Sometimes you dream up these great ideas or have all these thoughts swimming around in your head, but lo and behold, you have nowhere to write them down! Where is that cocktail napkin when you need it?

Don’t despair. You can do what some of the cool kids do: Carry a journal around. Lots of people I know do it. (I actually carry two different-sized Moleskine journals around myself.)

But if you want your journal to stand out from the rest, maybe you should check these out:

(I especially like the bingo journal. I have fond memories of playing bingo with similar-looking cards as a kid. Plus, the journal is great for those bingo! moments. [And now I'll stop with the awful puns.])

If you’re loving these journals, you can pick them up at Create a Thought. There are journals of all shapes, sizes and kinds there! The Robot Love journal (the bottom one) is just about as big as a business card, so it’s perfect for your pocket or purse. And each journal is made in small batches, so you can be assured that a million people won’t be walking around with the same kind of journal (and if you lose it, well, you’ll recognize it more easily).

But Create a Thought is more than just journals! It’s a store built around the concept of creating thoughts and manifesting those thoughts into cool stuff. For instance, you can get this art journal kit to feed your artistic side. Or you can get a finger art ring like this one:

There’s plenty of stuff to look at, so do check it out.

Once upon a time, long, long ago, pet rocks were a fad. Kind of inexplicable because pet rocks would just sit there. But if you’re into low-maintenance company, they’re perfect because they require little care and whatnot.

So, if you’re going to get a pet rock, at least get one that’s cool:

You’ll find these lovely rocks — real Montana river rocks, no less! — at Samaria Project.

These rocks come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and are handpainted. In addition to the birds and monsters, there are also some jellyfish.

If you’re still looking for a low-maintenance pet but want something more animal-like, do check out the amazing selection of plush animals in the shop. This one is very delightful:

There’s something about collage art that’s so personal and unique and alluring. No two collage artists look at things the same way and no two collage artists will put a collage together the same way. Some collages are borne from a love of vintage, some from a love of a place, some from a wonderful personal experience.

If you like collage, you might want to check out Giesla Hoelscher of Inkblots Art:

These are all digital art collages turned into functional pieces, though there are also good old-fashioned digital collages for display if you fancy something for your walls.

Giesla also runs a non-Etsy site, inkblotsart.com, where you can see — and purchase — her fine art collages, location-inspired collages, photo cards and photo prints. Do check it out.

Okay, so I was one of those kids that got a lot of hand-me-downs when I was a kid. Lots of sharing amongst cousins and such. And my brother got tons of hand-me-downs when he was a kid too.

Makes me wish we some cool clothes like these to wear when we were growing up:

You’ll find these cute t-shirts and onesies at Two Zany Zebras. You’ve gotta love the cute monsters!

Two Zany Zebras is also the home of the Zarkle, which I discern to be a really cute monster-like being. They’re not scary. Some have one eye. And they’re all unique. And cuddly. This one happens to have a blanket included:

If you have some little ones, or know someone who has some little ones, do check the shop out. Lots of colorful fun things — and your kids won’t grow up feeling bad about having had just hand-me-downs to wear.

These baked goodies are really made out of felt and the descriptions suggest they be used as pin cushions. But they might be too yummy-looking and too good-looking to stick a bunch of pins in!

You’ll find these wonderful little creations at Tutto Bello. All the creations in the shop are unique and made from original patterns. Start a veritable bakery on your shelf and make your friends drool!

When you were a kid, did you have some really crazy-colored socks that you used as hand puppets? I mean, that was such a fun activity, making different voices (I personally did a super high-pitched squeal really well … but I couldn’t do male voices really well), thinking of outlandish conversations and trying to remember not to use dirty socks as your puppets. Maybe if you were really lucky, you had other friends who shared in your puppeteering and you could even make a stage out of a box and have more than two actors involved in your story.

Well, now there are finger puppets. Now you could put on a show with 10 fingers! And with these finger puppets, the storylines are endless:

Toilet paper puppets? Brilliant! Especially the pirate toilet paper. Or maybe the ninja is my favorite. Again, the story ideas are limitless!

If you’re into these puppets, you can find them at Stacey Rebecca’s Etsy shop.

Now, toilet paper isn’t the only thing you’ll find in the shop. Oh no. There is an entire selection of food — including this angry pizza — if you wish to have a culinary-themed play. Or you can check out the various creatures from bees to ghost kitties to frogs to unicorns. (Maybe you could have an entire fairy tale puppet show).

Or you could just collect them all and wear them on your fingers to trip your friends out. Whatever you please.

If you like wool and you like jewelry, you might like these:

You can find all of the above woolly, bobbly jewelry at Ollies Woollies.

Even though some people might think that wool is itchy and scratchy, fulled products are usually pretty soft. (I know from experience!) According to crafter/shop owner Catherine Svensson, this is no exception! There is no wire in any of her work, either — just pure wool, so nothing will poke you.

I really like the branch-like look of many of the necklaces — it makes for a showstopper piece of jewelry and a conversation starter. There are also lots of flower motifs. And lots of big, bright colorful things. So if you’re a fan of any of the above, do check it out.

