Etsy Bitsy

Online stores like Amazon.com have made buying mass-produced items from all over easy. However, an online market also exists for handmade, local products.

Etsy is one resource for local, handmade items. I first learned about it in a TreeHugger article on buying green products. Then, my sister shared with me some information about artwork she had purchased on Etsy. The art "upcycles" (adding value to by reusing in another way) dictionary pages by putting printed images over the top of them.

Last month, I used the site to buy a handmade, drainable soap dish that was made about an hour away from me.

It's good to see local people and small-scale production benefitting from the Internet.