Baby It's Cold Outside...So Shop Online!!

The deep freeze has arrived in Toronto, and today's forecast high is -15 degrees Celsius. When the weather prevents us from venturing out into the world, lest we freeze solid, the miracle of the internet comes to the rescue. Much like window shopping, there are many interesting sites to browse, and it's easy to spend an entire afternoon indoors perusing the merchandise with a cup of hot chocolate.

If you're hoping to find that special conversation piece for your home, there's a good chance that you'll find it on Etsy.com. This website features a wide variety of sellers offering original handmade items and unusual pieces. These are just a few of the fabulous treasures I discovered today:

These remarkable industrial felt vases are available through JoshuaStone at Etsy. They're so unique! I love their sculptural quality and they would truly suit a modern space.















Nothing says retro like the colour combination of orange, gold & green on these funky mugs. Imagine how fun it would be to sip coffee from one of these on Saturday morning! These 70's beauties and many other unique items were being offered by FoundVintageStyle at Etsy.













Felted bowls from KoboH at Esty are a great place to keep your keys, jewellery or spare change. They're all handmade, which makes them really personal.











If all else fails, you will find it on ebay. Seriously. Just go to ebay.ca, search what you're dreaming about, and *pouf* several options will appear. In fact, you'll probably find much more than you're looking for!! I keyed in "vase", and look what I found:

La Maison du Cartier Limoges

Hand Painted & Gilt Victorian Long Neck Vase

And just for fun, I searched "ceramic monkey". Who knew this existed? Funny thing is, I'm tempted to bit on it!


A couple of things I should mention to those who haven't tried online shopping:

1. Always deal with a reputable vendor. Both Etsy and ebay use a feedback system which enables buyers to comment on their experience with the seller. Any vendor with a high number of transactions and a rating of 98% or higher is a pretty safe bet.
2. Never conduct transactions outside of the host website. If you try to get a better deal by negotiating on the side with a seller, you will have no repercussions through ebay or Etsy if the deal goes sour.
3. Still uncomfortable with the concept of buying online? Try making your first purchase through a large, well known company such as amazon.ca or chapters.indigo.ca, where books are often less expensive than in the store.

My most recent online home decor book purchase, which has become my new favourite:


So stay inside where it's warm, make yourself a hot chocolate and discover what's out there. And by the way, those cool 70's mugs are no longer available, I bought them!!