Etsy/Indie Designers: Alter Egos & Secret Identities

Here at the Manor de Mischief, we’re suffering from a bit of blogging burnout. So instead of trying to come up with unique and riveting content this week, I’m bringing you a week of Etsy & Indie Designer Love. For this week, there will be five days of some of my favorite Etsy Sellers & Independent Designers from around the web.

To celebrate Watchmen and the upcoming months of superhero goodness with X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the passing of Mardis Gras, I thought I’d start by sharing masks. Fantastic masks, silly masks, beautiful and unique masks.

First up is Ccaspia, who uses the fine art of Japanese kanzashi to create beautiful masks made of paper.  She creates intricate masks such as the Pierrot Kanzashi mask above, to delicate and beautiful masks like the Rosa mask and Alana mask which are adorned with feathers, rhinestones, and bows.

I’ve been long coveting the leather mask work of Tom Banwell. His 30 years of leatherwork experience certainly show off, as his masks are intricate and beautiful, each individual works of art. My jaw dropped when I saw his White Rabbit mask, and while not a mask, his steampunk helmet shows his amazing abilities. Does it surprise anyone to know I’ve had his unicorn masks on my favorites list for ages?

While not strictly a mask, I’m desperately in love with this heart shaped eye patch. What a fun & glamorous little piece!  I could see it regularly becoming part of my play wardrobe.

By now, needle-tatter TotusMel has become quite the internet phenomenon.From beautiful and simple masks such as the The Power of the Babe above  to intricate pieces like Down In the Underground (both lovely Labyrinth allusions at that!) to pieces like these gorgeous ankle corsets, her shop is always a hit.  With this skill and creativity, is it any surprise her tutorials are a hit and she’s ended up on Boing Boing?