Etsy Roundup: "It's Gonna Be a Bright, Bright Sunshiny Day"

In the past, I've posted a new Etsy Shop of the Week every Monday.  While I love showing love to my favorite shops, I've discovered there are just too many talented designers to feature!  So instead, I'm diving into the world of Etsy treasuries.  Each Monday I'll post an Etsy Roundup showcasing my favorite handmade and vintage items.

Go to Etsy to view my first treasury, "It's Gonna Be a Bright, Bright Sunshiny Day"
Happy Monday!

Etsy Shop of the Week: Inaluxe

Getting ready for Christmas?  Need a housewarming gift?  Stop by Inaluxe for a few cards and prints.  Each piece has a life of its own with colorful, mid-century themes and layers of texture.  I especially love the folksy animal prints.  Your white walls won't be bored with a few of these hanging around!

Currently, Inaluxe is having a giveaway.  Enter before the 21st for your chance to win a gorgeous print!  Click here for more info.

Etsy Shop of the Week: HelkatDesigns

No matter what country you hail from, you'll love Helkatdesigns.  The soft, vintage-inspired prints have a modern twist that makes them perfect for any style apartment.  The folksy animal pillows are great for cozying up to on a warm night while the flag pillows will have you feeling patriotic in no time.  Grab one for a friend and another for yourself!

 

 

{images via Helkatdesigns}

Etsy Shop of the Week: SoFino

Who says showering has to be boring?  With the help of SoFino, you can have all the felted soap you want in all kinds of fun shapes and colors.  There are even 30 yummy scents to choose from including Apricot Freesia, Sage & Lemongrass, Fresh Snow, and  Chocolate Espresso.

Felted soap has been around for awhile but for some reason I just discovered it a few months ago.  For others who've been in the dark like me, felted soap is soap covered in a layer of wool.  It has a great lather and the wool works as an exfoliator so you can ditch the washcloth or loofah.  It also saves you from slimy, slippery bars and dropping the soap...much nicer than soap on a rope!

 

  

Etsy Shop of the Week: Silver Agave

Other than my wedding ring, I never wear jewelry.  But for some reason, I can't stop looking at the Silver Agave shop on Etsy.  I've fallen in love with just about every charm so far.  The DIY girl in me likes the tool charms though I also love the pickle (it's my fave food) and the chopsticks.  If you prefer, Silver Agave can make any charm into a pair of earrings or make a custom piece if you want something even more special.  To finish it off, all jewelry ships within 48 hours and comes in a super cute gift box, perfect for giving to a friend or pampering yourself.

Etsy Shop of the Week: Purpose Design

I'm not a good cook but thanks to Purpose Design, I could be!  Purpose Design makes spice kits and rubs guaranteed to add zest and flavor to any meal.  Each spice comes in a cute, magnetic container that can easily stick to any metal surface.  There are several options to choose from including an everyday spice kit great for newlyweds and beginning cooks (like myself), Thai and Indian spice kits for those into ethnic cousine, and BBQ rubs for summer cookouts.  You can even give a 6-month subscription to your favorite friends - each month they'll get a gift box set of 8 spices.  Yum!

If you're not into cooking, try a chai tea kit or a set of coasters.  Or better yet, head over to Purpose Design's Spice Lab where they have great recipes for you to try using their spices.  The Indian Butter Chicken is calling my name!

Etsy Shop of the Week: Tracy Knits

Forget Father's Day?  Cousin getting married?  Friend's birthday coming up?  Like to golf?  Try Tracey Knits!  Tracey's shop has an awesome selection of golf club covers with options for everyone.  If you're not a golfer, check out the knit scarves/belts or buy the PDF instructions to make your own kid's knit football helmet. 

{all images via Tracey Knits}

Have an Etsy Shop you'd like to see featured?  Email us!

Etsy Shop of the Week: Portland General Store

This one's for the men.  Portland General Store makes all natural male grooming products with an old-fashioned style.  Their shaving creams, aftershaves, colognes, and smelling salts come in manly scents like Whiskey, Tobacco, Moss, and Wood.  Yes, I said smelling salts, which are apparently a great, natural cure for headaches and migraines!  I bought the wet shave jelly and aftershave, both in the Tobacco scent, for my husband's birthday yesterday and let me tell you, they smell amazing!  Instead of the cheap, nauseating scents of body washes and deodorants made today, the products I got from the General Store smells like what you imagine men smelled like after coming back from the barbershop 50 years ago.  It's a REAL man smell!  Now all you need is a good double-edge safety razor and badger hair shave brush (both of which I bought) and you'll feel like you've traveled back in time.

