Treasury: The People's Color

See this treasury list on Etsy!

Etsy Treasury List's Featured Shops

FIRST ROW
eleanorjoseph - hand painted jewelry (Minneapolis, MN)
sweetknitting - handmade, timeless fashion (Izmir, Turkey)
CarolynCochrane - fine art photography prints: nature, beach, flowers (New Jersey)
Morrgan - fingerless gloves, scarves, slippers, magnets and more (Turku, Finland)

SECOND ROW
FiberFusion - unique handwoven items, felted items, and yarn (Minneapolis, St. Paul)
stephaniecorfee - Stephanie Corfee: illustrations & decorative art (Malvern, PA)
kylieparry - handmade ceramic jewelry and art beads by Kylie Perry (Wisconsin)
Briole - New Orleans photography, travel and more (St Louis, Missouri)

THIRD ROW
thewheatfield - The Wheatfield by Katie Daisy (Portland, Oregon)
Splodgepodge - original watercolors & prints by Louise DeMasi (Coffs Harbour, Australia)
mcfarlanddesigns - ethical beauty: fair trade & recycled jewelry (Arcata, California)
swiftfiberstudio - hand dyed yarn in flying colors (New Hampshire)

FOURTH ROW
beadsforever - handmade beadwork, dichroic glass, polymer clay jewelry (San Diego, CA)
JulieKnowlesPottery - handmade pottery yarn bowls, jewelry bowls, & more (Sedona)
MariaPaceWynters - mixed media paintings by Maria Pace-Wynters (Edmonton, Canada)
alidouglass - illustration, prints, original art, pillows (Asheville, North Carolina)

Treasury: Winter Blues

See this treasury on Etsy!

Etsy Treasury List's Featured Shops

FIRST ROW
CarlaDyck - fine art photography by Carla Dyck (Winnipeg, Canada)
SquishySushi - eco-friendly jewelry and gifts with an Asian influence (San Francisco, California)
SevenBlooms - organic women's clothing - dresses, t-shirts, tops, skirts (New York, New York)
molMolly - original paintings, artwork prints (Gdansk, Poland)

SECOND ROW
katrinchen - paper and yarn items (Florida)
AlyTheRed - cozy up your life (Eugene, Oregon)
LeBestiaire - embroidered, painted, one off clothes ... (Paris, Ile-de-France)
SusiDjewelry - the beauty of everyday jewelry (Los Angeles)

THIRD ROW
NaderShenoudaArt - watercolor and acrylics (Cairo, Egypt)
alvant - unique hand-woven Alvant accessories with fringe (Brooklyn; NYC, Waterford, CT)
MarianneLoMonaco - original fine art photography (Barrie, Ontario)
SunnyLeeStudio - watercolor paintings, ACEO, Christmas stockings (Alexandria, VA)

FOURTH ROW
easternsky - squishy yarn goodness (Tuusula, Ulusimaa)
bellehibou - vintage inspired handmade goods and photography
spinup - spinup yarns: freestyle handspun and fiber (Flagstaff, Arizona)
PomLove - the original (tissue paper poms) on Etsy (Portland, Oregon)

Quick Pick: 2012 Pit Bull Calendar Benefiting Animal Rescues

The Unexpected Pit Bull 2012 Calendar

Price: $18.99
(price per calendar decreases the more you buy)

Recommendation: Great holiday present for any dog-lover in your life! They'll enjoy the beautiful photos and you'll know that the gift you purchased benefits animals in need.

The Unexpected Pit Bull Calendar 2012, $18.99

I don't think I've done any dog-related posts yet, which I'm kind of amazed by, since I'm obsessed with my pit bull, Caramel (photo below). You know those parents who think their child is the most amazing being in the world just for breathing and carry around photos that they always want to show to people the minute the subject comes up? ... Yeah, that's me. But with my dog. *blush*

I started fostering for the Baltimore-based pit bull rescue Adopt a Homeless Animal Rescue in June 2006 and have be absolutely in love with the breed ever since.

