I have a blog, Melissa loves, where I share all of the unique & beautiful things I find along the way. Particularly love independent designers & artists. Always happy to spread the love. :) http://www.mloves.typepad.com
I have a blog, Melissa loves, where I share all of the unique & beautiful... More »
When I first found Etsy, I felt I had hit the art jackpot. I had been looking for something like it for so long and didn't even know it — such a plethora of gorgeous and affordable art. Here is just a sampling of some of my very favorites (many from Etsy, some from elsewhere). Any one of them would add such warmth and personality to a home. I hope you enjoy and find a new favorite for yourself! — Melissa from Melissa Loves
Artist Amanda Blake has such a magical view of the world. The people in her work seem from another time, but the environments they live in are fresh, magical and almost always populated with stars.
Amy Rice is an amazing artist. In Amy's words; she likes to paint with "spray paint, acrylics, gouache, and inks, and print on antique papers (preferring handwritten love letters, envelopes, journal pages, sheet music and maps)." I would love to own one of her originals someday, but thank goodness she makes prints too.
Sweet William is a collaboration between two sisters: Shelley Gardner, who lives in Wellington, New Zealand, and Paula Mills who is based in Melbourne, Australia. Sweet William's work is soft and lovely. Beautiful use of color and often a very sweet message.
Lovely Paola Zakimi, the talent behind Holli, has such a sweet spirit and it shows in all of her delicate and beautiful work. Sweet faced and lovely girls populate her work. Peaceful and serene.
Artist Geninne D. Zlatkis is a multi-talent through her artwork, her home and the way she continually incorporates nature into all of her endeavors. She favors birds, and this one with its dark surroundings is so beautiful to me.
Britt Hermann has a way with black, no? This print is one of my all-time favorites and if you check out her shop you will see this is the first of many beautiful dark beauties.
Amber Alexander does beautiful watercolors of soft and sweet animals and lovely bits of nature. This is my favorite for its soft colors and simplicity.
Groundwork is the art shop of Danna Ray. Her work is so beautiful and so peaceful. One of her pieces was one of the very first purchases I made from Etsy, and is still one of my favorites.
The shop Theater Clouds is a new favorite of mine. Elly MacKay''s process is so cool and I would love to own so many of her pieces. Here is a snippet from her shop describing her process: "I make these images by inking yupo paper and cutting it into layers that I set up in a miniature theater. I play with the lights and filters to create atmosphere and then photograph the scenes."
Paul Ferney's cake pieces are just happy-inducing. I fell in love with the original oil pieces and was so happy to see he began offering prints for a more affordable option. So we could all have our cake and eat it too!
Shanan Campanaro is a new favorite of mine as well. She has such a delicate hand and gorgeous use of pen and ink. There is such nobility and elegance in the animals she draws and her pattern work is unbelievable. This beautiful "holy cow" would add so much to any home.
Sophie Blackall's work is captivating. When I was first introduced to her, it was through her "Missed Connections" series and I was instantly smitten. The series features pieces inspired by the column of the same name on Craigslist.
Christine Lindstrom's "Whole" has been at the tippy-top of my wishlist for quite some time now. The colors are so beautiful to me. She has a way with blues, greens and acrylic.
Jill Bliss's attention to detail, soft lines and colors are so beautiful to me. I wonder how long each piece takes her as there are so many tiny details. Lucky for us her work is available in many forms, making it affordable and accessible.
Thank you for this idea book. It just makes me frustrated though that I don't have any spare wall space. I'd like to buy them all, especially the ones with butterflies!
hi Sue!
Absolutely....have you seen Shanna Murray's work? I LOVE her & her work. She does custom work as well and also Sarah Gardner is an amazing illustrator who does great typography. Here are their websites.
Shanna Murray: http://shannamurray.bigcartel.com/ Sarah Gardner: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahgardner/sold ( just contact her for custom work)
and lastly, I recently saw a quote that I loved but, couldn't figure how to include it in my home so, I covered some homasote board with burlap and pinned up a piece of butcher paper on it and hand wrote the quote on the paper myself. An inexpensive way to do it and easy to change. Hope that helps!
xo
Melis
These are great examples.....so much talent....love the photo of the little girl and the bear. I have always created my own art for our homes. I love doing it and now it has turned into my third career! My web site is WWW.CAROLEMEYERART.COM. See a couple examples of my work below. I really encourage people to try their hand at making something for their own home. Carole
I love etsy too, and have spent many hours browsing there, cataloging my favorites and buying ! (go kerrybeary!). If you like that sort of print, another really cool and totally free resource for those who have decent printers is http://indiefixx.com/Feed_your_soul/downloads.html
Awesome art! Thank you. Any suggestions for how to browse effectively (& narrow your search) on Etsy? I know there's a lot of great stuff on it, but I don't have the time to go through hundreds and hundreds of entries.
So beautiful Melis!! Love the first one especially, and I always love Geninne's birds, but there are some new-to-me artists here as well...such a treat! xo
hhein: I know it can be hard navigating etsy sometimes....the best suggestion I have is when you find folks whose taste you like? Add them to your circle or check out their favorites. Then hop from favorites to favorites....that way, some of the "leg work" has already been done and the "not so great eggs" weeded out for you! Hope that helps, if you have an interest in following my faves there is a link on the left sidebar of my blog. www.mloves.typepad.com. :)// Thank you sweet Laura! xoxo
xo Melis