Handmade Everywhere!

Buying handmade is all the rage right now with thousands of people flocking to handmade marketplace Etsy every day.  Not only are you supporting the little guy, but you're also getting unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.  But Etsy's not the only place to find handmade items.  Below are the top 5 handmade marketplaces.

Etsy.com - Etsy is the king of handmade.  With upwards of 400,000 sellers on Etsy you can find everything from homemade teas to a wedding dress.  If you're looking for something specific, searching Etsy can be a tedious task; a search for "clock" turned up 10,079 results.  Etsy is also home to barrage of crafters.  Anyone with a sewing machine or glue gun can post on in the marketplace, which can lead to some pretty interesting (and creepy!) items.  Check the Regretsy blog to see what I mean.  While I support anyone looking to share their creativity, it can often be hard to sort through all the hobbyists to find the top quality product you're looking for.  Many Etsy sellers also sell on the marketplaces below.

MakersMarket.com - Makers Market is a new venture from Make.  If DIY is your thing, then Make's for you.  You can search the Make blog, project pages, forums, and magazine for all the projects your heart desires.  If you like the thought of DIY and handmade but don't want the hassle, head to the Makers Market.  Unlike Etsy, the sellers in the Makers Market are handpicked by Make editors.  To become a seller on the site, you must submit an application and be approved.  This means you'll see only the most talented designers.  The layout is much like Etsy's, though my only complaint is that you have to actually click on the product to see the price. Annoying but small in the grand scheme of things.

Artfire.com - I'm personally not a fan of Artfire.  I find it to be an amateur version of the other artisan marketplaces.  To be fair, Artfire is only 2 years old.  Still their interface could use some MAJOR tweaking.  I found a few crafters that sell their products on both Etsy and Artfire, yet the products were 10 times less appealing on Artfire.  Hopefully a website redesign is in their future.  Because there are no fees to sell on Artfire, it seems to attract mostly hobbyists.  While this is my least favorite of all the marketplaces, it's still worth looking at if you strike out at other sites.

1000Markets.com - 1000 Markets is a step above Artfire. Though basic, the website design is decent.  Again, most of the sellers are hobbyists and start-up crafters but there are a lot of neat products.  One thing I'd do is change the layout of the categories.  Right now, only four are featured on the front page...you have to click "see more" to find the category you're looking for.

Supermarket - I've blogged about Supermarket before.  Like MakersMarket, Supermarket is a curated selection of products.  In my book, Supermarket is the best of all the online artisan markets.  There are only a select few designers available and there aren't many bells and whistles on the website, still it's pleasing to the eye and you almost always find what you're looking for.  Expect some products to be a little more expensive than the other sites since you're working with more serious designers/crafters.

Etsy Shop of the Week: Ouma Clothing

If I could re-do my wedding, I'd wear a dress from Ouma.  And use their photographers. 

This coming from a girl who refused to wear a frilly wedding dress (I wore a vintage sundress) and didn't have a photographer (I hate getting my picture taken). 

For once, looking at a pastel-hued dress with layers of fluff doesn't make me want to vomit!  Instead, I want to run through a field of butterflies with singing birds everywhere, all the while listening to the whimsical lyrics of Mika, Sufjan Stevens, and Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears.  These dresses are fabulous and beautiful in a quirky way: they'd be equally as wonderful if paired with tattered sneakers, ripped tights, a funky jacket, and clown makeup. It's all very Tim Burton.

If you don't have any events coming up that require one of these gorgeous creations, try one of Ouma's retro inspired playsuits and you'll look just as amazing!

{image credit: Steph De Saga}

{image credit: Galaxie Andrews}

{image credit: Galaxie Andrews}

{image credit: Galaxie Andrews}

{image credit: Galaxie Andrews}

{image credit: Steph De Saga}

Etsy Shop of the Week: Woodtec

Finally, technology and nature coming together all thanks to Woodtec, creators of the wooden iPod/iPhone docking stations.  Now you have a stylish, unique way to charge your iPhone without it getting scratched on your desk or lost under your stack of papers.  Best of all, each docking station is made from real wood found on the forest floor and comes complete with a natural, woodsy aroma.