Photo by Katja Steinmetzer

This weekend’s Get the Look Decor is inspired by the retro center city apartment of Katja Steinmetzer.  This West German pottery obsessed cat lady lives in Brussels, Belgium, with her cats June, Watson, Flo and Wally.

Katja is living proof that you don’t need tons of money to have the home of your dreams. For more decorating inspiration and tips on supporting a vintage addiction on a shoestring budget, check out her blog, Fat Cat. Visit her on Flickr for even more photos of her colorful, plant-filled home.

[Clockwise from top left: Mid Century Modern Teak Credenza by MidCenturyMobler; Black Throw Blanket by JarvisGift; West German Scheurich planter by stargazer66; Modern Teak Arm Chairs by rhanvintage; Mid-Century Danish Modern Desk by modernmidcenturyfurn; Copper Gild Mirror by EthelAndAnnieGlass.]

Describe your home decorating style.
I wish I could say my decorating style was mid-century modern, which, in my mind, conjures up images of sleek, monochrome and minimal interiors. However, with my love for stuff and colour, eclectic retro is probably a much better description. I love vintage mid-century furniture and accessories, and I mix everything up with Ikea buys, African objects, real antiquities and lots of greenery.

[Clockwise from top left: Rosenthal Studio Line 'Pollo' Vase by lara111; CADO Royal Teak Wall Unit by jeffroberts; Vintage industrial cage light by trendybindi; West German Pottery Vase by Podooshki; West German Pottery Fat Lava Vase by GoGoBerlinette; West German Pottery Pitcher by thevintagequeendom;  Vintage Record Photo Art Print by CharlenePrecious; War Eagle Owl Pillow by makemorefriends; Danish Candlesticks by MODhusTacoma.]

Did you decide to decorate in this style or was there an evolution to your decorating process?
I’ve been living in my home for 7 years now and there’s been a definite move away from my student day decor — bright yellow and orange walls, Ikea furniture, and ethnic accessories — to a more homogeneous vintage decor. Although I still love pops of colour — my collection of red fat lava vases being a case in point — I’ve now moved on to a more neutral background: white, grey and black walls, and wooden furniture.

[Clockwise from top left: Sadler Celery Vase by Vintage4Vintage; Cathrineholm Orange Lotus Pot by SwitchbladeandCookie; Vintage Aluminum Canisters by ReFindery; Reclaimed Wood & Pipe Shelving Unit by Hindsvik; Scheurich West Germany vase by happymessvintage; Finel Arabia mushroom bowl by vintage magnet.]

Where are your favorite places to shop for home items?
There’s really mainly just one: eBay ! I’m a total addict. I mean, having 24/7 access to a worldwide flea market — what’s not to love? Of course, I also enjoy strolling through real life flea markets, but here in Brussels, these mostly take place on Sunday mornings — not really compatible with a leisurely lie in.
And one of the reasons why I enjoy travelling to the UK so much is to visit the fabulous antiques centres and car boot sales. I always come back with a souvenir.

[Clockwise from top left: Danish Modern Teak Credenza by fabulousmess; Welby Brass Starburst Wall Clock by Modernismus; Carstens West German Pottery Vase from suninthebox; Mid Century Modern Wall Shelf by GallivantingGirls; Herman Miller shell chairs by SelectModern;  Charley Harper National Parks Service Poster by ThreeStepsAhead.]

What inspires you when it comes to decorating?
Blogs like The Brick House and Door Sixteen have been real eye openers when it comes to personalizing my home on a limited budget.

What is your favorite part about your home?
I especially love that my numerous collections are on display everywhere.

Does your home hold any strong memories?
My home is more a constant source of happiness. And I’m very grateful to have a place where I get to express myself, do the things I really love  — such as DIY-ing, cooking, gardening and blogging — and have fun with my kitties and friends.

Looking for more styles and interiors? Check out our video series, There’s No Place Like Here, where creative types show us their unique spaces — infused with their aesthetic and filled with the treasures they collect. Get involved and show us your amazing space in this Flickr pool.

More Get the Look: Home Decor Editions.

Housewares Category | Vintage Housewares

Photo by clamlab

Emily Reinhardt is an object maker living and working in Manhattan, Kansas. While making ceramics for her own Etsy shop  and keeping up with her daily blog, she is inspired by the well-designed, everyday objects which people choose to surround themselves. Fresh out of college, Emily is determined to spend her life doing what she loves— making objects. Emily enjoys rainy mornings, hot tea and croissants, because it always takes her back to being in Paris.

