A Few Lovely Things...

I was featured in an all laser cut acrylic Technicolor Treasury today, and it inspired me to check out the new laser cut acrylic jewelry on Etsy. Here are a few lovely finds my search brought up:

Pink Nude Butterflies Necklace (and earrings) by indomina, $22.00

Silver Acrylic Bunny Connector Necklace by imyourpresent, $12.00

Victorian Cameo Necklace (black or ivory) by sarahkeyes, $28.00

Laser Cut Acrylic Antler Brooch by MishMc, $29.00

So, what are your new favorite laser cut finds?

Action Jackson out.

Hearts on Fire

It's no secret that I love tattoo art, especially Americana and Japanese work. I'm partial to sparrows, well-drawn women and pin-ups (emphasis on well-drawn because I've seen plenty of ugly/poorly drawn ones), sugar skulls, pirate ships, flowers, and sacred hearts. My inclination towards the last one might be tied to the fact that it's one of the only things I can/like to draw freehand. Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I figured this would be the perfect time to showcase some great tattoo art-inspired heart pieces on Etsy.

Sweetheart Sacred Heart and Bird Necklace by artallnight on Etsy, $26.00

Artallnight has been one of my top favorites on Etsy for a very long time. Her pieces are sweet and well-drawn, and the shop is always stocked to fit varying tattoo tastes.

Winged Heart with Eye Valentine (Set of 6) by illustratedink on Etsy, $7.00

Without a doubt, this is one of my absolute favorite Austin artists and local Etsy shop. Illustratedink's work is part Dia de los Muertos, part vintage carnival, and all good taste.

Tin Sacred Heart Mexican Wall Art multicolored by TheVirginRose on Etsy, $27.00

I am in love with the color mix for this piece. Though the tin hearts in this shop are my favorite, there's a multitude of colorful and sometimes glittery (be still, my heart) Mexican home decor pieces that look like they were straight from Austin's shop, The Turquoise Door.














The French Couple print set by ohashleylove on Etsy, $20.00

I love that this print set is a couple, especially because it's so perfect for Valentine's Day. I'm really digging on the matryoshka craft trend right now too. This shop offers up very classic Sailor Jerry-esque tattoo (the color palette used is spot-on) art prints and sweet knit pieces (the bows are my favorite!!).

Sacred Heart embroidery hoop fabric art by Moxiedoll on Etsy, $50.00

The blue fabric background with this piece is very striking and provides a great contrast for the silver and gold thread used. Every embroidered item in this shop is delightfully nostalgically geeky chic and vintage-inspired (think view-finders, telescopes, and classic poloaroid) and would make the perfect playful touch to any home.

New Tattoo Rose and Heart Locket with Skeleton Key Necklace by wickedminky, $22.00

It was love at first site when I saw this piece. The necklace combines several of my favorite tattoo art motifs- roses, hearts, diamonds, and a key/padlock pair- so, that might be why. Wickedminky's shop is filled with classic tattoo art as well as newer styles, and the greens and blues used are really rich and eye-catching.

If you're still looking for a great way to personalize Valentine's for you or somebody else, any of these finds would fit the bill. Are there any of your favorite tattoo art pieces or Etsy shops that I missed?

Action Jackson out.

Good Will Bunting

So, I know that I'm a little late to the party on this trend, but I have recently fallen in love with bunting (i.e. flag groupings/banners traditionally used for decoration). I'm hosting a Valentine's craft party in a few weeks and am dead set on that being the craft of interest, regardless of how practical it is/isn't to expect a group of gals to finish a whole banner in a few hours.

While searching on Etsy for bunting to feature here, I was delightfully surprised to find out that the trendy niche aesthetic isn't limited to just home decorating. The flags can adorn wedding cakes, greeting cards, wall hangings, yourself, or anything you can stamp! As for the home hanging assortment, there are a variety of styles ranging from shabby chic to kitschy cute to classically playful.

Wooden Bunting Flag Necklace-Candy Stripes and Yellow by lucie0ellen on Etsy, $21.00

I kid you not, one of my first thoughts before finding this necklace was, "someone needs to make bunting flag jewelry." She also makes customized name necklaces too adorable for words.

Declare Your Love - Boy Version - 8x10 Archival Print by rosydesignsonline on Etsy, $19.00

Recently Etsy's featured seller, this shop's cards and prints are a mix of heartwarming mementos and Warhol-esque pop and suit any occasion- Valentine's, Halloween, New Baby, and even Gay Weddings.

Bunting Hand Carved Stamp by doodlebugdesign on Etsy, $8.00

Just about every stamp in this shop makes me smile. I think the pastry icing bag and cupcake stamp set was made just for me. The macaron and robot love stamps are my other favorites.


Original Cake Bunting Fawn by KikiLaRu on Etsy, $24.00

This shop specializes in cake bunting and diy kits for any holiday or style. The sweet decor (no pun intended) adds a really personalized feel and would make all Apartment Therapy fans drool.


Fancy Square Banner Embroidery Applique Design Pattern by BigDreamsEmbroidery on Etsy, $4.95

I love the kitschy retro feel of this design. The color and fabric combo is very yummy too. This shop features great machine embroidery applique design patterns to help you get a start on diy bunting. There's a babushka doll in the shop that's to die for!

Happy Birthday Burlap Banner with Fleur de Lis on Etsy by funkyshique on Etsy, $22.00

Funkyshique's shop features all things burlap home decor. I love the shabby chic/simple elegance aesthetic of the work and think the photos and banners would be regulars on thisisglamorous.com.

