Etsy Love: Austin Modern

Austin, TX has been all over my radar recently.....with its up-and-coming neighborhoods splashed across the pages of my beloved design magazines, its continuously solid crop of Indie bands on steady rotation on my iTunes, and in discussions amongst several of my friends who have been contemplating moving there. And now, from my cozy little home office, I'm busy sourcing vintage industrial table bases for a Brooklyn client and where do I find the perfect pair?!? Austin Texas' eponymous Etsy seller Austin Modern, of course. Austin Modern's Etsy Shop specializes in 20th century vintage and architectural salvage, some vintage fashion accessories, and a quaint little section for quirky altered vintage dishes that have me swooning. Here are some goodies that I'm particularly admiring:


From their array of altered vintage plates, I love this slightly eerie Masonic Lodge Plate with Altered Anatomical Eye Image.


Their Vintage Industrial Tripod Table is an absolute beauty.


New staplers have zero style compared to this Vintage Scout Swingline Stapler.


These would have everyone talking at your next summer bash or fondu feast: Set of 12 Tiki God Party Picks.


For the audiophile/history buff who has everything:WWII Air Raid Siren retrofitted to play iPods and iPhones.

Esty Love: Valentines Edition

If I had a Valentine, or gave a crap about yet another bogus consumerist Hallmark holiday (ok, maybe I'm a little bitter), then here are the a few of the unique, decidedly UN-Hallmark treasures from Etsy I'd consider giving or might be keen on receiving, alongside a lovingly prepared breakfast in bed of course. Perhaps my future beau is taking notes for next year.....


I Love You 8x8 Photo Print by Sherri Conley.


Natural Driftwood Heart from Tidal Creations.


5x7 Vintage Heart Anatomy from Encyclomedia Town.


Key Heart Necklace from Tara Jackson Jewelry.


Owl Heart Platter by Black Baroque.


Handmade Heart-shaped Bowls by JD Wolfe Pottery.


I'd swoon over just about anything wrapped in some old newspaper and this I Love You Ribbon from The Lonely Heart.

Etsy Love: (something a little different this week)

This week marked the soft, unofficial launch of my new interior design firm Wolf & Wing Interior Design, which is really just a re-branded, blended fusion of all my design businesses of the last decade into one unified concept that I'm so proud and eager to move ahead with. New Years Intention #1 checked off the list!!!

Since I've been a little busy with all this, I have neglected to post anything here since Monday and am only going to do a modified Etsy Love post today, not featuring a single shop, but rather a curation of items throughout Etsy that feature either a wolf or a wing to celebrate my new endeavor. You can't hear the noisemakers and champagne bottle corks, but they're honking and popping over here nonetheless. Enjoy with me, please.


Brass Eagle from Rhett Didn't Give a Damn


Bird Wing Printed on Vintage Map of NW Australia by Herbert Co (Ingrid, if you're reading this.....you must get this and put it on your dream board!!)


"We Make Our Truth" Graphic Hand Printed Tee from Sirius Grafik (if ANYONE'S reading this, I'd probably fit a Mens Small!).



Two beautiful, screaming-my-name Patina Wing Pendants from Amanda Davies Elements Etsy Shop.


Evolving Habitats Custom Made Wolf Forest Light Box.


Baby Boy On Wolf Print by Hide N Seek.


A Little Lark's Gold Wolf Sketchbook.


Recycled Cotton Canvas Lunch Sak with a hand-screened image of a wolf in a forest, also from A Little Lark.

Etsy Love: Bookha At Home

Knowing my love of feathers, it's no surprise that it was the Tea Towel with the sweet black and white bird and Springtime themed images on them that first drew me to Bookha At Home on Etsy. But I was further delighted to find a tight edit of environmentally friendly materials and original designs for home and baby. And for those women who actually still shop for themselves (what's that like?!?), there's a great little line of clutches and totes.


Hand-printed Spring-inspired images make this Tea Towel more a work of art; solvent free inks on hemp/organic cotton make it an eco-friendly beauty.



Laser cut birch Wood Alphabet in Courier New font, up close and hung in a darling nursery in a Covet Garden magazine spread.


Animal Onesies printed in nontoxic ink on organic cotton.
- moose (red ink)
- owl (orange/red ink)
- beaver (rust brown ink)
- hare (light grey ink)
- tortoise (burgundy ink)
- bear (blue ink)
- cat (blue/grey ink)


Combining function and beauty, Bookha At Home's Small Storage Boxes feature original designs printed with nontoxic inks on 100% natural linen with organic cotton canvas linings.

Etsy Love: Manzanita Kids

I always love a good story, and David's and Adrienne's is just that. With a newborn and a layoff on their hands simultaneously, the couple behind Manzanita Kids searched their souls and creative talents for a way to make a living from home, and thus their toy company was born. Lines of Montessori and Waldorf-inspired developmental puzzles and blocks, as well as wonderfully imaginative modular building sets, were lovingly conceived to "nurture creative play." Offerings are all hand-cut in natural materials and many feature their own homemade beeswax/organic safflower oil finish, for a toy line that is as eco-friendly as it is pure fun.


Surely inspired by the iconic Robert Indiana sculpture, the Love Puzzle spreads a positive message to the littlest hearts.


From their baby line, these Moon Rattles are finished with their homemade beeswax/organic safflower oil, safe for teething mouths and tiny hands.


Several different Animal Puzzle creature combinations are available, including this adorable Bear, Shark & Parrot trio.


The Elephant Seesaw is a simple yet engaging way to sharpen a toddler's understanding of balance and motion.