As a perpetual renter, I’m always concerned about turning my space into a home. One area I’m really focused on is my kitchen. I’m in the process of making and collecting the perfect supply of handmade dishes. Someday soon I’d like to have a cupboard full of only handmade ceramics.

[Cups: 1. Tasse / white mug by ArtetManufacture; 2. Short white porcelain cup by vitrified studio; 3. Egg shaped mug by sarahveakpottery; 4. Dent tumbler by PigeonToeCeramics; 5. Green Cup by lauracooke.]

For me, it’s all about the connection I feel with that piece of pottery. Sometimes it sticks out right away, and by looks alone we’re instantly connected. Or maybe I have to hold it for a while and realize how great it feels in my hands.

[Bowls: 1. Everything bowl by clam lab; 2. Heart bowl by RossLab; 3. Small ceramic bowl by aLittleDishes; 4. Small gourd bowl by gleenashop; 5. Stoneware bowl set by SuiteOneStudio.]

Sometimes I find myself reaching to the back of my cupboard for a specific bowl over all of the others, just because it seems like a good match for my mood. A bowl can do that to me. How about you?

[Plates: 1. Stoneware mini plates by alluvial; 2. Minimalist plate by OneClayBead; 3. Handmade wedding plate set by christianesutherland;4. Organic entree plate by urbancartel; 5. Zen plate by NingChiao.]

Sometimes I get lost in thought when I’m using dishes that have been made by hand. I imagine this piece of pottery as it started out, just a wet lump of clay. And then I usually smile to myself, because I’m just so darn impressed by what clay and people can do!

[Serving: 1. Hand-Carved stoneware platter by LeiliDesign; 2. Folded serving bowl by PigeonToeCeramics; 3. Burlap tray by FringeandFettle; 4. White focaccia platter by atelierBB; 5. Grasp porcelain bowl by flatearthstudio.] 

The perfect kitchen cupboard opens wide and offers the eye a small private ceramics gallery, full of mismatched dishes made by all different people, with a story connecting to each piece. The guest gets their choice of which piece they want to use, and the owner gets the joy of telling their guest all about the piece they chose.

[For the tabletop: 1. Vita salt and pepper shaker set by MichikoShimada; 2. Mini mortar and pestle by clam lab; 3. White on white bottles by vitrified studio; 4. Porcelain head vase by karst; 5. Robin's egg creamer by juliaedean.]

Functionality and beauty are two non-negotiables on the insides of my next kitchen cupboards!

Ceramics and Pottery 

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Photo by My Little Thrift Store

Because procrastination is most heartily enjoyed with visuals.

• Waldeinsamkeit (German): “The feeling of being alone in the woods.” This, and 24 other words that don’t exist in English. 
• Plastic-eating fungi discovered in the Amazon.
• The most beautiful corn.
• The backs of birds’ heads. Better than you’d expect.
• Make a marshmallow milkshake. 

Where food and fashion intersect.

Give the gift of art.

The green goddess grilled cheese, plus 31 other grilled cheese recipes. (Did you know April is grilled cheese month?)

Co-ed fashions from the ’40s.

The tiniest thing you’ll see this week (an invertebrate, in fact): the water bear.

Ecstatic ceramics.

On fan art and fan fiction.

The great wall of china.

Eccentric portraits.

A record player that plays slices of wood.

 Past Blogosphere Posts | Follow Etsy on Pinterest

Alison is Editor in Chief of the Etsy Blog. When she's not trawling Etsy for pottery, folk art, and vintage oddities, she enjoys exploring New York, historical nonfiction and thrifting. She loves a good cat video.

Photo by Michael on Flickr

In São Paulo, Brazil, a fashion retailer called C&A unveiled a new clothing display that has customers signing on to Facebook. Garments in the store are displayed on hangers with digital read-outs that show how many “likes” the item has received on the clothing company’s Facebook page. These totals are updated in real-time, keeping shoppers informed of the styles that are most popular with Internet users. ”When they go clothes shopping, women always feel insecure and want a second opinion,” says a promotional video for digital service. “So give ‘likes’ to the clothes you like more and help thousands of women in their difficult mission of choosing the ideal outfit.”

