Forget the traditional parterre Herb Garden, if you can’t keep herbs alive! Goths, ghouls, and any gardeners with a sense of humour about their plant-growing failures will enjoy a decorative Herb Graveyard instead.

Penfold Merton, “UK-grown tinkerer” currently working as an Artist in Residence at the Instructables Lab, San Francisco, came up with the fabulous idea for faux tombstones amusing yet useful herb garden approach, as a result of a conversation with Instructables member TangerineBadger.

Turn the unsightly bare earth of your herb garden into a charming old cemetery by planting mini gravestones! … a simple, if slightly morbid, way to make use of the patches of soil that are visible before your herbs have sprouted. It also provides attractive labels for the herbs once they are fully grown.

The one challenge, for most of us DIY crafters with a love for gardening, is that we don’t tend to have a laser thingie machine for etching acrylic — which is called for in the otherwise excellent and detailed instructions for this project. Since there’s no way I’m going to buy a laser cutter to cut the plant names into acrylic, and I don’t know anyone who’s got one tucked away in the corner of their kitchen, I’m brainstorming alternative how-to methods here…

(Hey, just noticed — Penfold Merton’s got an Etsy shop where he lists the acrylic plant-stake tombstones for sale! At ten dollars each, a bargain!)

But let’s suppose you want to DIY, or maybe you (try to) grow different herbs from just the Parsley, Sage, Cilantro, Chives, and Basil for which gravestones are available…

• What about making a plasticine mold, perhaps, to create the little plant-marker tombstone with the same kind of cement you’d use for decorative stepping stones in the garden?
• Or maybe there’s some kind of pourable resin type kit one could find at a craft store?
• Modelling clay might work, if you put on a waterproof glaze of some sort. But would a clay slab have to be quite thick and heavy, in order to be strong enough to stand on end? And what if you don’t have a kiln?
• Penfold suggests Sculpey, which would be much lighter in weight.
• Or if you know a model railroad fan you might beg a supply of Sculptamold or similar modeling compound…

All of these methods could be a lot of fiddley work, though, to make a number of different herb tombstones. Because really, to pull this off, you need the carry the theme through the entire herb garden, with a different shape of marker for each type of plant you want to grow… But for those of us who struggle to keep an herb garden alive, the Herb Graveyard project is really too delicious an idea to let go.

So I’m looking for ideas on this, people — any suggestions for other (easier, less expensive) ways to make these without laser-cutting acrylic?

If you’re a fan of craft artist Vincent Thomas Leman’s “abstract traditional” style — the heart of the practical yet whimsical Dust Furniture — you won’t want to miss the Etsy outlet for handcrafted “prototypes, web exclusives, extras and sometimes, mistakes…”

Right now, the online shop is showing four gracefully curved tables, three funky clocks, and this fascinating two-part cabinet called “Crook and Cranny”:

This cabinet is comprised of two sections, a taller bookcase portion with shelves for storage or display, and a smaller cabinet section with a door and one interior shelf. The pieces interact with each other in an interesting way, with the taller section resting on the shorter section. The two parts are permanently secured together.

For a look at the fun-loving furniture pieces in regular production, and a list of boutiques and galleries where they’re available, visit www.dustfurniture.com.

Lookee here…
It’s a heart-hefting Chewbacca, Bringer of the LOVE!

This polymer-shaped, Sharpie-enhanced tribute to the Wookie of your dreams is available as a magnet or a pin, and evokes the spirit of Valentine’s Day with handcrafted humour.

And much like love itself…
this wookie is flexible, but fragile.

By BicycleOcean (Naomi) of West Palm Beach, Florida.

This whimsical Girl with Ladybug Necklace vase goes very very very high on my shopping list (the one I keep for when I win a lottery) and already decorates the house of my imagination…

Just look at her, flaunting a pair of fishy earrings and a wild ‘do’ of whatever bright flowers you’ve got in bloom… Terra cotta, about twelve inches high (before you fill the vase), it’s made by one of my favourite indie ceramics artists, Natalya Sots.

Natalya’s wildly distinctive colourful ceramics are found at arts-and-craft festivals in the Chicago area, online at Etsy), and in her fascinating Flickr photostream where you can also catch a glimpse of her works in progress.

Only a soul that’s devoid of joy can fail to love a good sock monkey, or to smile at that goofy knitted-primate face and gangling limbs. More fun yet, when the sock monkey gets celebrity status!

