...because home doesn't happen overnight.

Dear etsy,

I like you. Especially your art, handmade treasures, and vintage textiles & knick knacks. I just want you to know that you’re appreciated.

xo,
Dana

And now for some stuff I recently bought on etsy…

etsy stuff

 

1 – vintage indigo jar ($20) I store garlic bulbs in this lil’ cutie and keep it next to the stove.

2 – red sliced wood garland ($30) This crazy cool garland is going in the boys’ room. (An update on their room is coming next…) I probably could have made one for less but who has time to paint a wood dowel, cut it into a million pieces, then string and knot each slice? Apparently, not me.

3 – hanging planter ($57) The boys requested more plants in their room. To optimize floor space, I thought a hanging planter would be the way to go. Again, I decided to leave the tedious task of knot-tying to someone else. WHO AM I?

4 – vintage Hmong fabric ($35) I bought two Hmong pillow covers a while back for the mudroom and ever since I dream of covering my house in Hmong fabric. It has the best patterns and patina in a denim-like indigo color. I’m going to sew more pillow covers and fill my house with them. Because I do have time for sewing but not for knot-tying??

5 – vintage kilim pillow ($55) I put this beauty in ‘my favorites’ weeks ago and would stop in daily to gaze longingly at it. Then I decided life was too short to love a pillow virtually when I could love it in real life.

6 – New Zealand panoramic photography print ($145) I’ve slowly been adding black and white photography prints to our home. (I spy three from my desk right now.) I guess I’m into them. The scale and orientation of this panoramic should be perfect for what I have in mind.

I go through phases of browsing etsy and curating ‘my favorites.’ Then every once in a while I pull the trigger on items I’m especially drawn to. I have to have a clear purpose or spot for each item. That’s the one caveat. There’s no room here for buying first, thinking later.

What about you? Any recent etsy purchases? Any etsy shops I should know about?

images: polyvore collage by Dana Miller

39 Comments

I always forget about etsy when looking for home decor. Looks like a dangerously good place to shop!

06.May.2014

I need to follow your lead and make sure I have a place for the things I love before buying them. I’m sure that would make my cramped house feel a little less so. But honestly, that Hmong fabric is calling my name! Considering I already have a substantial fabric stash, could one more piece really hurt??? ;)

06.May.2014

Hi Dana,
I have to ask… what is the New Zealand connection? My home town seems to pop up in various ways on your blog so am very curious.. Love that photo too!

06.May.2014

Great finds! I love that Hmong fabric. I’m working on opening my own Etsy shop and it is very intimidating with all of the awesome stuff on there.

06.May.2014

Have you seen the shop CordandSatchel on etsy? They have some cool designs, I got some stuff from them for my husband.

06.May.2014

I’ve been looking for a nice piece of art for my daughter’s big girl bedroom and I found a nice wall sticker that I intent to frame.

http://www.etsy.com/ca-fr/listing/151529090/bebe-cerf-mur-autocollant-autocollant-de?utm_source=OpenGraph&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

MMM. the Hmong fabric! I’ve been searching for hmong pillows since you first featured them here. I wish I could sew or care enough to learn :p Etsy really is the best. It’s like a treasure box!

Etsy is the best for sure. I am deeply in love with that vintage jar!! Great find!

06.May.2014

I recently bought my mother’s present for Mother’s Day on Etsy. There is always a great and special find there: http://www.etsy.com/listing/113999897/personalized-family-tree-burlap-wall-art?ref=listing-shop-header-2

06.May.2014

Wow, your budget is bigger than mine, I can’t imagine paying $55 for a pillow.

06.May.2014

Just curious — have you ever had a bad experience on Etsy? I had one that really soured me on it (no response for 2 weeks, and then an onslaught of emails ranging from angry to pitiful once I processed a refund through PayPal). That prompted me to do some googling, and I found a lot of stories that reinforced my growing skepticism — shutting down handmade sellers for unclear reasons, allowing large assembly line shops fraudulently claiming to be small businesses to continue selling, a culture of pressure to remove bad ratings from shops to make the site as a whole look better, and blog posts showing highly questionable standards from Etsy staff (look up hobo wedding. facepalm.).

