BEDAZZLING

The Ultimate In Glitter Rock (As Well As Pop & Jazz & Schmaltz)

MICHEL ROSENTHAL IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S FOREMOST EXPERTS ON GLITTER ROCK. AND she knows firsthand that all that glitters is not gold: there's also blue glitter and purple glitter and pinks and reds.

Rosenthal, 48, is a psychotherapist/life coach who accesses her creative side by embellishing vintage album covers with the bling we know as glitter. The results are literally and figuratively dazzling fun -- at least to someone (me) who's personal slogan is "everything goes better with glitter." The covers offer shiny trips down "memory lane" where fans enjoy reminiscing about the records they've loved and played.

Read the full post here. 

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December 05, 2011

READY, SET, DECK

Ring In The Holidays With Festive Christmas Wreaths

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR FOR AESTHETES WHO gorge on holiday glitter.

With the bird in the oven and Black Friday beckoning, the high holiday season officially begins. Up next? Creating winter wonderlands with twinkling lights, shiny brites and, if it's your thing, a jolly round man in red.

To whet your appetite for pretty, here are some seasonal wreaths found on Ebay and Etsy. Above, a gorgeous blue-green wreath offered by Greenchilemama on Etsy. $105.

Read the full post here. 

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November 25, 2010

THE ROAD TO OZ

The Wizards Of Etsy: Artisans Pay Homage To 'Oz'

SEVEN DECADES AFTER L. FRANK BAUM'S NOVEL came alive on screen, the world still gets carried away by The Wizard Of Oz.

And who can blame us for being seduced by Dorothy and her flawed friends, by the movie's midgets and magic?

On the 71st anniversary of the movie's first screening, here are some Oz items on Etsy. Just in case you need a dose of magic in your own life. Above, cupcake toppers by The Blissful Baker. 12 for $6.50. At right, Wizard of Oz pez dispenser adapted into flash drive. By dhhdesign. $25.

For more fun, check out Hootin' Tootin' Fun Finds On Etsy.

Etsy Trinkets For The Tweet Obsessed.

Have Yourself A Very Merry Kitschmas.

Blythe: She's A Real Doll -- And Obsession.

Read the full post here. 

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August 12, 2010

FAME BITCHES

Going Gaga For The Fame Monster: Lady G on Etsy

YOU'VE HEARD OF HOLLA BACKS BUT WHAT ABOUT GAGA BACKs? They're the coin of the new realm known as Gaga Land. Hand-drawn scratch morphing George Washington into blond drag queen. How fitting! Artist Craig Gleason is offering this limited series of Gah currency on Etsy for $150. Everything is larger than real life in Gaga Land

And there's more from where that came! Lady G manifests all sorts of imaginative commerce by Etsy artisans. Check out a few other Gaga-inspired finds on Etsy on the jump.

For more fun, check out Hootin' Tootin' Fun Finds On Etsy.

Etsy Trinkets For The Tweet Obsessed.

Have Yourself A Very Merry Kitschmas.

Blythe: She's A Real Doll -- And Obsession.

Read the full post here. 

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June 23, 2010

UNCOVERED

Past Life Progression: The Apron

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES RECENTLY HAILED THE REVIVAL OF THE apron.

"Forget those unisex, butcher-style, fuddy-duddy aprons," the writer pshawed. "Today's models …are fun."

Of course, they always could be.

A dowdy apron was de rigueur when kitchen work was hard and long. But even back when women were tied to the kitchen, aprons could be feminine and flirty, feisty and frilly.

They were the dessert before dinner, the eye candy in the kitchen.

And for today's hostess with the mostest, aprons still deliver a dash of delight. Here's a sampling from around the web with links for shoppers. Above is a pretty pink and green apron displayed in Apron Chronicles: A Patchwork of American Recollections.

For more fun, read Hootin' Tootin' Fun Finds On Etsy.

Etsy Trinkets For The Tweet Obsessed.

Have Yourself A Very Merry Kitschmas.

Blythe: She's A Real Doll -- And Obsession.

Read the full post here. 

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May 12, 2010

FOR BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Trinkets For The Twitter Obsessed

COMMUNICATION HAPPENS IN LESS THAN 140 CHARACTERS.

