Autumn Ode to Etsy

Oh, Etsy. Etsy, Etsy, Etsy. How my love for you continues to grow. Right now I'm enjoying these recent from-Etsy goods. First, this linen patchwork scarf that I LOVE and never want to take off, from my dear friend's brand new Etsy shop, my cabin door. The linen she uses is so soft, and I adore her fabric combinations. She's great at the color thing - (which makes for excellent company while fabric shopping, as a bonus).

I happened upon Toni's blog and shop update at just the right moment a few weeks back to snag myself one of her adorable crochet acorns. And I'm in love with it. A crochet acorn? Bigger than life size? Come on now. Too much. The kids and I have been putting it in the middle of nearly every day's centerpiece of the table.

And then there's all the stuff I just admire, am inspired by, and think about bringing home with me. From top left, clockwise:

1. Earrings by Little Llama Shop

2. Photograph prints by Madelaine

3. Recycled bakelite bracelet by Lorimarsha

4. Pleasure Time postcard set by Supercapacity

5. Cranston blouse (only wishing it was in my size) by Le Bouton

6. Yarn yum by Pancake and Lulu

I'm so excited about the role Etsy will play in my holidays this year - even more so than last year (can you believe how much is out there now?!). I'm fairly confident that in addition to one particular local craft fair/art show, and a print run at my local photo shop, Etsy will be the only other place I need visit for holiday shopping. I'm pretty excited about that - there's support for independent artists, inspiration for me, and a unique handmade gift treat for the recipient. And my favorite - it takes the pressure off and prevents me from having a crazy, hectic holiday gift-making couple of months, saving the crafting energy for the projects most near and dear to my heart and my family. Ah, yes. Thank you for that, Etsy.

Comments

[Kerry]

OH, great etsy finds! I could literally get lost for hours in those shops. One cool place leads to the next.

[jean]

ah. thank you for your kind words soulemama. I'm loving that acorn! and the yarn....and the blouse.... I decided NOT to make all the gifts this year. I already ordered and received things made by OTHERS. Bring on the season, baby.

[bubbachic]

Beautiful scarf...Etsy is fast becoming my addiction..

Dee
x

[Natasha]

Love the scarf,hmmmm maybe my mum would like one of those..off to peruse.Also,I be Lebouton would make you a Cranston blouse if you asked oh so sweetly:0),I agree that it is gorgeous.It would look fab with a skirt I thrifted this past weeked.
I am new to your blog mama but I love it.Thank you.

[jessica]

Oh - Etsy is the best! I too love Le Bouton, her photos and clothes are so dreamy.

[jennifer]

delightful goodies - that acorn especially. etsy has reignited my passion for hand+crafting and forever changed the way i approach gift-giving. i love how there is so much you can personalize, the personal notes from the artists, how it brings back the feeling of butcher, baker and candlestickmaker. a virtual pedestrian zone, have you. and oh, that acorn.
p.s. if you contact le bouton, she may be able to create a mama's cranston blouse (i think she offers a similar design in adult sizes). i so love that about etsy - you can always ask. :-)

[heather]

wonderful finds. i can get so lost over there on etsy... an etsy holiday season is a fine idea.

and yes, jean's eye for combining fabrics is outstanding! beautiful shop...

[greenemother]

I second shopping at Etsy for holiday goods. I'm trying to educate my mother and her generation of all the wonderful handmade products on Etsy. My holiday gift goals are to give handmade, Etsy and Heifer International gifts! I gave a share of a heifer to my friend who had just gotten married right before the winter holidays last year. I thought she might be overwhelmed with more stuff, so it worked out perfectly.

[SOULEMAMA]

Oh, yes, Greenmother - thank you! That's SUCH a good idea for gifts, too. We did just a few of those last year as gifts, and they were very well received. Though - we went through oxfam - www.oxfam.org - another great organization.

[Qalballah]

Etsy certainly tapped into the contemporary zetgeist alright. So many talented people out there. Has to be a good thing.

[Anne]

Yes, Etsy is where I will do most of my holiday shopping this year also. It's nice to support small businesses and perhaps another mom.

[Alisha]

I'm so glad you mentioned Etsy for Christmas shopping! I live across the ocean from my family, so I've been thinking about buying gifts online and having them shipped directly to family. I don't know why Etsy hadn't crossed my mind yet!

[Shaylind Standing]

SO many people are pledging to shop Etsy (well, indy artists) for the holidays! How wonderful for everyone. :)

[Stefanie]

Photograph prints by Madelaine are great! She is 16 (I think) and is super nice and the print is gorgeous!!! A great gift if you know the right person for it!

[asti]

Etsy is like a labyrinth, each twist taking you somewhere more amazing! And when the gorgeous things arrive they've been packaged and presented with such love and care too.

[Niki]

Love all the pics. :)

[Eren]

Love all of the etsy links! And we are big Lorimarsha fans here too! Her stuff is always great! Off to visit some more of your faves.

[Kim]

I am completely addicted to etsy, often have to tear myself away from the computer. Le Bouton is one of my favorites, love that shirt. Yes, many holiday cheers for etsy!

[m]

Hi, my name is m, and I'm addicted to Esty.

(The acorn kills me! Covet, covet, covet.)

[*tania]

since we're on the topic of etsy, i'm curious if you all say "eht-sy" or "eet-sy"? i was surprised when my friend called it "eet-sy" but maybe i'm in a minority. either way, it's nearly time for someone to stage an intervention for my jewelry-buying addiction.

[SOULEMAMA]

*tania - that's so funny. I have this ongoing conversation with a friend about how it's pronounced. I'm pretty sure it's Etsy, like Betsy. But Eetsy sounds kind of fun, too. ;)

[Veronica TM]

those are all wonderful stores! thanks for the links, amanda.

