Whatever Weekend – Shoes and Tattoos!

Today, I fell in love.

With these:

 

Gipsy Dharma has some of the most beautiful, handmade, leather, festival-style boots I’ve ever seen!

I’ve wanted a pair of boots like this for years now, as the hubs and I frequent our local Scarborough Faire, and see handmade shoes like this on the regular. It doesn’t hurt that I secretly want to be a fairy. (Shh…) I’m also a lover of shoes that keep me close to barefoot, which is hard to find in a boot. If you’re curious about why going barefoot is so good, check out this link. As for me, I’ve always enjoyed going barefoot, and continue to do it for health reasons (as someone with FMS, it’s important to me to walk consciously to put less strain on my body,) but I am a girl, after all, and this girl loves her shoes! Could it get any better than custom-made by hand?

The designer is based in the UK, but she’s obviously accustomed to selling internationally. There’s no shortage of detailed info on her shoes and clothing, including measuring and sizing tips to help you avoid returns. She’s also eco-conscious, which, of course, I appreciate, and her customers are clearly very happy!

In other news, I’ve found a great tattoo artist who I’d like to do a tattoo I’ve had in mind for years now. Her name is Shanti (which means “peace” in Sanskrit, in case you were wondering,) and she specializes in Art Nouveau style. My idea is somewhat general right now – a celebration of life garden with specific flowers to represent specific loved ones and important events in my life, placed on my hip, and wrapping around to my lower back. I have plenty of notes on possible flowers, and would love a swirly, Art Nouveau style background to tie it all together. So, I need an artist with a good sense of botanical work, and I also want bold, rich color, and after looking at some of Shanti’s portfolio, I’m confident she’ll be able to provide just that. Look at this beautiful Iris (a cover-up, no less.) The color variation and attention to detail really drew me in.

 

I’m excited to work on sketching out some designs and meet with Shanti after I’ve saved up enough money to sit through at least an hour-long session!

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Friday’s Favorites – Keeping It Local

Happy first Friday of 2014, everyone! It’s a good day.

We love our team Etsy Fort Worth linkup parties. If you have a Facebook page you want to share, click here for free advertising and networking:

 

We have two new favorite Etsy shops from the DFW area!

Wolf Blue Design creates one of a kind and custom stained glass pieces, ceramic art, handmade rustic tools, and more from Grand Prairie, TX. Just take a look at this gorgeous stained glass:

 

 

 

The Fairy Mermaid whips up wings, crowns, and other magical things from Arlington, TX! These charming, unique wings would look adorable on any aspiring fairy:

Plus, she really is a beautiful fairy mermaid! Check out her website to book her for events.

 

Now that I think about it, things are a little fishy around here today …

Share the Love,

Chelsea

 

Vending on Haunted Grounds

I snapped some photos of our shared booth space at 13th Street Morgue/Dungeon of Doom last Friday. Stephanie and I had a lot of fun talking to people after they came (running and screaming) out of the haunted house!

Our side of the booth.

Monster embroidery and new jewelry.

Stephanie’s awesome table!

Head out to the 13th Street/Dungeon grounds for a good scare for Halloween!

Share the love,

Chelsea

Join us for a good scare!

You may remember the custom orders we did for our friend, Tiinia, and her Friday the 13th wedding at a Dallas haunted house’s grounds (which was all featured on Offbeat Bride – how cool is that?)

We’ve become friends with Tiinia and her husband Kevin, who play delightfully creepy characters at 13th Street, and Alex, the owner/operator of the haunt grounds, and we’re constantly in awe of their talents!

Several weeks ago, our friend Stephanie from Studio Longoria sent me a message with a great idea. Since we (JuJu Eyeball) and another of our Etsy teammates, Amy of Larkspur Studio and Frankensister all sell Halloween appropriate items, why shouldn’t we contact some local haunted houses to see if we could set up shop on the grounds?

I instantly thought of Alex and his awesome haunts, 13th Street Morgue and Dungeon of Doom (which neighbor Reindeer Manor.)

So, I got in touch with him, and we’ll be setting up booths this Friday, 10/18, and next Friday, 10/25; we’re so excited! It’s definitely a unique job. It’s not an arts and crafts “show” or convention, and we won’t be working typical show hours, which are usually morning to mid afternoon, or afternoon to evening. Nope, we’ll be set up in time for the houses to open at 8, and we’ll close the place down around 12:30 a.m. So, if you’re in the DFW area, and you’re looking for some fantastic Halloween fun (maybe after a Friday night football game?) come out and see us!

It’s Always Time To Give!

If you’ve been watching the news, you probably know that Moore, OK has suffered through devastating tornado damage, and is trying to rebuild thanks to the awesome amount of assistance they’ve received. Unfortunately, it’s that time of year for tornadoes, and other places that have suffered damage may not qualify for government assistance, or get a large amount of media coverage to let people know how they can help. One example are our neighbors in Hood County, TX, who are also trying to recover from a tornado that demolished the towns of Granbury and Cleburne just one week before the tornado in Moore. Fortunately, people everywhere are fantastic and giving, and a couple of ladies from our Etsy team suggested we use our annual craft party as a way to raise money to donate to the disaster relief in Hood County. You can find more information about the party and how to donate here.

In other news, our team member, Julie, of Coco and Cocoa, is giving away a $40 gift card to another team member’s shop: Peach Plum Pear! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your favorite piece from the Etsy shop, so get yourself on over there.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Whatever Weekend – Local Arts & Crafts Shows

If you’re looking for fun, inexpensive, or family friendly events to check out in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this month, take a look at the wonderful festivals and arts and craft shows that are going on!

Local shows and festivals on Pinterest.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Tuesday’s Treasure – Texas Harmony

Now that Etsy 817 and Etsy Fort Worth have merged, I’m seeing all kinds of new content from new people!

Here’s a look at the EFW blog, and the latest team treasury: http://www.etsyfortworth.com/2013/04/great-gift-ideasno-fooling.html

Here’s a pretty, springy green treasury by my friend Amy from Larkspur Studio:

 

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Weird Wednesday – Our New Etsy Shop!

We’re so excited! We’re opening up a new Etsy shop, JuJuEyeball, as the twisted sister store to Buy Me Love. It’s the place where all of our weirder, wilder creations will live, and we can’t wait to fill it to the brim with strangeness. Teaser: Mom is working on a hat featuring a vintage doll head, and I’m working on little wearable monsters.

We’re really feeling the itch to let loose creatively, and while we love making pretty, frilly, sparkly things for Buy Me Love, our true passion for creativity comes from a slightly more demented place. One of the reasons we love this job is because we’re allowed to have the best of both worlds!

So, I’ve set up the shop and I’m working on a banner and avatar to make the place feel more like home so we can start filling it with “artful oddities to wear and admire.” Keep an eye out! (Hardy har.)

Other exciting news:

Join us and team Etsy817 for facepainting and fun this Sunday evening starting at 5 pm. Click the pic for more info!

 I’ll be hanging out with our friends in team Etsy817 at the free face painting booth! We’ll be promoting the team and all of the shops that make up Etsy817, including BML. If that’s not cool enough for ya, we’re giving away handmade prizes from participating shops! The celebration is going on all weekend, from Friday through Sunday, in Dalworthington Gardens. Check out this blog post for more info.

Hope to see you there!

Share the Love,

Chelsea