Etsy!

Thanks to a guest post by Janine Adams over at Kathy Sena's Parent Talk Today, I've discovered the wonderful world of Etsy, and am completely infatuated.

In twenty minutes of browsing, I've found a Christmas present for my best friend (no, I'm not telling you what it is!), an adorable belt for me, countless pairs of earrings to drool over and plenty of reasonable options for the French memo board I've been dreaming about since last fall. I'm also determined to convince my dad their "woodworking" section is the perfect medium for selling some of the wonderful, hand-crafted wooden bowls he makes, since if he doesn't find somewhere other than my parents' living room for them soon, there won't be anywhere to open presents on Christmas morning.

Personal shopping missions aside...a website that exists to help artisans and craftspeople sell what they create? What a fantastic idea! It's like the best craft fair you've ever been to, without the vagaries of weather, early morning hours or crowds.

I'm a convert, and intend to make Etsy my first stop in any search for gifts, crafts or housewares from now on.