Tastes Like Purple

There's a neurological phenomenon called temporary synaesthesia, where a person experiences mixed sensory signals, e.g. mixing sight with sound, smell with taste. Sometimes it occurs as a result of a blow to the head, some experience it under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. I'm sure you've experienced a lesser form of it at least once in your life, I know I have. The commissary at work used to serve this particular kind of pickle as a garnish, some form of dill pickle. I used to call them monkey pickles because they tasted how monkeys smelled. I guess I had just been to the zoo when I made this connection, I really don't remember, it was a long time ago. But from that point on they were monkey pickles to me. I'm sure some of you have experienced something tasting like skunk, right? Or is it just me? I won't even go into what alfalfa sprouts smell like to me :-) Clicking on the photos will take you directly to the listing. These teeny tiny envelopes really come in handy. I've used these in packages when customers are sending a gift directly to the recipient - very classy! You can find these in the appropriately named TeenyTinyEnvelopes. The bold print on this pouch by AnnieKClothing makes it a standout I've always been tempted to take up knitting, and when I do Syrendell's shop will be my first stop. This brilliant violet silk scarf is handpainted by OceanAvenueSilks. It literally glows, doesn't it?

This fiber brooch by Ohmay is the most beautiful shade of purple and would dress up any outfit.

This little crocheted plum by the ButtonTreeShop has the cutest expression. I just want to pinch its plummy little cheek.

This is the second of a monthly blog post by Felicia of MaidofClay Ceramics. Please feel free to pass this blog post along by any means at your disposal - it's great exposure for those featured, and of all the CCCOEr's in general. Thanks!

A Perfect Day in California

Hello! My name is Gwendolyn Garcia of GwendolynForever, and I am so very happy to be writing a regular column for the CCCOE blog. Coming up with ideas to write about has caused me to focus on all the things I have always loved about living in California. I feel so lucky! As a California native, I grew up in a small beach town in the Central Coast of California, which has influenced my version of A Perfect Day in California... Enjoy!! Ultimate Beach Bliss by Photopia Imagine waking up to a perfect hue of blue sky. The weather is mild enough to sleep all night with the window open. You are surrounded by crisp white cotton curtains, sheets, and walls. You can hear the distant sound of the ocean, just a short walk from your beach cottage, and you can hear the sound of little birdies playing in your garden. It is a morning in Spring, a perfect day in California. Afternoon Nap in the Sun by Full Circle Images

It is such a beautiful day that the first thing you want to do is fix yourself a cup of tea or coffee and go out to sit in your garden and soak up the first rays of morning sun. Still wearing the tank top you slept in, you make your way to your kitchen and grab your favorite handmade ceramic mug, then you go out and find a spot next to the prettiest of your garden flowers. You may even find yourself pulling out a few weeds as you begin to fully waken.

Birds and Branches Boy Shorts Tank and Panty Set by Blonde Peacock Bright Spring Ranunculus Garden by DolceChic Glacial Waters by Primitive Pots You feel so energized by your morning in the sun that you have decided to take a walk into town. You go inside your beautiful beach cottage to get ready to take a shower and get dressed. You are going to use the most amazing hand-crafted bath products to enhance your positive energy and your glow. Then, you get to choose from your collection of locally purchased dresses and handmade jewelry and accessories! What a wonderful day this is turning out to be! Virgin Coconut Sugar Scrub by Joanne Bassett Dripping With Gemstones necklace bySurf and Sand Vintage Yellow Dress by KMalinka All dressed and ready to go. You walk into town and enjoy the simple beauty of the world around you. You browse through your favorite shops, stop and chat with friends you may run into in town, and say hello to your favorite shop owners. Blue Door Red Hydrant by Painted With Light Paper Pinwheels Party Favors by Made By Jackie For Booklovers by Jane Elizabeths After a fun day of hanging out in town you decide to bundle up and walk down to the beach to watch the sun set. You are lucky enough to live in a small town, and the beaches are still free and uncluttered with crowds. You find a perfect spot to sit comfortably on a sand dune and savor this once in a lifetime moment, as no two sunsets are ever the same. Blue Skies Ahead by Muse Silk Paintings Trailing Leaves Handknit Cloche Hat by Ohmay Finale by Barbara Gordon I hope you have enjoyed these beautiful treasures of arts, crafts, and vintage goods by the amazingly talented and gifted sellers of CCCOE, and I hope you have enjoyed my version of a Perfect Day! Peace, love, and blessings to you all, and I will see you again next month!!!

