BESTeam weekly feature: AllAboutCats

Now, gentle reader, can you guess what this shop sells from its name?! Indeed, from AllAboutCats you can pick up anything you need to entertain your feline friends, as well as lots of lovely cat-themed human stuff as well.  So, if you're a servant to one or more cats yourself, this is the shop for you! 

AllAboutCats is run by Linda from South Burlington, Vermont, who is a proud mum to three rescue cats herself.  It's refreshing to see that the felines help in the production of lots of these items, and I'm sure they've had a lot of fun testing out some of the prototypes!  Linda likes to do other crafts too, and on her blog you can read about her other makes too, find out how to make cat accessories and toys yourself, see some great treasuries of cat items from other sellers on Etsy, as well as fantastic photos of Maggie, Jerry and Brady themselves.

Having not had cats for a while now, I remember the days when a beige catnip mouse was the extent of the stock under the 'cat toys' heading at the supermarket. Thankfully, for today's discerning and sophisticated moggies, there is a much better range, so why not pick up something from this shop where each item has been lovingly handmade?  Here's a selection of my favourite cat and human items.  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shop.









1. Funky cat coasters - love the colors!
2. Save the lives of the real spiders by giving this toy spider to play with instead
3. Cats need to celebrate Valentines day too
4. Mini wallet or business card holder so you can be reminded of your friends at home when shopping...
5. What a cute pig!
6. More funky cats - this time for the fridge.

You can find out more about Linda and her feline friends at these links:

Email: AllAboutCats@TheLastByte.com

Blog: http://allaboutcatsetsy.blogspot.com
Check out the customer appreciation photos - so cute!

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-About-Cats/178751288826475?v=wall

Linda's other Etsy Shop is This And That In Vermont
for handmade items, supplies and vintage.

Deep winter

I miss travelling, especially north and east. So I went seeking some things on Etsy to remind me of places I'd been and places I wanted to go. Here are the lovely finds...

'Winter with a scandanavian feel' by BlueForestJewellery

Beautiful scandanavian-inspired items from Etsy sellers. Enjoy!

Scandanavian Inspired V... PaynesWorld $7.50	Rosepath Wrist Warmers avalanchelooms $45.00	Marimekko Icy Blue Tan... hannasboutique $12.50
Norsk Kvit Sau Colinscreature... $45.00	Anna-Liisa cardigan pa... Utuna $8.00	Dala Horse 3 DiannasDivineD... $18.00
SWEDISH SUNSET Cowl krazygirlknits... $68.00	Danish Flower Felt Plac... ekofabrik $35.00	Journey of the Sun CURL... RunzwithScisso... $36.00
Dream Pillow - Danish M... catnapcottage $38.50	Womens Norwegian Sweate... nicolecarey $20.00	Upcycled Wool Slippers ... byrdsofafeathe... $49.00
Nordic - Lap Quilt Patt... bluemeadowdesi... $9.99	iPhone 4 Apple iPod Tou... AngelPearls $11.00	Scandanavian Trimmed Wh... AngelLeighDesi... $20.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com.

BESTeam feature: Chasing the Nuns on Etsy

Today it's my pleasure to introduce you to Sarah from Chasing the Nuns on Etsy. Sarah from McHenry, IL, is a stay at home mom who's into crafts.  Her shop is full of beautiful knitted and crocheted items and she's happy to make any of these up in different yarns for you if you see something you want customised, or if you want something like a bag made out of a T shirt. How cool!

I've chosen some dishcloths, hats, a cuff, bags and booties from her colorful selection.  That turkey hat is perfect for Thanksgiving, I think! And that red lotus cuff would look really striking with jeans.  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shop.








You can catch up with Sarah at the following links:

http://chasingthenuns.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/chasingthenuns

http://www.facebook.com/pages/McHenry-IL/cerlandia/273587627352

and be sure to visit her other Etsy shop for screenprints:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/charlesandsarah

BESTeam feature: iknitandbead on Etsy

It's a pleasure to feature Elizabeth from Cary, NC, this week and her shop, iknitandbead.  Elizabeth is passionate about knitting and yarn, having taught herself to knit from a book, and loves to spend time in yarn shops just touching and selecting the wool for her creations.  Inspired by colour and the natural world, this is a really cheerful shop and perfect for browsing on a cold winter's day when just looking at the scarfs, hats, cowls and gloves will make you feel warmer!