One of several Modular Building Sets handmade by Manzanita Kids, affording hours of versatile, imaginative play.

Etsy Love: Flux Glass

Quite appropriately, my son and I created our New Years Intentions this year while listening to Michael Jackson's Man In the Mirror. He requested "MJ" and Man In the Mirror is hands down my favorite one of his singles, so on it went. We giggled at our cheesiness but sang along at the tops of our lungs anyway.

A few days later I was on the hunt for unique eco-friendly mirrors for a client, mindful of the approaching Saturday Etsy Love feature I'd be needing to post today, and I stumbled upon Flux Glass. All the uniquely shaped mirrors are handmade by Dennis Smith in Asheville North Carolina from upcycled mirrors. As a designer, I got particularly excited about the infinite custom options that are available. Have a look (pun intended) for yourself....


Best for those with a soft spot for California or Texas, or other interestingly-shaped states, these hand-cut, lead bordered accent mirrors would be perfect as part of a large collage wall with other beloved memorabilia or tucked in a little nook on their own. The suppressed West Coast girl in me loves the California State Wall Mirror best of all.




The Pair of Flying Bird Wall Mirrors are lovingly hand-crafted with the same upcycled mirror surrounded by lead and backed with a hanging wire, although they look just as lovely resting on a floating shelf like in the second photo above.


I love vintage signage and have amassed a nice little collection of the letter "R" which hangs above my son's dresser. (His name is Ryder, for those of you who don't know.) If I was the flashier type, I'd add the sparkle of a single mirrored letter like Flux Glass's Custom Letter Wall Mirrors to the collection.

Etsy Love: Baby Green Shop (again!)

When I first highlighted my own Etsy Baby Green Shop, it was a brand new venture. Now that I've had some sales and posted new vintage items and baby baskets, I'm really starting to feel like part of the Etsy family. And just last week, The Huffington Post took notice and featured one of my new parents gift baskets. Ah, validation!! Their Gifts For A New Mom slideshow features 9 ideal Etsy finds for new parents, with one of my gift baskets as the opener.



An example of one of my baby gift baskets complete with a natural wooded toy, a handmade organic cotton baby bib, and two all-natural baby care products from the ShakleeBaby line (baskets start around $50 and all have customizable one-of-a-kind options).


One of my newer vintage additions: a half dozen 1960's Shafford 'Primitive Collection' Dessert Plates.
**NEW VINTAGE ITEMS WILL BE ADDED SOMETIME THIS WEEKEND!! PLEASE CHECK BACK!


This is a $30 Holiday Gift Basket that I made on request that is appropriate for just about anyone from co-workers to teachers. It includes an Enfuselle Lip Treatment SPF15, a Meadow Blend Soap-Free Cleansing Bar and an Herbal Blend Multi-Purpose Cream, all from Shaklee, in a gift-ready basket.


This Holiday Spa Basket is $60 and includes a luxuriously moisturizing Enfuselle Spa Shea Butter Cream, an all-natural Enfuselle Moisturizing Shower Gel, and a Loofah in a brown fabric bathroom organizer caddy.

**THE ABOVE TWO ITEMS ARE NOT AVAILABLE ON MY ETSY SHOP, SO PLEASE EMAIL ME AT ajm2727@gmail.com FOR ORDERING AND PRODUCT INFORMATION. CUSTOM GIFT BASKETS AT ANY PRICE POINT ARE ALSO AVAILABLE!!

Etsy Love: Gray Works

With holiday entertaining season just around the corner, I wanted to share the beautiful platters, trays and cutting boards from Gray Works on today's Etsy Love post. Since 2006, the craftspeople at Gray Works have been using only locally and sustainably harvested or salvaged hardwoods for their designs, which are then lovingly hand-rubbed with organic olive oil for a product that is as ecologically friendly as it is lust-worthy. Feast your eyes on these (pun intended!):


Olive Platter


Spalted Maple Cutting Board


Little Garlic Chopping Block


Extra Large Walnut Serving Platter


Three-legged Salvaged Wood Milking Stools (various sizes available). Accommodate extra diners in style!!


And this is extra sweet: for $15, Gray Works will engrave your platter with any initials and date of your choice. For more details, click here.

Etsy Love: Yellow Bird Yellow Beard

With the holidays quickly approaching, my mouth has already began watering for Thanksgiving feasts and Christmas cookies, but at the same time I can't help but feel my stomach churn over the upcoming season's wasteful decorations. In my house, we achieve a festively decorated look each year with found and recycled items, and use the same garland of LED Christmas lights that we've had for years. Plenty of Etsy shop crafters have the same notion, making gorgeous decorations out of recycled materials. So with this in mind, I plan on spotlighting eco-friendly holiday alternatives for the next few weeks, starting with the recycled paper and lovingly handmade creations I found on Yellow Bird Yellow Beard.


An earth-friendly decorative garland made from recycled take-out bags is the perfect accent for a Thanksgiving day with an earthy, vintage feel (I'm seeing a mantel place full of vintage glass bottles filled with grains and kernels of corn, lots of warm unscented soy candles burning and burlap placemats.....but that's just me!).


Although not made from recycled paper, this red and green garland puts me in the Christmas spirit in a way no plastic decoration ever will.


Plush Heart HO HO HO Christmas Tree Ornament.


For those local to the Southern California location of shop owner Janee Lookerse, this Recycled Book Pages Wreath is a modern alternative to a store-bought pine branch version that will simply be tossed in the trash come New Years Day.


And for handmade babies toys better than anything you would find in the sea of big box baby stores - like this adorable fabric giraffe - please check out Janee's second Etsy venture YBYB Toy Shop.