If there’s one word I hate in the English language (besides “moist” and “cellulite” and “pasty” and “luxe” and all the other obvious choices) then it’s the word “craft.” A small word with none of that discernable sexual innuendo that would usually qualify a word for a mild case of the “ews,” it calls to mind kindly, overweight older women in smocks (another word I’m not crazy about) and macaroni necklaces. It’s a word that is so innocuous and yet so…so…hapless and heavy on the tongue. And yet, Mother’s Day is approaching. (I don’t know if that transition was a non sequitor or not. Nevertheless.) So in the hopes of being timely, I thought a column about potential mother-friendly gifts was in order.
“Crafty” is precisely the word I would use to describe Etsy, the self-described “place to buy and sell all things handmade.” Beads are popular here, and I’m sure that all those who sell their goods on this site definitely have at least a few decent pairs of kitchen scissors. I say that and yet—seasoned shopper with discerning tastes that I am—I am impressed with both the quality of the goods, the quantity and the prices. Take, for example, the fact that I need a new bag (because when you’re shopping for mother, you’re going to inevitably end up doing just a leeeeetttle shopping for yourself too, no?). I am a girl who has only one purse, a travesty, I think, and so I checked out my choices on Etsy. Almost immediately I found a beautiful olive green leather bag for $45. Remember: This stuff is handmade, ya’ll. Anthropologie would charge $345. Easy.
But back to the present task. I felt weird looking in the “kitchen” section because it’s Mother’s Day and I didn’t want to play into gender roles. So, I searched “art,” which seemed nice and gender neutral to me. Some of the art on Etsy can make you feel like you’ve just stumbled across the deal of the century. I found two original prints for Mom for $12 each. However, I can’t say what exact Etsy vendor I purchased from because, you know: presents, surprises, wrapping paper, and all that jazz. Now when exactly is Mother’s Day, anyway?