First of all: it is wonderful to hear that all the blood, sweat, and tears put into the Chateau was such a hotly anticipated part of the day for many of you, and that it will be missed. Thank you for your kind words :)

Second, there seems to be this misconception that I’m erasing the entire site. I’m not about to throw away nine years’ worth of writing. So calm down, the links are not going anywhere.

On to this week’s finds: this Etsy Highlights is dedicated to Bella and Pollywog, my two little girls (one of whom is pawing at my bare foot as I write this, somebody needs a claw trim) – and to everyone who loves cats but finds most cat fashion too twee for palatable wardrobe integration. Felines are beautiful, angular, sensual creatures, and they really deserve better representation than Christmas sweatshirts.

The word for pictures that change when you move them is “lenticular.” And here is a stellar example, a retro-60’s/70’s graphic from Eveready Batteries, the kind of jewelry that draws curious hands who all want to make the cat dive through the 9. From Shixie.

A pendant cast from an anise star with two seeds strategically left inside, ends up looking like an alien cat-face. Excellent revisioning of an organic element into something beautifully creepy. Iacua.

Perturbed eyes, rumpled fur, everything stays dignified with the presence of a brass kissclasp closure. From Portemone.

A pair of funky 70’s panthers await adoption into a swank party pad, where they can disdainfully gaze down at the proceedings from their perches of plaster. From 3 Cornered Moon.

The product is Faerie Feelers, sparkly little bits of headwear that apparently can be worn by chill, tolerant felines. The model here is as striking as she is patient. From Faerie Feelers.

One of the most difficult fashion items to encounter handmade is footwear. It’s not easily assembled with a sewing machine or jeweler’s tools, and ensuring a proper fit takes a level of precision well beyond the means of most small businesses. Happily, upcycling is in full swing on Etsy, where plain pumps are given new life with handpainted patterns and dollops of froof. And, of course, a few sellers are stepping out with unbridled artistic showboating.

I’m not sure if this seller’s works are intended for actual wear, but it’s amazing that you’re technically supposed to slip a foot somewhere into this. From Sole Sensations, whose utterly insane brisket flip-flop also deserves a mention.

Behold, the platform shoes of Marie Antoinette. Dig the gold beads draping over the back of the heel. And they’re 100% vegan! From Shake It Doll Shoes.

Patent wedges get an update of Wonder Woman comics on the heels. A subtle and chic form of fandom that would look fab with a cocktail dress. From Pachainka Pink.

These steampunk clock parts look almost tribal in their descent down the back of the heel. The rest of the shoe plays innocent and unadorned, saving the surprise for rear views. From Steampunk Fortune.

If you’ve ever lusted after a high heel boudoir chair but wanted something a bit more hardy than leopard plush, not only is this seat covered in bits of mirror, it’s designed to be left outdoors year-round. From Lyons Mosaics.

There is nothing quite like a chandelier to anchor a room with unabashed opulence. Treating light as a kind of artistic celebration and not a mere household necessity, they make for strong interior decorating summary statements, sending forth a room’s stylistic signature from within a burst of illumination. And there’s all kinds of imaginative riffs on the classic crystal-fest of the originals.

The choice of red to contrast against the clear elements turn the elegant lines sinister, as if splashed with drops of blood. From Fantasia Clear by Alabelys.

The closing of a neighborhood bike shop and an abandoned schoolhouse resulted in this industrial-chic waterfall of teardrop prisms and silver chain descending from a shiny sprocket. From ThirteenTwenty.

This “modern urban hybrid conceptual glass chandelier” looks swiped from the circle of hell where Satan keeps the beet demons. From Attila Design.

A retro vibe tidies things up towards kitschy minimalism with cute little striped lampshades and solid red. From The Blodgett Lighthouse.

An amusement park teacup ride, in lamp form. This seller specializes in themed chandeliers for nurseries and other atmospheres of gentle surrealism. From Whimsical Collections.

The Roaring Twenties is an utterly fascinating era in history: shrugging off restricive social norms and the heavy, fussy modes of dress that went with them, they set down the initial footprints of booze, cars, movies, nightclubs, and other forms of popular culture that have stuck with us ever since. The world’s first partygirls were creatures of pomp but practicality, too; still glamorous, still sparkling, but modified to the world’s sudden taste for speed and movement. Note how the dresses of the time were designed around all-night dancing – the hemlines raised for the legs to charleston unimpeded, the fringe to really show off the movement, corsets dispensed with altogether. It’s a wholly decadent yet utterly charming period to raid for accessories that can easily slip into a modern wardrobe.

This hat combines the best of both worlds: the upturned brim frames the face with go-getter moxie, while the fringe drops add a note of nighttime opulence. Best of all? It’s made of comfy, comfy cotton. ADORABLE. From Oh Mama.

Earth tones are gussied up with a line of regal tassels in this very juicy vintage find – the brand is Josef of Hollywood, although it was made in France, but either way, this looks like a bag that has stories to tell, and is quite ready for some new ones. From The Recycled Soul.

