With it being Black Friday and the official start to the holiday shopping season, why don’t you get a jump on your gifts by taking a look at these wonderful gift guides? They’re full of all sorts of indie/handmade goodness!

Indie Fixx

IndieShopping

Indie Love

Vintage Indie

Do shop indie!

So yours truly is back from New York and the super-fun Etsy Fiber Arts Street Team Trunk Show!

It was oodles of fun, and there were some delectable fiber arts goodies there, like this:

A lovely crocheted cuff from Bklynmomos on Etsy … Ramona has all sorts of really awesome accessories!

Handspun yarn from Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studio!

And here’s a picture of the EtsyFASTers who were there:

Seriously, this is just the tip of the iceberg! For all the fun photos (more cool fiber goodies pictured … and of course general merriment and goofiness), check out this Flickr set!

Regularly scheduled posting will continue, hopefully tomorrow.

What if you put these in a bowl just to freak your friends out?

Seriously, that has to be the coolest set of fortune cookies ever. But don’t try to crack them open — they’re made of porcelain!

This rather brilliant idea is the brainchild of Amanda at YogaGoat Pottery, based in Vermont. Amanda also turns out some colorful hand-crafted serving pieces and display pieces as well, such as this lovely bowl:

Many items are available in different color schemes, and some can be customized, such as the wedding/anniversary plates she offers. Just read the directions carefully when ordering — don’t click “buy” for the custom orders, for instance.

But do look look around all you like. You can also see more of Amanda’s work on the YogaGoat website.

When I was in high school, my mom let me buy a guitar. I went to the shop and picked out a nice shiny black Yamaha acoustic/electric (which I still own to this day, though it is broken).

But at the store, I spied a beautiful deep blue Yamaha acoustic/electric. Blue is my favorite color. But I went with the black one, regretting that decision to this very day.

Of course, had I seen this guitar, I would have bought it on the spot, even if it wasn’t an acoustic/electric:

This stunning piece or art is courtesy of Jenny of jennylisa on Etsy. Jenny is a music therapist and artist based in Massachusetts.

Besides the painted guitar, Jenny also has an eclectic collection of photo prints in her shop, as well as hand-painted boxes and jewelry.

But the guitar absolutely rocks. Step on stage with that thing and you are instantly a star.

Normally, big beetles would make me really feel creepy-crawly and squeamish, but when a bug is encased in something, it just seems a little less intimidating. At that point, it just looks plain cool, like this:

Yes, that is a big beetle. And he’s encased in resin. And somehow the heart makes it all better.

This creation is the work of Antoinette at Creatress Designs. Antoinette is based in Davis — she actually gets all her bugs from the entomology department at UC Davis and makes a donation in the bug’s honor! That’s pretty cool. Anyhow, she is also a fellow Sacramento Craft Mafia mafiosa.

Some of the bug art winds up on necklaces, and some, like the beetle above, are made to be art pieces, or as Antoinette suggests, paperweights. Try having one of those on your desk at work — it’s probably a good repellant. (Oy, bad joke.)

If you’re really not into the bug thing, there is other resin stuff, like this:

There are also photo prints, hair accessories and other jewelry in her shop. You can also read Antoinette’s blog to find out what she’s making.

Having spent much of my childhood (much of my life, really) trolling about in Asian grocery stores, I am familiar with the goodness that is Pocky. No doubt, if you’ve spent some time in an Asian market, or even the Asian food aisle of your local megamart, you will have seen that bright red box of chocolate-dipped pretzels.

Pocky is a staple of my childhood, and now I can celebrate that happy period of my life spent munching away on thin pretzels with this:

This delightful set of buttons — FYI, the original Pocky is in the top left corner — is from Eling at Traveling Rhinos. (That is, by the way, one of the cooler shop names out there.)

Eling calls herself the “beast of burden” at Traveling Rhinos, and she is churning out all sorts of cute stuff. In addition to the aforementioned buttons, she also makes jewelry and some amazing handspun yarn. Like this colorful number:

80s rainbow handspun

Wow, Pocky and yarn … two addictions filled in one place. Fabulous.

Maybe that combo isn’t your cup of tea, but still, there’s plenty to check out at Traveling Rhinos.

Hi loyal readers!

Just letting you know that indie*galore is going on a small hiatus … because even bloggers need vacations.

I should be back next Tuesday and back to posting more fine goodies for you to read.

In the meantime, do read some of the blogs in the blogroll, or check out the folks on the “Featured Shops” page and make someone’s day.

Thanks for reading!

There are many folks out there turning computer parts and electronic parts into really cool stuff. Like Liz over at Zelle:

Not sure what those are? They are resistors. If you’ve ever cracked open your TV or a computer or certain electronic things, you’ve seen those resistors. They do come in other colors, and Zelle has an entire limited edition line devoted to intricate-looking jewelry made from resistors and diodes.

You will also find other fun jewelry at Zelle, made of things ranging from audio plugs to wires to fuses to fan guards! Dismantling electronics can be made fun!

I’m also a big fan of the website, which is a homage to DOS and the 404 errors you sometimes get while surfing the internet. It’s clever stuff.

Liz also runs Fractalspin, a boutique full of cool geeky stuff such as the Nintendo Power Mint Tin.

Long live geekery!

I’ve written about fellow Sacramento craft mafiosa Missy before — she is the cool cat behind Mohair Circus — but Missy is so crafty that her wares can’t be held in just one store.

