Etsy

For those of you not already familiar with the wonderful site that is Etsy, you are in for a real treat. According to their site, Etsy is "an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade." It launched in June 2005, and it boasts over 100,000 sellers from around the world. You will be amazed at the beautiful, original, and creative items available for sale there.

In addition, Etsy has that "social network" type of vibe going. I have bought from three different Etsy sellers in the short time I've been visiting the site, and each artist/seller has contacted me personally. You can mark your favorite sellers and favorite items to go back to later. There are gift guides, plus a neat feature called "Pounce" that will show you the newest sellers registered and the newest sellers to just get their first sale on Etsy. You can search on any keyword you can think of, and you can easily sort the results by price if you like.

What does this all have to do with this blog? It's easy: many Etsy items are small enough to serve as wonderful stocking stuffers and small (in size, I mean) gifts. I think recipients will really appreciate the difference when they receive something original and handmade -- yet beautifully polished and professional -- as opposed to yet one more store-bought Christmas ornament.

So, my plan is to feature a potential stocking stuffer from Etsy every Sunday from now on. Because these items are hand-made, I will only post about an item if I have explicit permission from the artist, in particular because I don't feel comfortable showing an image of their unique work without their agreement. So far, every Etsy artist that has responded to my inquiry has said yes, and they've been incredibly friendly.

Tomorrow's post will show the first lovely Etsy item, and I already have items lined up for every Sunday in November. I've enjoyed having an excuse to spend hours prowling through Etsy's site. It's addictive!