4 of 90 Featured Etsy Shops: Liz Staley's Realm of Nerdiness

I'm a bit of a nerd~ I admit it! Undernearth my hippy,dippy, herbalist exterior is a nerd who loves Star Wars, used to play D&D in college, and watches Adult Swim late at night. I like computer geek stuff, although I'm not very good at it. I no longer game anymore. OK, so I haven't gamed in over 25 years. BUT, I can get my nerd fix just by stopping by Liz Staley's Realm of Nerdiness on Etsy! Liz is one of my favorite people on Etsy, and a member of my EarthPath Artisans Street team.

Currently living in Greenville, NC, Liz makes cool chokers out of PC keyboard keys, crochets fabulous and sexy fingerless gloves, and makes fun buttons! She has also figured out how to make wallets out of keyboard circuitry! Now, you won't find those anywhere else! Liz is not only a Star wars fan, but caters to FireFly/Serenity fans as well. She's got a new line of buttons and magnets with fun quotes from the series.

You can also find Liz blogging about her life here.
Stop by the Realm of Nerdiness to read all the fun buttons, and indulge your inner nerd! She's currently making some new "Geek Paks" for us which will make great stocking stuffers for those geeks or gamers on your list!

Franklin County Fiber Twist Festival

This past weekend, my Mom and I went to the Franklin County (MA) Fiber Twist. It's a county-wide celebration of all things wool and wool-related. The main vendor halls and the demonstrations were held in Old Deerfield Village in Deerfield, MA. Then various farms had open studio hours where you could visit. After spending most of the day at the vendor halls, we set off for the studio tour.

The weather on Saturday was typical of the worst that New England has to offer in October- cold rain and fog, all day. However, being the intrepid souls that we are, we managed to make it to two of the farms to visit. The farms were located on back roads, well off the beaten path. When we got to Springdelle Farm in Shelburne, they were having a shearing demonstration on the sheep. The farm's studio, Foxfire Fiber & Designs had incredibly soft hand-dyed yarn spun into the most beautiful colors!

Springdelle Sheep

After we left Springdelle, we headed to Moonshine Design at Keldaby. Here the focus is on Angora goats. The mohair from these gentle animals is so lush! We got a tour of the barn, and visited the shop there. I covet the hand-dyed Sport socks made at the farm! They were the thickest, softest and most colorfully dyed socks I have seen!

Back at Old Deerfield, we met vendors from all over the Valley. Each booth was full of wool rovings, batts, finished hand-crafted items or related things. We even went to a demonstration of felting. My new obsession is now making felt (wet felting) and needle felting! I'll be sure to post my first piece I finish.

Here's some of the pictures from the hall, with links if available:
Woollies of Shirkshire Farm, Conway,MA (413.625.3236)

Jaeger Farm Icelandics

Sojourner Designs

Journey Wheels

Day 3 of 90 Featured Etsy Shops: Earmark Invitations

Are you obsessed with cards and stationary? Can't resist the racks of gorgeous cards and journals, even when you're late to get someplace? Yeah, me too!

If that's the case, Earmark Invitations's shop on Etsy is a place you should see. These custom stationers have great graphics, clean crisp designs, and a sense of humor. I love that they print all of their designs on recycled paper. Bridgette and Mike will also make a custom birthday card or stationary for you at very reasonable prices. If you're near San Diego, stop by and see them at their weekly booth at the Ocean Beach Farmers Market. Tell them you're from Etsy and get a free card! Free cards for the paper obsessed! What could be better than that?