etsy

some people i know love etsy. our upstairs neighbors decorated their wedding, grace got me my christmas present and i bought most of my presents this year all from etsy. other people just give me a blank "huh?" stare when i mention it. honestly, i wish more people used it, because it is one of the most exciting shopping opportunities there is, and for shoppers like me, that is hard to come by.

unlike a regular online marketplace, like amazon or overstock, etsy offers independent crafters a venue to post all their wares and customers to access various "shops" all from one central place. you can search within type, like "jewelry" or "pottery" and even more specifically, "earrings", or you can search for overall themes, like the ever popular "owls" or, for me, "eyeballs".

due to the sheer number of crafters on etsy, you're bound to find something unique and relatively cheap- simple economics ensures that the more popular the site, the more competition amongst crafters and the lower the prices.

grace got me the above eyeball necklace made out of felted wool for christmas this year. it is perfect and i can't imagine she would have found something so funny and unique anywhere else.

NY Times on Etsy
Etsy

kitten kaboodle

when i was younger, the word "kaboodle" meant that large plastic contraption that held all my markers; i'm sure it was some fad 80's item that has since long gone (yup, even a google search doesn't turn anything up), now kaboodle is my new website procrastinator. essentially a pimped amazon wishlist, you can sign up for a free account and install buttons on your browser that allow you to add any item, on any website, to a dedicated list on kaboodle. you can then send the url for the list around to your family, friends, partner, etc. truthfully though, i've found it most useful in collecting all the links to amazing things i see so that i remember what i really want when i get that long-awaited raise, instead of buying something i don't actually care about at all.

Kaboodle: http://www.kaboodle.com/

ps. this sun jar is on my wish list (you can see it here)

pps. when i did my search for kaboodle there were a bunch of references to "kitten kaboodles". since there are currently 5 kittens in my closet, i guess this qualifies.