Mini Mall with Etsy Freinds

This week I have been participating in a mini mall that highlighted 6 products from my shop as well as those of several of my Etsy Friends, we have glass bead crafters, vintage items, jewelry pieces, fun party favors and gifts, and special crafty items.  You can take advantage of the online shopping Mini Mall through Sunday December 9, 2018. With some special discounts and coupons!

It is an elective mix of items and the links will take to websites or Etsy shops so you can find other items by these same creatives.

I wanted to introduce you to the folks in this #MINIMALLETSY

The organizer of the Mini Mall was Elke of Ozark Glass.  She makes fused glass and glass bead items.  They have classical looks and the fused glass is very elegant.

Having lived and worked in Germany and  the USA, Elke has a broad interest in the arts and crafts. She has done sewn crafts as well as beading.  THe best part for her is picking the materials, coming up with the design, and the techniques. Her love is fused glass items so she sells other craft items to feed her fused glass habit.

Another member of the Mini Mall is a long-time Etsy Friend Elizabeth from LizP Originals. Liz makes great beaded ornaments and the lovely polished stone suncatchers.  For winter she is crafting beaded sweater  and scarf clips that are quite lovely.

                
Liz started making beaded items back in 1988 after getting married and moving to the US from Austria.  It sparked something in her, as she has not stopped designing since.  She is most proud of her new Christmas ornaments for pets, wing ornaments for pet loss and supporting special causes.  She likes to do custom work as well, so don't be afraid to ask!

Isabel of Isabel's Vintage has a great selection of vintage items that gifts for that distinctive person in your life.  My favorite in the Mini Mall is the men's neck tie from the Museum of Art. I like that her items go beyond the typical plates to more interesting vintage materials.

Jacqueline of JNJgiftsNcrafts is more traditional in her crafting with knitted items and sewn pieces, but she has nice variety.  According to Jacqueline she has been doing some sort of crafts all her life. She had a ceramic studio years ago and was taught to knit, sew, embroider, and crochet by her mother and grandmother. She says now that she is older she likes the extra money from crafting and has expanded it to include all areas of crafting . I love the bibs and the animal knitted hats, but my favorite item in the mall is the GIVE A FOX mug.  Do you give a FOX?

Chalk Couture is a unique member of our group.  Alicia also has an Etsy shop called TheMillers House.  With these chalk art based items you can create  your own chalkboards, farmhouse signs and vintage window items using the design elements special easy dry paints and washable paste colors.  It is a great set of accessories for those into the farmhouse design theme. Alicia is the individual designer working here and you can check out her website at tmh.chalkcouture.com or her facebook page

In a unique twist we have Oil Patch Burlesque. This fun party supply shop created by Terry, has hand crafted risqué items as well as other party supplies for your next hen party or raunchy gift item. They are fun, some are obscene and clearly even more fun and some are just hilarious. So indulge your naughty side and check out Terry and her penis chocolates (with nuts.) Terry has other shops with similar handcrafted edibles as well as those in the Mini Mall.

Last but by no means least is Aspen Tree Jewelry.  Frances is a unique jewelry maker and also a great customer of mine as well as an advocate for persons with disabilities.  In addition to lovely agate jewelry, she also designs graphics and has lived in all four time zones in the US!

I also like the mismatched earring sets, clever and different from what you might get elsewhere.

Of course this all came up because I have some Backyard Patch Herb items in the Mini Mall also and my fav is the Wine Dip Mixes that I made new this holiday season.

So visit and explore the Mini Mall and all that my Etsy friends have to offer you might find that perfect Holiday gift you never knew existed.

Black Friday - Cyber Monday all in one Craft Show!

The Backyard Patch is online at a craft show Thanksgiving weekend.  Show opens at 6:00 PM Thanksgiving night and runs through Midnight on Monday, December 2.  You can shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday at this great show.  Here is a link to my Booth at the show. EZ Craft Show - Backyard Patch

When you need a break from the family and want to avoid the black Friday crowds, here is your solution.  For a few minutes you can browse the show.  There are more than 70 vendors with items that range from soy candles to baked goods to home decor.

There are three new recipes for Bouquet Garni we are using for a Secret BOGO!

For me it is the perfect way to enjoy the holiday with my family, yet still be able to show my wares.  And you can enjoy it t too!  There will be crafters from all over the country all in one place.

To get the details, see sneak peaks, and check out the discounts ahead of time, visit this special Facebook page.

Beginning 6 PM. Thursday night and running through Monday at Midnight I will be giving away a Sample of our Cinnful Dessert Blend with a slew of recipes with every purchase.  And I am bringing back the BOGO promotion.  If you buy three or more items we will give you one item (your choice or ours) as a buy one get one free.

I have placed Backyard Patch under the Food & Drink heading at the show where you can sample some of my herbal teas, cooking mixes and blended herbs for preparing dips and seasonings.  For the Bath and Green Cleaning items you will need to look at our Etsy Shoppe.

Check out the new Scone and Shortbread blends!!

There will also be some automatic BOGO items (you buy 1, you get 2) and some items that will ship free of charge!

So please visit us in our first venture into an online Craft show and avoid the cold weather and or ferocious crowds!!

Shrimp Boil Garni blend!

I have placed Backyard Patch under the Food & Drink heading at the show where you can sample some of my herbal teas, cooking mixes and blended herbs for preparing dips and seasonings.  Cannot wait to see the booths of my fellow crafters!  Hope to see you next weekend too!

Patio Gardens - Gardening in Small Spaces

I was tooling around Etsy again looking for accessories and garden ideas and I came across some great custom made garden spaces you can pick up there. 