Happy Birthday Pisces!

Pisces are born February 20 thru March 20 and are symbolized by a pair of fish going in opposite directions which some say depicts Pisces internal struggle of the soul. Should they comply to the rules of the physical world or listen to their inner voice and dream?

Pisces by stardust They are sensitive, imaginative, artistic and dreamy. They have a desire to learn new things and are very creative.

PDF Knitting Pattern by OhmayDIY Gemstone Pearl Beaded Bracelet PDF by Nansglam

Pisces is the most romantic sign and cannot tolerate being lonely or rejected. They are gentle by nature, very friendly and compassionate people.

Butterfly Romance Hand painted Silk Scarf by MuseSilkPaintings Cupids Breath 1800's Vintage Gold Button Necklace by AlliesAdornments

Travel appeals to Pisces and they love to visit far off unexplored places. Anything off beat & remote is bound to catch their attention.

Bridge of Gold in Florence Italy Print by NarikosNest

Tan Leather Journal by BoundbyHand

Famous Pisces include Albert Einstein, Ansel Adams, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Marlon Brando and Drew Barrymore. 2nd in our series of Astrological signs by Sophie n Me.

Spotlight on....

Hello again! Welcome to our 2nd "Spotlight On...." by Sophie n Me.

Today we are meeting.... 1. Your name and name of your shop(s)? My name is Lisa Baker, but I wanted a snazzier name for my business/etsy shop, so I named it Lisa Confetti. I thought that sounded festive, like a party! 2. Day or night job if you have one. No day or night job. I work on my business 24/7. 3. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs/shop? I incorporate images of masterpiece paintings into my jewelry, and my inspiration comes from the paintings themselves.

Beautiful Mary Chunky Resin Ring Sea Pearl Reversable Resin Necklace

4. What was your favorite cartoon as a child or now? Scooby Doo 5. What did you have for lunch today? Today it is a hardboiled egg, 2 almonds and a tangerine. But tomorrow it will probably be combo number 7 at my favorite Mexican restaurant. 6. Finish this sentence "All I need is..." help 7. Chocolate ice cream or vanilla? Chocolate chip (in vanilla ice cream) 8. What is your favorite material to work with? I work with resin, which is a bear. A necessary evil to make what I want to make. My favorite material is actually working with the images themselves. I absolutely love going to the local university library and spending hours looking at art history books. Beautiful Day Reversible Art Necklace

Romantic 19th Century Portrait & Floral Necklace 9. What don't people know about you? People who are looking at my Etsy shop probably wouldn't know that the great majority of my business is wholesale, primarily selling to museum shops. 10. How many hours do you spend a day searching for stuff on Etsy? It's my goal to spend two hours a day on Etsy -- adding items to my shop, searching the forums, searching other shops, reading the cccoe blog, etc. I reach my goal about half the time . . .

Degas Ballerina & Klimt Flowers Necklace Colorful Necklace Celebrating Diego Rivera

Thank you Lisa for sharing yourself and masterpieces with us!

Spotlight on....

Welcome to our new series "Spotlight On..." where we meet and learn more about each other. Some questions are shop related and some are fun and quirky. Our first Spotlight brings us to..... 1. Your name and name of your shop(s)? Julia from SimpleTruths 2. Day or night job if you have one. I'm a development editor for a text book company - although right now I'm on maternity leave until April :) 3. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs/shop? Some of my inspiration comes from vintage designs. I like taking vintage styles and turning them into something more modern - like my granny square purse charms. I also just love things that exude coziness.

Granny Square Purse Charm Ribbon Button Neckwarmer 4. What was your favorite toy as a child? My little sister! And my Barbies 5. What did you have for dinner today? Left over veggie lasagne 6. Finish this sentence "When I grow up..." ...I want to be fearless. Shades of Pink Necklace Crocheted Beaded Necklace/Bracelet Crochet Ring in Bloom 7. Price is Right or Make a Deal?

