My Favorite Places on Etsy for Christmas Shopping

One of my favorite places to find unique gifts is the online arts-and-crafts marketplace Etsy.

Since this is the season for buying lots of gifts, I thought I'd list my favorite Etsy stores, in hopes of making your shopping a little easier!

(Note: most Etsy store owners I've corresponded with have been great about tucking in a notecard when I ask them to ship gifts to their recipients. Can't promise they all will, but you should definitely ask!)

Stores I've Actually Bought Stuff From:
-Sharon Schock - amazing painter - and her postcards and prints are very affordable. And I've seen her oils in real life, and they're lovely.
-Oh Fudge Store - want to send candy to an out-of-state relative? this is a great way to do it!
-SVSoaps - another great choice for easy gift-giving. I can testify that their stuff smells AMAZING. And they'll wrap it beautifully.

Stores I Want to Buy Stuff From:
-Samantha Mello Jewelery Designs - gorgeous stuff, and friendly for those of us with metal allergies.
-KUKLAstudio - their wire-and-stained-glass jewelery is stunning and unique.
-Pratt Creek Art - I love these colorful little paintings of various birds.
-Painting Well - oil paintings of skyscapes. Lovely.
-Luna Grey Fiber Arts - pretty sock yarn!

Friends' Shops:
-Tetra Variations: intense and awesome paperfolding stuff. Someone on your list like video-games? That someone also crafty? Check this store out.
-EquestriaRags: Know a little girl who needs her own beautifully crafted My Little Pony stuffie? Hit Joi up. She does great work.

Please let me know about your favorite Etsy shops in the comments - I'm not yet done with my own Christmas shopping, so I'd love to hear about anyone you think is worth checking out. Thanks!

Peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Links: Hugos, Headcoverings, and Robotic Exoskeletons!

The 2012 Hugo Awards: It's Okay To Be A Fan - I enjoyed this analysis of the Hugos.

Eternity Veils - I don't personally practice headcovering, but these are so clever! (And pretty.) Makes me want to go visit a European cathedral so I'd have an excuse to wear one. :)

Paralympic Athlete Is The First Woman To Live At Home With A Robotic Exoskeleton: This is just . . . this is why science is good. I hope this works and works so well that they can make lots of them and the economics of scale make the price reasonable for every paraplegic. SO COOL.

What Do You Think? Checking in with Our Readers: Over at Regency Reflections, we're looking for feedback - come over and give us some!

Anne Eunson's Artistry - pretty, pretty, pretty!

-Jessica Snell

Links! "Intellect and Romance Over Brute Force and Cynicism"

Gosh, combine two of my favorite things in the entertainment industry today - that'd be Doctor Who and The Craig Ferguson Show - and you get this awesome song. Which is awesome (minus weird sailor dude). (And from which we get the title of today's post.)

On a more serious note, Simcha Fisher's post about there being no petty virtues is really good.

It might be a bit late for me to do this this year, but I'm saving this idea for next year: Helping Siblings Christmas Shop for Each Other.

Also, just wanted to point everyone towards Quotidian Moments, because she's doing a cool series where she's going through the nonfiction she's accumulated on her bookshelf over the years, and posting notes on the high points of each book as she decides whether or not to keep it. It's interesting reading!

This snowflake craft is everything a Christmas craft should be: pretty, fun, and easy to clean up!

And speaking of Christmas crafts, here's a really impressive page full of them - and most of these look like they'd appeal to the 2-4 set, as well as school-age kids, which is a big bonus in my book.

cheap diapers

Always a good thing, right? Just wanted to point those of you who haven't heard towards AmazonMom. It's a new program from Amazon where you can get diapers, disposable training pants, and wipes very cheaply. AND delivered to your door. And by cheaply, I mean those big boxes of diapers (size 4, 140 ct., for example - Sam's Club size boxes) for $25. That's an amazing price.

Anyway, I just used this to get cheap training pants for the twins, and I thought I'd pass it along. Hope it helps someone else!

