Wandering the Web Wednesday, prep for the holidays~*

In the spirit of the season, I figure I'll turn over my web wanderings to gift inspiration~*

And what better place to begin window shopping my present quest than Etsy?

Print/Reversible Cozy/Spoons

I just adore what they are doing with prints now-a-days; a retro vibe with a side of humor.  And while there are a lot of eco-friendly cozies out there, I appreciate the ones that are reversible-- so when I inevitably dribble coffee out the spout & down the side of the cup I can flip it 'round and look a little less disheveled   Stamping silverware has been "in" for a while now...and I'm seriously thinking of picking up a vintage set of type to give it a whirl myself.  Actually, I used to have a set of vintage type punches, but I have no idea where they has gone off to.  They were a flea market find that I bought because it looked cool, but I had no idea what to do with it once it got home...sigh.  Etsy, where have you been all my life??

Dolls/Gnomes/Fox

I just love handmade dolls, so very Raggedy Ann, who was a favorite of mine growing up.  I used to read & re-read Raggedy Ann Stories and Raggedy Andy Stories by Johnny Gruelle, originally published in 1918.  Such beautiful illustrations...

Did you know that Gruelle created the Raggedy doll before he published the stories?  Apparently his daughter found an old rag doll upon which Gruelle drew a face, and it became her favorite toy.  Gruelle, enterprising fellow that he was, figured if his daughter liked it, so would other children, and patented the doll in 1915.  The stories came later, out of stories he would tell his daughter.  Ya learn something new every day, eh?

I think I might give doll making a go, if only just to try.  I mean, how cute are those gnomes??  And maybe there would be a book in it~*

Typewriter Key Necklace/Wax Seal Necklace/Amber Topaz Earrings

Jewelry is a no fail gift, at least for me.  I mean, I don't always wear it, but I can appreciate its beauty {sort of like shoes, but jewelry takes up less space lol}.  Typewriter keys themed pendants & whatnot have a lovely vintage-y feel, plus the re purposing & unexpected beauty.  Which is what led me to wax seal pendants-- another clever idea.  I've seen many people use wax seals on...you know...wax, & many a tutorial for how to make your own wax seal, but I hadn't seen anyone use a wax seal for stamping jewelry until I stumbled across it on Etsy.
I know everyone is gearing up for the holidays-- 'round Cecilia, we wait until the day after Thanksgiving to decorate.  November is usually spent making things in preparation for decorating for Christmas, and enjoying the last days of autumn-- which is far too short, but then, I suppose if it was longer we wouldn't appreciate its beauty as much.  Anyway, Amber Topaz has a particular allure this time of year.  It looks like autumn.  I love the simplicity of these earrings, they just let the stone speak for itself. Hmmm...if you click on the earring link and find them sold, you'll know what I got in my stocking this year~*

Retro Modern/Animal Prints/Birdies

What is it about a cute calendar?  I just love the way they look, hanging on the wall, marking the days-- even though all my calendars are electronic now-a-days; so much easier, just carrying my calendar in my purse pocket along with my to do list & clock & reminders & of course, my phone, all-in-one.  Ironically, the main purpose of my cell phone is the feature I use least.  I hate talking on the phone with a passion.  I always have, but when I hit 40 I figured I no longer need bother with things I don't like to do.  I mean, what is the purpose of hitting an age pretty much every human being agrees is full blown adulthood if one can not make the rational decision not to do things one doesn't like anymore?  I don't have anyone's expectations to live up to-- I can just go full blown eccentric & everyone is going to have to accept it.  So I don't answer my phone.  And I am much happier for it.  See that orange bird in the 3rd calendar?  That's me.  The crazy eyed, eccentric bird that texts like a pro {I can just tell by looking at it}~*

Pet Cave / Chew Toy /Customized Treats

Do your pets get a stocking & a visit from Santa?  Our menagerie does, though each species gets only one stocking to share.  We have, in the event you haven't been keeping count, 4 dogs {Doc, the beagle mutt, Alice, the terrier mutt, Rascal, the mutt mutt, & Poosh, the chihuahua/miniature pinscher mutt-- all pound puppies} & two cats {Boromir, the former barn cat turned jabba-the-hutt cat & Mac, affectionately known as the zombie cat because she is incredibly bizarre and zombie like, trust me...I should film her, you'd never believe it otherwise}.  There is also Shakespeare, the rag doll cat that resides with Thing 1, who is not officially part of our menagerie but will, obviously, get treats Christmas morning.  I would love to get Shakes a pet cave-- mostly because it would look adorable in Thing 1's apartment, but I don't know if he'd fit inside it.  He is a very large cat, but then, Shakespeare was a very big writer, so I suppose its fitting.  I am thinking I shall give making some chew toys a go this year.  Poosh is rather in to chew toys, & he just severed the ear off of his donkey.  He has a whole basket full of toys, and when I gather them up off the floor and put them away he is exactly like Thing 2 was as a toddler-- running back and forth to his toy box, pulling them all out, as if he just discovered them.  Maybe if they all looked like the chew toy above I wouldn't mind so much {though I doubt I would ever enjoy stepping on a squeaking toy, moist with dog saliva, with bare feet in the middle of the night, even if it was a cute squeaking toy}.

Yup, I'm going to enjoy Wednesdays.  Any excuse to window shop is good by me~*