The first was this recycled garden on a shutter that I just loved.  Living in an apartment, I do not get to look outside at my lush garden which is 11 miles from my home, so what to do on my patio to bring home the wonder of my larger garden always plagues me.  Especially because I want it to be more original that it sometimes is.  But look -- you can get this perfect decorative garden that you can hang on any wall or patio, is it not a joy?

The maker is Jennifer Stevenson of New Jersey.  Her shop on Etsy: Elizabeth Kate Décor is named after her two daughters.  The shop is somewhat new, but I just loved the items she has and this planter was intriguing.

She credits her daughters for the inspiration for her clever items and I can imagine the fun they must have when you design a sign that states” The grass is greener where you water!”

http://www.etsy.com/listing/100567267/recycled-shutter-mason-jar-herb-garden

Another item I found while on my quest is this wood pallet garden.  I have wanted to make a wood pallet into a garden space because it is the perfect display for a porch like mine, but the husband is not too keen on it.  Maybe I should show him this picture and explain someone else will do most of the work!

This is from a shop called Woodposte and Rick is the maker in Little Rock, Arkansas.  His shop is new also, opening just in April of this year. He has some unique wood items and this was among them.  He explains that he didn't grow up working with wood but his grandfather did and is still going. Rick says he has come to enjoy it and all the power tools that come with the hobby. The shop name comes from a unique place as well, it is crafted by combining family names. Wood is his grandfather, father, and older brother's middle name while Poste is the middle name of his father-in-law.

His comment about how he ended up working in wood products in charming. “I guess I should have seen it coming since I ran track like my grandfather, had the same college major as my grandfather, and enjoy the same career my grandfather enjoyed. He's a good man.”

And how can you go wrong with this mini herb emporium by your home?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/99333527/wood-pallet-herb-garden

If what you are looking for is the plants already gathered together for you to grow, I found that too!

This perfect little garden package comes with six live plants.  This herb garden in a box includes your choice of 6 plants from an extensive list that includes Garlic Chive, Onion Chive, Oregano, Parsley, thyme, tarragon, basil, spearmint, marjoram, tarragon, winter savory, rosemary, lemon thyme, sage, and peppermint.  She promises to give recipes, or you can stop back here to get a few too!

The name of the shop is Sosucculent.  With herbs I can always agree!  Gayle has an older shop, opened back in 2009 and a great background in gardening and plants.

According to Gayle, she grew up in a family greenhouse and floral design business in Cleveland, Ohio.  Being from Northeastern Ohio myself I could not resist someone who knew Cleveland was once known as the Greenhouse Capital of the World.   A graduate of Ohio State University for Nursery and Landscape Management, she eventually started an Herb Farm. It was later that she discovered cold hardy succulents and gave up as much of the herbs to enjoy her new found friend.  I will not hold that against her because she still has herbie things for me to enjoy.  The store is populated with many succulents in some of the most original containers and arrangements I have seen.  A true joy to look at.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98062600/herb-garden-in-a-box-cooks-delight

I hope you have enjoyed this exploration of herb gardens you can have at home and that you will visit these shops and stop back here for recipes and ideas once you have your garden started!

Celebrate in Miniature - Make a Fairy Garden

Post Updated with new sellers as of 5/2026

April 30^th (yesterday) was May Eve, when everyone should be on the lookout for Fairies. When I read that in my email, I was intrigued by the idea.  I have toyed with the idea of a fairy garden on my patio for some time and with this push went hunting for Fairy Garden accessories.  I found three great vendors on Etsy during my search that have perfect accessories for you to create a personalized Fairy Garden.

This is an example of the Patio from Janit Calvo

Twogreenthumbs.com

The first person I found was Janit Calvo of Seattle, Washington.  Using her website Two Green Thumbs.com, she helps people turn up their creativity and become expert miniature gardeners. Her Etsy store and website are filled with accessories and kits, including my favorite which is a kit for making a stone patio in miniature.  As Janit says, “Miniature Gardening, it's where craft and garden meet.”

Fairy Garden by Susie Morgan Wilburn

Susie Morgan Wilburn was my next discovery.  She is from Toms Brook, Virginia and her specialty is pottery.  She makes great miniatures of tables, chairs and accessories.  She named her shop, Laughing Orange Studio which comes from the Sherwin Williams paint color on her house.  She had a blog and other information on her website and facebook, but both are now unavailable. So I think you can take a look at this site instead which has a paint your own pottery fairy houses: BrickandBotanica 



Garden Flowers Wheelbarrow Ensemble



The third shop to catch my attention was from California.  The owner is named Jayme and her shop is filled with great Fairy accessories.  From a Gazebo to benches and chairs to watering cans and small clay pots it is a treasure trove of fun miniatures.  Being a nursery owner since 2003 she has been teaching classes on making fairy gardens and has noticed an increase in popularity recently.  She feels it is the charm and magic they bring.  My favorite was a wheelbarrow ensemble that included a shovel and garden boots.

This shop is now closed (5/2026) but I found a couple others with fairy accessories, like TreePoetryStore and SouthVintageChicCo.

According to Jayme "Fairy gardens are a wonderful way to let your imagination soar!They can be very magical for the young and old alike."

For those who want to start small, I also found this little kit from TreasureBoxKidz. You take this and your own inspiration and you can have fun with herbs like thyme, miniature rosemary, corsican mint and succulents to craft your own Fairy Garden. Fairy Garden Kit

I hope that you find these sellers as much of an inspiration as I did.  I am looking forward to finally crafting a cute garden nook for the fairies who gather on my porch each twilight.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!