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

too good not to pass on

Christianaudio.com is having a sale. They have a bunch of audiobook mp3 downloads for $7.50 - which is a great price, especially considering that a bunch of them are Blackstone recordings. They have stuff like The Count of Monte Cristo, That Hideous Strength and Pride and Prejudice. 

My husband and I regularly listen to audiobooks in the evenings while we do clean-up and dishes, and they're also great to listen to while you craft. And my kids listen to them during quiet time. I noticed they have the Winnie-the-Pooh books, which my children have listened to over and over.

Anyway - hope that helps someone!

Peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

hair toys on Etsy

So, my hair is still growing . . . but it's too short for a lot of the prettier hair toys (which is good, 'cause boy they're expensive!). But I still can't help browsing Etsy and dreaming of someday having the waist length hair needed to do justice to a gorgeous hammered copper chignon or a pair of wicked-looking hair swords like these.

Etsy is just way too much fun. I like it so much better than most online stores, because there's such a variety of interesting things, and because it almost always inspires me to try making something myself, too.

These now, these I could conceivably use. And there are fun things like this that I'd like to try doing myself (thrift-store costume jewelry + superglue + plastic haircomb, I'm guessing). My hair's long enough for a proper Gibson tuck now, and it's fun to have something pretty to stick into the fold of that hair style.

I actually ended up ordering a few decorative combs for the purpose, and now I'm impatiently awaiting them so that I can try them out. I'm also wondering about whittling myself a hair fork. I think I could do it if I got my husband to make the cuts with his saw first. I don't think it would look quite as good as that, but I think it'd be fun to try.

I'm fascinated by the vintage hair toys on Etsy too. This is the stuff women used before they had elastic, you know? And a lot of the stuff can't be used unless you have longer hair. It makes me wonder what they did for little girls, whose hair was still growing. Or women who had been sick. I suppose that's what ribbons and head scarfs were for? You can also find things like Amish hair pins. It's not like this stuff is never used anymore. (Though I'm guessing the ones the Amish actually use aren't decorated like that.)

Anyone else find something lovely on Etsy recently? Or have any experience using hair forks? Are they as easy and pretty as they look?

peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

links (yes, again): pretty bags, pretty dishcloths, pretty awesome object lessons . . . and more!

I'm linking to this just because I think it's pretty.
StandFirm has had some great stuff recently, including Part II of Matt and Anne Kennedy's Leaving Home series and this post on the crazy stuff going down in South Carolina.
Amy has created a FAQ for homeschooling children with Down Syndrome and other special needs. It looks like a great place to start if you're thinking of doing that yourself, and it looks like a great one to pass on if you have a friend who's thinking of homeschooling a special needs child.
My friend Katie has created a super-cute Valentine's-y knit washcloth, and she has the pattern for sale in her Etsy shop.
I like this post from Fumbling Towards Grace. It includes paragraphs like this:
Stewardship, he went on, requires a sharp mind. There are constant forces trying to divert our attention from God and from building his kingdom. Faulty ideas about the human person, about our purpose in life, and also things like t.v. advertisements, promising peace, fulfillment and a trim waistline for 19.99. Having a “sharp mind” as he called it, is a requirement, so that we might be good stewards of the gifts and talents that God has given us.
as well as a great object lesson that includes beer. (How could that be bad?)
Here is a link to an index of a bunch of youtube videos on various math and science concepts.
This one I offer with a caveat: I have no idea if it works or not. But I read about it in Good Housekeeping (I think): it's a website where you can buy other people's unwanted gift cards at a discount (or sell your own). So if there's a store you're planning on shopping at anyway, it might be worth it to buy a gift card here at a discount to cover the trip.
I also can't vouch for this site, but I am planning on researching it more the next time we have a vacation: it's a site where you can find vacations houses for rent by owner. When you've got a family of six, it can be cheaper to rent a condo than to stay at a hotel when you travel. Also, it can be a nice option if you're traveling with a group. So, anyways, fyi, this exists. :)
peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

praying before shopping - and more

Okay, I just wrote a whole post about how much I like thrift store shopping, but then I read this post about shopping and it is so much better than what I had to say. Please, go read what this wise woman has to say.

peace of Christ to you,

Jessica Snell

treasure hunting at the thrift store

Today I got to go to the thrift store just with Gamgee, all sturdy and boyish in his camo hoodie.   Adam stayed home (bless him) working on his own project (weighted juggling balls – he wanted juggling balls that were compact but still had heft), and taking care of the girls.

