M.F.T. #5: Etsy + all things handcrafted.

M.F.T. #5 - Etsy + all things hand crafted. I'm in love with her (in my mind, Etsy is a girl.) endless rare finds and I have done ALL my Christmas shopping on Etsy this year, even getting to take advantage of cyber Monday with Etsy's implementation of promotional codes! You would think someone who loves handmade one-of-a-kinds as much as I do would be able to create more things herself but most of those skills (knitting, sewing, crocheting) would be filed under domestication and I have not developed those crafts, yet. For now, I will file them under "Bucket List 2011."

I first discovered Etsy about three years ago when my uber-crafty college roommate (Hi Megan!!!) introduced me to it! She had turned one of our living rooms in to a sewing room complete with her very own dressform mannequin and began making the most adorable dresses. We made a little section in our 4-closet (one for each of the housemates!) wardrobe for her Ach Liebe creations where much of the inspiration for her pieces came from Etsy.

The first item I ever owned from Etsy I received for my college graduation from Carly and Momma Hallam! It was a necklace that says "She carpes the diem" and I wore it everyday my first year of work with my nursing badge clipped to it! I still wear it every now and again to add a little seize-the-day-attitude to the most plain and boring outfits! Since my discovery of this little gem, I have given many gifts from Allison Strine's shop to the fabulous people in my life in need of a little folk art infused with wit, whimsy and wisdom!       

Another incredibly original gift I received from Etsy was my bridesmaid gift from Megalina! As a thank you for being in her bridal party, Megan had Cady Briar make each of us a clutch with a fabric that was reflective of our personality! It was the perfect accessory to carry my lip gloss and camera in the day of the wedding and I  have used my clutch countless times since the wedding!! Here is the link to their photographers' website so you can see just how cute they were! We even took some pictures with them in lieu of our beautiful bouquets!    

Now that little Reesey P. is born, I have spent countless hours on Etsy looking for cute accessories for her! There are soo many adorable little shops full of headbands, knitted hats, leg warmers, onesies, etc! Some of my favorites are Lillebarn, Little Town Boutique,  b. children's wear, Knotty Baby Wear and Gracious May! Swoon! Swoon! Swoon!

Etsy also has a plethora of vintage jewelry, stationary, party supplies and these awesome laptop sleeves that can be found at Berties Closet! I could honestly go on for hours about all the different shoppes on Etsy that I've been swooning over but there's a sweet little peanut here that's dying to put on her Christmas tutu to go meet Santa Claus today... and Reese would like to come, too! ha. I wish I could say I was kidding but I really am excited to see Saint Nic...