They Come From the Land Down Under

G'day! Have you hugged an Aussie today? In honor of Hug an Australian Day, I'm sending some virtual hugs to a few of my fellow Etsians who live in the Land Down Under! Before I forget, for those of you who are looking for my Monday BESTeam feature, please come back tomorrow to see it. I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to schedule this post for today, so I bumped the team post to tomorrow!

With Australia being on the other side of the world from the US, sometimes it takes a bit to remember that their timeline is so vastly different than here in the states. There is 12 hours difference between Perth in western Australia and Washington, DC on our eastern seaboard. Equally, our seasons are direct opposites. As we approach summer here, our southern hemisphere friends are readying themselves for their winter! Regardless of our differences as far as time go, I've found that the people I've "met" online from Australia are some of the sweetest, friendliest, and most supportive people you'd ever want to know! And, as you can see from these lovely examples, they're a very talented and creative lot as well!


CindyLane joined Etsy in February of this year and is, in my humble opinion, an underdiscovered shop based out of Perth Australia on Australia's western coast. I especially love her nature inspired artwork, in which she captures some of the lovely avian creatures nature to her homeland. This print of her original painting of a Sun Conure is so lifelike it's almost hard to tell that it's a painting and not a photo. Amazing.






"If you love colourful hand dyed wraps, scarves and outrageously fun accessories made from gorgeous eco friendly fabrics and other natural fabrics then you have landed in the right place." That's an excerpt from the shop announcement at rainbowrevolution on Etsy, which is based out of Sydney, Australia. I love scarves and I especially love scarves where the colors just seem to melt one into the next, so you can image how beautiful I think this lovely Tissue Silk Scarf Wrap Hand Dyed in Vibrant Turquoise and Violet is!



Brisbane, on Australia's southeast coast, is the home of lilliputloft, a treasury trove of whimsy and imagination. Picking just one item from this shop truly proved impossible for me, so I'm sharing three of my favorites items. I'll let you pick your own favorite! From left to right: Nursery Mobile - Cheshire-Cat was inspired by Alice's adventures in Wonderland; Frost Faeries - purple; Raggedy dolls - pink and green.



A visit to Australia is on my bucket list - I've had a strong desire to visit this land and learn more about its rich and unique history, culture, and native flora and fauna... and now I'm even more curious about its talented citizenry! Have you ever been to Australia? Planning a trip there? Perhaps you live there or have lived there. I'd love to hear your stories, so please post a comment and share!