Chrissi B! Discovering Etsy ...The journey begins ..

If it's Thursday it must be Etsy! Starting today and each Thursday, I am going to chat about a new etsy find!

An Etsy, is described by Wikipedia,( the free encyclopedia), as a website which focuses primarily on providing the general public with a way to buy and sell handmade items. The site follows in the tradition of open craft fairs, giving sellers personal storefronts where they list their goods for a fee. It has been compared to "a crafty cross between Amazon and eBay and your grandma's basement".

I love the etsy shops. I love the feeling of finding a boutique item, made just for me by a talented artist. I also love the fact that I can find great handmade items from around the world, in my jammies at three in the morning. The Internet ...You just gotta love it!

You may notice that we carry a link, "I took the handmade pledge", from handmade.org. This is an organization that promotes buying handmade. Hubby and I endorse this concept. We try not to buy things imported from "just anywhere". We check each purchase for an import alternative or a local alternative too. We love to see employment and growth in our community and we think that buying a handmade product does just that.

I don't know about you, but I love buying handmade. I enjoy the skill, I envy the train of thought and execution and celebrate the independence.

Those "hollydays" are quickly approaching. Join me in purchasing handmade this year. Celebrate with me the American spirit. Challenge yourself to find the unusual. We will share.

Each week you and I can travel through the Etsy sites in search of good stuff. I will share my newest finds, and you can do the same. By the holidays we should have tons of great shopping done, lots of happy vendors and the satisfaction of knowing we are giving handmade. Does it get any better? Let's start now and ...enjoy!