Missy also runs Crafty Carnival, which as her tagline says, is “a mish-mash of all things crafty.” There, you will find cards, buttons, post-it books and these stamps:

These stamps — all original doodles by Missy — are also available individually. Add a nice touch to some of your tags, cards or anything stampable.

It’s summertime, which means lots of vacationing for many people.

If you’re fortunate enough to fly somewhere that requires you to have a passport, maybe you can keep it in one of these:

This is appropriately titled “Never a Dull Passport Case.” Indeed. It’s way better than the blah brown leather thing my mom used to use.

The case is from stiksel, an Etsy seller based in the Netherlands. This particular one is made from leather and fabric printed using rubber stamps. There are several of these cases available, all leather, all with different sewn motifs. And they’re handstitched.

Even if you’re not leaving on a jet plane for another country, you might find something else you like. Maybe some handstitched journals, or some bags, or some nice photography. Definitely worth a look.

OK, so this is a bit overdue (seeing as it’s June already), but, well, it was a little busy …

Here are the contents of my May Sampler:

It was pretty awesome, indeed. Lots of cool pins — from Art School Dropout and Bread and Badger — and magnets and other useful stuff all around.

The highlights:

Bicycle seat cover from Lilybug.

What a great idea! And a great sock monkey print. This was probably my favorite thing … and it will be darn useful too. I just got a new (used) bike and it fits the bill. Not that it rains a whole lot here, but well, my neighborhood has lots of really strong sprinklers. But it is fun and functional, and I really like that.

Pendant (ceramic, I think?) from Crye’s Creations.

This was quite lovely indeed. Great colors.

Knit bracelet from Leethal.

Nice colors, and it fit nicely. And it’s not scratchy. But there are some seriously cool-looking hats and knit goods over at Leethal, so check that out.

 
Yarn sample from Third Floor Fibers (and the tag).

I am always a sucker for handspun yarn. But I especially liked the tag on this sample because the suggestions for the mini skein were funny. My personal favorite was “Knit a scarf for your cat.” Because my cats would hate that. “Tie a sibling to a tree” (bottom row, left) was also pretty hysterical.

 
Set of two cards from Andy Pratt Design.

I love the jolly orange giant. Andy has a lot of brightly colored, fun prints at his shop. And the drawings are excellent.

Holy Crap card from Ella Studio.

OK, I know I can be crass. Which is why I like this card. Definitely a lot of non-PG cards at Ella Studio. Kind of my style for when I want to be really snarky. I just thinking getting a super-elegant looking card that says “Holy Crap!” is hysterical. Or maybe that’s just me.

That’s all for this edition!

(OK, you’ve been warned: the following contains some shameless self-promotion. )

The Etsy blog recently posted a video from Bazaar Bizarre in San Mateo. Several vendors were interviewed, including mogo, Jaime Zollars, dorklandia, Cara Lyndon and Small Stump. I, too, was interviewed by Vanessa!

Also, if you want to see a snippet of how Maker Faire/BazBiz were like, check out the video! (I am somewhere in the last minute of the video, also proudly talking about the Sacramento Craft Mafia.)

When I was in college, I used to carry around a whole case of 3.5″ diskettes. Remember those? Burning a CD was still a newfangled craze, the Zip disk (remember that?!) was just taking hold, and no one had thought of the flash drive yet.

I wanted to be snazzy, so I always bought the colored disks. Yellow, red, blue, green … I could spot my disks a mile away. Until I left an important one in the lab, of course.

The floppy has gone the way of the dodo bird, but Acorn Studios has found a way to resurrect those little babies:

These little notebooks contain 50 pages. Perfect for quick notes. And they’re colorful, too. Maybe by some sort of karma my lost yellow disk from the lab long ago has become a notebook. Fat chance, but it’s nice to dream.

If you’re a computer fan (or geek in general), you’ll find all sorts of other cool stuff at Acorn Studios, including earrings made of keyboard keys, circuitboard earrings and keyboard magnets and cufflinks. There are even floppy disk notebooks, if you really feel like going into the wayback machine! Now those have pretty much gone the way of the dodo!

It’s always nice to know someone has managed to make old computers and junk useful. Yay!

I just got back from manning the Sacramento Craft Mafia‘s booth at Bazaar Bizarre, and it was a pretty fantastic experience. First BazBiz = much fun.

There were some incredible crafters there and some incredibly cool and creative stuff. Here is but a wee sampling:

Top photo: Plush owls from Devon Industry. Middle photo: Stuffed ham from Meat is Sweet. Bottom photo: Crocheted Atari set from Jack Rabbit.

Again, it’s only a wee sampling! More will be posted about some excellent BazBiz vendors throughout the week!

For more picture goodness, check out my Flickr set!

Amy over at the wonderful online boutique PurplePinkandOrange is closing her doors.

The shop is closing at the end of May, and there’s a massive sale. Here’s a sampling of the awesome stuff you can find:

Clockwise, from top left: Bad Day Print by Helena Garcia; Cherry Blossom glass coasters by PurplePinkandOrange; Mint Truffle necklace by Cake Box Jewelry; and Flower Appliqued wallet by Kitty Empire.

There are also lots of other things at the store, from bath & body goods to home accessories to bags and wallets to wearables. Do take a look!

And best of luck to Amy in her other endeavors!