Discriminating Weirdos

Cool Coin Cutting

If you read my entry yesterday, and I've no reason to believe that you didn't, you'll know that I spent some time yesterday morning looking for kites on Etsy.  Long story short, there weren't any.

There were, however, lots of kite-related items.  Cards, prints, patches, and jewelry -- they kite shape was easy to find.  I decided to feature one of those pieces today, mostly because it's so cool.  It's connection to kites isn't really immediate, even though we all know the story of the discovery of electricity during a lightning storm.

That's right, it's Ben Franklin -- inventor, writer, statesman, and all-around busybody.  I thought that this piece of jewelry made from a 1956 fifty cent piece was too good not to feature.  According to the written description, all of the cut coin work on the site is done by the artist by hand without the use of electric tools.

According to the artist's statement on the site, "Though most have never heard of or seen a cut coin, it has been around for centuries but is best known in America as being a tramp or hobo art. It was practiced mostly by the crafty homeless traveler due to the minimal tools needed to create a means of survival at a time when there was no labor to be found. It is a skill that is generally passed on from one traveler to another. I learned the craft from a transient that was passing through my town when I was a teenager. I have now been cutting for almost fifteen years."

You can find this cut coin, along with over 100 others, at his shop, petsalad.  Click HERE, or click the picture to go right to the page with the Ben Franklin coin.  (ADAM)

With Spring Come Kites, Right?

Once again, I'm shocked and surprised by Etsy.  I was standing in the shower, thinking about a good blog topic for today, and my mind turned to the weather in Chicago over the past week.  It rained -- HARD -- all weekend, and before that, it was in the 60s.  In short, it's starting to feel like spring.  Yesterday, Em even noticed that the neighbor's lilac bushes are budding and that the bulbs by the front door have started horning up out of the ground.

I started thinking about spring, and where I might search for interesting Etsy items that fit the theme.  I immediately thought about kites.

I remember so many windy April and May days of serious kite flying out behind the school.  The wind was always great there, so we could deal with the standing water and mud pits.  There was a time one spring where everyone seemed to bring kites to fly at lunch.  For a few weeks that year, kites took the place of four-square, flag football, and the frisbee.

Armed with an idea, I went to Etsy and searched for kites.  Oddly, there wasn't a single hit for actual kites that one might fly in the air.  Sure, there were kite-themed cards, paintings, prints, jewelry, and any number of other items, but no actual kites.

I had to be more specific in my search, so I typed in octopus flying kite. Lo and behold, there were some hits.  My two favorites, along with information on where they can be found, follow.

And if anyone is looking to fill an Etsy niche, look into building kites.  Apparently there is a shortage of good kite makers out there.

This octopus print can be found in Erin Ellis' shop.  Click HERE, or if you click the picture, it will take you directly to the print itself. 

This multitasking octopus can be found at Jaffajam.  Click HERE, or again, the picture will connect you directly to the page.  (ADAM)