Recycled Map Bunting Notecards (Set of 3) by saratops on Etsy, $9.00

This shop specializes in journals, stickers, tags, and notecards that incorporate recycled materials such as maps, flash cards, library cards, and even security tags. The recycled map pieces, like this one as well as the Military Flying journal are totally rad and would make me feel much cooler than I am carrying them around or sending them as gifts. :)

Check back later when I add more fun bunting-inspired pieces!

Action Jackson out.

Shopping with Action Jackson: 20,000 Finds Under the Sea

The Simple Sailor Locket (vintage) by FreshyFig

I have a confession to make. I don't like the beach. On top of that, I'm almost always underwhelmed when I commit to a trip to Galveston or Corpus Christi. This could be attributed to any number of things-swallowing too much salt water as a child, being fair skinned, watching Jaws one too many times, beach volleyball being exponentially more difficult (and yeah, a little less fun) than indoor volleyball, getting seasick on boats, etc., etc.

La Sirena Print by IllustratedInk

There are two exceptions to this, one being a family vacation to Hawaii. If you've never been, it more than lives up to its alluring reputation. The water is crystal clear, which is not only pretty but also practical/helpful for anyone who fears almost everything underneath the vast ocean surface (I've seen a lot of people get jellyfish stings in my day). And though it isn't directly related to beaches, seeing flowing lava in person was arguably one of the neatest things I've ever witnessed.

Squid Linens by SquidInkKollective

The other exception was a day trip to Santa Monica that was part of a spring break excursion to L.A. with some gal pals. The day consisted of getting henna, eating all the boardwalk food you probably shouldn't eat, riding the ferris wheel, and teaching ourselves how to surf (they were foam long boards, so that made it a pinch easier). Needless to say, surfing is not as easy as some people make it look, and being able to snowboard isn't as helpful as you'd like to think it would be, trust me. I'm not sure I even made it to standing up on the board. However, I had a blast and wouldn't mind going back anytime.

Vintage Dictionary Art Print Crawfish by LittleBlueBirdStudios

Point being, because I have the two very positive beach experiences under my belt, I continue to hold out hope for coastal excursions being promising. Though, when facing the sandy prospects that someone with my vacation budget has for time off from work, i.e. Galveston and Corpus, the skeptic in me usually wins and I opt out.

Seahorse Roboticus by BinaryWinter

So, in lieu of touring Texas beaches or going to The Maldives, I seek out beach and sea-themed wares. There's part of me that wants to wipe out my stigma of the beach so badly, and I'm convinced that having nautical finds and retro beach prints in my apartment will do the trick. Lucky for me, countless artists on Etsy are inspired by the sea and provide ample beach eye candy, especially in the summer. I definitely encourage you to check out the shops of the artists featured here today because the pics are only a small sampling of their awesome shops. In the meantime, I'll leave you with one of my beach snaps from Santa Monica.

Action Jackson out.

Shopping with Action Jackson: Goin to the Chapel

Made to order raw silk wedding dress by Kcoline.

This weekend, Alec and I went to Fort Worth for one of his high school friend's weddings. I didn't take any pictures (I know, I know. Slap my wrist), but I was inspired to bring back the "Shopping with AJ" feature with some fun Etsy wedding finds. While I don't see myself getting married before 30 (by choice, and yes, this is my magic number) and even though I don't like weddings, I frequently think about the details that would go into my own. That is, of course, assuming I don't just go the route of officiating a certificate in a judge's chambers, which is still a strong possibility. All the same, when I see unique wedding finds such as these, I feel the itch to have my own wedding.
Custom Hand Sculpted & Painted Owls Wedding Cake Topper by RedLightStudio

For anyone who's been, you know that FW takes a certain kind of person to appreciate its character. And if you don't happen to be one of those people, it's the kind of city where you have to make your own fun. Overall, it definitely wasn't a boring weekend, and we held our own as far as the funfaring expeditions went.

Peacock Place Cards by TimelessPaper

On Friday, we headed over to a hotsy totsy restaurant, The Vault, for a rehearsal dinner after party. We ducked out a little early but weren't ready to turn in immediately post party. So, we made our next stop a dive I'd heard people raving about, Lola's. For anyone interested in finding said dive, know this: there are two locations.

5 for the Bridesmaids Petite Paon Peacock Clips by BridalShoppe

I guess I didn't bother to check since I've never heard of a local chain bar. The location we went to was in The Stockyards part of town. Prior to this, I'd never been to FW's honky tonk saloon Disneyland. To say it was a trip to see would be an understatement. We braved it all the same, but now I know for next time that we'll want to head downtown. :)

Celia Champagne Ivory and Gold Bridal Headband by hemsandbustles

Saturday was the day of the wedding (and catching some much needed Z's), so we didn't have time for too much else. However, pre-wedding, we went out to dinner with Alec's parents to a spiffy little restaurant, Ellerbe's, that I really liked. The menu was a little pricey, but I dig the restaurant's concept of using local seasonal products to comprise their menu.

14K Rose Gold Beaded Ring with Diamond by kateszabone

After dinner, we zipped over to Art111, the contemporary art museum that hosted the wedding. The museum was totally rad and the reception provided tasty hors d'oeuvres and an open bar, so I was a happy camper even though I don't really care for weddings. To top off the night (post-wedding), Alec and I checked out a few viking metal bands at The Ridglea, Fort Worth's Emo's. Sunday was a wake up late and drive back to Austin day, so not much to tell there. However, I will be going back to Fort Worth at the end of the month for another wedding and am interested if anyone can recommend any fun side stops that I'm missing.

Action Jackson out.