An Introduction to Etsy

An Introduction to Etsy

September 17th, 2010 @ 3:12 pm by Mrs. Lioness
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Before I found the ’Bee, I had never even heard of Etsy. These days, I don’t know how I ever lived without it! For those of you just joining us in the Etsy craze, Etsy is an online store and community where artisans sell handmade crafts and collectors sell rare vintage items. On Etsy, you can find unique items that you would not normally find in stores, which is what makes it such an excellent wedding resource. In fact, Etsy even has its own wedding category on its site! The availability of such unique items allows brides to add a little more personality to their weddings. Etsy is also a great place for budget brides to find a great deal. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Use the Alchemy function, which you can learn about here with Miss Hippo!

To show y’all the variety that Etsy provides, I decided to conduct a search for something simple. Let’s try “lion” and see what pops up, shall we?

Place Cards by cuddlecreature

This is a great example of the kind of wedding item you could DIY, or you could create a shortcut for yourself and find it on Etsy. What if you had your heart set on a unique shape like this? I’m all for DIY, but this is definitely not the kind of project I would want to take on. Could you imagine cutting out all of those little lions?! Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of patience.

Cake Topper by kikuike

How cute is that little birdcage veil on the lioness?! Obsessed.

Cufflinks by PlasticParadox

Ah yes, the other reason why I’m in love with my moniker (the first reason is the Disney reference, of course). A few months ago, I was explaining to Mr. Lion why Etsy is so awesome. He agreed that it sounded pretty cool, but said that he “couldn’t really get into it because it was just a bunch of girly stuff.” I proved him wrong and surprised him with a pair of Etsy-made Zelda Tri-Force cufflinks. His nerdy side thanked me.

Garter by gmarasa

So vintagey and elegant! I love the soft ivory color too.

Custom Wedding Invitations by leahfelicity

Graphic design is definitely one of my favorite things to look through on Etsy. Sometimes, I’ll just glance around for inspiration. This suite is no different. If you were having a whimsical, carnival-themed wedding, this could definitely be that specific something you were looking for.

What kinds of treasures have you found for your wedding on Etsy?

Tags: atlanta, decor, Resources |

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20 Responses to “An Introduction to Etsy”

Member

crazybabyinlove (message) 216 posts, Helper bee

I got my garter off etsy - black and white polka dots with a bright sunshine yellow bow And I got a custom stamp of our names with a rose for our favors!

9/17/10 @ 3:19 pm (reply)

Member

Encore (message) 680 posts, Busy bee

I’m an Etsy user from way back, but I totally cop to using it more heavily during my wedding planning. So far I’ve bought my wedding day jewelry, my something blue, and my cake topper from Etsy. And I believe I’ll also buy my hair flower and a wine box from there at the very least before all is said and done.

9/17/10 @ 3:25 pm (reply)

Member

MissMusic (message) 318 posts, Helper bee

I love etsy but so far I am just a lurker–no purchases yet.

9/17/10 @ 3:33 pm (reply)

Member

arenyth (message) 1,484 posts, Bumble bee

I was on Etsy long before getting engaged, but as soon as I got on the Bee I was like “oh yea! I bet it would be good for weddings!” I’ve made a couple purchases but I mostly purchase from the supplies category, to make my own stuff. If you need a fancy velvet ribbon you can’t find at Michaels or Joanns you can definitely find it there!

9/17/10 @ 3:42 pm (reply)

Member

emma5w (message) 547 posts, Busy bee

Oh my goodness. Hair clip, invitations, clutch purse, bracelet, cufflinks for FI, and baby shirts for friends’ babies. I’m an Etsy junkie, for sure!

9/17/10 @ 3:49 pm (reply)

Member

LittlestBirds (message) 2,626 posts, Sugar bee

One of my wedding vendors hadn’t heard of Etsy, and I had to try really hard not to let my jaw drop. With the DIY look being so incredibly popular right now, whether it be in the form of vintage, rustic, picnic, gardnen, what have you, Etsy is pretty much wedding CENTRAL. You get to support incredibly small businesses and artists instead of any kind of corporation, and you get stuff that looks beautiful but just different enough to be interesting. I can’t get enough, and don’t forget about the Alchemy feature!

