 300th sale so I also got a free pair--purple with black bats this time! I'd post pics of them, but I don't have a camera here... But they're amazing, trust. Plus, they came with easy care instructions, which is good, because I'm pretty sure I would accidentally destroy them otherwise.



Going back to her clothes, she does a TON. Recons, from-scratch, hoodies, casual dresses, formal dresses, skirts, undies, wrist cuffs, I mean I could go on and on (and I did). There's one thing in her shop I've completely fallen for: the Land of the Rising Sun jumper. Alas, I am too small for it.

I also fell in love with the Hello Kitty dress she sold a couple months ago. The fact that she used scraps from the shirt she recon'd for the ruffle detail on the neckline/armholes, and the bow on the skirt ruffle was very creative. That ruffling is pretty legit. I'm also a huge sucker for ruffled trim on skirts, but that's beside the point.

Not on Etsy (Unfortunately): Custom Munny's

I know a bunch of artsy people from my time in college, particularly those who majored in something "lucrative," but also had a passion for the arts. This guy... Well, he majored in what he loves, so, I guess he doesn't fit into that. Unfortunately, he doesn't have an Etsy shop (yet!) but I'm going to work on convincing him. He's hoping to eventually do animation for Dreamworks or Pixar, but in the meantime, he makes AWESOME custom Munny figures!

If you don't know what a Munny is, it's a blank (white) vinyl doll made by KidRobot, with the intention of people designing their own art. The Munny has monkey ears, the Dunny has rabbit ears. I've tried searching for these on Etsy, with minimal success. Though it did result in finding Rosie O'Donnell's shop, because she Sharpies Munny figures, signs them, and sells them (for a lot!) for charity I think.

The other Munny's I found were...not quite as good as the guy I know (I hesitate to call him friend, long story behind that one). Although, there WAS a Steampunk Dunny that was gold and pretty much the coolest one I've seen EVER.

So this dude paints Munny's. I think some of his lines could be cleaner (perhaps with tape) but he manages to get enough detail on there, that, whatever. I'd seen early examples of his work because he made some as gifts for a hip hop competition we were both a part of. I believe the picture at the top is the first one he ever did--it's Kevin(?) of the Jabbawockeez! They won Season 1 of America's Best Dance Crew, hence the white mask and gloves. He also made a Kanye Bear for a good friend of his as a birthday present! Then he started offering his friends an opportunity to order customs! (Exclamation points!) The first one he finished is the Green Power Ranger. He used modeling clay to add dimension to the head.

He's got a backlog right now, but considering it takes him a few days (and lots of hours) to do each one, it's understandable. Plus he has work. So. At any rate, I'm gonna submit an order of my own with him, aaaaaand try to get him onto Etsy. I realllly think his work should be up there, especially since there isn't too big of a custom Munny market on the site to begin with.

Cirque Love: Merimask

Confession time! I'm a HUGE sucker for Cirque du Soleil. Like, HUUUUUUGE. As in, when Needless Markup did a special Christmas collab with them a few years back, and sold a bunch of Cirque ornaments, my mom got like, 4 for me. And okay, I examine the costumes/hair/makeup more than I do the action, but I can't help that. It's toooooooo pretty!

So yeah, instead of browsing and stumbling upon another not-so-well-known Etsy seller, I clicked on Merimask's shop through the vampire article (which I originally wasn't going to read because I thought it might be Twilight-related, but it wound up being a lot better, which made me happy).

AND HOLY AMAZEBALLS. She(?) makes masks so incredible that freaking Cirque wanted to sell them?! Not gonna lie, I started freaking out, because my favorite part of browsing the Cirque gift shops is ogling the masks. Okay, and I seriously considered getting a butterfly one once. ANYway. She's another one of those sellers who did one thing in school and then settled into something completely different. Which gives me hope!

Basics: Leather. You can see. You can breathe. Workmanship looks absolutely INCREDIBLE. Colors, texture (OMG THE TEXTURES), all the details are just, ahhhhhhhh. These are easily the first masks I've seen that I've actually gone and thought "hey, these would give Cirque a run for their money." (I feel like the Double Rainbow man, I can't express how I feel in words hahaha)

I am head over heels in love with the Medusa, and Gorgons creep me out, so that's a testament to how good she made it look. And I cannot for the life of me get over the flipped tails of the Fighting Betta Fish--I kinda want to see them in blue! I also loooove how the Japanese Fox thumbnail made me go "hey that looks Japanese!" and it was. And of course, gotta throw it back to my Asian roots, and mention the Frost Dragon. You can tell she does her research.

(I'm still dying over how gorgeous these things are, so I'm just gonna end this here.)

Glass Artistry (and Sushi!): Amy Kirkman

I don't even know what to say about Amy Kirkman's work except "Wow." That and, "Are you sure you trust me not to break this?" Really, it would be a crying shame to break one of her pieces, they're so pretty.

Quick list of the variety of things she creates! Necklaces, vases, plates, coasters, candleholders... all out of glass!

I find glasswork fascinating, especially since I found out how it works and how the colors get in there. Plus, I got to see the Chihuly exhibit when it was in San Fran, which was just awe-inspiring, particularly because the dude's only got one eye! So not only do I admire Amy Kirkman's designs, but I also start thinking about how she did it (I know, I'm strange... I blame my high school robotics experience haha, it just kind of changed everything).

Also, anyone who has anything pertaining to Hitchhiker's Guide in their shop = automatic win. Her necklaces each come on a black cord with lobster clasp and extension chain, and if you're wondering if her Kanji/Chinese necklaces are true to their definition, no worries--they definitely are! (Hey, Chinese school finally paid off!)


My absolute, absolute fave from her shop though? The black and white sushi plate set. Not only does the line design remind me of actual Japanese restaurants (and their plates), but the colors are Yin and Yang (so cute for couples!), AND she even made little wasabi/soy sauce dishes and chopstick props to complete the set. I don't even like sauce on my sushi but this set is PURE LOVE. If the black/white theme isn't your thing, she does offer to make them in colors you'd rather have!

Second fave is the orange koi plate (the one that made me decide to look further through her shop) and close third would be the heart plate, which I just saw when I went back to her shop for this post (the bubbles!). Price range seems to be pretty reasonable--$15 for necklaces, $30ish for coaster sets, $40ish for plates--considering the handiwork involved.