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Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Bunnies by the dozen.

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Bunnies, bunnies, bunnies! I can tell that we are getting close to Easter by the sudden explosion of the stuffed bunny population. It would seem, ahem, that they are multiplying like rabbits.

This week, I have assembled a herd (yes, a herd) of rabbits for your Easter cuddling pleasure. Some are cute, some are quirky, but all are quite clever and very eco-friendly. Enjoy!

Known for their prolific breeding and their propensity for giving birth to large (and in some cases multiple) litters in the spring, it’s no wonder that rabbits are symbols of fertility and of the season itself.

As far as its symbolic tie-in with Easter goes, mentions of the Easter Bunny begin to appear in publications from the 1600s; although it is safe to assume that the origins date back further than that – most likely to pre-Christian Pagans.

Legend has it that the Saxon goddess Oestra (from whom Easter is named) had a sacred rabbit companion and an association with another symbol of fertility, eggs. Considering that, it makes perfect sense that bunnies and eggs are so closely linked with each other at this time of year. (And now you know what to tell your children why bunnies bring Easter eggs, and not chickens. Or, perhaps it’s only my son who is bothered by this.)

Finally, if you will allow me to step up on my “Going Green” soapbox for just a moment, I do need to draw attention to the practice of giving live rabbits for Easter. Just like a dog or a cat, a rabbit is a house pet that requires plenty of care and attention over its 10+ life-span. Every year, once the post-Easter reality sets in, countless unwanted rabbits are set free or dropped at animal shelters. Unless you have given it very careful thought and are willing to make the commitment, I would strongly discourage giving a live bunny as an Easter gift. Instead, why not make someone’s day with a stuffed long-eared, puffy tailed friend from one of our featured sellers? Go on…hop to it!

Top photo: Beeper Bebe – recycled wool suiting & yarn
1. Beeper Bebe – recycled wool suiting & yarn
2. Blue Moon Rose – recycled cashmere & vintage dress
3. Buttercupbloom – cotton, velveteen & upcycled lambswool
4. Chunky Chooky – upcycled denim & batik
5. Second Seed in Stitches – upcycled sweaters & fabric
6. Freedom Rainbow – recycled merino wool
7. LuvKt – deconstructed/reconstructed merino sweater
8. Pouch – repurposed vintage fabric & chemical-free lavender
9. Sleepy King – recycled fabric
10. Woolcrazy – recycled angora wool
11. Protean’s Coffee Shop – felt & fleece
12. Sighfoo – recycled wool & bamboo fibre
Bottom photo: Canoo – recycled angora wool/cashmere

For more information on rabbits as house pets, visit The House Rabbit Society.

Barefoot Weaver

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Barefoot Weaver: I have been in love with color since my first box of crayons and I fell in love with weaving in the 70s when I watched a girl weaving (barefoot, of course!) in the back of a store in Brattleboro, VT. Here was not just color but dance as well! By the early 90s I had my first loom and there was no looking back. Looms have a way of multiplying and taking over the house (as my family can attest) and now I have four (we won’t count the one in the barn). I am always amazed seeing them warped and vibrant with potential.

Colors live in my living room and cones of thread fill my bookcases. I dye my threads on a big plywood table upstairs in one of my workrooms (did I mention that I have taken over the entire house?) and my clothes line is often draped with skeins of freshly dyed thread. I do my designing on my warping mill and my work now is mostly warp driven which just means that I want the warp to show more than the weft (or weaving).

I started adding more texture to my weaving some years ago as well inspired in part by knitting yarns that have flags and tufts and wraps and shiny bits and skinny and fat parts.

So, I overproduce. And I have three grown sons who really don’t wear my creations aside from a very plain chenille scarf or two. I live on an old farm with my two horses, three cats, one small dog, and a very supportive husband. We heat with wood, snuggle down in the winter up here in the North Country, and I am content.

Jealousy Designs

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I run my own company as a interior/exterior house painter I paint, repaper, and things like that. It is not easy for a female to run a business in a man’s world but I love my job and I hope I will keep going.

My interest in beads started with a gift from my lovely boyfriend. He bought a box with beads, wire and some other things to me. Just because he thought I would like it. And I loved it! At the start I didn’t have any plans at all to sell my items but people around me started to ask if they could buy some of it and after that it came more people and more….

After a while I felt that I wanted a development from the beads and the material I had been working in. So I started studying various metalsmith techniques. The material I most liked to use became sterling silver and a little more expensive gems. And there is where I am today.

I am a person who takes my inspirations from my own impressions, things in life and nature. I always have a goal to make my jewelry and findings original. My style is very variable but often pretty clean design. I do my jewelry and findings with the word: everything has his own time. I want my work to be as perfect as it possible can.

The Wheat Field

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I recently stumbled across The Wheat Field and I loved the prints available! The above whale print is extra special because the shop owner is donating 50% of all proceeds to the National Wildlife Federation. Shop owner Katie Lombardo says:

My heart goes out to all of the creatures being affected by the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Hundreds of animals have been found dead and hundreds more are struggling to survive. This is an absolute tragedy, and we need to take action now.

Isn’t this print cheerful? If this print was hanging in my bedroom I would surely wake up smiling everyday!

This print make me want to literally ‘take a hike’. Katie has captured the allure and whimsy of nature in this print. It would be great for a boys room!

I’m moving this next week and I am definitely planning on purchasing a few of these for the new house. Please be sure to see all the other beautiful artwork that is offered at The Wheat Field!

OS Handmade

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Do you remember Space Invaders? Do you have cold toes?

OS Handmade: Felted slippers are made using hot water and soap – one of the most sustainable processes in textile
Wool (not merino) used for these slippers is very soft and thin what makes these slippers feel like a second skin on your feet. Your feet will be warm on a cold day and cool on a hot day due to insulation properties of the wool fibers.
Soles are covered with natural latex what makes wool slippers safe to walk around the house (not slippery).