There are a lot of great organizations that work to reduce the stigma surrounding pit bulls and try to show people how wonderful these dogs are. I didn't previously know about The Unexpected Pit Bull, but saw a post on Facebook advertising their 2012 calendar and had to find out more (I mean, come on - look at that face on the cover! How could anyone not click?!).

The organization revolves purely around putting out a new calendar edition every year in order to raise money for animal rescues. I'm very familiar with the first one, since they're at the forefront of pit bull advocacy, but was not as familiar with the others:

My adorable pit bull Caramel - cutest dog in the world!
"Dogs Can Smile Too," $10.00-$16.00 + $2.00 s&h

• BAD RAP (Oakland, California) - Securing the future of the American Pit Bull Terrier as a cherished family companion
• Best Friends (Kanab, Utah) - Pit Bulls: Saving America's Dog Campaign
• Out of the Pits (Albany, New York) - Showcasing the true nature of the Pit Bull and its ability to perform as a therapy, sport, and working dog
• PSPCA (Pennsylvania) - Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• Safe Humane Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) - Court Case Dog Program

Starting with this calendar, the organization is partnering with HeARTs Speak, a nonprofit made up of artists from around the world who are working to improve the lives of animals in need. Their photographs are the ones featured in this year's calendar and from those previewed on the site, I have to say these artists are obviously extremely talented!!

A great find and one that was automatically added to my wishlist.

"Honey," featured in The Unexpected Pit Bull's 2012 Calendar, $18.99

Pre-order today The Unexpected Pit Bull's 2012 Calendar, $18.99

Images come from The Unexpected Pit Bull and my Etsy Shop Eleventh Muse

*Review* Pendant Necklaces from Handy Maiden (4.5 stars)

HandyMaiden.Etsy.com - hand-painted miniature sculptures and collectibles (San Diego, California)

Little owl pendant necklace

Product: "Little owl pendant necklace"
Order Date: August 15, 2011
My Total: $30.00 + $5.00 s&h
Discount: $28.00 Heartsy voucher
Artist: Danielle Pedersen

I first learned about the Handy Maiden shop through the Heartsy giveaway. I absolutely love the miniature pendants and had a hard time choosing which one I wanted to buy. I've been trying to not load up on things that have no functional use, so decided to go the wearable art route and choose one of the pendant necklaces.

There is a great amount of detail in each of the sculptures and collectibles and I can only marvel at how the artist, Danielle Pedersen, is able to do it without shaking and smudging anything. She has a wide variety of items that she offers in her Shop: miniature animal sculptures, brooches, chalkboard zoo series (adorable and very funny! see below on the left), earrings, necklaces, and more.

Verdict

Woodland wedding cake toppers - foxes, $160 + free s&h

The pendant looks just as it did in the photos - better, actually! - and arrived very quickly: I ordered it on a Monday and received it on the Saturday. It arrived very securely and safely packaged. I had asked for the chain to be shortened and it was.

+ PROS + Even prettier and more delicate-looking than in the photos. Owl pendant always faces the right way and doesn't twist around as you wear it. Very comfortable to wear, not at all heavy.

-- CONS -- Chain does turn as you wear it, so am always having to check where the clasp is and move it back so it's hidden. The price.

= BOTTOM LINE = I love the necklace and am very happy with my purchase. I wish that the pendant had been attached to a link in the chain so it didn't always twist around though; always an annoyance that I try and avoid when I purchase necklaces. It is a little pricey and I wouldn't have been able to afford it without a Heartsy voucher, however the price is fair given the quality and intricacy of the work.

Chalkboard pig figurine, $15.00 + free s&h

Shop Information

Opened: June 30, 2009
Items currently for sale: 64
Total sales: 518
Feedback: 487, 100% positive (487 positive, 0 neutral, 0 negative)

Links:
* HandyMaiden - Etsy Shop
* @HandyMaiden - Twitter
* Danielle Pedersen - Etsy Profile

NOTE: I purchased the item reviewed and am expressing my own uninfluenced opinions.