Etsy Primer

As ridiculously, incredibly, astronomically popular as Etsy is, I know there are people reading this right now who have never heard of it and are wondering what it could be (this does not apply to Jess, who I'm pretty sure first introduced me to Etsy). For those (non-Jess) readers, prepare yourselves...because your life is about to change.

Etsy is perhaps the most brilliant website to debut in the last five years, and one of the select handful of sites that I check daily (if not hourly). More specifically, it is an online community of artists, craftspeople, and other talented folks who sell their unique, handcrafted wares directly to YOU. Since its launch in 2005, Etsy has expanded beyond the typical crafty items (jewelry, knitwear, paintings) to include everything from furniture to homemade jam to vintage clothing!

For those of you who haven't yet discovered Etsy's allure, I suggest you spend the next 10 minutes or so checking it out. You will soon discover a whole new world of wonderful things you never even knew existed, things you may have always wanted but didn't know where to find them, or things you didn't even know you wanted until you saw them and decided you had to have them (that happens to me a lot on Etsy). Go now. Then come back tomorrow morning and check out my top Etsy picks for the week.