Hear ye, hear ye! Earmark is today's 'banner day' feature, and is a wonderful shop run by husband-and-wife team Bridgette and Mike Berndt. Technically, I suppose, Earmark is the umbrella brand because these two have two Etsy shops - Earmark, their "mother shop" which stands alone as a traditional stationer, and Earmark Gatherings, their "new" shop "filled with fresh and fun party items".
Here are the two Etsy shop banners to start:
As I said, Earmark is a stationer, and a very talented and clever one. They design and sell most traditional paper products, e.g. cards, stationary, prints (like this one I bought), journals, invitations, announcements, etc. And, of course, they produce some terrific banners. Like these:
I may have featured some seasonal banners, but these are the tip of the proverbial iceberg for what Earmark creates and stocks; check-out this one:
Bridgette and Mike are lovely people who create lovely things. And they have turned their passions and talents into a lovely shop for the rest of us: "We have an obsession with paper products, and we cater to the customers that share our obsession."
Do they do custom orders? Yep. Wholesale? Yep. Are they available online? Yep - and not just at their Etsy shops, but also http://earmarkinvitations.com/ (and other online retailers). Bricks-and-mortar? Yep - look on their website for locations. Blog? Yep - http://eigreetings.blogspot.com/ Twitter? Yep - http://twitter.com/Earmark. Go on and click through any of these links to find out how Earmark "creates happiness", some of which looks like this:
That's is for today, kids. I'm off to either 'keep calm and carry on' or 'freak out and throw stuff'!
Make it a banner day! tIO x
PS: Want to read more about Bridgette and Mike? Their interesting tale of life before and since Earmark was posted in May, 2008 as an Etsy "Featured Seller" Story: read it here.
As I continue to search for banners to celebrate and feature, my blog folder and Etsy favorites are filling-up dramatically! So many creative people out there; I love it!
Today's creative banner is courtesy of the wonderful Bookity. In business since August, Bookity's mission is to recycle unwanted, unusable books, hence the clever name. Here's her engaging Etsy shop banner to start:
The simplicity and charm of these creations, especially this banner - the "Paper Shakespearean" garland, is what I adore most:
And frankly, I like to say the shop name: "Bookity". So catchy!
More Bookity inspirations:
She may be based in Reading UK (which is wonderful planning on her part, really), but she ships internationally, happily upgrades shipping if you ask, and invites custom orders "in the spirit of adventure and the creation of shiny things". Best of all is Bookity's motto: "have sewing machine, will make." In fact, I think it's this 'inveterate optimism' that pervades and draws me in! "That's the spirit!" I cry. And the ticket to beautiful, repurposed, handmade items from Bookity. Check it out.
This week, in the calm before the storm, I am going to try to catch up on some reading, Wolf Hall in particular.
So... 'read on, McDuff', and make it a banner day! tIO x
PS: Find more Bookity at the Bookity blog, on Facebook at the Bookity fan page, and on twitter at @bookityshop.
Oh, happy day! It's banner day again! And I am so excited to feature a long-time Etsy 'favorite shop': ModernJune. The festivities begin at this kitschy site banner:
What a great start, right? But the cute doesn't stop there. Owner/blogger/tweeter/homeschooler and all-around cool SAHM, Virginian Kelly McCants has been sewing for 20+ years and selling on Etsy since 2006 "as a simple creative outlet for a semi-desperate housewife." Indeed! Kelly sews the things that we all use - or need to use - everyday: aprons, chalkmats, tablecloths, pillows, splat mats, and totes. And her banners - from celebratory to the 'happy holiday' varieties - are sweet and sturdy, made from oilcloth to "brave summer showers" or maybe even wisps of winter whiteness! Have a gander:
Aren't they wonderful?
In fact, as soon as I post this, I'm packing up the laptop and turning to my sewing machine. Guess who just got a package of oilcloth from Kelly? *grins sheepishly* Time to make the oilcloth stocking for the stocking competition at the Grey Colt! Wish me luck! (Or if you're in town on 2 December, stop by the shop. Katie Coulton and her crew always host a wonderful event for charity.)
TTFN, lovelies! And make it a banner day! tIO x
PS Want more of Kelly and ModernJune? Find her here: http://modernjune.com/ and at her Etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/modernjune and blogging here: http://modernjune.blogspot.com/ and here: http://oilclothaddict.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Modern-June/119464333979 and on twitter here: @modernjune. (She knows her social media!)
Today's banner comes to us from the clever and crafty Etsy shop of NottyPooch:
Based in Penang, Malaysia, Huey and Wah are the two owners of NottyPooch design and own two naughty pooches, Xiao Bi and Coco, the shop's namesakes. They are also responsible for all of the cleverness and craftiness that results in their "eco recycled banner accessories and cool tshirts".
Here are some examples of their beautifully transformed banners:
<-- a sleeve for Macbook 
<-- an iPhone case
<-- a casual tote 
<-- a long wallet
Clever and crafty, right? In production on Etsy since early 2008, the duo can also be found tending to their blog: http://www.nottypooch.com/mydogdiary/, fanning their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/nottypooch, and following (and being followed) on twitter: @nottypooch.
With their backgrounds in the fine arts, passion for life, and commitment to producing great, practical accessories in eco-friendly materials, NottyPooch provides us all with another fun "reason to be unique". Two paws up for that! And for the free international shipping!
Toddling off to the antiques shops now, lovelies, to do some recycling and eco-friendly shopping of my own. Make it a banner day!
I'm starting something new on tIO: banner days.
What are "Banner Days", you ask?
Let's start from the very beginning (don't sing it without me). The definition of 'banner', from the Merriam-Webster online:
banner \ˈba-nər\ Etymology: Middle English banere, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Gothic bandwo sign; probably akin to Greek phainein to show
'Banner' is a NOUN
Date: 13th century
1 a : a piece of cloth attached by one edge to a staff and used by a leader (as a monarch or feudal lord) as his standard b : flag c : an ensign displaying a distinctive or symbolic device or legend; especially : one presented as an award of honor or distinction
2 : a headline in large type running across a newspaper page
3 : a strip of cloth on which a sign is painted s stretched across the street>
4 : a name, slogan, or goal associated with a particular group or ideology —often used withunder
5 : an advertisement graphic that runs usually across the top of a web page
'Banner' is an ADJECTIVE
Date: 1840
1 : prominent in support of a political party
2 : distinguished from all others especially in excellence
'Banner' is a VERB
Date: 1889
1 : to furnish with a banner
2 : to print (as a news story) under a banner usually on the front page
I firmly believe in banners. They are heralds: markers of identity and camaraderie. They symbolise loyalty and confidence. Joy in declaration; signifiers in defeat. Predictably, one of my favorite lyrics from a song (an alma mater actually) extols the banner: "Unfurl your banner into the sky, hurray, hurray, hurray!" Simply put, banners are optimistic. Inveterately, so. And as such, this blogger has decided to have some "banner days". Starting with today. And starting with this:
A lovely local-to-me shop. (I love it when they're local!) The proprietors, Angie and Tyson Lamielle, are out-of-the-box thinkers who create seriously wonderful art and not-too-serious hand-crafted home decor. Check out their blog: http://cantonboxcompany.blogspot.com/ and/or follow them on Twitter. And here's the banner in their etsy shop that caught my eye.
I'm off and running now. Make it a banner day, kids!
Thanks for perusing this blog; blog you again soon!