I have a couple good friends who sell on it, so I don’t mean to paint all sellers with one broad stroke, but I just feel like finding legit people is a bit of a gamble. If I can’t trust the ratings, and I can’t trust Etsy to shut down sketchy shops, how do I trust the site? I don’t know how much buying you do, but I’ve noticed that Etsy frequently comes up in your mood boards, so I was just curious if your experiences have always been positive.

06.May.2014

My son has a shop -he does watercolor, oils, charcoal…portraits are his fave.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/mfrancoart

06.May.2014

darling finds! love that wood garland! I am creating quite the vintage bud vase collection all from etsy for a client…love it!

06.May.2014

I adore etsy! Have yet to have a bad experience. Some things I purchased are newly made, others art, some vintage finds. Many were international purchases – I love that I can buy a clock from Bulgaria or art from Italy and support that artist. It’s such a great resource for finding original items for your home, gifts, etc. It’s mighty dangerous, though – so easy to just buy with a simple click!

Whoa, I had no idea! Bet for the most part it’s all legit? And hope for the best? I love the idea of supporting small businesses.

Dana, even your “stuff” from etsy feels cohesive and calm. Love the neutrals with pops of red. And yeah, who has time to cut a wooden dowel into a million pieces? Might as well support the person who came up with that cool idea…

06.May.2014

I’ve only had great experiences buying from Etsy and I could spend hours perusing all the yummy items. I’ve recently been drooling over just about everything in the SanctumLighting shop. That Orbiter pendant is going to live in my kitchen someday soon.

06.May.2014

I love your beautiful Etsy finds! I have purchased over 50 items on Etsy (most for my wedding last year) and thankfully I’ve never had any issues.

06.May.2014

My fav shops:
Sea glass – SeaFindDesigns
Wall vinyl decals – wearevinyldesigns
Canvas grocery & market totes – dreneco
Stone beads w/shell button closure leather wrap bracelets – TWaterburyWraps
Handmade leather purses – Adeleshop
Unique handmade dog tags – poochtags
Antler and wood rings ( I’m allergic to all metal) – undertheporch
Airplants – CTSairplants
Lavender bundles – Onederings
Hand-rolled honeycomb candles – beeradient
Dog treats – alicedogtreats

06.May.2014

I love the Hmong fabric also. How do you think it would wash up? I would think rather well since it is a natural fiber, but sometimes the weave is too loose. Let me know if you have any feelings on this. Thanks!

06.May.2014

That pillow? Are you kidding me?! Gorgeous!
We are in the process of moving our 7.5 year old son into his own room so he can have his own space and his two little sitters (2 & 5) can share. He’s a super sporty kid, but I’m not into the sporty decor if you know what I mean. However, I found a local artist (Portland, Or) and bought a print of his beloved Autzen Stadium (we are HUGE UofO DUCK fans!). https://www.etsy.com/shop/albiedesigns?ref=l2-shopheader-name
Loved it so much, I bought the Portland print to hang in our entry way.

07.May.2014

Hello there! I just wanted to drop a note to apologize that you had such a terrible experience with a seller on Etsy. I have a small shop and hate that some businesses don’t treat their customers very well and that then reflects on the rest of us. It’s completely awful but I can assure you that there are many, many sellers who take their business seriously and act in a sincere, authentic, and professional manner. So sorry that that happened to you and praying that it doesn’t ever again!

07.May.2014

I have an Etsy shop and I work hard for every positive feedback that I am given. It’s just me running everything and last Christmas I missed out on several holiday fun time events with my family because I was in the studio trying to keep customers happy (ie the people that were hoping I could actually make their item, ship it and have it delivered in 5 days!) Knowing that my pieces have been apart of some of the happiest times in peoples lives (weddings, birth announcements, birthdays) make it all worth it. I have my own concerns about how some things are run on Etsy, but I have to hope that there are more of us legit sellers than not. And I do my best to support them. http://www.jackbradystudios.etsy.com

07.May.2014

A duvet cover made out of that fabric would be gorgeous!