            I love going to thrift stores. I’ve being doing it for years now, and I’m getting better and better at buying things we’ll actually use and love, instead of things I’ll look at and say, “why did I get that again?”

            It’s a treasure hunt, every time. And I always go with an idea in my head of what I want to keep an eye out for. Some are perennial: we always keep an eye out for Legos.

            Also, there are some themes that are perennial: things that are green or blue, especially if combined with white, will always catch my eye. Also anything botanical. Our household items tend to be blue, green, white or wooden, and if they’re decorated, it’s with leaves and flowers, with a definite preference for the edible or the aromatic.

            I like having a big general theme, because then I can move things around from place to place, and they always fit in and look peaceful. (Do other people do this? I think they must. Do you?) 

            I’ve learned – after much trial and error – to adopt a similar stance towards my wardrobe. Again, the base colors are blue and green, with white as my go-to neutral for tops and black for bottoms. I will go for true reds and certain shades of rose, but I try not to do too much of that, because they’re harder to match, and I just don’t want to wear them as often as I want to wear green and blue.

            I generally buy natural fibers, though I appreciate what a small percentage of spandex will do for the fit of a shirt or pair of pants. I’ve learned that if I buy clothes that aren’t mostly cotton or mostly linen or mostly silk, I just won’t wear them, because in SoCal weather, they’re just amazingly uncomfortable.

            I’ve learned too, through years of thrift store shopping, that though it’s fun to experiment, there’s a lot to be said for finding a couple of brands that just always fit well, and wear well. I keep my eyes open for Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft. I’ve had good luck with St. John’s Bay shirts (the ones made from India cotton – so light! so pretty!). I discovered Lucky dungarees, and don’t want to ever go back as long as I can keep finding them at thrift store prices (can’t imagine swallowing the price tag of getting them new!). Banana Republic and Gap tend to fit well too.

            I know some people don’t like thrift store shopping because it takes so long, but I think having an idea of what you’re looking for cuts down a lot on the time. (Not that I couldn’t spend hours. I’m just saying, if you didn’t want to . . .)

            Today though, Gamgee and I spent almost an hour looking at the books. Mostly at the kids’ books. We bought a copy of How Things Work, and an old Arch Bible story book, and a book about knights, and one about the human body, and a prayers and poems book and – because Gamgee was there – one about dinosaurs and trains (yes, in the same book – someone knows little boys well).

            I also found a silver tray (I’ve been wanting a tray for awhile – I didn’t have a one) and a beautiful dark blue and orange silk linen (we also have a minor theme in our home of the international – mostly presents from well-traveled friends and family – and this silk looked very Thai to me). I’m not sure what it was meant for: it could be a shawl or a table cloth or a curtain valance. But it was very cheap (probably because it wasn’t actually labeled as silk – the label was gone) and I don’t think I’ll have trouble finding a place for it. It might end up on the apothecary chest which is currently (I’m not sure why) sporting a (green and blue) yoga mat for a covering.

            I also did find a pair of jeans, and a pair of shorts and a skirt. And I’m all out of Christmas money now. But it was a lot of fun.

            And it was very fun to spend a couple of hours with just my son. It was fun watching clerks and other shoppers talk to him and comment on how cute he was. Usually his little sisters get all of that attention from strangers, and it was fun watching Gamgee be the charmer for a change.

            Because he really is one. He charms me every day.