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#EtsyEveryday
I’ve often been asked why and how I started using @Etsy
Moving to the English countryside a decade ago, I found myself wanting to find beautiful and inventive ways of furnishing my new home whilst on a budget.
I knew that this was my chance to really put my stamp on my home, as well as an opportunity to express my love of vintage and artisanal products in a carefully curated way. Thus my first venture onto Etsy was borne out of wanting to find unique items that would truly express who I am and the life that I was leading, and so in the early days, it was all about the one off pieces. The one of a kind vintage homewares and accessories that helped to define my style.
Of course our homes cannot be limited to the simply decorative. Our environments are also governed by our need for practical and useful items that allow us to function properly in our every day lives. However, too often, these more functional elements can let the side down when it comes to stylish design and beauty. However, it doesn’t always have to be that way, and while historically, my Etsy scrolling used to be all about the accessories, today it also encompasses the things that provide functionality alongside beauty, and is an excellent destination for everyday items run by small business.
Etsy has everyday items that not only meet our most basic functional needs (wooden cooking spatulas or hand sewn facemasks anyone?), but that also bring joy to our everyday life through quality and careful craftsmanship that lasts, beautiful design that reflects our unique style, and the ability to personalise and/or customise items just for ourselves and those whom we love.
Etsy sellers are made up of people in local communities all over the world, and as I’ve said before, I love the fact that, when we make the choice to buy from an Etsy seller, we’re buying something special, something that has a story, and it’s often made by someone working out of their home to create something that we’ll use and cherish everyday. If you look at the shop descriptions on each sellers page, you can usually find out a little bit about them, where they come from and sometimes there’s even a paragraph about how and why they started their Etsy shop. It all makes for an extremely enjoyable as well as personal shopping experience – and for me the icing on the cake has to be the individually written notes that you will often receive from the seller as a thank you for purchasing from their shop. Personal touches like that really helps to make you feel connected to the Etsy community, and there’s no better feeling than knowing that I can do my bit to support small businesses by purchasing joyful, unique, high quality, sustainable items that are also made by real people.
So today I’m going to show you two things that I love to use everyday, using my lovely assistant – Coco the dog – as my model!
Every pet owner knows that choosing items for their beloved fur baby is just as important as buying anything else. Coco is one of the family, and like the rest of us, I want her things to be functional but also unique, fun, meaningful and one-of-a-kind.
Dog leads are an essential part of my everyday life, and on Etsy I found this beautiful customisable rope and collar combination from ADW Accessories.
Customisable dog lead from ADW Accessories
I was able to choose the leash colour, the whipping around the handle as well as the metal hardware colour to create a perfectly customised dog lead to suit our own personal taste. Naturally Coco wholeheartedly approves.
Of course, where there are dog leads, and dog paraphernalia, there is often chaos…and Hill House is certainly no different in that respect! Fed up with finding Coco’s leads hanging from here there and everywhere, I had this incredibly well made made Dog Lead Hook from Oak Made UK which was personalised with her name.
Easily to secure to a wall, it’s a fine example of when functionality meets craftsmanship meets beauty.
Truth be told, I have an @Etsy EssentialsList as long as my arm when it comes to Coco – especially when it comes to customised things with her name on.
Have a look HERE and let me know what you Everyday Essential would be?
Util Next Time!