Clever Functional Art on Etsy

I'm always swooping in on my husband and brother-in-law's beverages to stick coasters under them (it makes me feel so fifties housewife, and here I am getting a PhD--sheesh); perhaps if I had some of these hysterical coasters I could avoid the swooping (I'm sure it would amuse hubby and his bro to "squish" something with their beverages every time).

NothingLikeIt has a number of fun squished polymer creations, both in coaster and non-coaster form, including some holiday themed ones. For more examples of her entertaining solutions, see other pieces from her shop below.

I used to have long hair--it went all the way down to the small of my back, looked lovely, and drove me insane. So I cut it all off. If only I'd known about these lovely hair sticks from Art for Hair I might have lasted a little longer...

Because there's so much variety in the kinds of hair sticks in this lovely shop I've included links to several of them below.

FickleFaerie has put together a great item--reasonably priced, easy to open, reusable produce bags. She has them in a variety of single colors, plus this fun decorative one pictured here.

I just got some of these, and I couldn't be more thrilled--I'd just recently decided to start buying more fresh produce and was feeling awful about using the store's plastic bags since I bring in my own grocery sacks--and then I found ficklefaerie's perfect solution.

I don't have kids (well, unless you count my cats, which I kinda do--but usually not in front of people [grin]), but if I did this is exactly the stuffed animal that would be nestled next to them.

OrganicallyMade is one of those wonderful etsians who are both talented and ethical, and this bunny is a perfect example. Not only is the exterior fabric organic cotton flannel but even the interior is organic cotton.

OrganicallyMade's story behind her adorable bunny is what caused me to realize what a clever problem solver this really is. She had noticed her kids sucking on stuffed animals and realized that meant they were sucking on all kinds of nasty pesticides and other chemicals. Being artistic as well as caring, she managed to come up with a solution to this concern that also looks adorable.

The next babyshower I go to will definitely find this coming along with me.

This is so clever I can hardly stand it. I've always thought the little wine glass charms were a great idea--I can't count the number of times I've stared stupidly at an end table wondering whether the half-full or two-thirds-full glass of red was mine--but I've never purchased any because I knew I'd lose them. They're cute and little, I'm disorganized and slightly near-sighted: a bad combination. So I've just admired them from afar, wistfully, at other people's parties.

But Melsdolls has the perfect solution to this dilemma of the disorganized: include a magnet to hold your wine glass bling--brilliant! Now, instead of losing these adorable doo-dads before the first party, people like me can keep them organized while adding a bit of flair to the fridge at the same time. Plus mel's, unlike all the same-old-same-old ones I've seen at my friend's houses, are handmade, and I'm always a big fan of supporting independent artists.

Now if only she can come up with a similarly clever way for me to keep my thoughts organized...