07.May.2014
07.May.2014

Just finally checked out Etsy last week for the first time (I know – where have I been?!) it’s awesome – we’re moving this summer from Chicago to nw Indiana and I’m taking the opportunity to change my two boys room from nursery to ” big boy” so I’ve been slowly accumulating sheets, duvet covers, art, etc. I’m going for a look that will last so I don’t have to redo it again in a few years and picked out some typography pillows from etsy shop bellesandghosts. Amazing stuff!

07.May.2014

When I saw your wood garland, I checked the store and I totally fell in love with a similar garland. I went to the hardware store and got a dowel. I agree with you for the amount of time it will take to make it. I do not have time for that…but my husband on the other hand :) I will plead Mother’s Day! My future garland will be the perfect final touch to my little girl’s bedroom.

07.May.2014

So cute!

07.May.2014

I washed the two Hmong pillow covers I already have in cold water using the delicate cycle on my washer. I let them air dry. They were a little stiff at first but after a few days of use they were back to normal.

07.May.2014

Wow! He is so talented!

07.May.2014

I’m being completely honest here…I have never had a bad experience as a buyer on etsy. I’ve purchased from U.S. sellers and international sellers alike. Of course, there will always be bad seeds making the whole look worse and the possibility of non-legit sellers. I rely heavily on ratings – both the quantity and quality of them. To hear that they might be fudged is disheartening but I’ve never felt that a shop I purchased from should have been rated lower. I also rely on word of mouth – from friends and other blogs. Maybe I’ve just had good luck thus far? Anyway, I do like supporting small businesses and I like that I can buy something from another country and bring its story into my home. It’s cheaper than traveling overseas.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. It happens – on etsy and with other retailers as well.

07.May.2014

You know I love me some leather.

07.May.2014

I do mention New Zealand a lot, don’t I? My husband travels to the south island almost every year for business. He’s usually gone for two weeks at a time. The kids and I haven’t had a chance to join him but he’s always telling us about the beautiful scenery, the laid-back attitude of kiwi’s, the prevalence of extreme sports, etc. All the stories encouraged us to borrow books on New Zealand from the library. I think the history of the islands is fascinating and it seems like a progressive society. Anyway, we would love to visit NZ someday. And there’s also the chance for relocation within my husband’s work. If that opportunity ever came up, we couldn’t pass it up! So, yes, we dream of visiting or living in New Zealand someday.

07.May.2014

thanks for the help:)

07.May.2014

That’s so nice to hear Dana. I hope you make it there someday soon :)

08.May.2014

Wonderful finds! I love the knotted the hanging planter and the black and white photograph the most! I need to hang more photography in our home too…I even have a few shots from our honeymoon in NYC several years back that I think would look decent (as well as sentimental) in our house. Can’t wait to see these new pieces in action in your home.

Etsy is great! I’ve bought all kinds of things there.. jewelry, invitations, baby stuff! It’s wonderful to go to a place to support small businesses and find unique items.

09.May.2014

Besalt colored curtains would look awesome and tie the room together! Love your choice of black and white photography!

11.May.2014

Etsy is the greatest! I may be biased because I have an Etsy shop, but talking completely from a buyer’s perspective I’ve never had a negative experience. I could (& do) trawl Etsy for hours & always find unique & beautiful gifts.
Love all your finds Dana, especially the photograph!

22.April.2015

Etsy shops to know about? Hey, how about mine?! Ha ha. I sell cute, minimalist, yet colorful art prints. They’re currently for sale at West Elm in St. Louis where you can buy them framed! Dana, I’d love it if you took a peek–and if you’d like one for your home or your new office space, I’d be thrilled to gift you one! Love your blog–have been following for a long time now. HOpe Everett is okay, btw…