There’s something wonderful about nature being interpreted in artistic form. Almost anything — flowers, plants, trees — can serve as inspiration, and some people execute it very well:

All of the above can be found at UnaOdd. Really, the shop is just one big explosion of color — like a huge bouquet of flowers, enticing you to look ever closer.

There’s so much good stuff in the shop that’s it’s really hard to decide where to start. Maybe the polymer clay pendants, all made from original patterns, hand-detailed with acrylic paint? Or the acrylic wristbands, all hand-painted with different motifs? Or the acrylic paintings of flowers? Or these really amazing bookmarks that were made from the pages of an old accounting textbook and then embellished and laminated?

Everything is pretty affordable as well — yet another bonus!

When you think 1970s wallpaper, you might think of really awful colors and gaudy patterns. It all seems so … 30 years ago!

But When in Doubt, Draw Flowers has brought vintage wallpaper back — and not in a horrifying way:

It’s all so bright and cheery and flowery … and so much better on accessories than plastered on the wall (though you could do lots of decorating with the lampshades or coasters available from the shop). You can also decorate yourself with wallets, bags and jewelry.

Everything is unique and reusable, and my goodness, it’s nice to know you can bring back the 70s in a way that won’t make you cringe.

OK, so I have written about my love of old-school video games before (particularly Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros.). Add Tetris to that list. Had it on the GameBoy, played it in the arcade incessantly, and I think I even own a version that can be played on the iPod Touch.

Imagine my delight when I saw these:

Best. Idea. Ever.

These are fused glass pendants in all kinds of colors and Tetris shapes, and you can find them at Canadian shop Urban Fusions. Jen is the gal behind the shop, hand-cutting, assembling and fusing all kinds of glass goodies.

Besides the totally retro Tetris pendants, you’ll find other kinds of jewelry, cufflinks and even belt buckles at Urban Fusions. Here’s just a tiny sampling:

I’ve seen lots of nice wet felted things, from scarves to hats to jewelry, but I’ve never quite seen anything like this:

What absolutely amazing work! You’ll find these totally unique items at Feltasy. The work is intricate and it’s obvious a lot of love and care was put into all these items.

If you really want to be blown away, though, go check out the other Feltasy site at www.feltasy.com. There, you’ll find even more goodies, including wall hangings, bags, jewelry and this totally amazing felt dress.

I always like learning something new, and in stopping by Sachi Designs, I learned about a technique called netting I’d never heard of before. But it turns out some amazing accessories!

It’s really neat stuff! It almost looks like open crochet or knitting, but it’s got its own flair!

According to Lisa’s Etsy profile, this is what she says about netting:

Netting is a centuries old art created by tying knots over a mesh stick. It is so old its origin is unknown and it is not credited to any one country of origin. Netted objects have been found in countries all over the world each with their own distinctive techniques.

She goes on to say that she learned netting from her grandmother and is keeping the tradition alive. A big thumbs-up to that.

Each piece in Lisa’s shop is one of a kind and takes an incredible amount of work. The results, though, are stunning and well worth the look!

How can you resist scrumptious-looking food? Maybe if it was made in a way that you couldn’t eat it.

Yum!

These lovely sachets are from Peep Accessories. Peep is run by a trio of ladies — Sally, Jane and Sandy — from New Jersey. According to their shop profile, the aim of Peep is to “make every home in the world smell like chocolate 24/7, and to find the perfect, personalized ‘it’ bag for every woman in the world.”

Not a bad quest, if you ask me.

In addition to the sweet sachets, there are the knitted and crocheted accessories that are indeed colorful and fun. For example, can you resist a robot?

Or hop along with this clutch:

If you want to take a peep at even more stuff — including knit and crocheted jewelry! — you can also head over to peepaccessories.com.

Sometimes, it’s not about the big and bulky, but the thin and delicate.

As a sometimes impatient crocheter, I’m a fan of big, bulky yarn. But I’ve got a healthy respect for those who work with small hooks and needles and turn out the lace pieces or the things with intricate details that take many hours (and much patience) to do.

Something like this:

This is the work of Irregular Expressions, a family project that comes all the way from Turkey! According to the shop’s profile, the mother makes all the goodies while her son and daughter help run the shop. (Yay for helpful family!)

Everything made Irregular Expressions is completely unique and won’t be duplicated. Since many of the pieces employ freeform crochet, it would be hard to re-make some of the items in the first place!

You’ll find cuffs, neckwarmers, chokers, necklaces and brooches in the shop. There’s a wonderful whimsy to many of the items, from meandering loops and cords to lacy fringes and irregular shapes. Some items also employ small beads. But everything displays a level of attention and detail and craftsmanship that’s beautiful.

I have extolled the virtues of needle, thread, fabric and felt before, and these fun items only reinforce my love of that combo:

These super-cute accessories can be found at fabulous fabulous!.

The main draw is all the brightly colored sewn goodies in the store. They range from the totally functional — iPod cozies, laptop cozies, patterned totes and even some stockings you can stock up on for next Christmas — to the plain ol’ fun — plush toys, mini monsters, even a wee non-pointy cactus.

