Do Good Design

In my quest to find local, hand-dyed, even handspun woolen yarn I came at last to Etsy.com.

It’s like an eBay for artists and craftspeople.

Originally, I started looking for yarn using the old Google.co.uk search. I tried phrases like “hand dyed yarn” or “handmade yarn Scotland”.

Ruling out the yarn shops, I found a few websites — all of them difficult to find useful information on the colours, materials and story behind their yarn.

That didn’t yield much so I narrowed my focus.

I figure most people who are spinning their own yarn and hand dyeing it don’t have a website. Most likely they don’t feel they have the time or money, so that leaves me with eBay and Etsy.

Etsy.com you may not know about. It’s a marketplace for all things handmade.

It’s mainly American, but I think it’ll catch on in the UK since it’s pretty cheap to set yourself up and sell online.

fairy tale jewellery

I’ve actually used Etsy once before, when I bought 2 pieces from a Texan jewellery maker names Lisa Mageors, who’s otherwise known as “MisfitGirl”. Her profile explains that she “comes from the Island of Misfit Toys” — at least, that’s what she thought when she was 7.

Lisa grew up with an artist mother who encouraged her imagination and playfulness using all kinds of materials. That’s led to her jewellery and sculpture out of clay polymer .

What grabbed my attention were her pendants using old-fashioned children’s illustrations.

I love this pendant of Alice in Wonderland, because I’ve forever got my nose in a book — usually of the more imaginative, even fairy tale variety.

The second pendant is Hansel and Gretel in the woods, and is my “dream house” scenario.

Someday, I like to imagine, I too will live in a cosy cottage in the woods with a gently puffing chimney and plenty of trees to sway musically in the wind.

No plans to lure unsuspecting children, but a roof of candy I wouldn’t say no to.

Lisa’s art is sprinkled with just the right amount of pixie dust.

I always love anything that has a touch of magic to it, things that remind me of growing up reading fairy tales, making truly awful drawings of unicorns, hoping I’d see a fairy underneath a mushroom one day.

She asked for a picture of me wearing the necklace, so here you go Lisa.

Thanks again for such wonderful treasures!