Thought I would share a happy corner of my home. The Boo and I spend a LOT of time in the open space that is the living room, kitchen and dining room. I recently purchased a few cushions for the sofas from Etsy shop Milk & Cookies. Previously we had four identical, shiny red cushions – two on each love seat -  but they somehow got shredded over the years.  Eager to inject a new dose of pretty into my life, I decided to switch it up with some mix-and-match patterns. My favourite is probably the grey and white Kelly Wearstler print cushion in the second photo below. I’d like to eventually add a few more with shaggy or sparkly textures. What a great way to make change in your home without a big money or time investment.

I wanna know: what’s your favourite room in your home?

Here’s something fun to do while you’re sitting around the fire this Christmas. At the request of the folks at Daily Candy, Mélangerie has created this adorable parlour game that’s a cross between fortune teller, telephone and Pictionary. You can download the rules and game pieces to cut out right here (PDF). Have fun!

A little while back I wrote a post that showcased some lovely art featuring giraffes. Since then, I noticed a whole lot of art featuring foxes! Cunning yet gorgeous, it’s no wonder so many artists have been inspired by foxes. Here are some of my favourites:

Fairisle Fox by Hillary Bird:

Papier mâché sculpture fox by Elizabeth Jardine:

Siamese Fox by HEY! Studio:

Fox and a Phonograph by Pam Wishbow & Up and Away by Small Talk Studio:

King of Fox Hollow by Eastwitching:

Red Fox by Berkley Illustration:

Mae Fox by Amber Alexander:

The City Fox by Seventy Tree:

Fox notecards by Hunter and Moon:

Mucho Mejor by Luisa Uribe:

Fox No. 1 by Sharon Montrose:

ADORE these Aerofauna prints by Spanish Etsy seller Valero Doval. “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… both!”

I’ve become quite the Etsy fangirl in recent weeks. I’d given myself the personal challenge of finding Christmas gifts for everyone on Etsy. It’s funny though: I hadn’t realized that Etsy was relatively unknown in the general population: I’ve gotten many a “You’re ordering your Christmas gifts from where?” But I’m truly an Etsy believer! The products are unique, usually handmade, and many are an amazing deal for your money. Versus other e-commerce sites, shipping is largely cheaper. I’ve ordered from 14 different shops. Some things have started to arrive and so far I’m thrilled with the quality.

A few Etsy tips for the uninitiated:

• Design blogs are a great source for cool Etsy items. For example, Decor8 does a weekly Etsy feature and Poppytalk features a lot of handmade goods, many of them from Etsy.  As well, Etsy has its own blog that features notable sellers. Check out my blogroll for my favourite blogs.
• Check out the Treasury, featuring user-curated lists of items grouped together by theme (such as great stocking stuffers or fantastic gifts for moms).  Even Etsy’s homepage is curated with some great picks, or sign up for the daily email Etsy sends out for more selections.
• If you’re going to search for items directly on Etsy, make sure your search terms are really specific, because it’ll be difficult to wade through the pages of results if your search keywords are too broad.
• Look at the measurements of things before ordering: oftentimes you will be surprised by the size of things as it’s hard to judge from a photo. Take out your tape measure. This is the best way to ensure you know what you’re getting. You can often get custom sizes made if the dimensions the seller lists don’t suit you.
• If you’ve got questions you can easily message the seller before committing to purchasing. This includes shipping times and whether or not a shipping upgrade is possible to make sure the item gets to you in time (if ordering a gift for example). Sellers are generally extremely friendly and helpful.
• Each seller is rated by its past buyers. Check out how much positive feedback the seller has. You can also see how many orders the seller has filled. I generally don’t order from shops that have made few sales, such as less than 40, as I’d rather deal with a more experienced seller.

Do you have some Etsy tips?