Etsy Gift Guide 2014

When it comes to thoughtful, unique gifts, Etsy is one of the best resources online, but I'll be honest — sometimes you have to sift through a lot of crap to find the gems. My best advice is to find a few shops you love, and then look at who they follow. Before you know it, you'll have tons of favorite shops, and plenty of gift ideas for everyone on your list. Here are a few of my recent Etsy favorites!

Sparkvites makes affordable customized rubber stamps as well as cute stationery. Imagine how cool this would be stamped on your Christmas cards!

Sweet Peony Press has some really fun little prints starting at just $10. I like the idea of the His and Hers prints hanging in the bathroom.

Blackbird Tees is based in Richmond, and though their tea towels are a tad pricey, they're undoubtedly adorable. 

Remember I wrote about Finkelstein's Center for Charleston magazine awhile back? Michelle has an Etsy shop filled with dozens of animals who need a loving home. These Finks aren't just for kids, either. I'd love to have one for myself.

You've never seen cross stitch like the cross stitch from Bananya Stand. Choose your favorite pop culture reference or ask her to customize something just for you.

Of course, if you love vintage anything — books, blankets, clothing, brass figures — Etsy has it all. I especially love it for glassware.

You can see more of my favorites here and here! What are yours?

pillows and ipad sleeves, oh my!

Yesterday the internet was down city-wide (weird, right?), and I felt pathetically lost. So I did something I've been meaning to do for a really long time: I got out my sewing machine and the pile of pretty fabrics I've been hoarding, and I got crafty. I'll be adding pillows to my Etsy shop soon, and I'm experimenting with iPad/Kindle sleeves, too. Stay tuned for that.

I think I'd be a lot more productive if the internet would just go away every now and then.

 

iphone candy.

Some of you may know that my husband owns a screenprinting/sports apparel company. He's always experimenting with new products, and when he brought home fully customizable iPhone cases, I knew I had to get in on that action. I had him make me a Chevron-print case and my Facebook friends loved it, so I decided to turn it into a little business venture.

 

I'm starting out just selling the cases on Etsy, but the project has opened up a whole new window of creativity for me. I plan to add totes, prints, and maybe notecards in the future. I'm also shopping around for fabric to hopefully start making the clutches I've been obsessing over for the past year or so.

If you like what you see, please help spread the word via Pinterest and Facebook! And check out the shop here... I've got lots more designs to come.

spooky treasury.

I just made a little Etsy treasury devoted to Halloween. Check it out.

etsy love: son of a sailor.

I am so in love with this Austin-based Etsy shop, Son of a Sailor. They've got jewelry, stationery, and prints, all affordably priced. Thanks to Oh Joy! for turning me on to them.

etsy love: blue notes.

I've been spending a lot of time on Etsy trying to extend my circles and discovering some really cool vintage shops. Here are some of my recent blue-hued favorites.

King's Down Road is an Atlanta-based shop with lots of fun glassware.

Mod Vintage Shop has a great selection of vintage glasses from the Netherlands.

Two Ring Circus has just everything I love.

 

Brooklyn Retro has antique typewriters and more.

Nod to Mod Vintage has the best dresses.

etsy.

I've been threatening it long enough: I'm finally working on making an Etsy comeback. I had a lot of fun doing Stinge Vintage with a friend, but we lost traction when most of our stock was damaged in a fire. I've been collecting clothes and housewares over the past few months, and will slowly be filling up my shop with vintage goods. Here's a little treasury I made, and you can see some of my first listings right here. I'm still figuring out the best place/time of day to photograph, so bear with me.

fortune finders.

I just discovered Fortune, an Etsy jewelry shop by New Yorker Kim Dulaney. Her pieces are pretty and dainty with an almost industrial edge, and most are priced around $30. She blogs about her inspiration here.

vintage etsy love.

zebras and bubblegum.

old green canoe.

fishbone deco.

hindsvik.

rhan.

in stitches.

Who knew cross stitch could be so fun? I love these designs from Chez Sucre Chez. I'd like to come up with my own and get stitchy once the winter nesting urge sets in.

i'm a fan of dodeline.

Sarah Early of Charleston-based DodelineDesign is making our custom wedding invitations, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out! She's been great about putting up with my indecisiveness, and I love what she's done so far.

These are just a few examples of her work, available in local shops like Lesesne and Mac & Murphy. Check out her Etsy shop, too.

it's ok to be stingey.

When I'm not working at my day job at the Charleston City Paper, I like to do fun things, like shop. My co-worker Susan and I decided to turn our mutual love of thrifting into something lucrative, thus Stinge Vintage was born.

We've been amazed at the response from people both locally and around the world who apparently love our selection of affordable vintage clothes and housewares.

Work has forced us to take a bit of a hiatus over the past few months, but we're getting back on track. Keep an eye on our Etsy for new posts every week, and become a Facebook fan, too. Some recent favorites added to the shop:

a powdery blue gown (with original tags!)
a handmade '50s-style shift dress
a kitschy little recipe box