jen hopwood’s snappy pillows

i am liking these snappy animal pillows over at mahar dry goods right this very minute. the 12″ x 20″ pillows, designed by jen hopwood, have covers are made of durable cotton canvas, come with a polyester insert and include five sturdy felt animals to mix and match according to your ever changing moods. whee! i would have had a ball playing with these in my room when i was a kid.

bonus: they’re on sale right now - 50% off! and that isn’t the only thing over there that’s on sale either.

snatch these up and find other fun things on sale through september 8th, 2008, right here.

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martha bishop recycled pillows and quilts

i love these contemporary handmade pillows, blankets and cotton quilts from michigan artist martha bishop, aka the lazy gal. it’s obvious that she has a terrific sense of humor, and bonus: her felted wool pillows are made from recycled sweaters, with cardigan backs for ease of pillow insertion!

purchase these pieces on martha’s website, where you can see much, much more (and thanks for the great tip burt!).

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fauna chico keychains

i never wanted to carry a stuffed animal around with my keys until i saw these humorous handprinted keychains from new york’s salvor fauna. they’re pretty big — about 3″ x 8″ — so now i just need a purse big enough to keep it in.

find these pieces and see their other supercute animal accessories at design public.

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organic cotton veggie toys (cute)

it’s farmer’s market season and what better way to teach your child about the benefits of organic farming than with this adorable set of 100% organic cotton vegetable toys, from janice masoud and the folks at the sekem farm in egypt. little ones can use them as teethers and bigger kids can engage them in creative play.

the set comes in a useful wooden crate and is available at janice’s online shop and also at uncommon goods.

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la pomme sewn toys and pillows: miniview

i am back from my weekend in nola, which was lovely (more on that later). equally if not more lovely are these soft linen and cotton pillows, sachets and toys from philippines-born, french-based artist apol lejano-massebieau, aka etsy seller lapomme. many of the pieces in apol’s dreamy collection are crafted from rescued and recycled materials and stuffed them with delicious dried lavender. each and every piece also has a wonderful and quirky story behind it. i wanted to know more of apol’s personal story, so i asked just three questions…

q: where do you live, and where do you make your lovely things?
a: i live in a little village in southwestern france, and i used to sew on my dining room table, until it stopped being fun finding pieces of thread in the salad. so i recently bought myself a little mobile home and installed it on the property, beside my dry garden. i painted the walls a shade called raspberry, and from march to mid-april i have a view of flamingos feeding in the marsh in front. it is wonderful to finally have a space for all my mess!

q: do you have an art background? how did you get into making these sachets and pillows?
a: what i am, mainly, is a writer, who had always had a deep appreciation for the visual arts and the fabric arts. sewing was something that i did on-and-off, and had always wanted to do more of, except that life had always been too busy.

when i was a child, my sisters and i would prepare for christmas by making handmade toys to give to cousins, although sometimes the toys were so freaky our cousins would cry. then at university i was part of the costume department of a theater group, and i got to make fun objects like a stuffed octopus and metallic dance suits. then i stopped for more than a decade as real life and a high-pressure job happened.

after a serious rearranging of my life, finally, after a long iI am able to again handle fabric, needle, and thread. this time, i have no plans of stopping.

q: would you rather sleep with lavender or eat it?
a: lavender in food requires a light touch, otherwise you feel like you’re eating a garden. so unless i really really trust the kitchen, i’d rather just sleep with the herb.

purchase these pieces and see the full collection at apol’s etsy shop, and say hi to her on her blog too.

thank you apol!

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tamar mogendorff textile art

i am a sucker for beautifully sewn cuteness, so look at these exquisitely crafted (and photographed) pieces from brooklyn textile artist tamar mogendorff. they’re made from linen, vintage buttons and fabric, wool, ribbon and other materials.

purchase select pieces at enfant terrible and see the full collection on tamar’s website.

via poppytalk

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poppytalk handmade market (shopping)

jan at poppytalk is back at it with an eco-themed market this month, chock full of lovely adornments for home and body. let’s have a look at some of the highlights now:

fun hand and digital collage prints from layla renzi for her dollface design

steel linked necklace from megan auman

gocco printed notes and stationery on recycled stock from sarah parrott

vintage car bank from blue bell bazaar

recycled cotton totes from jen harris for her black sheep heap

now is the perfect to do some spring shopping, so hop on over there and choose your personal favorites!

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cool carpets and renegade rugs (round up)

i wish for a new and exciting carpet for my family room and have secretly been visiting a bunch of them online and therefore i wish for you to enjoy this round up of artsy rugs seen below:

brushwood carpet by dima loginoff

itu rug by tuttu sillanpää for verso design

die-cut wool runner by bev hisey

moon carpet from atypyk

manuscrit rug by joaquim ruiz millet for nanimarquina

funniest rugs ever from dan golden

hudson carpet by sophia wood for modus

formosa rug by wenlan chia of twinkle living

interlocking puzzle rug from katrin sonnleitner

wow carpet from bentley prince

pebble rug from 2form design

reception carpet from studio voortman and girod

recycled bicycle tire rug by ariadna miguel for nanimarquina

someday if i don’t have any animals living in my home (oh you know i complain but i love them so) i will buy a fabulous carpet and enjoy how clean it remains from day to day. until then though it looks like it’ll be that two tone polypropylene number from the blue and yellow store.

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