I am still relatively new to the site.  I stumbled upon it a year ago and it was love at first site.  Since that time I’ve bought items from around the world – handbags, jewelry and more.  I feel like I’m becoming more and more alienated from mainstream shops. I’m tired of wearing the same clothes as everyone else. With Etsy I purchase items that are more original and as a bonus, I’m supporting independent artists rather than some corporate behemoth that may or may not use slave or child labour.

I think people often assume that handmade means more expensive.  While big companies can make large savings in using sweat shops in the third world to manufacture their goods, you pay for shipping, warehousing, marketing, and then a retail markup.  I find that most of the stuff I find on Etsy is very well priced and the quality tends to be higher than that of the mass-produced mall crap.

But that’s just my opinion.

So, I thought it would be fun to do a weekly review of some neat stuff I’ve seen on Etsy. This week:  Oh Canada.

Montreal

irenesuchocki.
I found it very difficult to choose which image to show. Her photos are beautiful! There are at least a dozen that I’d display proudly on my walls.

Halifax

ViveroGlass.
Often it’s the photography of a particular item that catches my eye, more so than the item itself. I love the contrast of the deep red against the bright green. ViveroGlass has a great selection of original handmade glass pendants.

Vancouver

mehran.
Love this bag. Pink is my least favourite colour, but I find it completely unoffensive in this bag. Mehran has a bunch of nice bags on her site, including a beautiful pale yellow bag.

So, next time you’re needing something new, check Etsy first, you might save some money and make a new friend in the process.

Next Etsy post I’m going to try some of the northern sellers, I’m sure there are fabulous things just waiting to be found in Nunavut, the Yukon; and Northwest Territories.