All The Pretty Girls

The decadence of a beautiful face, drawn to drip in jewel-colored makeup could definitely dress up your white walls. Illustrator Leigh Viner's pretty girls all look like their cocktails are laced and Bowie's playing loud, pump-thumping through the wall-sized speakers at that new, shiny downtown club. Rendered in ink, or acrylic, or whatever Viner picks up to paint with, the beautiful faces she fashions are a result of a somewhat divine talent. With minimal art training, Viner has largely taught herself how to make magic on paper. Her raw technique is laudable, with its dependence on free-form lines, drips, and fabulous dribbles. The results of her skills are portraits with personality--the type of personality that you would never talk to at the party, but would always gawk at.

You can purchase Viner's work through her Etsy site for very reasonable prices. To get to know her better, and to see some of her fantastic photographs, check in on her blog.

All of the images above are copyright Leigh Viner, and are hers and hers alone. No stealing, wannabes!

Twist for me, lil darlin'.

I love these hair portraits by Etsy seller nosideup. Prints are available for $20.00. A customized sketch of your own updo can be yours for $75.00. Peruse her shop for other delights such as paper bling and your very own "it" bag. To be cool like her, follow her blog.

Cheap Thrill: Plane Earrings

This is the time of year that I get that itch to travel. I have no current plans to do so, and would need corporate sponsorship per mile to go anywhere outside of the five boroughs or Jersey. So, instead of hopping on a plane, I'm gonna let my ears take flight and pick 'em up a pair of jet earrings from Fabuluster's Etsy Shop. It's the little things sometimes.

The Pretty Black Hole.

A Twitpic of CourtneyLover79.

Following Courtney Love (CourtneyLover79) on Twitter is kind of like slipping into a pretty little black hole. Her world is frantic, frequently updated, un-punctuated, ramble-rousing craziness spiked with fun and lots of girly, gorgeous stuff.

She lets tweeters in on homeade fashion projects, including turning a shawl into a dress in an hour.

Sometimes the ranty mumbo jumbo clears and the Lover passes along a nugget of internet goodness, whether it be a blog, a designer's website, or maybe a really great Etsy seller. Also, I've always been fascinated by Courtney's crazy.

Courtney shares her favorite Etsy sellers and a link to The Moldy Doily, all great stuff.

If not for her unique mix of probably undiagnosed brain stuff and insane genius (I once read an article about her challenging everyone she met to timed NYTimes crossword puzzle contests and winning every time!) the world would be lacking a certain spice, if you will, a certain flavor.

Courtney even tweets about tweeting, or as she refers to it, "Twatting". ha.

Love has always embraced the internet and Twitter has become her new outlet. When a list of 10 tweets in a row pop up from her on my feed, I feel a little assaulted, but usually it hurts so good. Just like Courtney Love should.

Pretty Little Papercuts.

The simplest tools can make the most beautiful things. Hand artist Elsa Mora a sheet of paper and a pair of scissors, and she'll snip snip until you hold in your hand the most gorgeous piece of work of art. Her papercuts are masterpieces of delicate and intricate handiwork with sharp objects, mainly tiny scissors from Honey Bee and really well filed X-acto knives.

Here's a closer look at the finer points of her work:

Aren't they amazing? The precision of the incisions is fantastic. Elsa, or Elsita as she is known in the Etsy universe, is a dedicated artist. She brings creativity to every aspect of her life and is a champion for the freedom of expression. After battling stress and baby blues in the period following the birth of her second child, Elsa realized that she had been neglecting her appearance and resolved to change the things she didn't like in the mirror, and embrace and love the things she did. To keep herself up to task, she began a style site called The Hidden Seed. There she documents her daily outfits in the most gorgeous way.

She's a woman full of the kind of rich, real beauty that rage women need to see more of. Her lovely sense of style comes courtesy of a childhood spent growing up in Cuba and winding up in California. Her artistry comes through in her beautifully detailed outfits where every fabric is lush, every color is perfectly hued, and all of her accessories add another detail to the story her ensemble is trying to tell. And, look at those backgrounds. They are so lovely.

What a pleasure to see a woman--a real, unairbrushed woman, a mom, an artist, a creative being--having fun with her wardrobe in a really joyous way. Follow Elsita's lead and treat yourself like a work of art. If you need some help with the finishing touches, check out her Etsy store for jewelry, pins, the occasional article of clothing, and an entire cache of inspiring artworks.

All photos are via Elsa's bolgs. Click any image to be taken directly to the sites.

Fine Feathers.

One of Etsy seller Featherbrain's feathered headbands.

I'm seeing so many women in the city wearing feathers in their hair lately. Entire street vendors have ceased to sell anything but plumage embellished headbands, and have been attracting quite the crowds with their displays. Although, I generally have a natural aversion to any wide-spread trend (I'm just that unique, y'all), I'm finding this one kind of charming. Why the change of reaction? Well, every time I see a headband full of feathers catch the sunlight and shimmer in some girl's hair, I am reminded of this nature video that I love oh so much:



How amazing are birds of paradise and their fine feathered selves? I mean truly! They are so crazy/beautiful. Watching that video so reassures me of the absurdity inherent in the dating process as well. Fluff your finest feathers, shake what your mama gave ya, and hope the right chicky is watching. That's all we can do, right? I say put some feathers on your head and see where they get ya. I just hope you don't attract any pigeons...

Blooming.

Tilly Bloom makes objets d'art after my own heart. Her illustration-based, wearable (and not so wearable) artworks are beautiful without being "pretty". They are interesting without being weird, well some of them are a little weird. They are black and white, which I love, and they are affordable, which I love even more. She's an Etsy seller originally from Scotland who now resides in Brooklyn. I'm especially loving her thick bracelets lined in colorful felt, which are pleasantly priced at around $24. Here are a few of my favorites:

The bracelets have great names like "OMG They Killed Caesar!" and "At The Party Alice Felt Gloomy". They'll surely transform your pulse points into talking points. Tilly Bloom is quite prolific, so if you like her style, click on one of the images above and peruse her Etsy shop; there's plenty more where these came from.

The Girl's Got Moxie

One day, when I was bored I was perusing Etsy for sellers in random locations. I was hoping I'd stumble on some more home-bred (like white bread, only better for you!) models, but I found something even better in Nebraska. Moxiephotodesign is a great little shop run out of Seward, Nebraska by Leah. I love, love, love her snaps and her graphic design sense. She takes original photos, vintage found images, and text and turns them into the best things.

She does badges:



Magnets:



Journals:



And much more. Pick from existing images for your products, or make a request for something similar to what you see above. The images are culled from old year books, fashion magazines, and photo books, so there are plenty more where these came from. Ms. Moxie also has a blog that is highly entertaining. She's fun. I think you'll like her and her wares as much as I do.

Click any image for ordering information and a closer look.