Cool Stuff: Blossom Creations

Fresh and pretty papergoods and textiles from Australia's eco-minded Blossom Creations. The paper is 100-percent recycled and printed with soy-based inks, while the linens are made with hemp, organic cotton, and non-toxic dyes. Clockwise from top left: Fig Napkins, two for $60 AUD (about $47 U.S.); Sprig Kitchen Towel, $40 AUD ($31 U.S.); Fig Notebook, $8 AUD ($6 U.S.); Branch Cushion Cover, $40 AUD ($31 U.S.); Gingko Apron, $20 AUD ($16 U.S.)

Sigh -- I want it all.

If you sew, Blossom Creations also sells lovely hand-screenprinted hemp fabric by the yard.

See all of the company's eco-chic offerings right here.

Cool Stuff: Chris Duncan Calendar at Little Otsu

Can you believe that I still don't have a usable 2009 calendar? There are a million great calendars out there, of course. (Etsy, for instance, has dozens of them.) But we need a calendar we can really use -- for recording dentist appointments, carpool duty, the kids' school holidays, work due dates ... In other words, the kind of calendar we can stick on the fridge and start marking up with our busy, complicated, ever-changing family schedule. (I'm old-school, too, and simply refuse to keep our calendar online or transfer it to a handheld.)

Sadly, I haven't had any luck finding a calendar like that -- well, at least one that doesn't feature month after month of kittens "hanging in there" or New England's covered bridges. But my search did lead me to this awesome two-year calendar by Oakland artist Chris Duncan (see more of his work here).

While it's not a stick-on-the-fridge-and-check-every-morning-to-see-where-the-heck-we're-all-supposed-to-be-today type calendar, it is a gorgeous, year-at-a-glance style planner and two pieces of art rolled into one. It's double-sided, too, so when you sing "Auld Lang Syne" to 2009, simply flip it over for 2010.

Two Years of the Youniverse measures roughly 11 by 15 inches and is just $9 from San Francisco-based print shop Little Otsu. I may just have to snap one up.

Meanwhile, I'm still hunting for that practical refrigerator calendar with an arty edge. Any ideas? Anyone, anyone?

Etsy Finds of the Day: Tag It

Now that you've got the holiday cards sent, the ornaments hung, the garlands strung, and the gifts wrapped, it's time to tag them and slip them under the tree. Above: Santa Obama Gift Tags, $3.75 for twelve from time2cre8

Clockwise from top left: Letterpress Hang Tags, $3.50 for three from amyb13; Mittens Tags, $3 for three from Christina Williams Designs; Spirograph Gift Tag, $5 for six from Blackbird Letterpress; Letterpress Gift Tags, $8 for eight from Heather Smith Jones

Clockwise from top left: Jigsaw/Sky Gift Tags, $4 for four from RiffeRaff; Porcelain Gift Tag Stars, $3.75 for three from Summers Studio Etc.; Green and Brown Letterpress Gift Tags, $10 for nine from Sycamore Street Press

Clockwise from top left: Letterpress Hangtags, $12 for twelve from Lucky Bee Press; Snowflake Christmas Gift Tags, $6 for five from Little Glowing Lights; Christmas Berry Letterpress Gift Tags, $8 for six from Old Tom Foolery; Tag It and Box It Up Tags, $3 for five from B.B. Vintage

Clockwise from top left: Do Not Open Until December 25 Tags, $3 for five from The Hollister 25; Letterpress Gift Tags, $8 for twelve from With Love Designs; Holiday Wooden Gift Tags, $14 for six from Paloma's Nest; Naughty or Nice Gift Tags, $9 for six from Design des Troy

Clockwise from top left: Deer Holiday Gift Tag, $10 for six from Small Square Design; Bottle Brush Christmas Tree Tags, $3 for two from Petite Pear Paperie; Wallpaper Hex Gift Tags, $5 for five from Ladies & Gentlemen; Holiday Gift Tag Assortment, $12 for five from Astulabee

The clock's a-tickin', though -- so if you want any of these in time for Christmas, I'd order them pronto.

Etsy Find of the Day: Sarah Jane Studios Halloween Cards

I'm utterly charmed by these sweet, vintage-inspired Halloween cards from Etsy seller Sarah Jane Studios. Above: You Spook Me, $3 each or ten for $16

Happy Halloween, $3 each or ten for $16

Check out the rest of Sarah Jane Studios' Etsy offerings right here. (In addition to stationery, she has some prints that would be perfect for a nursery.)

Cool Stuff: Rowan Morrison Found Paper Journal

This super-cool Found Paper Journal from Oakland art gallery, bookstore, papergoods shop, printing press, and publisher (!) Rowan Morrison is made from "128 randomly assorted pages collected from old accounting ledgers, graph paper, legal pads, letterhead stationery, sheet music, grammar-school writing paper, loose leaf, Braille, and vintage papers of all styles." The chipboard cover features an embossed scissors illustration by local artist Narangkar Glover.

The 8-by-5-inch, limited-edition journal, which was made right here in Oakland, is just $10 in the Rowan Morrison online shop. (Only 190 were created, so grab yours quick!)

Etsy Find of the Day: Royal Buffet Recycled Paper Mobiles

Pretty mobiles made from recycled French magazines and record jackets by Etsy seller Royal Buffet (aka Greenville, South Carolina artists and crafters Mollie Greene and Annie Koelle). Wouldn't these be lovely suspended near a window, where they'd flutter gently in the breeze? Above: Butterfly Quicksilver Mobile, $19

Salut, Birdie Mobile, $22

Dans le Tourbillon de la Vie Parisienne Mobile, $25

See all of the whimsical papergoods (like this sweet Petit Papillon Garland, $10) in Royal Buffet's Etsy shop.