Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Great for Gifts, Bad for the Bank Account

Telling you about Etsy is not at all "breaking news", but I thought I would share my new favorite website / shopping obsession. For those who are not familiar...oh, who am I kidding, you all know what Etsy is.

As someone who would love to be truly crafty, but really only has great organizational skills and perfect penmanship, Etsy is a creative haven. I look at all the beautiful, unique goods and wish that I could duplicate their efforts. In some cases, I've tried and failed (the next time I make an attempt, I'll make sure to blog about it...it's a hot mess), but mainly I just wish that my mother's sewing abilities had been passed on to me or I was a wiz with a hot glue gun. On weekends, I've sometimes found myself perusing the site for hours - not necessarily for anything in particular, but just to see what's out there. This has sometimes resulted in some great purchases, other times in putting me behind in work!

Since my discovery of Etsy, I've found a lot of great gifts - especially for newly engaged friends!! I like these gifts more than others because they're unique (limiting the chance that someone would buy the same gift) and they're supporting individuals, not corporations. Here is a sample of some of my favorite purchases, with links to their seller's shop, so you can browse their great products:

Personalized bowl from Paloma's Nest

This was an engagement gift over a year ago, personalized with the bride & groom's names and wedding date. I feel like these are everywhere now, though!  I've seen them used for ring storage / display at home or even for the ring bearer to carry on the wedding day.

Bespoke map heart from Bombus

This engagement gift was extra special. I asked for it personalized with a map of Germany to recognize where the groom is from and the place the couple was engaged. Bombus' site is absolutely awesome and I really want to get one of her bowls, since you can personalize the location and Mr. Turkey absolutely loves maps.

Personalized city skyline notecards by architette

I am an architette frequent buyer at this point - you saw my personalized cards. These are great options for a bride-to-be or even a newly married couple (would make super cute thank you notes). 

Philly moleskine journal from artsharkdesigns 
I got this for myself to put in my purse for when I have "great" ideas. 
How cute is the gocco print?

What do you all think? This just a small selection, too (like I said, new favorite). With all the upcoming weddings this year and new babies on the way or just arrived, there's an endless supply of fun products to browse (and maybe even buy). I just found out about a new engagement this week, so I'm currently on a mission to find a perfect gift for the happy couple!! Maybe in the future I'll blog again about my Etsy finds.


Do you love spending oodles of money and time on Etsy? Any favorite sellers I should be aware of?

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