July 14th, 2010 by samanthatroy We’re particularly partial to triangles this week. “Why?” you ask. Well, we spent the fourth of July weekend gocco’ing our latest cards and we’re pretty darned pleased with them. Check out out our new cards below this week’s schmetsy.
  

  
Row 1: lisacongdon; spinthread; whitemetal
Row 2: clarebowers
Row 3: heatherfuture; LauraLombardiJewelry; selflesh
And, on to our cards: on white it’s a birthday card primary-upbeat enough for your nephew or designy-sophisticated enough for your BFF. On chipboard it’s an all-occasions card with a shimmering layer of triangles, brimming with positivity.
 
June 23rd, 2010 by tiniestj The long days and warm evenings of summer always make me want to go to a carnival. This week’s Schmetsy is inspired by the iconic revelry of these festive affairs.
 
  
  
  
Row 1: Balloons Photograph by JEberl; Merriment Necklace by umbrellastand
Row 2: Caramel Apples Photograph by alicebgardens; Funny Cat ‘n’ Crow Rollercoaster Note Card by 3crows; Felt Corndog by BeckyM
Row 3: Ferris Wheel Letterpress Set of 5 Folded Notes by paperlovelypress; Cyclone Original Aquatint Etching by piroteki; Jubilee Ride Ticket Thin Wood Cuff by ruthmikos
Row 4: The Knife Juggler Print by Roadside; Pink Careless Love Carnival Letterpress Print in White Letterpress Vignette by YeeHaw; Blue Ice Cream Print by inventorysupply
June 16th, 2010 by owentroy
June 9th, 2010 by samanthatroy
June 2nd, 2010 by owentroy As a bunch of print designers we’re unnaturally inclined to be fans of process colors: CMYK, from which all colors are printed in, say, a magazine or newspaper. However, it’s not just people who have Evelin Kasikov prints on their wall who are in love with these classically fresh color combos.
  
  
  
Row one: High Rise Screenprint by alyoisiusspyker • Octopus pouch by oktak • The jean necklace by pabrika
Row two: Vintage flats from ElasVintageFinds • Magenta skull cameo by dminortheory • Fascio Print by ableakney
Row three: Color for Trees Print by RuthieDesigns • Pink lemonade print by hhop • And our take on the trend, (good for grads and rad dads alike) the Rad card by us! (desTroy)
May 26th, 2010 by owentroy Etsy thumbnails are squares; Schmetsy thumbnails tend to be squares. The Experts are pretty much squares and my guess is you are too. Here’s nine (3×3) Etsy takes on the shape.
  
  
  
Row 1: From my hometown, this quilt pattern from CarolinaPatchworks is a pretty rad modern quilt I wouldn’t mind having (though it’s not a manquilt, as one of their other patterns is described). This Linked Squares Necklace from Lana0Crystal lends playful geometry to an evening look. Birdie Squares by yumiyumi has square after square of cute birds.
Row 2:Â As pocket squares should be used for fashion not as surrogate tissues anyway, this wool pocket Square by woodcock is fantastic. I have a few coats missing some buttons and occasionally think about getting some new vintage ones to replace em: I’m liking these wood square buttons from PieceofPeace. And speaking of wood, I’m digging the wood texture and interior glazework on these Wood-textured cups by digitdesign.
Row 3: A complicated and randomized system of overprinted blocks make up this CMYK monoprint by JoelBerryArtwork. We’ve never ordered food over Etsy but these artisinal Apple Pie Marshmallows by haveitconfections sound pretty fancy-tasty. And finally, the irregular lines and antiqued finish of these square hoop earrings by sstargell takes some of the cold geometry out of the shape.
May 19th, 2010 by tiniestj We Experts are (seer)suckers for stripes. This week’s Schmetsy is a nod to the versatile pattern, in all its lined, banded glory.
  
