Men. Not only do they get to have the same haircut for years and still look au courant, but they also get clothes with wonderfully functional and occasionally stylish pockets, while our clothes are often pretty but impractical. Some of us take the route of embracing the handbag with resignation, while others are major purse addicts who cannot get enough. We want to encourage you, dear reader, to think about your handbag (or ‘man bag’ if you have one). This unsung hero of goody totin is not just a symbol of your bread winning skills (likewise, Louis Vuitton does not a good outfit make, oh sweatpants and designer bag ’style’ abuser); it is a way of adding personality, flair, and fun to your accessorizing experience. This week we’ll be exploring the handbag and today our focus is prints. Check out what we found:

The Vintage by Zoe Bags features patchwork style vintage fabric in luscious red shades. This bag is perfect for toting the essentials as it provides MANY pockets, making it great for mommies or gals with lots of must haves. YAY! Brooch is removable, making the look versatile to boot.

Pretty in polka dot, this hand bag by Alli C Designs has a cool print with much matching potential, and a unique shape. Perfect for the essentials and a little book as well, this bag is a sure conversation starter or attraction getter. Gotta love good design.

This Joel Dewberry print clutch in salmon was made by Jessica Leman of Peas & Carrots. Perfect for the essentials and adding a romantic flair to the outfit. Also good bridal favors for bridesmaids, or your favorite “I feel pretty” outfit.

One of the great benefits of a printed purse is that you can wear patterns together that would look crazy if you wore them as a top and bottoms. That’s why we like this one by Just Jeanie. With poppy colors, fun print, and feminine details it’s big enough to carry the must haves and has a quirky spunk all its own.

You are a unique and beautiful snowflake…so why should your bag be any different? Explore your printed options and help beautify your city just by leaving the house!

As you know by now we love some art here at HF HQ. We’ve shopped around for some tasty choices. Here’s what we loved.

Gold by Eveline Tarunadjaja:

We love the woodgrain and detailing on the dress.

Self Portrait by Kareena Zerefos :

Sensual, minimal, gorgeous self portrait.

Flower Child by Imagine Studio 2’s Lyse Marion:

Beautiful colors plus use of familiar imagery.

Tempest by Stiletto Heights:

The bubbles remind us of champagne…

Charming Silhouettes by A Fanciful Twist:

Modern Victoriana.  We can never get enough of that stuff.

No more naked walls!

Those of you that have read HF in the past know we love us some silver. Rugged silver. Sexy silver. Organic shapes and textures. Char Ouellette has all of these features and more–a natural poetry. Behold our selections and you’ll see why Char Ouellette makes our hearts sing!

These earrings, called Simply Beautiful, perfectly capture the timeless beauty found in something as simple as a heel print in the sand; the discs suspended from the organic ovals add an unusual element to a standard favorite with a lovely curving shape. Paloma Picasso, eat your heart out–no one will know you didn’t spend hundreds!

Splash ring simply seduced us at first sight. (Like that subtle alliteration? There’s more where that came from.) As you can see for yourself, it’s sublime. With a three-band hammered and oxidized foundation and a dome textured with silver raindrops, Splash is the result of experimentation, and reminds us of water drops on sun drenched rocks. Perfection.

Chaos bracelet. Where to begin? Three strands of linked sterling circles give the bracelet a visual heft–making a statement that is actually wearable and not fussy. Suitable for women of all ages, we can imagine this bracelet making a favorable impression with a crisp white blouse–peeking saucily from the cuffs–or a black tee. Basic, but not boring!

Char Ouellette’s shop also contains explorations in glass–the pop of color against the texturized silver is definitely worth a peek. If you like the items featured here, we recommend you check out Wide Eyed, Gala (with juicy apple green!) and Menage a Trois in copper. Get your smelling salts–swooning will ensue! Best of all, Char Ouellette’s designs are timeless and won’t kill your savings. Guilt free pleasure? That’s always in style!

Dolls–cute, cuddly, precious, pretty, dainty, snuggly, furry, hard as stone–there seems to be a doll out there for everyone. Just like soul mates, these dolls are looking for their human counterpart; like talismans dolls can describe the finer nuances of our inner desires and make visual some ideal we’ve held inside. Here are a few we’ve been fawning over.

