I admit it...

I'm an Etsy Addict.

There. I said it.

(If you don’t know what Etsy is, click here and be prepared to spend hours browsing tons of handmade wonders from thousands of sellers. It's like the world's largest craft festival all on the internet and it's amazing).

Since I bought my house I have been spending more money than I care to admit buying things like a pretty wall hanging for the living room or a cute decoration for my sister’s baby shower, or a piece of cool jewelry that I just can’t live without (okay I can live without jewelry but ladies, you get me right?). I just can’t help myself because for one, it’s easy (praises to Paypal), and two, just about everything you buy is unique and made with care by a human, not a machine.

I love it.

So when Erik bought me the new SLR of course I went to Etsy to buy all the necessary accessories I’d need such as a camera bag (those clunky ones they sell at Best Buy are so blah and boring) and a cute strap to tote the camera around my neck.

 

Camera strap in "Desert Flower"


 For the strap, I went with a store called Sizzlestrapz. Their straps were a little pricier than some shops I looked at but they looked to be really well made and I liked their patterns. I went with one of their “leatherized” designs (the pattern is called “desert flower) and have to say I have been pleased so far. The strap is very soft and comfortable (3 layers of padding!) and also has a good bit of length to it.

You can visit their shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sizzlestrapz



For the bag I found this awesome store called Porteen Gear. Their bags are designed by a professional photographer so you can trust that they are functional in both design and utility. Each bag is made from a combination of leather, fabric, and waxed canvas and there are options to either purchase a pre-made bag or choose your own colors and materials to custom design your own bag. The only negative about the design-your-own option is that the bag can take anywhere from 2-3 week to make and ship. Since I wasn’t in that big of a rush, I went the route of custom-designing my own bag.  For the materials I chose dark chocolate leather, red paisley fabric, and a light brown waxed canvas. 



My new camera bag from Porteen Gear



After 3 weeks of waiting I finally received my bag yesterday and I love it!! It is soft and feminine but at the same time rugged and strong. It isn’t huge or bulky but it’s large enough to hold my camera, two lenses, and has several zippered pockets to stash keys or extra batteries. I couldn’t be happier and would definitely recommend this bag to any photographer who is willing to pay a little extra for something totally unique.

If you’re interested in seeing all that Porteen Gear has to offer you can check out their website http://porteengear.com/ or their Etsy Store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PorteenGear

So that’s my Etsy report for now. Rest assured my affliction won’t be going away any time soon and I’m sure I’ll be sharing more fun finds and stores I may come across.