WHO DAT salvaged wood 2×4 recycled stencil sign by art by mags!

I can’t believe WE WON THE SUPERBOWL! The French Quarter last night was insane… so much love, joy and happiness to go around! We walked down Bourbon Street and people were hugging strangers. It was amazing!

Now I’m off to 2038 Magazine Street to help set up a special this-week-only craft market at my fellow New Orleans Craft Mafia members Mark & Heather’s shop – Unique Products.

Is it just me or does Israel seem to have an abundance of extraordinarily talented designers? Lately it seems whenever I’m browsing on Etsy and I find a shop full of beautifully designed clothing, jewelry or accessories, the artist will often have Israel listed as their location. Is there something in the water??

Lirola is just one of these amazing Etsy shops. I keep finding myself drawn again and again to the beautiful work friendly handmade dresses and tops found here.

Lirola’s pieces are sweet and feminine without being overly so. These gorgeous handmade garments are so classic that I can’t see them going out of style anytime soon, and most are made out of comfy jersey material. These are the kinds of dresses and tops that are appropriate for the office but can make the transition from to dinner and dancing easily.

Lirola is one of those shops where the biggest problem you’ll have is deciding which piece is your favorite!

You guys have been sending me such great eco-friendly and earth inspired finds lately for my Picked By You! series! Here’s a few that have been posted via Facebook and the Etsy forums.

PluckyMermaid picked these earrings made from real orchid leaves by MaD Earth, who make lots of other great jewelry from sustainable materials and natural elements. PluckyMermaid says, “I love this shop! Such cool items, so creative and beautiful!”

Teressa Foster of MisTeeK offered up these handmade gift tags crafted from recycled paper. She says, “I’d like to suggest one of my favorites, runonthesun, who makes price tags out of recycled just about anything cardboard. She hand punches them herself! I love them, and use them on all of my creations.” I love these too; thanks for the tip Teressa!

MarianellaStyle recommended a recycled paper coin purse by Lilith Creations. She says, “This purse is made with paper!! You can find more upcycled products in her shop.” So cute!

Thanks for all of the great finds!

Got your own amazing handmade or eco-friendly shopping find? Send it my way! You can email me a link to the item, one or two sentences about why you think it is so special, plus your name and a website/blog link so I can credit you to mallory [AT] missmalaprop.com and let me know it’s for Picked By You!, or you can post your picks in this thread in the Etsy forums or at my Facebook fan page. Designers, while I definitely encourage you to let me know about your own work as well, please note that Picked By You! is to showcase the work of other artists, so show some love for your favorite fellow artisans!

The handmade jewelry and textile designs of Marianna Dorkas Jamadi, aka i am dorkas, have been making the rounds of the style savvy blogosphere as of late, and with good measure. Miss Ashe Mischief recently did an interview with Marianna on her blog, and I found it fascinating and inspiring. Marianna pulls inspiration from her Finnish and Indonesian cultural heritage and collaborates with both her Finnish mom and Portuguese boyfriend on her collection of modern kitchen textiles and eclectic jewelry.

The napkins and dish towels designed by Marianna and her mom and inspired by the classically colorful Scandinavian designs of Marimekko are absolutely smile inducing. (I wish there was clothing available in these fabrics!) Her recent jewelry designs incorporate clock hands into earrings and her hand-carved wooden rings are a perfect way to get back to nature. All of these pieces are available for purchase in the i am dorkas online shop.

Julia Goland from Julishland Leather Jewelry recently let me know about her work, and I’m loving it! These nature inspired designs combine color and texture beautifully for bracelets, necklaces and barrettes that will last the test of time.

Julia’s small family company is based in Israel, and her work is available for purchase in her Etsy shop. You can see more images of her work in her DeviantArt Gallery or on Flickr.