Etsom·ni·a (/etˈsämnēə/), noun, 1. a sleep disorder caused by obsessive Etsy browsing. 2. The surprising arrival of weird handmade merchandise ordered when one is only half conscious. (True story.) 3. An excuse for me to be an obnoxious, snarky New Yorker once in a while.
I never got the hang of kite flying. When I was a kid, someone gave me one for a birthday, but my dad got mad at something (maybe I failed to put it away), broke it over his knee, and chucked it in the garbage. Kind of lost interest in the things after that. Lately, though, whenever we drive over the North Channel Bridge by our house, there are multiple kites flying around. They made me nostalgic (for someone else’s childhood).
This is truly magnificent! I’d love to see one of these flying around! By PurdalyArtShopHere would be my mother’s comment: Perhaps there should be a little less kite flying and a little more hair cutting.I love that this company makes tiny-but-functional kites! What a great idea! By WORLDsmallestKITEKite making kits seem like a fantastic kid’s party project, plus they’re very budget friendly! By CraftNativeShopKites could be a whole birthday party theme! By UniquePartiesByPattiThis 82-inch orca kite would make a great statement and would be super easy to see against the blue sky! By OddballsJugglingThat would be a cool rainy day project! Sold by MyWonderfulWaresBest looking box kite I’ve ever seen! By MicroMarkI can’t fault their logic… By KDPCreatesYou have to be very careful when saying ‘stunt kite’ out loud. By OddballsJugglingI know it’s off topic, but the items I was finding were all a little too fantastic. Plus it is literally called The Kite Flying of Life, so both ugly and ungrammatical.I would love to see all three of these flying together! By BigWindKiteFactoryIn case anyone was waiting for this as a prompt to do something, FYI, pigs now fly. By GillBloomWhat an adorable nursery decoration! Definitely going on my list of unexpected personalized baby gifts. By RenArtGiftsIn case you aren’t already throwing up a little in your mouth, this “collectible” is called a Dreamsicle Cherub. Vom.Disappointed that the listing is for the print, not the kite, but the photo is lovely! (Still want the kite, though) By KimRoseAdamsIf you could get this thing in the air (I suspect I could not), you’d be the envy of all who see you! By OneWorldGallery
A beautiful post! I recognized your first picture immediately. It comes from my first-grade reader with Dick and Jane… Spot and Sally! Love it. I too attempted to fly kites, even made my own from newspapers.
At one point in time, my entire class (4th grade) brought kites to fly at recess. I have loved them every since that time (although The Kite Runner might have put a dent in my love for the kites). Plus, someone had to find this one, especially on 4/20: https://youtu.be/mH7XhHEb-ck
I was just recovering from the laugh-snort of the “stunt kite” spoonerism when you immediately moved onto the absurdity of “The Kite Flying of Life” and the double chuckle-snort prevented me from inhaling.
My most memorable kite mishap was when my Dad and I spent a lazy vacation day constructing a kite from string, balsa wood, and shopping bags. We took great delight in the fact it successfully caught the wind and flew – for about 20 seconds before it hurtled towards the ground, battering into a herd of sheep who, righteously irked, then all started bleating loudly and moving menacingly towards us. My most recent kite mishap was with my kids during a trip to California. Along with their cousin, they managed to fly a kite straight into some kind of overhead wires it immediately became tangled in. It then became a challenge among a whole bunch of random blokes on the beach to see who could MacGyver a means to recover the kite.
A childhood friend (who had older brothers, the root of the problem) once created a kite of such magnitude that when it inevitably hit our block’s powerlines, it actually shorted out the block. An early example of “successful failure.”
I love all of these ( except the wooly one and the Hummel-wannabe, lol). I’ve made kites, and it’s such fun. But these are amazing! As always, you’ve really found some unusual beauties!!
I love the comment about the epic kite that shorted the power lines for the whole the block! My brother Steven and I did something similar with a parachute we got from the place down the street ( you know, just your neighborhood parachute store). We thought it would be SO cool to see if it flew…and it did catch the wind, but ended up in power lines. I don’t remember how we got it down, and I don’t think it did any damage, I just remember the absolute amazement that it went up!! But the public spanking of your childhood friend made me think maybe that neighbor knew my dad…
LOL. Elise, your dad was WAY more hardcore than these people. I never wanted to piss him off. He was a love, but a little scary! I only ever saw him really mad at Ray, who of course charmed his way out of it. Brian and I talked about that for years.