Elizabeth's talents don't stop there, as she also loves to create jewellery.  One of my picks below combines both knitting and jewellery making, and I'm looking forward to seeing more creations like this in the shop because it's such a new and funky idea.

 This multi coloured chenille scarf will keep you warm and cosy and coordinate with almost any colours you were wearing.

I love the unusual colour and texture combinations in this knitted necklace wth a flower pendant.  What a great idea to combine those two skills!


There's a matching bracelet in this gold, brown and pink yarn too.






Elizabeth describes these lime green circle earrings as 'simple but beautiful' and I couldn't agree more. They could take you to a really dressed up function, or look stunning with jeans and a T shirt.




You can catch up with Elizabeth through the following links:

Etsy: http://www.iknitandbead.etsy.com
Blog: http://www.iknitandbead.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/knitsandbeadsbyebeth
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/knitsnbeads

A touch of Spring from UK Etsy sellers

Here's a new treasury of picks to brighten up the dark winter nights, from UK sellers on Etsy.  Click on any of the pictures to visit these great shops and their pretty, pretty items.

'Close your eyes and think of spring' by BlueForestJewellery

UK sellers look forward to warmer weather and fields of flowers. Enjoy!

GaysieMay $26.00	eyeshoot $22.00	fairysteps $189.00
wychbury $13.50	realfaery $20.00	lizgarnett $57.00
cherrypips $20.50	therainbowgirl $8.00	Beaky $10.00
artangel $25.00	therainbowgirl $50.00	AtelierEdytaLo... $58.00
PinkSherbert $12.00	PaperDaisyCard... $7.50	thetinderbox $54.99

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

BESTeam weekly feature: OfftheWallExpression on Etsy

Tina from Indiana, runs Off the Wall Expression with her husband Mick.  They specialise in contemporary and stylish vinyl graphics for homes and businesses.  What is great about this shop is that it really takes wall art to another level, and the examples of how to dress a room to show off the wall graphics are really inspiring.  As Tina says, the only limit is your own imagination, and you can use these state-of-the-art decorations to express yourself, share ideas, make you and your visitors laugh, or simply to look stunningly beautiful. 

My picks come in that last category, making your walls look stunning!  Love the plain background decoration with a splash of colour, shape and form. For me, these three also help to bring the wonder of nature inside and that's something I really go for!

Love this - there's a cool refreshing breeze always blowing through this room, and there's movement and life there too.

Birds are so in vogue at the moment, aren't they, this one could make your room look like a magazine feature!

Imagine waking in the morning to this burst of citrus energy.  The sun would always be shining with this on the wall.

All the decals come with application instructions and are so reasonably priced that this shop makes changing your home environment easy and inexpensive. 

You can follow Tina and Mick further through these links:

http://offthewallexpressions.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/offthewallexpressions

http://www.flickr.com/photos/offthewallexpressions/

New Year resolutions (and how to get out of them)

By heavenlyhandbag on Etsy

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and has found time to relax and refresh in the post Christmas lull. Funny time of the year, isn't it, this week between the two events. I can get a bit maudlin at this time, so I thought I'd occupy myself with New Year resolutions. And because each year I try really hard but somehow fail, this year I've made them a bit more realistic. Call them SMART targets if you like a bit of business speak!

by erin on Folksy

1) Go on a diet. As often as possible. Try to diet for whole days at a time. Tell as many people as possible that I'm dieting as often as possible, as this will make me feel thinner and more virtuous.

Likely to last until ... first encounter with chocolate machine on first day back in the office.

By sophiaedesigns on Etsy

2) Don't buy (m)any more handbags.

Only buy ones I really need or really want very much. OH says we need to move to a bigger house if I buy any more. Have included a selection I'm currently drooling over so that you can help me out and buy them before I can.

Likely to last until ... the next email offer for bags comes through.


3) Spend less time on the computer.

Likely to last until ... Oops, broken that one already!

Share your resolutions here, and your get-out clauses :-)

Happy New Year!
Alison