This brings new meaning to the word bookmobile:

What a lovely piece and a great idea for old books! You can find this book mobile at Shophouse, along with other vintage books turned into art:

While the book sculptures are easily the most stunning and eye-catching decor pieces in the shop, you’ll also find collage jewelry (mostly necklaces), original drawings, and even these really nice sewn paintings. There’s definitely some great art if you’re looking for something a little different to decorate your house with!

There’s something wonderful about nature being interpreted in artistic form. Almost anything — flowers, plants, trees — can serve as inspiration, and some people execute it very well:

All of the above can be found at UnaOdd. Really, the shop is just one big explosion of color — like a huge bouquet of flowers, enticing you to look ever closer.

There’s so much good stuff in the shop that’s it’s really hard to decide where to start. Maybe the polymer clay pendants, all made from original patterns, hand-detailed with acrylic paint? Or the acrylic wristbands, all hand-painted with different motifs? Or the acrylic paintings of flowers? Or these really amazing bookmarks that were made from the pages of an old accounting textbook and then embellished and laminated?

Everything is pretty affordable as well — yet another bonus!

Nothing makes me smile like a few colorful, fat sea creatures:

I’m especially a fan of that blowfish at the top. Such a positively scary-looking thing has been made into cuddly form. And it’s awesome-looking.

You’ll find this plush at Zooguu. Zooguu was originally Sweetestpea on Etsy, and in fact, both stores are still open and sell plush. More stuff is in the Sweetestpea store for the moment, but it’s well worth it to check out both shops. The selection is vast — there’s everything from sea creatures to chicks to monkeys to one-eyed monsters and even this rice ball.

And there’s this cute elephant:

The roly poly style of all the animals is a fun one, and that just means there’s more to squish.

In addition to plush toys in different sizes (from tiny to extra large), you’ll also find ornaments, cozies and a pillow cover.

When you think 1970s wallpaper, you might think of really awful colors and gaudy patterns. It all seems so … 30 years ago!

But When in Doubt, Draw Flowers has brought vintage wallpaper back — and not in a horrifying way:

It’s all so bright and cheery and flowery … and so much better on accessories than plastered on the wall (though you could do lots of decorating with the lampshades or coasters available from the shop). You can also decorate yourself with wallets, bags and jewelry.

Everything is unique and reusable, and my goodness, it’s nice to know you can bring back the 70s in a way that won’t make you cringe.

It’s almost spring (thank goodness — it’s been pretty cold all around the U.S. it seems!), and what better way to celebrate than to wear some cute flowers in your ears?

You’ll find these cute-as-a-button earrings made by Los Angeles-based artist Nora at Designs by Nora. She makes these lovely studs out of polymer clay, and they’re available in just about every color in the rainbow in her shop. And there’s a sale going on, which is just another bonus!

Besides the earrings, she also sells some amazing hand-crafted purses made by her uncle, Naz. Many of the purses are leather, but there’s also this wonderful floral number (which would probably go well with some flower earrings!):

I love all kinds of bird items, and these are no exception:

These lovely items are from Australian artist Naomi Murrell. She is a freelance illustrator and designer who turns out many, many lovely illustrations and art, which you’ll find in her shop. The art has an organic feel, with plenty of birds, plants and apples. You can also check out the laser-cut brooches if you would rather wear your art than hang it.

The art in the shop is silk screened and signed by the artist. Here’s another piece from the shop:

There’s something about letterpress that’s so wonderful. Maybe it’s the texture. Maybe it’s because there’s such an old-school quality to it. Maybe it’s care and handmade touch that goes into it. Whatever it is, it’s appealing. Throw in some lovely illustrations and bright colors and you’ve got this:

Very cool, eh?

You’ll find these goodies at Old School Stationers, a charming operation based out of Portland, Oregon. Brian and Amy turn out these letterpress creations that you can then find on cards or ready-to-hang wall art. Each image is hand-drawn and created with an old-school letterpress from 1917.

There are also journals with letterpressed covers available.

The art is awesome, and you’ll find something nice for sure!

There are left-brained people and there are right-brained people in the world. And then there are those who are predominantly one or the other and feel the need to dabble in the pursuits of the opposite brain. I think a scientist by day/crafter by night would qualify, wouldn’t you?

Here’s how one scientist gets her creative outlet on:

(I love it when someone takes elements of his or her profession and expresses it creatively! The napkins are pretty awesome … I’m not a scientist, but a beaker would be fun on my table. Or the molecules.)

This is the work of Erin Wamsley and her shop, The Bohemian Scientist. Erin is all about making functional items out of things she finds around her house. Many of the things in her shop were made from repurposed fabric — in fact, there’s a bag in her shop that she says was made out of vintage 70s tablecloth and a pillowcase!

She’s also passionate about the DIY movement and creating practical items at reasonable prices. From her shop announcement:

The culture of sewing and crafting in America originally evolved out of simple necessity. Today, as America moves further into severe economic depression, sewing is again becoming practical. Take this opportunity to reject mass-produced consumerism, and to return to useful, hand-created, original design.

Every item I sell is useful. Everything is one-of-a-kind. Nothing is over $50.

Now that’s pretty cool.