Yup, Ray was the only one to charm his way out of trouble with Dad! And, being the oldest daughter, I definitely was on his radar 🙄. But damn was he talented! Ray gets that from him, I think I might have gotten a little of it, along with that ‘don’t mess with me’ vibe…😆
My OBT 
April 20, 2023 at 8:18 am
A beautiful post! I recognized your first picture immediately. It comes from my first-grade reader with Dick and Jane… Spot and Sally! Love it. I too attempted to fly kites, even made my own from newspapers.
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April 22, 2023 at 8:45 am
That must have been fun!
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April 20, 2023 at 8:37 am
They are pretty when flying and some can be very creative.
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April 22, 2023 at 9:24 am
Agreed! It always brightens my day to see them. Never did learn how to get them off the ground. More of a spectator sport for me.
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April 20, 2023 at 10:46 am
At one point in time, my entire class (4th grade) brought kites to fly at recess. I have loved them every since that time (although The Kite Runner might have put a dent in my love for the kites). Plus, someone had to find this one, especially on 4/20: https://youtu.be/mH7XhHEb-ck
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 22, 2023 at 9:27 am
What a fun thing to do at school! And the Weezer video made me soooo happy…
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April 20, 2023 at 2:06 pm
I was just recovering from the laugh-snort of the “stunt kite” spoonerism when you immediately moved onto the absurdity of “The Kite Flying of Life” and the double chuckle-snort prevented me from inhaling.
My most memorable kite mishap was when my Dad and I spent a lazy vacation day constructing a kite from string, balsa wood, and shopping bags. We took great delight in the fact it successfully caught the wind and flew – for about 20 seconds before it hurtled towards the ground, battering into a herd of sheep who, righteously irked, then all started bleating loudly and moving menacingly towards us. My most recent kite mishap was with my kids during a trip to California. Along with their cousin, they managed to fly a kite straight into some kind of overhead wires it immediately became tangled in. It then became a challenge among a whole bunch of random blokes on the beach to see who could MacGyver a means to recover the kite.
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April 22, 2023 at 9:32 am
A childhood friend (who had older brothers, the root of the problem) once created a kite of such magnitude that when it inevitably hit our block’s powerlines, it actually shorted out the block. An early example of “successful failure.”
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April 22, 2023 at 11:23 am
Oh my word! I bet they were utterly mortified.
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April 23, 2023 at 9:53 am
The public spanking didn’t help. Those parents were hardcore.
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April 23, 2023 at 12:02 pm
Oh no!
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April 24, 2023 at 9:50 am
Sub-optimal kite flying experience for sure.
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April 20, 2023 at 4:23 pm
I love all of these ( except the wooly one and the Hummel-wannabe, lol). I’ve made kites, and it’s such fun. But these are amazing! As always, you’ve really found some unusual beauties!!
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April 22, 2023 at 9:34 am
Thank you! It was a very satisfying search!
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April 23, 2023 at 12:00 pm
I love the comment about the epic kite that shorted the power lines for the whole the block! My brother Steven and I did something similar with a parachute we got from the place down the street ( you know, just your neighborhood parachute store). We thought it would be SO cool to see if it flew…and it did catch the wind, but ended up in power lines. I don’t remember how we got it down, and I don’t think it did any damage, I just remember the absolute amazement that it went up!! But the public spanking of your childhood friend made me think maybe that neighbor knew my dad…
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 24, 2023 at 9:49 am
LOL. Elise, your dad was WAY more hardcore than these people. I never wanted to piss him off. He was a love, but a little scary! I only ever saw him really mad at Ray, who of course charmed his way out of it. Brian and I talked about that for years.
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April 24, 2023 at 1:51 pm
Yup, Ray was the only one to charm his way out of trouble with Dad! And, being the oldest daughter, I definitely was on his radar 🙄. But damn was he talented! Ray gets that from him, I think I might have gotten a little of it, along with that ‘don’t mess with me’ vibe…😆
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 24, 2023 at 3:49 pm
anyone else here w. nightmares involving kites? Mine typically involve letting it out so far that it’s impossible to bring back in…
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April 26, 2023 at 8:29 am
No. My nightmares still involve me not being able to scream or run when I need to. My subconscious is totally predictable.
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