a little retail therapy on Etsy.com

So normally, I just window shop (screen shop?) on Etsy. But a few weeks ago, I was having a particularly rough week...which followed a particularly lucrative week in my shop...and the combination of seeing money in my PayPal account, and at the same time craving some retail therapy, was too much to resist. So I thought I'd give you a look at a few of the things I indulged in...

First, this cute little handmade wallet for business cards. Since my own business cards have rhinestones on them, I may need a hard case for the longer term, to protect that 3-D element. But for the short term, this little cutie was all of $7.00. And check out the fabric and colors! You'd think I might have custom-ordered this to match my business cards and my business theme (birds + nest, etc.) but I didn't. It was already available in this cute fabric, so I snatched it up. Love it! From thespottedbarn.

I may have told you several weeks ago that my wallet (not for business cards, but my real, normal wallet) fell apart. Literally. The money you put in just falls right out. Since I prefer to choose where exactly I lose my money, this was certainly not an ideal situation. But, you see, I didn't want just any wallet. I wanted one that reflected my personality and my style, and preferably came straight from the artist who created it. So of course, to Etsy I went. I found this wallet at lbaccessories embroidered with her own "zinnia" pattern. I loved it as is, but requested if she could possibly do the teal zinnia on a natural linen rather than the blue fabric. I heard back immediately that she would be happy to do it, and it wasn't long before I had my handmade, custom-made wallet in hand! (It's like the one above, only with natural beige linen.) And I luuuuuuuuuuuv it. It gets so many comments and compliments every time I pull it out. Give me a custom-designed artistic wallet any day over a spendy leather Coach one. (Am I crazy? Perhaps! But if this is wrong, I don't want to be right.)

Then, my fav jewelry seller thatjewelrygirl had a secret Facebook sale. For one hour, a couple of weeks ago, her facebook fans could choose any one necklace in her shop for $20. Twenty bucks! I gasped and immediately put a reminder on my calendar in Outlook to make sure I didn't forget to log on during the correct hour. The necklace I chose? This one. You may remember me singing its praises in this post.

And last, but not least, I had a girlfriend who recently moved with her family into a beautiful new (to them) home. They've had a rough time the last few years, with their young daughter suffering from leukemia. We are all hoping and praying that as their daughter enters into the last few months of treatment, this home represents a fresh new start in their lives. Hopefully, her treatment will be successfully completed and she will be declared cancer-free in the next few months. So, to celebrate the new home and all that it represents, I felt a housewarming gift was in order. My friend's style is country & Americana, and...what the heck...I just loved this mini burlap banner that said "Home Sweet Home" and was embellished with vintage buttons, from funkyshique. You may remember me featuring this seller here.

Phew! That may not seem like a lot of purchases to you, but to this penny-pincher, that was a lot. Happily I got through that rough week without causing any real damage to the family finances.

I make no guarantees for this week, though. Somewhere in a moment of insanity...or perhaps just optimism?...I agreed to be the kindergarten teacher for our church's VBS (Vacation Bible School). I am excited and nervous. Or nervous and excited. Anyway, it will take up most of my time Monday thru Friday this week, so I'm not sure how much time or energy I'll have for blogging (or even for brushing my teeth, for that matter!...although I won't let that stop me...I promise I'll brush my teeth, Honey!). So bear with me and I'll check back in with you as soon as I can. I've been working on some fun projects recently, and I can't wait to show you the details.  xoxo