Awesome and Unusual Handmade Christmas Stockings From Etsy Designers Make The Mantel.

Not your usual Christmas Stockings, these three etsy stores sell handmade and unusual designs for the artisan holiday home. Hand-tooled leather with koi, flowers, bees and snowflakes from Moxie and Oliver, Burlap coffee sacks turned into elf stockings available with or without customization from Habitation Boheme and wild and modern patterns and designs for people and pets from Urban Creative. 

Most can be still be shipped in time for Christmas. Prices and designs vary. Read on for more info, pics and links to buy.

Hand-Tooled leather stockings from Moxie and Oliver:






shop for them here

Habitation Boheme offers unique, handmade one-of-a-kind repurposed burlap Christmas stockings made from coffee sacks:






shop for them here

Kendra Lock of Urban Creative has colorful modern graphic Christmas stockings for people and pets:




shop for them here

Weaving Together Luxury, Comfort and Style - Turkish T Artisan Towels & Linens.

Turkish T artisan linens and towels are hand-loomed and environmentally friendly. Combining usefulness with luxury, they come in a rainbow of colors and can be used in the kitchen, on the dining table, by the pool, at the beach, as throw blankets, as accents on furniture and much more.






In the kitchen:



On the table:




Available in a multitude of sizes and various weights, the 100% unbleached cotton towels and linens turn a utilitarian product into one infused with style and luxury. Gaining softness with every wash, they are manufactured on ancient Turkish hand looms.




Absorbent and beautiful, they are great for poolside or at the beach:





The linen hand towels below are a favorite of Gwyneth Paltrow and featured on her blog, Goop:



The Bamboo Towel (50% Bamboo 50% Cotton) is for those that appreciate hand loomed turkish cotton but understand the need to be handled with care:




They make great gifts for others or yourself. With so many styles and colors, you'll find anything for anyone!
Check out all their styles, sizes and colors here.

Modern Quilts For Manly Men & More By LUKE.

I blogged about edgy rock n' roll quilts by Boo Davis last August, now I'm happy to introduce you to another fabulous modern quilter and much to my pleasant surprise, the talented stitcher is a male.


above: one of Luke Haynes' self-portrait quilts

Luke Haynes explores ways of using fabric as a medium for both functional quilts as well as wall hangings. His collections include Man Stuff, American Nostalgia, Self-portraits, Flightless Birds, Objects & Accessories as well as commissions and gifts.


above: America In Context #1 - American Gothic. Below: detail


Luke combines various techniques and looks to create his modern quilts and wall-hangings. Traditional quilting combined with the posterized imagery makes for beautiful textile art.




Here's a few of his Man Stuff quilts:

Hammer:


Screwdriver:


Red Truck:

Elk Head:


And a few from his American Nostalgia Collection:

Hamburger:

Abraham Lincoln:

American Pie:

Fries and A Hopper:

President Obama:


Some of his Self-Portrait Quilts:







Penguin, from his series of Flightless Birds:



Some examples of his commissioned quilts and gifts for friends:





all images courtesy of Luke Haynes

See more of his work here or visit his etsy store here to buy one of have him create one for you.