You Make It, I Buy It – That’s Etsy. Ya Heard?

Last week I spent the better part of my weekend in mega stores looking for gifts, party favors and ugly sweaters – you get my drift? Draining, unless you live for finding deals like I do. But I must admit I’m always afraid that the gift I buy may be generic and the intended recipient may already have it or, worse, be unimpressed with my selection. So, I’m gonna make finding a unique, eclectic gift easy. In comes Etsy.

If you’ve never heard of the website Etsy, you need to get with it. Who am I kidding—I just learned of Etsy myself, but I think it’s the future of our consumer experience. Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. Its mission is to enable people to make a living making things and to reconnect makers with buyers.

So let’s suppose you’re not the most craft-inclined person and my frugal holiday craft gift ideas are just not rubbing you well. Well, Etsy can help. The site is chock full of original and off-the-wall gift ideas that will leave you saying, “That’s so cool, I have to have one of those!”

On the flip side if you are an artisan you can join the thousands of fellow artists who make a living by selling on Etsy. I’ve logged on and already have spent hours just looking around. It’s kinda like thousands of small boutique shops in one mall. The best part is everything is so reasonably priced. Yep, you smell that? It’s a bargain!

Check out Etsy’s great features:

search by category
search my gift type
you can “pounce” on items that just sold
you can “go back in time” and see gifts that people have been buying
you can even shop from local artists in your hometown

So cool! Here are some items a few of my friends might find under their trees:

I’m a big fan of simple jewelry. When I saw the My Heart Belongs To… necklace it called my name. Simple design at an amazing price. Seller: chocolateandsteel
For all your coffee drinking, Starbucks and Coffee Bean lovin’ friends this is a really cute, really affordable gift option. It’s the Reusable coffee sleeve by Amy Butler Lotus and it’s so crafty and so original. Seller: SeamsandSuch
Sunrise on the Temple Checkbook will have you looking good as you spend, spend, spend. Seller: BCharmer
Original gear (clothing) always makes for a great gift. The Tree of Life Species Phylum Vintage Science Diagram Illustration Graphic T-shirt is a really attention-grabbing tee. I’d wear it and I’d definitely gift it. Seller: isotope
The Spend Less leather billfold wallet is guaranteed to help your male friends “spend less.” It’s classic yet modern and very original. Seller: treeswithknees