If you don’t already know about Etsy, the online shopping site where you can buy all kinds of fabulous hand-made items sold directly from the artist to you, allow me to introduce you.  Here’s Etsy.  Go ahead and search for a new necklace, bag, clothes, or art for your walls — you’ll find more things and better things than I bet you had imagined. BONUS! You can shop from the comfort of your own home, in the comfort of your underwear, with the comfort of a glass of wine, and avoid the deadly holiday crowds.

I had been searching online and in brick-and-mortar shops for ages looking for the ideal school bag (ever since my HORRIBLE CAT peed on my last bag).  I wanted a tote bag or messenger bag that would fit my Macbook and a few texts on teaching days, or a water bottle and hoodie and an iPod on gym days, or a pile of books and odds and ends on any other day.  The bag I found turned out to be perfect. Here’s the one I bought from Minus, a bag designer based in England:

The Croissant in Muted Green

It’s just as lovely as it looks in this picture, and the fabric is incredibly soft, strong, and sturdy.  The stitching is irreproachable, and all in all it looks and works just the way I want — it fits any- and everything. I am never letting the cat get near this one!  Even though it was made to order, the turnaround time, including shipping from England, was less than two weeks.  Highly recommended!

In my searching, I also found the Moop shop, and I am certain my next bag is going to come from them.  This one or this one? Decisions, decisions.