Etsy: Charm Design

The Modern Mom is starting to pester me about giving her a Christmas list, and I really don't have a clue what to ask for this year. Maybe everything on Etsy is a good place to start?

Speaking of Etsy, Etsy has holiday gift guides up now. Check them out.

And also speaking of Etsy, may I share with you a lovely purse which I bought through Etsy from a seller I would recommend 10 times over.

Because I'm on the go quite a bit for work and must carry pens, pencils, notepads and small electronics in addition to my usual wallet, personal items and cell phone, I've been carrying the following bag for a long time. I like it because it's functional with tons of pockets, can be adjusted in about a dozen ways for size and comfort and slips across my body for comfort and security. I've had this bag for years, and even after switching to new bags I always seem to come back to it. But it's falling apart.


I was itching to replace it with something a little more stylish, but the bags I've had my eye on that are big enough, pocketed enough and stylish enough all seemed to weigh about 100 pounds. So I started trolling Etsy, when I discovered Charm Design.

I love the style of Charm Design's bags, but even better are the fabrics and prices. I decided I wanted the pouch with a long (removable) strap to fit across my body, but I was worried about the lack of pockets. And the big bag with the across-the-body strap didn't come in the fabrics I liked the most. So I e-mailed the seller, who agreed to make the bag I wanted in the fabric I wanted with an extra pocket and divider inside, all for the same price. For $2 more, I got a short strap which I could easily switch out with the longer strap to make it a shoulder purse if I wanted to go out.

The end result was such:


I love, love, love this purse, and the seller was so incredibly easy to work with. She made the purse after I ordered it, and I still received it in a bout a week. Please everyone check out her shop.

Come and get it

Modern Shannon at The Porch Swing has put together a collection of Rocktoberfest badges you can snag for your blog to spread the Rocktober vibe throughout the blogosphere. Feel free to grab the one in the corner, or go check out the others at The Porch Swing.

My friends and I rang in Rocktober in appropriate fashion tonight by hitting the town in our city's First Friday celebration, a time when the downtown art galleries and shop stay open late and offer free food and adult beverages. After a gloomy day, the skies parted and it was the perfect early fall evening to bike through downtown, mingle and talk about art and life with some really cool people.

Here are some artists I discovered:
1. Soundbooth Creative
2. Emily Greene
3. Wren Handmade

Enjoy and happy weekend!

Gift guides galore

Retailers are trying to make it as easy as possible on you, the consumer, to buy gifts this Christmas season. I've seen more than a half-dozen online gift guides. Surely there's a gift guide for everyone on your shopping list:

• J. Crew's very merry gift guide
• Life is Good holiday gifts
• Barnes and Noble holiday gift guide
• Crate and Barrel stocking stuffers guide
• Old Navy holiday gift guide
• Domino magazine's under $1 gift guide
• Real Simple's under $50 gift guide
• Amazon gift central
• Etsy gift guides

Jewelry and photography gifts for the modern gal

I'm trying sooooo hard to get ahead on my Christmas shopping and Christmas card sending this year. I know I say that every year, but I really, really, really don't want to feel rushed to do anything for Christmas. After such a hectic fall, I want to use December for a long winter's nap.

I've been eyeing different Etsy shops and local stores where I can find gifts for my friends and family. I noticed just the other day that my friend Mary Clark, who sells homemade jewelry and photography, has a website now.

Go check it out! I've already got a necklace eyed out for a friend of mine and possibly even one for myself ;) Tell her The Modern Gal sent you!

The Modern Gal's Etsy stamp of approval

I discovered something my sophomore year in college with a roommate who often stayed up late to study while I was more interested in beauty sleep: When you can't have an absolutely dark bedroom, you're going to have a hard time falling and staying asleep.

So that year I bought a sleep mask, a Nick and Nora mask with clouds on it that matched my extra-long twin comforter. It got me through many nights of college. It also got me through nights of living with The Modern Beau when he would stay up late getting cozy with his law textbooks.

When I moved into my current condo, I discovered that a street light shines directly into my bedroom. The blinds hardly block the light, and I've been way too lazy to hang my light-blocking curtains, which aren't big enough to cover the whole window anyway. Of course my old-school sleep mask got lost somewhere in the depths of the MB's messy bachelor-style bedroom, though it's since been found.

In the mean time I went searching for a new one and found a great seller on Etsy. Honey Sugar Boutique does some great sleep masks, handbags and wallets in fun, vibrant fabrics. I settled on the mask below, and I love it. It's got thick, soft flannel on the inside so it's soft against my face and completely blocks the light, unlike my old mask. It's also got two straps ... anyone who uses a sleep mask knows that it's nearly impossible to keep it on all night long. The extra strap has done just that though.

So stop by Honey Sugar Boutique and check out the wares.