Shop local … from your living room

Happy New Year! Anyone making resolutions this year? I haven’t made my list yet. Yes—list. I usually come up with 10 or so and am pretty pleased with myself if I stick with half of them.

One resolution at the top of my list this year is to always—ALWAYS—remember my fabric sacks when I go into a grocery store. And if I forget them in the car, I resolve to drag my two young children back out to the parking lot, pushing the giant car-shaped shopping cart over the bumpy unplowed snow, and get them.

I’ve also been doing my best lately to buy local or handmade gifts whenever a birthday or other gift-giving holiday comes up. One of the easiest ways to do this is to shop on Etsy.

Etsy is like the eBay of all things handmade. Artists and artisans set up shops and sell their creations to people like you and me. They sell everything from fine art to jewelry to pottery and children’s clothes.

For Christmas, I had watercolor portraits of my daughters painted by Susannah Rodgers, an artist with the Etsy shop Sitting Pretty Studio . The results were darling, and it was so much more fun to give than a toaster oven.

One of the greatest things about Etsy is that you can search for local shops. Just click on “shop local” and search for Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, eastern Washington or North Idaho.

Check out the photos above for a sampling of items for sale from sellers in the Inland Northwest—

a resin rose necklace from Dahlia Jewelry by Amy Sanchez , a repurposed necktie gown by Glamarita Clothes & Accessories , custom illustrations of your home by Olive Hue Designs and a crocheted hat by Cloud Forest Fibers .

I plan to interview some local Etsy crafters and artists down the road so you can learn more about them here. Stay tuned.