Happy Cyber Monday, Y’all!

In the spirit of the much less frantic & much more fabulous internet version of Black Friday, I have put together a list of my Top Three Etsy Shops of 2009.  This year I’m trying to do as much hand-made as I can for the Christmas holidays.  I’ve managed to ‘hand make’ my way through over half of my Gift List thanks in part to these three fantastic ladies that I’m showcasing today.

Click on the photo to go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/somethingorrother

Melissa at SomethingOrrOther puts together some really cool, really unexpected pieces of jewelry that I adore.  This piece is from her Noir Collection, in which she really plays with the darker metals and more unique settings.  Not only is she handmade, but for those of you in Texas, she’s also local.  Look at us! We’re so damn sustainable.

Click on the photo to go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/elephantine

Rachel at Elephantine is one of my internet crushes.  She’s just so cool I can’t even stand it.  This year she turned her etsy shop into one of the most enticing jewelry shops on the internet.  For really reasonable prices you can buy one of her many variations on the same idea: simple beauty.  All of her pieces have this ethereal quality to them; they all make me feel like if I was wearing them, I would be one step closer to embodying the presence of Grace Kelly.  You know.  Or something like that.

Click on the photo to go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/HelloBirdie

MP at HelloBirdie is one of my besties.  She’s fantastic and talented and some days I wish I had a little girl of my own just so I could buy her lots of things that MP has made.  Want a perfect tutu?  She makes ‘em.  Want a Forest Fairy Costume?  She’s created one.  Need a really beautiful print of Chicago architecture?  She’s got that, too.  One of the best parts about her is that she inspires me to take my goal of a “Handmade Christmas” to a new level.  She’s always working on something new and fun.  Every time I go to her (beautifully decorated) house I walk away planning no less than 3 copy-cat projects.  If you have an idea for something you’d like to have made for someone in your life but don’t know quite how to make it, you need MP and her endless creative masterminding.  You’d be hard-pressed to think up a handmade project that she couldn’t successfully tackle.