These dolls by Marina Bychkova of The Enchanted Doll are absolutely sublime and slightly insane in their beauty. With fully articulated ball joints, idealized, yet realistic bodies in porcelain (not ‘neutered’ or sexless), incredible costumes of beads and gemstones, and painted in lustrous fleshtones, the dolls look like real, perfect people. Unbelievably, Marina Bychkova is a young, beautiful girl, much like her dolls–younger than such talent indicates (though she has been making dolls since age 6). We can only imagine what she will create as she continues her exploration of both fabric, jewelry making and her preferred medium of porcelain.

Mihret is a limited edition nude with silk/mohair hair.

Edie is a limited edition nude with a silk/mohair pixie.

Snow White, shown below with the Necrophiliac Prince. We love her beaded costume, and the slight bruising around her neck (kinda creepy, but somehow appropriate).

Below, Echo, a limited edition costumed doll. The fabric of her costume is a high quality dye sublimation print on 100% polyester fabric made from the photograph of an original, bead embroidered costume.

Her dolls inevitably spring out of story telling, and lend themselves perfectly to fantasy. Steeped in myth and folklore, the dolls explore themes familiar through childhood tales, often exposing the irresistible ‘dark’ or erotic undercurrents, which only adds to the utterly fascinating and hypnotic aura of her work. Dolls are available nude, in an elaborate costume (or the limited edition printed fabric), and can be customized. Jewelry is available for purchase. Check out Enchanted Doll and prepare to be floored.

We were getting ready the other day and thought to ourselves: wouldn’t it be nice to wear an iconic couple on our ears? Or perhaps a celebrity pin on our shoulder? And wouldn’t it be nice to discover a place where we could find Dorothy’s slippers, or perhaps Mr Roger’s smiling mug, or Pee Wee Herman and his great big bicycle? Just when we thought the longing had grown too acute to carry on, our wish was granted when we found My Aunt Debbie.

If you’ve ever felt like your love of classy kitsch and silver screen legends needed an outlet, or perhaps to celebrate your love of pop culture and quirky accessories, My Aunt Debbie’s shop has something just for you. Pins, earrings, and necklaces celebrate our favorite friends, and make these highly collectible, and slightly addictive. Here are just a few things we found and fell in love with:

Everyone’s favorite madcap divas, Ethel and Lucy, perfect for reminding you to cherish your best friend, and to always exploit every opportunity for more fun than you can shake a stick at.

Sonny and Cher–because they NEVER should have broken up!

Elvis and ‘Cilla. Cause they were so pretty together.

Toast! Yummy, deliciously golden toast. It lasts forever! It sparkles with bling! It’s completely startling!

The world’s most fashionable cat, Toodles, in one of her many dresses.

Check out My Aunt Debbie’s shop for more cute wearable collectible memorabilia like these. You’re sure to stand out and strike up a conversation with someone interesting! The proceeds of the next sale go to charity–it could be you!

If you can imagine falling in love with someone’s profile on Etsy after already being enamored of their art, then you’ve experienced what we call “Wolfie and the Sneak” syndrome. We absolutely adore their vivid neon accents in their art, so fresh and uncommon.

This limited edition print, called “Sugar water and a happy hummingbird”, provides such a mega dose of intense pink balanced with cool and effortless black and white. A perfect way for beating the neutral blahs.

“Say hello to Spring” is an original work on card stock. We love the minimalist design that shows the juicy colors so well.

Another original, “Magic is everywhere”, has beautiful leafy colors in blue and green with accents of the pink they use so well. Somehow this drawing gives us a feeling of happiness just by looking at it. This would make a wonderful gift for a friend, whether they need a pick me up or not.

Check out Wolfie and the Sneak for photographic art, vintage housewares, and other handmade surprises to give and treat yourself to.

Clementine, tangerine, burnt sienna, pumpkin, salmon, tawny–there are so many marvelous shades of orange to carry you throughout the seasons in pure fashion thrall. (We were totally reaching with that burnt sienna thing. Any of you raised on Crayola–did Prang have it?–know what we’re talking about. That was the crayon no one fought over. We digress.)

We scoured Etsy for some surprising finds in shades of orange to electrify your Summer duds. Here’s what we got.

