Packing Material

I never have the proper packing material. Some people send me things with those fancy air cushions in between the items (or bubble wrap around everything). But I never have bubble wrap; if I've sent anyone a gift with an air cushion it's only because I received an air cushion filled box from Amazon.com the day before. Instead I mainly use newspaper, tissue paper, or a really small box that won't allow items to shift.


I recently bought some Christmas sweets from Etsy, and the sender clearly had the same shipping tendencies as myself. In lieu of an air cushion was the following crumpled up shopping bag (an idea I'll be using in the future). However, this was a shopping bag that attempted to brighten up one's day by evoking a classic (read: corny) joke:

Original Joke as told to me by one Liz L. in college:
Q: What do you call cheese that isn't yours?
A: Nacho cheese


We're here all week, ladies and gentlemen. Try the veal!

For a Relaxing Time....

Have you ever searched for Bill Murray related items on Etsy? What am I saying? Of course you have! 

I myself just decided to do this today, and I was delighted (and a little frightened) by what I found.

For instance, you can buy buttons made out of photos of his movie roles and his teeth (photos of his teeth...not his actual teeth. That's a little to Angelina and Billy-Bob for me). And how about a baby onsie (I'm sure all  pregnant friend would love this...or completely stop talking to me) or a $10 temporary tattoo? And most things are organized under the appropriate heading of "Geekery."

This really proves two things that I have always known:

1. People will buy anything

2. I am not alone in my adoration of Mr. Bill Murray.

 

Though, if we're being honest here, the only thing I would buy is the coffee mug.

Tags

When I was a kid, my mom made a lot of my clothes. She mostly did it because she loves to sew, but her talents also came in handy as I was a freakishly tall child who couldn't find longer dresses. Anyway, my mom had these sweet little tags that she'd sew into the collars of my dresses and tops, and I loved them. They were a deep red on a white background, and the font was very elegant. I always thought they made my mom's creations very professional-looking.


Since I've been knitting a lot of baby blankets, etc, I started to think about using these labels myself. I tried looking at a few fabric shops, but all they had were tags that said, "Handmade by _____." I wasn't interested in these at all since handwriting would definitely fade. So I went over to Etsy...this site is quickly becoming my go-to for anything and everything handmade or one-of-a-kind (sort of like what AbeBooks is doing for my literary needs)


After a brief search, I found these personalized tags made by Remember Wynn. They're lasered onto the tags (which creates a lovely effect), and the shop owner is really nice and easy to work with. They came much quicker than I expected too (this seems to be a trend with almost everyone I encounter on Etsy).


Here they are. I'm super happy with them. :-) And I can't wait to use them so I can get some more...I'm thinking light blue next time.

Stationary

I am often sad to find that you can't just go out to a shop and find nice stationary. Not a lot of people in my life feel the need to write letters anymore, but I know a few people who do. One friend in particular likes to send me letters stamped with the cute little stamps I have bought her for holidays past.

Today I found this wee shop on Etsy: Paper Pastries. So many fun little stationary and stamp sets! This is probably the only place I've seen in years where you can get a real, wooden stamp like my dad used to use.

Someone definitely just got a Christmas gift out of this...and it's not to me, from me. :-)

Shopper's Dilemma

When online shopping first showed up, I was skeptical. "What is the fun in this?" I thought. But after years of living in remote areas coupled with my dislike of driving, online shopping has become kind of fun. Am I lazy? Maybe not; I think I just don't have time (can I blame grad school for this too?). And many online shops have a better selection.

Example: My little sister LOVES Stephen Colbert. For Christmas I wanted to get her something fun and cool. When I found a Stephen Colbert tote, I knew it was perfect. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it in any of the Barnes and Noble shops nearby. Solution: B&N online. You can see the result below:

Lately, I'm becoming more aware of Etsy...I think it might be perfect for the Christmas shopping that always sneaks up on me. A few friends bought me some Etsy gifts Christmas past, and they were really cute. Plus, it would help me avoid the crowds that clog up every mall and department store from Thanksgiving to mid-January.

Here are some Etsy shops that I recently discovered; they've gotten me excited about gift giving. I'm sure the more I look around, the more I'll find....

Art: AshleyG
Miscellaneous: MadisonCraft
Really fab guitar pics here (I might be a bit partial to the Beatles lyrics, tho.)
Lovely Notebooks from London.