my favorite etsy stores

This post is dedicated to my mom, who just discovered Etsy. :)

Here are a list of my favorite Etsy stores, and they are all ones from which I've ordered and been happy, or which are owned by friends of mine, and I've seen their products in person and know they're good businesswomen. I'd love, btw, if you shared some of your favorite Etsy stores in the comments - I always love finding new artists.

Etsy, for those who don't know, is a website where people who make things by hand may sell their wares. So it's like an online mall full of unique, artsy shops. You can also find cool vintage items there.

So, here are my favorites:

-first, my latest find: Just Pure Minerals. They makes mineral makeup, which I've wanted to try for awhile. (I'm not a big makeup person, but sometimes, thanks to hormones, you need the stuff.) This shop lets you, for $2, including shipping, try any four of their colors, and the sample sizes are generous. Plus, when I ordered, they threw in a lip gloss sample too. And all of my samples were very nice and worked well. I think I'm converted.

-next: Hotwired, who's based in New Zealand (gotta love a Kiwi!) and makes nose jewelry. My eye was caught by her Trinity knots, but they looked a little big. However, I got one of these spirals, and one of these tiny twisted gold hoops, and I like both very much.

-This is my go-to store for gifts for loved ones who live out-of-state: Broken Road Farm. She makes baked goods and fudges. Look at her site and try not to drool! She will also include a little card with your gift message on it for free.

-And here is my other go-to store for gifts: SV Soaps. When I ordered a gift from here, she sent me some samples of her soaps to try myself - they smelled delicious and lathered up well, and even though they were sample sizes, I'm still using them up. She also was willing to include a gift message gratis. (Check out her sampler gift set.)

-The items in this store are just pretty: Mary Wibis. I've only bought postcard reproductions of her art, but check out this hand-painted silk scarf. Or this blue jay platter.

-If you want cute, cheap, dangly earrings, you can't go wrong with Thrifty Bunny. I like these teeny pink tulip earrings.

-Duckingham Palace: cute knitted stuff, including dishcloth sets.

-Lullaby Slings: baby slings and mei teis. My kids lived in their slings when they were little.

BONUS SECTION: WISTS

Here are some shops I haven't bought anything from yet, but that I keep looking at, and will probably order from sometime (maybe when I have have birthday money). Alternately, some of these are shops that I look to for inspiration for my own craft projects. 

-Artyard Studio: the blues this man works with! I love the rich, cobalt-colored ceramic pieces in this shop. And some of them look really affordable.

-Timberstone Turnings. This guy makes lathe-turned hairsticks, inlaid with gemstones. They're beautiful. He often doesn't have much in his shop, because his are mostly custom orders that are bought by the intended recipient as soon as they're listed. But you can see lots of his work if you click on his feedback - almost everyone who's bought one of his sticks has posted an appreciation picture of the stick in use in her hair.

-Mairzy Dozy. I find her hair combs inspirational. She has an eye for what pretty things can be done with beads and flowers!

-ChicAllure. More hair stuff. Pretty, pretty, pretty!

So, where do you like to shop on Etsy?