This little guy, from the Sock Monkey Jungle of Lancashire, UK, channels Elton John at his most groovy, complete with over-sized sunglasses and a star-spangled red-striped outfit you wouldn’t have been caught dead in even in the depth of Disco Days. (The slouchy newsboy cap? Maybe.)

A self-described “sock monkey addict,” crafter Blue Saphire makes a wide range of unique sock monkey characters — from amusing rips of Batman, Rocky, and even Santa Claus — to girly-girl monkeys with fancy party frocks and long flowing hair. And I spotted a Bride and Groom couple, which seems to me just about the perfect wedding gift — way better than giving the newlyweds yet another waffle iron!

Gift certificates, sock monkey kits and patterns, even sock monkey notecards, as well as the cuddly critters themselves, can be found at bluesaphire.etsy.com.

Jackie is a medical technologist in Upstate New York. Her full-time day job is working in a hospital lab, but that’s not where her heart is — she’s hiking in the Adirondacks.

And she’s turning the inspirations of nature into jewellery, twisting wire around beautiful stones and pearls and beads to create striking bracelets, necklaces, earrings.

You can find them for sale on Etsy and get a peek at projects in progress at Jackie’s blog, A Keeper’s Jackpot.

Like most beaders — like most craftspeople, in fact — once Jackie started creating her own jewellery and found that others love the pieces too, she starting exploring new ideas and new materials. From basic beads, she went to wire and stone, then branched out into working with polymer clay, and now she exploring decoupage techniques on some of her pendants…

But you know what? It’s the stone necklaces that really get me.

And I’m not even going to try to explain the emotion effect, the thought process, the “how come” of why I was so immediately taken with Jackie’s work, when her mother-in-law told me about her — I’ll just let the jewellery speak for itself:

Part handbag, part animal (and I do mean, Animal… Do you recall the crazy-wild drummer from the Muppets Show? Like that) — here’s an accessory with a difference.

“Feathers” — This Bag that Bites will be a natural fit to perch off of your shoulder! Faux fur that has the appearance of an olive-colored finch will create a buzz wherever you two will go. Warm golden hand-painted eyes keep this sweet bag soulful, while the fat purple tongue will make sure that you give the right message whenever you need.

The best feature?
The tongue has a zipper in it, to be your secret change purse!

Unique, handmade, and hungry Bags That Bite are the handmade creations of Justine Pallace. She’s actually a jeweller by training and trade, but finds both “satisfaction and fun” in making these cuddlesome monsters. Justine lives and crafts in Rochester, New York, but you can find her furry character handbags at BagsThatBite.etsy.com… if you dare!

H/T to WordVixen and her Hand Crafted Bags and Purses obsession for sharing this great furry find.

Serena Smith, glass artist of Oregon, caught my eye on Etsy with her gently rounded feminine figure beads, all earth mothers and goddesses, and floral beads that are tiny fantastical garden gems — but I think it was really the sinuous perwinkle-blue-tailed mermaid who made me an instant fan.

Serena’s been making beads since 1991, and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1996 with a degree in glass. A member of the Oregon Glass Guild, International Society of Glass Beadmakers, Glass Art Society and Portland Bead Society, she is a self-supporting artist and craftsperson, “occasional teacher” of the fine craft of glass lampworking.

You can find images of Serena’s beads in several books and magazines, including the gorgeous1000 Glass Beads published by Lark Books — and you can find the artist herself at Serena J.A. Smith Designs. She sells her beads on Etsy at serena29.etsy.com.

The crafter known as Waterrose and I met online fairly recently (over at BenBarden‘s place, I think). The embroidery felt cuffs she sells in her online craft shop grabbed me right away! So of course I roped her in here to tell a bit about how she got started with her unique craft — and to share a few tips with others who may be thinking of starting a craft business.   Enjoy! ~Jen

Waterrose Handcrafted Obsessions

A dilemma.
That’s where it began.

I have loved embroidery since I was a little girl. I was taught by my mother, who was a master embroiderer, and I’ve found those moments that I spent with her to be some of my fondest memories. However, while I love embroidery, how many people are going to be interested in embroidered pillowcases or tablecloths covered with swimming swans and flowing, flowery southern belles?

While traveling last fall along the Pacific Coast Highway I stopped in a quilt shop and found the most beautiful wool felt. I had no clue what I was going to do with it, but it spoke to me. (So did a few other things, but we won’t go into that!) A couple of months later it all clicked. Cuffs. I began doodling out some designs, gathered my embroidery floss, and began experimenting.

My inspiration is all around me. It seems I no more than start embroidering my current cuff and an idea pops into my head for the next one. I have a list. I can think them up faster than I can create them!

