Etsy - Affordable Hand-Made Artisan Wares

It's no secret that I love Etsy, or at least it shouldn't be.

"What's Etsy?" Oh, man, are YOU in for a treat!

Thousands of artisans list their wares for sale. Some are, well, still need a little work. But many

(so many!) of the items are absolutely beautiful, inventive, creative, and just plain fabulous. There is a group of Etsians called Team Eco Etsy - when you go to the site, do a search for "teamecoetsy", and you'll be rewarded with items made with sustainability and general eco-grooviness in mind.

Some of my favorite Milkweed Mercantile items come straight from the crafty hands of Etsy artisans. We have soft sweater balls from Handmade Pretties,

Soft Sweater Balls $20 (baby not included)

...gorgeous letterpress cards (on recycled paper) with quotes from authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson from Letterary Press,

From the American Thinkers Collection, set of 8 cards for $17.00

...inspirational pendants made with recycled Scrabble tiles from Home Studios,

Live Simply Pendant, $11 (including chain)

... soft rattles made from hand-dyed organic fleece from Ecoleeko,

Flower Rattle, $16

...and Wally Ware, hand-made pottery from Tom Edwards in Colorado .

Wally Goes Vegetarian Plate, $28

The American crafts movement is alive and well. What a nice change from plastic junk made in China! When you need a gift, for yourself or for others, please consider handmade!