Joeseppi's Victory Garden of Tomorrow on Etsy

My next featured shop on Etsy is joeseppi, which offers some wonderful vintage looking posters and t-shirts with a gardening theme. Got someone on your list who gardens, preserves, or keeps chickens or bees? You can find great, affordable gifts here for $20.00 and under!

Joe Wirtheim, the shop owner, states in his profile that he draws the inspiration for his artwork from the NYC World's Fair of 1939 and World War II era propaganda posters. That's readily apparent in his art with its retro mix of victory garden and atomic age themes. The letterpress printing with a mix of nolstagic and futuristic colors and fonts, make these posters and 

A good friend of mine recently sent me this Grow Food poster for my birthday, which now  hangs proudly in our kitchen. I can't look at this very optimistic chicken without smiling.

Some of the items have a distinct "The World of the Future" feel. These would be great for an gardener who also appreciates science fiction or space exploration.



Other posters are just awesome propaganda for composting, beekeeping, and canning.



In addition to the very affordable posters, joessepi also carries t-shirts and postcards with the same images. You can read more about Joe Wirtheim and his modern campaign for civic innovation at his blog, http://victorygardenoftomorrow.com/ 

Vintage Belle on Etsy

Well, it's the start of the holiday season and over the next month or so I thought I might showcase a few sellers that I admire on Etsy.

I stumbled across Vintage Belle the other week and I can't stop admiring this shop. The artists make beautiful jewelry out of salvaged bits of broken china set in sterling silver, including pins, earrings, and rings. I've always like mosaics and I appreciate the idea of remaking pieces of broken china into something of beauty.

Their pieces have a lovely romantic feel, such as this bluebird pin:



And this ring:



And some items are just downright amusing, like these two charms:

My grandmother had a set of china in the Virginia Rose pattern. It was beautiful and I'll always think of her when I see it, but the pattern doesn't fit my lifestyle and I don't particularly want any pieces of my own. One of Vintage Belle's creations would be a fabulous but functional way to remember a loved one and her china at the same time.