i ♥ etsy

I’d heard of Etsy.com (can someone please tell me how you’re supposed to say that?) but had never really taken the opportunity to search around until I was looking for something very specific back in May.  I started out looking for clear rhinestoned statement necklace to wear with this dress:

for Kate’s graduation dinner (something I’ll likely blog about soon though I’ll probably make sure she doesn’t mind first).  I didn’t quite find what I was looking for on Etsy so I ended up buying this:

from David’s Bridal (FYI – bad idea to go to David’s on a Saturday in June – holy cow it was busy).  But then I needed earrings.  The “problem” was that the necklace, while perfect for my outfit, was clear rhinestones set in oxidized silver.  I love silver and have a ton of it but nothing oxidized and I didn’t feel that typical shiny silver was going to go with the necklace.  After perusing the mall only to find more shiny silver, I was off to Etsy again.

One of my favorite shops that I’ve found is Red Chair.  She had these:

and another similar pair that were oxidized with 3 equally spaced dangly balls for sale (the picture is now gone from her store) but what I really wanted was the perfect combination of the two.  Oxidized silver but only one dangly ball (I felt that the 3 would be too much with the necklace). 

Well, one of the beauties of Etsy is that you can have conversations with shop owners if you perhaps like something that they’ve produced but it’s not quite what you’re looking for.  So that’s what I did.  I sent the woman behind Red Chair a message and asked what she could do for me.  In the matter of 24 hours she had agreed to make the earrings – one ball and oxidized – for only $18!

(I seriously need/want a macro lens – that would make this picture so much better)

As a bonus, she’s only in Takoma Park, MD so I received them super quickly.  And they were perfection. 

Here’s the whole look (though you can’t really see the earrings) with the whole fam:

(no, we didn’t coordinate outfits.)

While I was trolling Etsy for handmade jewelry, I was also trying to find ideas for a more personal “yay! you’re done with residency!” gift than what we’d already purchased (a map of the DC area, Not for Tourists – Washington DC, and the City Walks for DC card deck).  In the end, I had a new project on my hands which I’ll describe tomorrow (Sorry, I had to explain my love for Etsy first.)