The Price is right! 8. What makes you smile? Happy people, conversations with strangers, and pretty much everything that comes out of my toddlers mouth. 9. What don't people know about you? I like rearranging my furniture just because. My husband has been known to go out for just a moment and almost trip over the couch trying to get back in the house! 10. How many hours do you spend a day searching for stuff on Etsy?

....I have *NO* idea what you're talking about ;)

Full Moon-Crocheted Earrings Two Tone Crocheted Sprial Earrings

Hope you enjoyed this Spotlight On... Thanks to Julia for sharing and creating such gorgeous pieces!

Flea Market Madness

My name is Felicia and I'm a flea market addict. There, I said it. What's worse is I got my husband hooked too! There was a time before I injured an ankle that my husband and I would spend most every Sunday at a Southern California flea market. The first Sunday of the month was the Pasadena City College market, the second Sunday was the famous Rose Bowl flea market, the third was the Long Beach Flea Market (my personal fav), and the fourth was our Sunday to rest (unless the Ventura Flea market was going, of course). I swear, it was the only thing that could have gotten my butt out of bed before the sun was up! But with my inability to walk for long distances my flea marketing days are, if not completely gone, then seriously dampened. Thank goodness for online shipping and Etsy! I've found many vintage goodies shopping on Etsy and within the CCCOE there are a number of sellers that specialize in vintage alone (CCCOEr's - make sure you tag your listings with CCCOE Team). Here are some goodies I've found recently while browsing through the Vintage section: This vintage Mexican tooled leather purse in KMalinka's shop takes me back to summer vacations spent with the aunts in El Paso. They used to cross over to Juarez to buy these (back in the 60's when it was still safe to venture there). If I were more of a purse person (backpack, anyone?) I would totally have this one in my arsenal. Many times the best vintage finds are those that you no longer use for their originally intended purpose. This camera has a great silhouette and is a sculpture in its own right. Carried by SlothArt. Alyssa of Oldetymenotions is a great supplier of antique buttons and other vintage goodies. I used to collect antique buttons once upon a time and I'm sure if I hadn't gotten over THAT addiction that I would have been Alyssa's best customer. Alyssa not only sells the antique buttons but she creates wonderful jewelry from them.

Dustdesignco uses a circa 1950's Los Angeles Transit Authority token in a way the original commuters never dreamed would look so good. I wonder if these were for the iconic "Red Car" my mom used to talk about.

I love when vintage components are used to create contemporary pieces. Nan of Nansglam uses a vintage skeleton key to good effect by creating a necklace with a sense of mystery.

This post was contributed by CCCOE member, Felicia of Maid of Clay Ceramics (in her very first blog post EVAH

Lucky Magazine March 2011’s minimalism “What I want now!” page is what inspired me to blog.  Sleek and to the point is where fashion is pointing us this spring and I thought I would give it a little CCCOE team spin.

Hoop Earrings Handmade in Argentium  by Aubepine

Elegant and understated these earrings illustrate minimalism perfectly.  No fuss, just gorgeous jewelry. These earrings will class up any spring outfit with a touch of class and sophistication.


Pleat Purse by salvageshop

This purse screams minimalism.  Clean lines and muted color create this one of a kind purse. I love that the seller uses salvaged leather, this was once a upholstery sample and now it is a sleek and chic purse that was meant to be seen.

Man Bowl - Licorice Glaze by Shula (ClayMystique)

Understated, dark, and simply gorgeous, this bowl is another one of my favorites.  No frills, just simple. Named the man bowl; this woman cannot wait to get her hands on it. 


Minimalist Wedding Dress Organic Hemp, Bamboo or Cotton Jersey by Murielle (MurielleKnitwear)

As I was researching this topic I was happy I stumbled onto this dress.  I spent last year wedding dress shopping with my now sister-in-law and everything I saw had too much going on....this does not;  to me it is perfect. Simple and elegant it lets the bride shine. 


Black Onyx Stretch Bracelet - Spin the Black Circle by AnKaLi

Once again the item showcased is simple with not a lot going on.  Monotone in color, no clasp, nothing is there but the Black Agate Beads that create the Bracelet. 

The author, Carrie of  AnKaLi Designs is a resident of South Pasadena, CA. She enjoys bead weaving, jewelry design, photography, skydiving, and spending time in the California sun.