I began filling my Etsy shop with cuffs and received a lot of nice comments. Those comments led me to blogging. I had resisted blogging for a while since all I could think of was, “Why do I want to share my life with a lot of strangers?”

But I began my Waterrose Handcrafted Obsessions blog and I am having so much fun with it. Initially I thought it would be filled mostly with my creations, but it has turned into a mixture of my life, my thoughts, and my craft.

I just created my website and had great fun working on it. When you visit my website you will see a button named, “Quilt”: I’m also a quilter and have plans to release a quilting book early next year. The “quilt” link will lead to a very special project that I can hardly wait to share…

And I have been fortunate to be one of a few artists to have their creations featured in Quilting Arts “gift” special edition. I was so excited to be asked to share my cuffs with everyone.

The indie arts movement has been a boon to everyone who creates.

To those of you who are on the verge, but are hesitant or ask yourself, “Who would buy my stuff?” — just take the plunge! It isn’t easy and you spend a lot of time not only creating, but also marketing and promoting. Unless you have a product that just grabs people it will take a lot of hard work to get your creations in front of people and become recognized.

Tips on Starting a Craft Business

• Spread your marketing and promoting efforts around. You can’t just open an Etsy shop, or create a website and expect people to find you.
• Spend some time after you figure out what your product is and think about what your goals are. Create a business plan. Write down what you want to implement and by what dates and just start working your plan.
• Get feedback from people about your product. How you can improve it, make it more marketable, what consumers are looking for.
• Have fun!

The world of hand crafts and art is so exciting and people are beginning to appreciate the fact that they can purchase such beautiful, original creations. I believe the world is growing weary of mass produced, cheaply made products. Many of us are going green. We are turning to our past to create items that are something different, something handmade, something cherished.

Waterrose can be found at her lively and colourful blog (waterrosez.blogspot.com) — where she does great crafty interviews, by the way — or you can visit her website (www.waterrosedesign.com) and online shop (waterrose.etsy.com) to share the delightful obsession with handcrafted quilt and embroidery crafts.

When I first discovered Natalya Sots’ lush ceramics work — and specifically Mad Hatter Tea Pot (sadly long ago sold to someone else) — I literally yelled out loud with delight. So I promptly dashed off a mash note to Natalya, asking for permission to share her exciting work with you.

She was good enough to say yes, and to give me permission to show you her photos of a few choice pieces — a sampling of some of the most wonderfully whimsical ceramics creations you’d ever hope to see…

But first, here’s what you need to know about the artist: Natalya Sots, a native of Kazakhstan, moved to the United States in 2002 and has been dazzling OOAK fans with her wildly distinctive colourful ceramics at Chicago-area art festivals (and at her online Etsy shop) ever since.

A day-brightener?
Trust me, this could brighten your whole week!

Don’t miss Natalya Sots on Flickr, for more of that wonderful mad imagination and her photos of works-in-progress.

There are oodles of places to buy and sell your own stuff online, sure… Right off the top, even my Great-Aunt Luddite could toss off the names of eBay, Craiglist, maybe even a few of the many crafty e-shops and consortiums that are now too numerous to mention, and that’s not even beginning to count the indie shops set up by individual artists and crafts people on their own websites…

I’ve mentioned before, however, that I love Etsy: my favourite source for discovering truly unusual handcrafted goodies… and the unique craftspeople who create them. Far be it from me to try to explain what sets Etsy apart from the crowd, however, when Jeremiah Owyang says it so nicely —

Etsy focuses on building community, relationships and even online events (like a virtual craft show).

— with the help of an “electronic press release” from the Etsy mothership, courtesy of YouTube:

[H/T to The Direct Approach]

Fast food and LOLcats… ah, this wacky modern world of ours! Pop culture has a lot to answer for, and it’s possible that not all of its products are particularly life-enhancing. That said, these 4 cheeseburger-inspired items caught my eye on Etsy today… for the sheer joy in each very different representation of the iconic American burger.

What’s your own favourite Cheeseburger in Paradise?
(Bonus points for a handcrafted picture of a cat with a burger, of course.)

• Polymer Clay Fun Food Earrings
  berrydumplin
• Sterling Silver Cheeseburger Necklace
  Thepuddingstore
• “BIG Appetite” Glycee Art Print by Annya Djachiachvili
  annya127
• Q-lia Happy Burger memo pad
  paperobsession

Got some fabulous cheeseburger art you’d like to share? Maybe even one of your own playing-with-food craft projects? Leave a comment — let the rest of us have a taste!