What a great first day!

I started my new shop today, and right off the bat got three sales - woohoo! As I mentioned before, prices in this shop are set to MOVE some stuff, so it's not like I made a lot of money, but how sweet it is to have a sale...doing the happy dance!

So you know more of what I've added to Ginny's Veranda, here's a mini from the shop:



Drop by and "set" a spell. Who knows what you might find, as I've got lots more in that closet to bring out.

A New Alias

I'm starting a new endeavor on Etsy, much to my husband's delight, who has insisted on a reduction in my "stuff" footprint for some time now. Beginning very soon, I will have an additional shop on Etsy to destash my vintage and antique collection of small items such as textiles, jewelry, pottery, ceramics, paper ephemera....and just cool stuff that I could never throw away, but never quite found a place in our home. If hubby has a hand in this, some of the things that did find a way into our decor may be finding a way out, too.

My new shop will be named "Ginny's Veranda" and this post brings you a sneak peak of some of the treasures soon to be listed, and priced to SELL. Stay tuned.

New Year's Resolution - Ban E-cards?

Now that the holiday season is winding down, it's time to think about what to do next. For many, it's a time for reviewing the last year, looking to the next. Is one of your New Year's resolutions a commitment to connect to friends? Have you been sending e-cards, and dashing off a quick e-mail to say "thanks"? As you are writing thank you notes for all those fabulous gifts just received, why not send an equally fabulous handcrafted thank you note instead? Eclectic and unique paper treasures can be found at the shop of Etsy artist Quirky 'n Berkeley. Her pieces are created out of her love of paper and color, and never with the assistance of a computer. All handcrafted and quite lovely.


Or maybe you would like to get a jump on the next holiday - Valentine's Day. It's not too early to begin, and what says "I love you" better than a handmade card of archival quality to cherish for a lifetime? These hearts peaking through a vellum aperture set the stage for the heartfelt sentiments you write yourself in the blank inside. Perhaps a little poetry for your true love?


Quirky 'n Berkeley, in addition to her card designs, also fashions paper treasures such as these petite origami boxes made of beautiful, luxurious, textured yuzen chiyogami paper. They're the perfect size for rings or earrings. You could get them for yourself as a treat to store your favorite pieces of jewelry, or use them for gift boxes that need no wrapping, should you find yourself challenged by that activity. (No, honey, I'm not talking about you. Really.)

The wonderful world of paper and color - something someone can hold in their hand, delight their eye, for now and for as long as they decide to keep the greeting. With the handcrafted works of ephemeral art from Quirky 'n Berkeley, I would guess they would be treasured for a long time. Check out her blog, too, for more about her art, her custom work, and her features on other Etsy artists.

Spark your creativity

One of the neat things about Etsy is the number of vendors on the site that cater to the new crafters' love of vintage and repurposing of old into new. There are many artists that use the vintage items as part of their new art, and others just love to have the vintage items in their environment. Being of a certain "vintage" myself, sometimes I find things for sale from my own childhood - LOL! Creative Sundries has a shop just chock-full of vintage ephemera, cookbooks, sewing patterns, jewelry, and collage art and repurposed items - all of that certain "age."

This fun little plastic tray from American Airlines has been altered through decoupage and the addition of an authentic Mexican loteria card - perfect for your keys, don't you think? Or maybe change you're saving for a "rainy" day?















Vintage on Etsy is about taking the old and making the new.....what could you do with this funky image from a newspaper ad for a pharmacy? Insert it into a collage perhaps? But you should see what's on back of this original newspaper ad - perhaps an even more compelling image to work with. But you'll have to click on the pic to get to the listing to see for yourself!

So Etsy is not only your one-stop-shop for all things handmade, but also a treasure trove for materials and inspiration. Come check out what the Minnesota mother-daughter team of Creative Sundries is doing with vintage, and read more on their blog.

Victorian Charms

A lover of antique and vintage everything, Etsy artist Wanderlust & Pixie Dust expresses her creativity in clothing, jewelry, linens, textiles, anything beveled, books, ephemera, you name it. The older the better is her motto. In her spare time, she likes to dabble in all things crafty. She shares bits and pieces of the buried treasure she has collected over the years on her blog.
Check it out if you have the time.