what I love: etsy for presents!

Okay, so unless you've been living under a largely over enlarged rock for the last few years, its pretty likely you've heard of the amazing crafter's online paradise called Etsy. And if you happen to be one of the few that did happen to find themselves under that enlarged rock, let me explain the amazingness which is Etsy!

Etsy is a crafter's (and craft lover's) paradise, and I'll tell you why. Etsy is a place for all people who make things. Whether you make your living with it or you make it in your spare time, you can sell it on Etsy. Whether you've been doing it for six months or doing it for six years, you can sell it on Etsy.

And when I say it, I mean EVERYTHING - from felt cup cozies, to earrings, to hand-bound notebooks, to furniture, to pottery to EVERYTHING! When it first started in 2005, there were just a few hundred items being sold on Etsy. Now, in just the month of October 2009, there were 1,065,475 items sold.

Items are being listed and sold constantly, which is exactly why Etsy is my love this week.

We all have to face the fact that in the coming weeks, there will be many presents to buy - for weddings, for birthdays, but most of all, for the holidays. It is an undeniable fact. Yes, we can wake up at the butt-crack of dawn on Friday and make our way to all those crazy stores and buy our friends and family mass-produced items that, likely, 15 of their friends will also have. OR we can wake up at a sane hour, log on to Etsy.com, and buy our friends and family heartfelt, handmade gifts that mean something. You choose. (I'm going with the latter.)

So my love this week is officially Etsy for presents! What do you think? Check it out and let me know if you love it too!