[camerashymomma]

i love that scarf! i have to agree, i wish i had her eye for color combinations. what a lucky friend to have a great fabric shopping partner! :)

beautiful post! i love that there are so many artisans out there in the world, makes it feel a little more cozy and peaceful. more like the world i want to live in. just knowing there are more people who embrace similiar philosophies makes me remember all the kindness in the world. love and art and creativity help combat the negativity that often rears its ugly head.

[Kelly]

I love Etsy too! These are some great finds - that blouse is very sweet & very tempting . . .

[Tracy]

I, too, love Etsy. That's a darn cute acorn!

[Ashley]

I love Etsy, too...so much so that I may need an Etsy intervention soon(or at least my cc# taken away!). So much handmade goodness out there!

[denise in c'ville, va]

well i can't wait to get my scarf! thanks for the link to the etsy shop of mycabindoor. i ordered the olive one!!

[jade]

love, love, love etsy. thanks for sharing your finds!

[Heather Wilson]

i love etsy as well!!! SO much inspiration, so many great handmade goodies! Most of the money I make on Etsy through my shop (okay pretty much ALL of the money I make on Etsy) goes right to buying great things on Etsy...ahhh Etsy etsy etsy...scuh fun!

[Elena]

Thanks for the tip and inspiration, those earrings are on their way to my home now. It's so great for me, a working mama with two small kids, to discover etsy. As you say I love that fact that one can find independent artists so easily through the net and now etsy !!

[Xan]

Oh, yay for Etsy love! I just bought a print of How I Got My Stutter a few days ago and I can't wait till it gets here!

[Amanda]

Sounds like you could easily take this Pledge:

http://buyhandmade.org/

I did and am proud of it!

yeah Etsy...and yeah handmade!

[Beck]

Christmas shopping on etsy! That hadn't even occured to me - and now I have BIG plans!
Gorgeous finds. Just LOVELY.

[Harper]

I used to love Etsy but it is really not equipped for the rare occasion you have a negative experience. Trying to get satisfaction has been way too much work (and a failure to boot) so I am swearing off Etsy. I feel bad for all the craftspeople who were wonderful to deal with but that one bad apple exacerbated by Etsy customer service's nice but useless (and extended) dithering has left a very bad taste. I glad all of you still love it but maybe this is good for me. Now I'll support my local artisans rather than virtual stores.

[Bipolarlawyercook]

I, too, love Etsy, and visited it first six months or so ago to see your shop. Since then, I've bought my brother's birthday presents there and commenced Christmas shopping there. I love that so much of the stuff is so affordable.
Thanks for the referral there!

[Amber]

I am amazed at the amount of high quality goods on Etsy. I'm sure I'll be checking it out for the holidays, too.

I'm also looking into a print shop run. Cards, calendars, high quality prints... it's so wonderful that we now have these options.

[Helena B]

You have such good taste and style, I have to ask a personal question though, your hair color totally rocks is it au naturel?

[Toni]

Aw, thanks Amanda for showing my acorn!! I'm super excited that you and the kids love it so. That really makes selling my things super satisfying. I'm pretty sure I sold a couple more today because of your post! xo.

[Mary Beth]

What an inspiring post. I made my first Etsy purchase just last week (at Dream Child Studio) and I loved the feeling of supporting a "local" artist and not buying "made in China" or even mass produced. Etsy rocks!

[Melissa]

Do you mind sharing the craft fair that you are looking forward to? (I am in Maine and am always on the lookout for craft fairs.)

[Madelaine]

Thank you for featuring my print! I had one of my customers mention your blog, so I had to check out it out, and I'm thrilled to find my art here. I love Le Bouton's clothing, although i have a feeling i'd have quite a bit of trouble squeezing into it. ;)

(and, to the one that was curious - yes, i am sixteen)

[julie]

Oh dear. I am trying to stay away from the shopping, as to avoid spending money. Such beautiful things, though. The scarves are truly lovely.

[Blair]

I couldn't agree more. I find etsy talk comes up more and more in my everyday conversations with people. I love that.

And that scarf looks so lovely on you. Your hair looks like its getting long!

[SOULEMAMA]

HelenaB - I don't mind telling you that it's not natural! ;) My best friend is a really fabulous colorist...and well, it would just seem wrong for me not to support her. Hee. My hair is naturally really, really black. But it's so fun to play with color - we change it up a lot.

Melissa (and locals!) - my favorites are The Space Gallery's Shop A Do, which is often held the first weekend of December, along with the Maine COllege of Art Student Show. I'll be sure to post when those are, closer to the dates. Not sure they've been announced yet.

[pancakeandlulu]

Thank you so much featuring my yarn! I got a sale from it--and discovered your lovely blog.

Aimee

[Theresa]

I'm just catching up on all my blog reading, and couldn't believe how big Adelaide has gotten! Where is that baby with the chubby cheeks??

[Ellen]

Just today I was thinking, "maybe you should put your stuff on etsy to support your habit...I mean, how many aprons can one girl wear?"...Now I'm convinced. Thanks for tipping the scales!

[Katharine]

I've been loving that blouse too. I introduced my Mum to Etsy earlier this year and she's delighted by it - completely hooked! I was home last week and everything I admired that I hadn't seen before - 'oh, that came from Etsy'. It's definitely the place for Christmas shopping. I'm going to get my wedding invitations from there too.

[Candice]

That is a great scarf! I am going to check out that Etsy shop right now.

[Gift of Green]

Etsy is the bomb. I have got to have a go at that adorable crocheted acorn!