Halloween :: by etsy

When it comes to Halloween decorating, I'm a minimalist. A jack o' lantern, a few small gourds on the dining table, maybe a couple of extra pumpkins here and there, and I call it done. I just can't stand so much of what I see in stores, and so I have these lofty ideas of making all kinds of Halloween decorations myself, but that never seems to happen (when it's a choice between finishing costumes and making decorations, the costumes always win). Enter etsy.

First, there were these:

Vampire Rabbits from Fluffy Flowers
These were theoretically gifts for my boys, but I have to admit that I have sort of co-opted them for the living room. The boys like them, but I LOVE them. Love them beyond what's reasonable. Love their big eyes and their little fangs. Love their fabric. Love everything about them.
I'd admired Felicia's work for awhile, but these little bunnies just had my number from the beginning. Love 'em.
Aren't they SO FREAKIN' CUTE?!?

Bat Pack from Owly Shadow Puppets
As soon as I saw these guys over at Hillary's place,
I knew I had to have them.
This is a pack of four bats, different sizes,
laser-cut from heavy mat board.
They are crazy-fun.
This year, I have them spread out around the living room,
in different corners.
Next year, I am definitely going to hang them on a tree branch mobile, like this.

My house still has a very minimalist feel, in terms of Halloween decor. But the little bit that is there is Really. Cool. Stuff. And I love it that my money is going to independent artists as opposed to, say, Target (which still gets a large portion of my funds, I assure you).

So I'm riding the Etsy train these days, and you couldn't really expect me to get off after those two brilliant purchases, could you? No. Because next I saw Amanda's Autumn Ode to Etsy, and the yarn she featured simply stole my heart. (you must remember that I am extremely susceptible to the Power of Suggestion)

100% handspun merino
from Pancake and Lulu
in "Cinder Ella"
I think it's going to be perfect for a Zeebee for Little Buddha. I've been wanting to make one for awhile, and this yarn just screamed "Zeebee!!" to me. Seriously, look at that yarn, and listen hard. You will hear it too:
Zeebee!
Zeebee!
Zeebee!
I think it'll be a great match for his black-and-red winter coat.

I'm still looking for the perfect yarn for a hat for Tiny Dancer, whose coat is navy and olive green. I've been searching Etsy, of course. But it is quite an overwhelming place. The truth is, I tend to buy stuff there that I have seen featured on other people's blogs. Because if you type in "yarn" you get, like, 1013 items. And if you type in handspun yarn, you still get over 100. So if anyone wants to point me to some great yarn with blue and green in it, my mouse is standing by to click over.

What about you people? What are you loving on etsy these days?