You’ll also find crocheted hats and lots of felt-embellished tees and onesies.

Or maybe you just want that awesome-looking owl pillow above, which must have taken all kinds of time to cut those multiple pieces. The craftsmanship looks pretty sweet.

What’s a crafter to do when he or she has many talents and interests? Indulge all of them, of course! And excel at all of them.

That’s what Susan of Elbit Enterprises does. She makes jewelry, crochets, sculpts, makes dreamcatchers. Here is a sampling of her work:

Do check out the jewelry, crocheted wristbands and even runestones in the shop. Susan is bursting with creativity and bless her, she’s sharing it with the world! Or at least stop by to see what she’s going to come up with next!

One could argue that credit cards are just a bad thing that’s contributing to the financial ills of many people. (But then again, how else could some of us be able to buy such great indie stuff?!)

Anyway, at least one person is making sure credit cards do more than just burn a hole in your wallet:

This neat idea — yes, it is an American Express Blue card! — comes from Sweet Stella Designs, who has other fun accessories in her shop.

(She’s also got another credit-card related necklace in her shop … check it out here.)

In addition to some of the silver and beaded jewelry, there are plenty of food-related polymer clay accessories in the shop. All the clay accessories are true to their respective foodstuffs and just might make your friends hungry along the way. Take your pick from breakfast to snacks to candy.

Enjoy!

Depending on where you live, it’s probably still cold out. And maybe quite drab and gray (or white). (The snow might be melting, but then it turns into that icky gray slush and probably gets all manner of leaves, debris and other gutter fodder stuck to it. Yecch.)

So perhaps you’d like to knit or crochet something warm, useful and colorful to chase the grays away? Maybe with some nice yarn like this?

You can find this yarn and much more at Kitty GrrlzKnits & Spins. Bobbi is the one behind the wheel at Kitty Grrlz, and she’s churning out yarn for all tastes. There’s single ply. Thinner yarn. Big, bulky art yarn. Two-ply. Three-ply. And all in wonderful, colofrul combinations.

If you don’t knit or crochet and still crave something warm, fear not! Kitty Grrlz also carries finished items, such as hats, scarves, shawls and hand warmers. All the items are handmade by Bobbi from commercial yarns or handspun yarns (either her own handspun or handspun yarn from other fine crafty folks!).

For example, you could find this cool scarf to keep you cozy:

This only serves to prove that you can crochet just about anything, and it’s even more awesome when it’s one shop producing the varied body of work.

Observe.

Here’s a cake …

And maybe after you’ve had your cake (say it’s your birthday …), you can wear this out if you like:

This is the work of lubee, a crafty fiber team based in Jacksonville, Florida.

It’s a pretty varied store. There are all sorts of yummy foodstuffs (don’t miss the donut bracelets … or the crocheted chocolate chip cookies). Or maybe the crocheted animals. Or the scarflets and other accessories. Or the handspun yarn, even.

If you have a fiber lover in your life, or maybe are looking for a host of eclectic gifts, it might be a good place to start!

There’s a series of commercials on TV that touts the wonders of plastic — about how it’s in life-saving medical equipment, in your car, in your computer, your toys, basically how it makes up pretty much almost everything we use (think Tupperware, that bag holding your groceries, the armrests on your office chair, etc.).

Well, for Australian artist Liana Kabel, plastic is one of her favorite things to play with. And she turns it into pretty wicked things like this:

It’s always nice to see notions getting repurposed into cool accessories!

(They would also make the perfect gifts for the knitter or seamstress in your life!)

Liana’s knitting needle bracelets — the knitwit bangle! — come in all sorts of colors and needle widths. There is a wide selection in both her Etsy shop and her website.

There is other jewelry in the shop, all made with colorful plastic things, and even a necklace made from the ends of knitting needles.

What would you do with a closet full of ties? You could give ‘em to your favorite nephew, maybe fashion a leash for your dog, play some tug-of-war or tie a bunch of them together and use them as markers when you’re hiking through the woods.

If you’re the folks behind Donda Designs, you will take the ties — nice ties, even! — and turn them into some pretty awesome accessories:

That’s a lot of ties.

Each product at Donda Designs is made with silk or polyester ties, and each bag is one of a kind. There are several different bag styles in different sizes, from a roomy messenger to a snazzy backpack to a mini tote bag. There’s an assortment of colors and patterns (stripes, solids, even floral ties — yes, there’s a use for those crazy floral ties!).

You’ll also find a bouquet of tie flowers and even a unique folded tie pendant at the shop.

You might just see ties in a whole new light when it comes to accessories.

Needle, felt and thread combined to bring you these goodies:

These creations can be found at Loose String. You will find some wonderfully embellished and detailed pincushions, pouches and ornaments. Everything is hand-stitched and super colorful!

The pincushions in particular are mini works of art, featuring everything from tea cups to flowers to elephants (no Fantasia flashbacks, now!) to abstract art to birds. And as the descriptions say, they also make great paperweights, because quite frankly, you almost don’t want to ruin the artistic flair with a bunch of pushpins.