Etsy is My New Besty

Maybe I'm behind the times because everyone else seems to know about this already, but I just discovered an awesome new website called Etsy. It's an online marketplace for handmade goods. They have everything from jewelery to pottery to photography to greeting cards, made by independent artists all over the world. Most items are very reasonably priced and shipping is crazy cheap.

I also just discovered artist Ashley Pahl, who sells all sorts of cool note cards, stationary and other things. Ashely has a contest going on her blog to win a $10 gift card, good for the purchase of something on her Etsy page. Check it out. I want this card and this one, they're so pretty.

"I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist." - Tammy Faye Bakker

I need to seriously consider joining Shopaholics Anonymous. I buy things compulsively, particularly shoes and purses and sometimes expensive shoes and purses. Walking through the mall or shopping online, I will stumble across something that I absolutely MUST have. If I don't buy it on the spot, I obsess over it. I check for it to go on sale. I dream about it. Inevitably, I purchase it. This bag from Anthropologie is the object of my latest desire.

I first saw it while shopping in San Francisco over the holidays. The bright colors stood out against the black background like the Northern Lights shining in a dark, winter sky. (OK, it's not really comparable to a natural phenomenon, but it's PRETTY!) The best part was the clearance price! The original $118 price was crossed out in red pen and what I thought read $29.99 was written below. It was going to be mine.

Apparently, twos and fives can look very similar in scripty salesperson writing because when I got to the register, it rang up $59.99. Ouch! I had already spent a boatload of money on my trip and could not justify dropping $60 on a purse at the time. So, I put it back and shed a little tear.

It's been haunting me ever since. Diligently, I check the Anthropologie website weekly to monitor the price. If it goes down ten cents I'm buying it. Who am I kidding? I'm going to buy it regardless. It's only a matter of time. However, instead of buying it on-the-spot-because-I-absolutely-have-to-have-it-right-now, I'm going to wait until I save up enough money to purchase it and still be able to buy gas. What good is a fancy new purse if you can't go anywhere to show it off because you have no gas?