Certain factions of the internet have been screaming for the return of the turban. I’ll happily add my voice, because it takes a certain kind of woman to wear them, and we desperately need that woman to come back and run off these Housewives of Who-Cares County. Back to the item: glass beads do such nice things draped alongside the face, no? From Peacock Gypsy Vintage.

The long wraparound beads of the time still remain a shiny, versatile wardrobe staple for those moments when you need to dress like a grownup. Here, Czech glass pearls are made to be worn as two or three strands, with a little black dress offered as a serving suggestion and they’d also look fab peeking from between the lapels of a blazer. From Pillow Talk NYC.

Made from 20,000 glass seed beads and 70 hours of blood, sweat, and tears, this dazzling bit of art nouveau fantasy came in second place at the California State Fair. According to the description, this is not the seller’s usual style, so yay for stepping outside one’s boundaries and bringing a Mucha flight of fancy into real life. Well done. From Sedona Skye.

So I just started another blog – more on that later – and the second post is the inspiration behind this week’s Highlights. What do you get when you type “Satan” into an Etsy search? Let’s fly down to the brimstone underside of indieland and find out!

These handmade gauntlets are covered in sporadically-placed chrome spikes and eagerly await the arms of a guitarist brought up on a steady diet of Celtic Frost. They look pretty mean on a dominatrix, too. From Nocturnel Eclipse.

A silver ring bears the head of Baphomet – that is one grim little goat, and the nubby horns are a nice touch, too. From Demention Designs.

The Devil from a nineteenth-century Italian tarot deck is acid-etched into a cuff of recycled sterling silver. A fine bauble for the artsy hellion. From Crooked Thorne.

Casting all subtlety to the four winds, this necklace proudly presents itself as “heavy metal body armour” with its panoply of inverted crosses, snakes, lightning bolts, and skulls. It looks like it should produce the all-important menacing jingle so essential to villainess getups. From Axessory To Metal.

And yes, this did share search results with all the aforementioned evil. A little devil tail for your little devil, awwww! And it’s knitted, awwwwww! From (awwwwww!) BubbleBerries.

It’s now officially June, and a very interesting point in the Burning Man calendar. The local rental campers have all been snapped up a few months ago, but it’s not quite time to stock up on the boil-in-a-bag Jaipur Vegetables yet. This is a very good place to comb one’s wardrobe for any good elven-burlesque-cowboy-cyber-bellydancer snazz to drag along, and if not, now’s the time to get those custom orders in.

A cute little cocktail hat has sprouted a pair of squiggly horns, which are as adjustable as they are fantastical. The beaded fringe is a nice touch, proclaiming that the wearer is truly a creature of cabaret. From Bubbles and Frown.

Lightweight leather is swirled into a an art nouveau mask, which enhances the features rather than covering them up. Which is definitely a good thing beneath a merciless sun. From Tom Banwell Designs.

These lovely earrings capture the shape of lightning in twisted spikes of rainbowed copper. They also blend nicely back into real-world outfits, a way to keep desert memories alive through more mundane moments. From YabYummi Creations.

The glamour of a skirt, the freedom of pants. Bellydance fashion once again demonstrates its awesomeness. Made to be shimmied in, these culottes also look like a light, comfy choice for surviving the daytime in intense heat. From Annieland.

And what would Burning Man be without people running around in stuff like this? Part mod, part cyber, totally circus, these skirts are fashioned so that not only does it bounce along with you while you walk, it snaps back into shape after maneuvering through crowds or other tight situations. Even better – you can get matching hairfalls. From PoofSkirts.

So a couple of days ago I ran a search on “tribal fusion” to see what kind of awesome pants and earrings and all-around gorgeousness is lurking around the indie shopping scene right now. And about six bookmarks later, I realized I should just start putting the weekly post together alongside my own personal browsing. What can I say, I can’t get enough of this stuff.

Crafted from polymer, a pair of knotwork-inspired swirls cascade down the sides of the face. Not only can you order them in the color and length of your choice, the gauge options include post-and-back “cheaters” for getting the look without the stretch. From Blazing Thimbles.

Slash-and-cinch reconstruction, so popular as a t-shirt accent, appears on the thighs of a pair of bellydance pants. Check the alternate photos to see how very sweet indeed they look over a pair of contrasting tights. From Elven Forest Creations.

A bandanna pops up as the centerpiece of a fringe belt, lending an outlaw vibe to a traditional hip-showcasing accessory. And it comes with hair flowers! From Kristi Marie.

This little skirt features a flowery mesh overlay, a pixie ruffle, and a cinch to adjust the length. Best of all, it’s made for dancing, so it’s a figure-clinging shape that most enjoyably will not compress the hell out of your midsection. From Dreaming Amelia Designs.

Created from a yellow zebra stripe stretch print, these pants liberate the insane fabrics of 80’s pop metal bands from their skintight spandex hall of shame with a much more flattering split flare. A solid piece of playawear, for those who have to let it all out like David Lee Roth. From Mean Kitty Wear.