Tiny Orange Oyster by Lunasa Designs is a standard solitaire with some not so standard features. This spiny orange oyster shell is set in a round bezel, and the band has been hammered and blackened for a tough, organic look. The orange pops against the metal, and though it’s a dainty little ring, it has a big personality. We love all of the jewelry at Lunasa Designs–her jewelry is earthy, well conceived, rife with unexpected details (oyster shell, stabbed coral,drilled holes) , and occasionally regal, even. What’s not to love?

This orange clutch by Cady Briar brings an elegance to orange we don’t often see. Accented with an ever regal deep purple lining, this bag is glamorous enough for nighttime and fun enough for day. The subtle white and pink details make this an orange with great matching potential. Big enough for the essentials, this bag style, called the Betty, comes with a removable gold chain. Her other available style, the Cady, is slightly larger and equally gorgeous, and our favorite is the Purple Satin; sleek and unfussy, the fabrics do all the talking.

Orange. Lego. Jewelry. Awesome. Gr0glmann’s Retro Classy Cufflinks may have started as gifts for friends and family, but the original use for pop iconography (Darth Vader, Monopoly pieces, various Lego parts, dominoes and scrabble pieces, to name a few) led to many inquiries and a business was born. These Orange cufflinks make a funky accent to your favorite button up, and would be a cool splash of color to boot. We love when men get a little more snaz options, since we ladies get a ludicrous variety. Finally formal is fun. And did we mention that cufflinks are sexy?

These Poppy Hair Clips by Tickle Bean are a fantastic take on the traditional flower hair ornament! Pure metal prettiness in lustrous orange, they marry the industrial with the feminine. Her use of color is breathtaking–check out Viola, Lotus Flower and Rose Hair Clips for example–and we especially love her explorations in orange. Apricot Necklace is another beauty to drool over. We’re so glad this homemaker and mother turned to jewelry as a creative and cash earning outlet!

From the regal, gemlike tones to the fun and funky, orange is a bracing color, perfect for Spring and Summer.

Spring, kelly, granny smith apple, grass, emerald and peridot–there are many shades of green that are breathtakingly beautiful, inspiring, and invigorating. We read somewhere that green is considered a rejuvenating color to look at, that the eye never tires of beholding it. We don’t know if that’s true, but we like the sound of it. Here are our choices in a variety of green shades for your viewing pleasure.

The following 2 items are green in both senses of the word–color, and environmentally friendly! Score!

Available at Kahiko, this scarf is a bold geometric breath of springtime. Worn on the head, around the waist, tied on a bag, as a halter top, or…as a scarf, this scarf is large enough to be versatile, dramatic enough to make a statement, and pretty enough to be used over and over again. We like that the green is infused with white–it adds to its flair. Kahiko’s shop has gems of vintage apparel which are sure to infuse your summer wardrobe with drama and one of a kind aloha spirit. For her handmade clothing, check out The Machine Stops–we love everything!

This dress, available at Revival House, is a fun green shift dress with an awesome neck tie accent. The sleeves are accented with brass beads, and the pattern is an detailed plaid with black and white stripes. Since it’s vintage, it’s highly unlikely you’ll see anyone else wearing the same dress. It pairs well with many different accessories for a look that’s all you, from low top Converse to militant knee high boots.

This bracelet is a gender neutral cuff in fantastic green leather by Rad Cow. Cuffs are so many things–tough, retro (Elvis had a cuff watch in the 60s), rocker (hello–Elvis), and simply stylish. We’ve never seen a cuff in green, as the standard color seems to be black, but we like it! Snap accents both practical and good looking. Other items available at Rad Cow include belts, wallets and more cool cuffs.

This pendant by Verre Encore is a pear shaped, tear drop like delight in delicious apple green enamel. So simple, and effortlessly stunning, it adds a decadent dash of color, and a wonderful, original and organic feel. Worn alone, it can be paired with almost anything and look chic. Verre Encore succeeds amazingly where color is concerned, and each piece is one of a kind, in lush colors with provocative shapes and patterns that are worthy conversation starters and style signatures. Don’t be surprised if VE’s your next addiction!

And finally, a green only you and your special sweetie will see, may we present A well kept lawn, by Dear Diary. A funny pair of undies for brightening up your day right from the beginning. Be forewarned that you will probably giggle every time you use the public restroom, so don’t wear them anywhere uppity unless you’re full of moxie. These are a great gift for the friend that takes personal hygiene extremely seriously, or those that are just into novelty knickers. Check out DD’s other fun undies for guys and gals–you won’t be sorry!