Around the World - Seattle

Whenever I think of Seattle, I was reminded of the movie - Sleepless in Seattle. Though amazingly, I do not remember much about that movie at all! (maybe too old?) I am also reminded of Starbucks, as they started off in Seattle. I'm recently very much in love with their chocolate cream chip frappucino with a dash of hazelnut syrup, yum yum!

Seattle - Space Needle at Night by cateomalley

The search for the best Etsy shops located in Seattle however, was interrupted by a sudden change in Etsy's Shop Local function. But it's okay, I got enough wonderful vendors for my article. :) A few interesting facts to take note of... of all the places I had searched thus far, Seattle has the most amount of underwear/lingerie shops!! For both female and male, and in many different styles too. ;D However, this is a family friendly blog (visual-wise anyway) so unfortunately I had opted to not feature lingerie shops. This is what I did find though...

Before I discovered the existence of screen-printed t-shirts, (which isn't too long ago btw) I always thought t-shirts are always printed. But now that I do, I have a whole new level of fascination to these apparels. Uzura (which means 'quail' in Japanese by the way) is quite exceptional in the art of screen printing. :) Not only that, her organic cotton t-shirts and hemp bags are very eco-friendly too! I love that blue bag with the hydrangea design, if only the hydrangea was white. It would look so lovely. :)

I am quite into geometrical motives lately, whether it is for jewelry, artworks or even sculptures. So I am quite ecstatic when I found Aiguille et fil! The french it means 'needle and thread', how appropriate is that for an apparels shop? :) One thing I love about Aiguille et fil is the consistency of the color usage. It is bright and colorful, but at the same time the palette is limited. It gives the a shop a very consistent look. I also love the way she incorporated the geometric shapes and lines to her clothing. So original!

Still with the theme of geometric shapes, Simbiotek Design Lab has some very interesting wares as well. The two architectural designers (no wonder) offers a variety of wares such as jewelry, coasters and prints of their simple geometric designs. Even though offering a somewhat large range of wares that doesn't seem to have anything to do with each other, they managed to keep their shop looking consistent due to the geometric designs they use. Very simple and effective. :)

The most interesting part of Ada Rosman's jewelry pieces is that they are influenced by her travels. Familiar patterns such as the triskele from Celtic art, floral wycinanki from Poland, the matryoshka from Russia, and even the arrows often found on road signs! I find that one particularly clever. :D It is amazing how she embodies a so many different art cultures into one shop and still make it consistent. I love metalsmiths!

Speaking of metalsmiths, JMcCormick Designs or Julie McCormick, is a self taught metalsmith with the most amazing jewelry. What I love most about her work is her rich, dark textures, and the unique look of her rings. They almost look like those plastic strip thingies that are used to tie up plastic bag sometimes, but a million times classier. Oh yes, did I mention about texture? It makes her jewelry looks almost leather-like in some instances, just simply amazing and extremely unique!

There are soooo many photography shops on Etsy, that I sometimes find them repetitive. (though beautiful) So when I do come across truly unique photography shops such as wavyshell, I get very excited. :) Her macro mushroom photographs as well as other forest floor creepy crawlies are just so enchanting and magical. I am particularly fond of the miniature photographs such as the tiny house in the moss and the table and chair under the mushroom. It was as if little people really exist!

Collages made with vintage ephemera are also one of my favorites lately. :) Unlike last week's Scrapatorium, Heidi Favour's are brighter in color, modern and a little less mind boggling. But with her unique use of colors within a certain color palette, it made her work stand out. My favorite is Specimen B, the collage with the insect in a jar. :D I'm actually surprised though that she has so few sales after so long, makes me wonder why, hmm...

Last but not least, this is probably one of the most amazing crafters I've found on Etsy! Eva Funderburgh is the creator of these really creative and lively 'beasties' as she would like to call them, with woodfired porcelain. I am extremely impressed by her imagination and how lively her beasties are, given the material. Some of them almost looked like they could move! You should read her descriptions too for each beasts, (even her sold ones!) very fun and interesting. :)