While the video arguably paints a slightly offensive portrait of the stereotypical woman, it also assumes that shoppers desire more online-connectivity in their daily lives. From a retailer’s perspective, this is an incredibly intuitive means of engaging buyers on a whole new level. But for many of us, the last thing we need are inanimate objects brandishing that iconic blue and white thumbs up icon that is already so pervasive in our digital lives. As one step closer to the Internet of Things — a projected future in which all inanimate objects have an online presence — C&A might be crossing a boundary that’s more uncomfortable gimmick than revolutionary business strategy. But ultimately, will the clicks of hundreds of strangers affect your opinion toward a garment? If this experiment proves successful, expect the world to be filled with an army of Facebook-connected hangers, the new harbingers of what’s new and trendy in fashion.

Geekery Category

Chappell Ellison is a designer, writer and design writer. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York where she serves as a contributor for The Etsy Blog and design columnist for GOOD.

Photo by Katlix

Once you get a feel for the basics of pricing your items, graduate on up to the next level of pricing strategies.

Bundled Pricing. Encourage your customer to buy multiple items by offering them together as a set, usually at a slightly discounted price. Think about products shoppers are likely to want to buy together — a collection of soaps, a set of bridesmaid necklaces, a grouping of art prints. You might do a prepared set that you know will work great together, or allow the customer to choose from a chart of what you have available. Learn more: Bundling Strategies.

fabricmade

Tiered Pricing. Having a range of prices in your shop allows you to sell to different buyers. For shops selling higher-priced items, some simple pieces in your signature style will allow customers who don’t have the money for your high-end pieces to buy something from you. Learn more: Tiered Pricing.

kjoo

Kjoo sells exquisite art jewelry for hundreds of dollars, and also offers simpler, smaller pieces in the $50 range.

Sales and Discounts. Sales can be a good way to attract new buyers to your shop and reward loyal fans. If you run sales and promotions, make sure you’re attracting the right buyers and maintaining the value of your work. This article is geared towards holiday promotions, but the tips apply across the board: Putting on a Promotion.

EyePoetryPhotography on Facebook

Wholesale Pricing. Would you like to sell wholesale? Keep in mind that your wholesale price will generally be half of your retail price (what you currently sell the item for), so plan accordingly! Learn more: Wholesale Pricing.

AmandaDavieWholesale

What pricing strategies have worked for your as your shop has grown?

Photo by ellemoss

Hello, party people! In a few short months, the best day of the year will be upon us. Our third annual Etsy Craft Party offers up an opportunity to toss confetti, inflate a bouquet of balloons, sharpen your scissors, and celebrate two of the best things in our handmade lives: craft and community. We will be celebrating together in towns and cities across the globe on Friday, August 24, 2012.

In a nutshell, Craft Party is a celebration of meeting and making, of creativity and community. It’s a time to meet your neighbors and share a creative skill. It’s a time to have fun and party down with scissors in your hand (carefully, that is). Anyone can organize a Craft Party and anyone can participate — the power is literally in your hands.

This year, we are announcing a theme we’re calling Wish You Were Here. With this as a guiding idea, we encourage you to work on projects that reflects your hometown. Think about local and regional crafts, music, style, and food, ways to pay tribute to a notable landmark or place, an activity that tells local lore through handmade means, or any creative activity that speak to this spirit of local flavor. This is definitely open to interpretation, and it’s up to you to decide how you showcase the theme at your party. We’ll be planting more seeds of ideas in posts to come.

NicolesCadeaux

We will be announcing further details about Craft Party 2012 in the coming weeks, but we wanted to go ahead and give you a date to save so you can start your scheming. Future posts will share tips for organizers, RSVP information, DIY party ideas, how-to projects incorporating the theme, and many more morsels of inspiration and straight up logistical know-how.

In the meantime, here are a few links to help get your Craft Party pinwheels turning. Click the links to find out each answer:

• How did Craft Party 2011 work?
• What were some Craft Party stories and quotes from 2011 and 2010?
• Where can I see photos from past parties?
• Can you give me some ideas of projects to make at my Craft Party?
• Is there a Craft Party Team on Etsy?

How would you like to celebrate Craft party 2012? Let us know in the comments below!

How to Throw Your Own Craft Night  | Projects to Make | DIY Party Ideas