12.14.2007

Holiday shopping online

Nothing terribly exciting is going on with me, and I am stuck (wo)manning the reference desk today, so that leaves with with enough time on my hands to dabble in the dangerous activity of online shopping. Mind you, I am the type of person who HATES shopping (as in going to stores and dealing with real people in a real-life situation), so the advent of online shopping has seriously increased my frivolous expenditures over the years.
One place where this is particularly noticeable is in my Christmas gift shopping for friends and loved ones; in the past it was an issue of what to buy for them - now it's an issue of what NOT to buy. This dilemma stems directly from the movement of artsy crafty people who are also tech savvy and a bit ambitious setting up their online stores either independently, or through larger sites like etsy. Now I have loads of different places to go shop for unique gifts that I will know help pay for some poor hipster youth's next cup of Dunken Doughnuts coffee.
So, in the spirit of helping out those of you reading this who may be feeling the panic begin to rise about finding the perfect little gift for that special someone in your life, I will hook you up with some places I think are pretty awesome in terms of finding the right things to get at a decent price:

BuyOlympia - lots of nice handmade bags, wallets, belt buckles, jewelry, music, t shirts, other clothing (men, women, children, and infants), and more.
Threadless - a great place to find unique/hilarious t shirts that could make great gifts
Brandon Bird - I love this guy's art; one day I WILL buy one of his prints. His obsession with Law and Order, and Batman might even surpass my own. In the meantime, while I don't have enough money, I can always content myself if a set of note cards or some other scwag.
Vaya Bags - for the cyclist in your life, different styles of bike bags and mess bags, and other accessories made to your specifications.
The Handsome Sausage - Cycling hats and other fun stuff.
Herb and Ginger - Really great hand-crafted (and, I believe, organic) teas. Most are herbal and caffeine-free for nancies like me who can't handle it.
Miss Alison - Cute wallets, belts, and other goodies.
Orangy Porngy - Skirts and bags that are handmade from salvaged vintage fabrics. I met one member of this team at the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago this summer, and he told me that if you contact them directly with your measurements, they'd be glad to make things that fit you specifically; that's a nice thing to hear for curvier girls like me, considering that most cute, boutique-style clothing is made for smaller girls.
Holland Cox - handmade bags and wallets.
Gerbera Designs - ipod covers, wallets, bags, and more.

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