the highlow

Tag: Etsy

  • The Great Etsy Art Hunt

    Let’s face it:  just the mention of the word “art” can make your head spin and your blood pressure rise like a phoenix.  So many artists, so little time.  (Okay, let’s be honest, that little mantra sounds a whole lot better than admitting outright that what you’re really internally monologuing is the speech you’re preparing for your children/future children about how losing their education funds to a “no brainer” of an investment opportunity truly isn’t such a bad thing because real life experience is just SO much more important than college anyway.)   

    If this sounds like you, may I suggest you check out a little thing called Etsy?  Yes, as in that website that you might traditionally identify with handmade baby bibs, lovingly crafted made-in-the-USA jewelry, or that gorgeous table made of reclaimed eco-friendly, sustainable barnwood (possibly made by an equally gorgeous, shirtless, bearded mountain man of a hunk?).  That, though, is the Etsy of yesteryear, my friends (actually, come to think of it, they still have all that charming stuff…and now just so much more to boot).

    Here are a few finds from a recent tour through the site in pursuit of some eye-catching abstract pieces that go easy on the wallet:

    From the LeSage Gallery / artist Tommelise le Sage / Brooklyn, NY ($1,380):

    Etsy Art 1

    From Untitled76 / artist Neil Williams / Mansfield, OH ($349):

    Etsy Art 2

     From Ronald Hunter Paintings / artist Ronald Hunter / Rotterdam, Netherlands ($339):

    Etsy Art 3

     From Art by Cindy Robinson / artist Cindy Robinson / Providence, RI ($400):

    Etsy Art 4

    From studioArtificial (starting at $199):

    Etsy Art 5

    From Lola Donoghue / Galway, Ireland ($900):

    Etsy Art 7

    From polkadottydolls / artist Lynda Black / Calgary, AB, Canada ($45):

    Etsy Art 8

    And from Linnea Heide Art / artist Linnea Heide / Norfolk, VA ($150):

    Etsy Art 9

    So what do you say that you just remember me when your children thank you for not ditching that trust fund in the name of art (and in the same breath, mention that said art would just look oh so good next to the Che Guevara poster on their dorm room wall). 

    Got any of your own fabulous Etsy art finds to share with the rest of us?  Spill your secrets here…we won’t tell!

     

     

  • We All Scream for Teepees!

    As if there weren’t already ten million other things camped out on your parental to-do list, here’s another one to break that ballerina-thin straw barely holding it (and you) together (and we’re talking do or die here).  Do you…for the love of all things keeping up with the Joneses…have the right teepee for your child?!  If you don’t, look no further than Leelee Sobieski’s (aka Leelee Jones’) playroom that has my son already asking to be adopted at the tender young age of two. 

    sobieski_house_4_182812742665

    I’m not sure whether to be nostalgic for the old days of yore when kids built their own haphazard forts from pillows, mom & dad’s comforter, the dining room chair, and other things that happened to be in optimal grabbing range…or to count my lucky stars that there is now an abundance of pre-fab versions that are decidedly easier on the eyes from an obsessive design perspective.

    kid-tipi-1

    But after seeing these contemporary nods to the Old West pop up with increasing frequency in both shelter mags and my friends’ playrooms (and living rooms and other ostensibly grown-up spaces to boot), I decided to be a good little sheep and get one myself before my son found his way to Leelee’s front doorstep.  Best $130 I ever spent.  There’s nothing like a luxurious fifteen minutes of quiet time to oneself in the morning to brush one’s hair and maybe throw on a little makeup while listening to “Hi, I’m Cad…and you can count on me,” emanating for the 538th time from the bedroom corner where our teepee now holds court.  And when I recently had four kids under the age of two clamoring to claim space in there, I decided that I would become a mini expert on all things teepees in order to share this very open secret with the rest of the world.  So if you would like to join the rest of us arriving late to the party, read on for a few more ideas to get you started.

    Inspiration

    If you find yourself frantically starting to scratch your arms (are those hives?!) while contemplating the above two examples, below are a few more palates that might be decidedly more in the realm of mother earth for the vast majority of us.

    Nothing like going neutral and mixing it up with some fun, eclectic pieces:

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    Ditto here:

    tumblr_mqxcpfxKwZ1qkqoxpo1_500

    And a fun pop of color and a nice contrast to the not-so-kid-obvious furniture and rug: 

    teepee2

    And while this could technically be characterized as a “tent,” it’s kind of hard not to include since it’s of yet another “Jones” family (also frequently referred to as the Herrera family)…and since thinking outside of the box is the name of the game here, I think we can all conjure the below with a little bunching of sticks at the top…and voila, there’s our teepee:

    hbz-december-2012-the-house-herrera-dress-herrera-kids-fYayON-xln

    Execution

    So how to bring the Joneses into your very own home?  Here are some of my favorite picks to get you started.

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    And of course, don’t forget that the sky is the limit and you can ALWAYS come up with your own design and DIY (or find someone else who will!).

    Happy tee-peeing…and please do share with the rest of us any other fabulous finds that I may have missed in my mad scramble to keep up with the latest and greatest…

    Pictures from here, here, here, here, here, and here.

    Update 12/13/13:  Just found this gem from Indoek, check it out! 

    WaveWam1_grande