For the biggest twits among us, there's these handmade novelties listed by artisans on Etsy.

Choose from the come-hither stalk me stockings ($18), a "tweet" necklace appropriately made in plastic ($13), or the world's smallest diary for errant thoughts ($5.5).

Makes the perfect gift for the Twitteratti, obsessed fans of celebrity tweeters, and self-important social networkers.

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February 18, 2010

WINTER WHIMSY

Have Yourself A Very Merry Kitschmas

IF, WHEN YOU SAY YOU WANT A WHITE CHRISTMAS YOU MEAN SNOW, I'LL TAKE IT.

But Christmas trees adorned with white lights? Mantels with white candles? Blah humbug!

In my house, Christmas kitsch is a requirement. There's no more fun way to deck the halls than with whimsical (cheesy?) vintage decorations.

Here's some vintage or vintage-inspired finds from around the web.

Read the full post here. 

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December 16, 2009

WISE BUYS

Hootin Tootin' Fun Finds On Etsy

SUZE ORMAN IS ALWAYS GOING ON ABOUT PUTTING MONEY BEFORE THINGS, but I am a sucker for silly or pretty one-of-a-kind whimsy at any price.

And so I only wish that I had the $235 to blow on this fuzzy blue owl who was featured in
Stuffed magazine.

I don't know what I'd do with him other than stare at his fluffy blue fur and ponderous eyes while he collected dust. But he would be mine, all mine! And I'd be another $235 in the hole, crap.

Ditto for the owl wedding topper ($40), the owl change purse ($19.50), the owl belt buckle ($38), not to mention the dozens of other treasures I coveted after perusing 500 pages of owl stuff on Etsy! I must have been out of mind; but in my defense, there were another 800 pages I passed on.

If you are a spendthrift and have the need to buy pretty things, don't bother doing it anywhere else but on Etsy, one of the best designed sites on the web catering to crafty hipsters creating art or reviving old treasures.

So many beautiful things to buy. Sigh.

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November 17, 2009

KITSCH

Tune In To This 'Meme' Of The Fifties, Sixties: The Toy TV

USED TO BE THAT THE PLASTIC TOYS SHIPPED BY THE BOATFUL FROM HONG KONG WERE CONSIDERED CHEAP AND TACKY.

Today, they're still considered cheap and tacky, but they have also have become sought after by geeks who collect retro treasures capturing the whimsy of the past.

Some of these tiny TVs were stand-ins for traditional salt & pepper shakers; others served as pencil sharpers, and still more were tiny souvenir viewfinders for tourists seeking to bring him some lasting memory.

Nostalgia can be so much fun.

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August 12, 2009

EYE CANDY

Blythe: She's A Real Doll -- And Obsession

LITTLE GIRLS LOVE THEIR DOLLS, BUT IT TAKES BIG GIRL BUCKS TO LAND A BLYTHE DOLL.

The original demure wide-eyed beauty was made for one year, 1972, by the Kenner toy company, according to Wikipedia. Three decades later, several other companies have undertaken recreating her. But of course the original doll is most coveted, and she's become an obsession among collectors.

There is a booming market on Etsy for hand-made clothing for Blythe and her companions, where you can find an outfit to reflect any geography or personality. The tiny garments are gorgeous in their detail and diversity. They make me want to play with dollies again.

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June 04, 2009

POP CANDY

Rumors To The Contrary, Pacman Has Not Retired to Philanthropy But Is Busy Spawning Little Pacpeople

While other computer icons circa 1980 have been trying to solve the world's problems, our beloved Pacman has stayed below the radar, raised little Pac babies and has started a cottage industry in Pacman jewelry. And isn't that appropriate since Pac Daddy was one of the earliest examples of a 'virtual virus,' or a computerized "social phenomena?"

The result is the cutest little computer bytes you ever saw! The rings, pins, earrings and wall art can reach deep inside the most jaded, aging, materialist yuppies to remind them of a playful time of their youth.

Why not remind them of that side? Persue the PixelParty gallery, buy some nostalgia, and hang on a small byte of innocence.

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June 29, 2008