9/17/10 @ 3:56 pm (reply)

Member

Kemi82JP (message) 749 posts, Busy bee

LOVE the gryffindor cufflinks!! i am quite the potterfreak

9/17/10 @ 5:12 pm (reply)

Member

Kemi82JP (message) 749 posts, Busy bee

i also LOVE etsy, bought a gazillion things for my home and wedding on there. you can find such gorgeous stuff from very talented people for usually not too expensive prices. love!

9/17/10 @ 5:13 pm (reply)

Member

jordynrose (message) 6,351 posts, Bee Keeper

That garter is too cute! We bought our cake flowers from Etsy’s DK Designs. She makes clay flowers.

9/17/10 @ 5:55 pm (reply)

10.

Member

Berkeley_Bride (message) 102 posts, Blushing bee

Etsy and I go way back, but the first thing I bought there for our wedding was a pack of vintage San Francisco post cards to create the STDs with. I’m sure I’ll be purchasing many more items for the wedding from Etsy as well!

9/17/10 @ 6:12 pm (reply)

11.

Member

Swiss Miss to Bee (message) 1,004 posts, Bumble bee

OMG I got my FI those Harry Potter Cufflinks!! :oD Can’t wait to give them to him on our wedding day!

9/17/10 @ 7:06 pm (reply)

12.

Bee

Miss Hippo (message) 1,009 posts, Bumble bee

Thanks for the shout out, Lioness! The Alchemy feature is awesome.

9/17/10 @ 8:11 pm (reply)

13.

Bee

Miss Lioness (message) 817 posts, Busy bee

@Swiss Miss to Bee: That’s AWESOME! I would totally get them for Mr. Lion, except he always says he identifies more with Slytherin…yuck.

@Miss Hippo: You’re very welcome! I alchemy-ed a necklace for a friend and the final product was just right!

9/17/10 @ 9:16 pm (reply)

14.

Member

baldor1 (message) 1,312 posts, Bumble bee

I heard about Etsy on WeddingBee too and got my bouts and bouquet pins from a seller there. I love love love them! Go Etsy!

9/17/10 @ 10:25 pm (reply)

15.

Bee

Miss Glasses (message) 2,741 posts, Sugar bee

Love Etsy, I spend aaaaaaaages on there!

9/17/10 @ 11:37 pm (reply)

16.

Member

SandraMarie_1986 (message) 1,363 posts, Bumble bee

I love etsy! I haven’t purchased anything yet but I just love it! I have all of the potential purchases I will be making soon bookmarked.

9/20/10 @ 2:09 pm (reply)

17.

Member

PeacockPrinting (message) 4 posts, Wannabee

I found etsy when I was putting my own wedding invitations together. I was so impressed (and had so much fun making my own invitations) that I opened up my own shop and now I’m making invitations for all sorts of people! (peacockprinting.etsy.com if you’d like to check it out!)

You can find a ton of wedding stuff on etsy, you can also usually request custom changes to the items that are posted. When it comes to invitations, most shops will sell digital files for all you DIY’ers out there!

Also, it’s just awesome supporting small businesses and crafters instead of the big box stores all the time =)

9/22/10 @ 3:00 pm (reply)

18.

Member

PeacockPrinting (message) 4 posts, Wannabee

@PeacockPrinting:
Oh and the Alchemy feature for those of you that aren’t familiar - you can request custom items and have many different sellers bid on making things for you. So you could say something like “I’m looking for a birthday present for my mom, she is turning 65, she loves grasshoppers and her favorite color is purple.” Then you name your ideal price and before you know it, you have 16 people giving you ideas of what they can do, then you pick from those options. It takes almost all the hunting out of it! PERFECT for wedding items too!

9/22/10 @ 3:04 pm (reply)

19.