  
  
  
Row 1: I Love Cake Happy Stripes Cushion Cover. Brown and Orange. Cozy Tea Time. by Raine Style Home; Tennis Club by CarolDesign; Mix Tape Pouch (Grey with Teal and Yellow Stripes) by BraveMoonman
Row 2: Beatrice (8 x 10 Archival Print) by WildLifePrints; Sleepy Girl by threadedbasil; Z is for Zebra Alphabet Print (Hand Screenprinted) by strawberryluna
Row 3: Mini Messenger Stripe Blue Colour Bag by CrazyBoy; Spring Stripe Ruffle Loop by artlab; Retro Candy Stripe Vintage Ring by PinkSaguaro
Row 4: French Stripes by ValerieGalloway; Nautical.Stripes.Carpet.Bag by peacelovenpolkadots; Nesting Bowl Set by jasonrussellpotter
May 12th, 2010 by samanthatroy
May 5th, 2010 by tiniestj While you may have thought that this week’s Schmetsy might be inspired by Cinco de Mayo or a loving tribute to our dear mothers, those holidays are already upon us, so it’s probably too late to inspire you all with last-minute trinkets and baubles.
So, instead, we’ll completely shift gears and take a voyage on the high seas for this nautical Schmetsy! (Moms and Mexico, please know that this is in no way a snub.)
  
  
   
Row 1: The Captain Silhouette Print by thelittlechickadee; Sailor Tote Bag by bayanhippo; Birdie Boat by virginiakraljevic
Row 2: Nautical Leather Captain Fishcake Sailor Brooch by LoveFromHettyandDave; The Lost Boat (Vintage Style Brass Telescope Spyglass with Antique Brass Sailboat) Long Necklace by earringsnation; Ahoy Nautical Cross Stitch Button Badge by SmallStitch
Row 3: Hand Crank Pirate Ship Automata by cartoonmonster; Recycled Sail Luggage Tag – Number 2 (this one’s reserved, contact for custom order) by reiter8; The Tiniest Sterling Asymmetrical Anchor by FreshyFig
Row 4: Steve Zissou Finger Puppet by abbeychristine
April 28th, 2010 by owentroy Moustaches (and to a lesser extent beards) have become a crafty-indie motif that’s become nearly as popular as chandeliers, unicorns or deer. As the only Experts editor capable of sprouting whiskers (beyond capable: full disclosure, I’ve been clean shaven under ten times ever) I have been tasked with trying to get to the bottom of the trend.
  
   
 
Row 1: Keep warm and look fashionably mountain man-y at once with this bearded beanie by taraduff. There’s lots of moustache pins to be found on Etsy but I really like the classy colors of these vinyl Fancy Moustache Pins by yummypocket best; I couldn’t explore the moustache trend without including a bearded madame: I like all sorts of things about this Geek Scrub vegan soap by scodioli but especially its mashup of contemporary geekery and the old-fashioned chicken-decapitating-with-teeth kind.
Row 2: I drink espresso every morning from a set of stacking espresso cups like these by UptownAvenue –though without the awesome moustache varietals on them. If you’ve grown a moustache on a dare, shaved a beard leaving just a moustache, or you’re a girl who’s gone out partying wearing a false moustache, perhaps you deserve a moustache merit badge like this one from imadeyouabeard? The monocle cat-erpillar by cordialkitten had me at “monocle” then went ahead and went for five legs, so good.
Row 3: I really like the campy-masculinity of this coffee-and-pipe-tobacco-scented moustache wax by mansfacestuff, the flowing sweetness of this gocco print, “Two” by laurageorge, and the terrific and original fabric print on the the birds and the beards dress by meandoli
Conclusions: I think it sprung from a combination of a sort of cheeky take on manliness (chucknorrisfacts, those Old Spice commercials) and an offshoot of several other niche motifs (pirates, victoriana, yetis). Devendra Banhart and Daniel Day-Lewis might also shoulder some responsibility?
As a moustache-wearer I am not the target audience for the hundreds of moustaches-on-sticks or -on-chains (or merit badges or dresses) out there: most of these products are aimed at women. Erin from imadeyouabeard notes that in Portland, that mecca of indiecraftiness, there are two kinds of people, “hipsters with beards, and lumberjacks with beards. I was born without the ability to grow a beard, and now I make beards to help people like me blend in with their bearded compatriots.” Bravo Erin. Ladies, help me figure this out, is this what it’s about?

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