Terrifically Thomas: "Hi, I'm Abby and I'm an Etsy-aholic"

...yes, I admit it...shamefully, yet wholeheartedly. I am indeed...an Etsy Addict...an "Etsyaholic", if you will...and without conviction. Whatsoever. There are few things that I am adamant that I could be a spokesperson for but I stand firm in my belief that I'd be absolutely beyond amazing at backing them: 1) The Association for Grammatical Awareness (not sure if it's a real thing, but there, it is now because well, I just made it up...BOOOOM. Watch out folks, I'm on your mission.); 2) Having a c-section (HELLO! Drive-thru delivery...is there any other way?!? No water breaking, no "hurry-up and get here!" to the relatives, no ooey, gooey mess, no push, stitches on your tummy and NOT your hoo-hah...need I say more?!!!?); and 3) ETSY.

shown here is my very most favorite Etsy purchase EVER...The infamous "Jack Robert" longall. He just looks so stinkin' cute in it!

You people may be ferociously pinning away on your Pinterest boards, ~~stealing~~ finding ideas for things you can muster up the time to do on your own...IF and WHEN you get time because I don't know? You have a life outside of crafting and such? Please do not be mistaken; put down your torches...you need not burn me at the stake here: I am not knocking you OR Pinterest in any way whatsoever, not in the slightest, actually. While I myself am not on there and know I absolutely should be, I do LOVE the concept of sharing ideas and fancying a recipe or 70 from others (which I most definitely DO) when I just can't seem to put two and two together upstairs in the ol' noggin' while wandering aimlessly around the ingredients department of my pantry. I'm crazy about it, actually (it's sheer GENIUS), and truth be told, I probably SHOULD be on there...I'm just too lazy and don't exactly "get it"...wellllll, get how to do it, I mean (when I get a recipe from there, it's because I've Googled and it's led me there or it's been linked to a blog or off of FB in a link or some showing). And I'm fully aware I'd probably NEVER get off once on...then, I'd get overwhelmed and feel like a failure at life because everyone else seems to be doing so much more than I and far better and more creatively and then I just think it fuels a "keeping up with the Joneses" mantra and that just. will. not. do. For me at least.

Thus, here's the truth of the matter that many a fine folk may not realize...most of these same folks that are showing their ideas on Pinterest are also selling these very same products/ ideas on Etsy that you're attempting (aside from the recipes and craft/ kid handling ideas, of course). And then people like me who are admittedly struggling to time manage everything in this juncture of my life can just buy it and VOILA! instant fabulousness at the touch of my oh-so-very convenient Etsy app without painstaking efforts on my part. Seriously, I love it. I am a hardcore Etsy shopper. Like, it's a full-blown addiction and my husband is none too keen on this concept. Matter of fact, he is OOO-OOO-VVER-RRRR it. He does grudgingly admit at times he loves the uniqueness of gifts I find from there...but shhhhh, don't tell him I told you. And honestly, it's kind of my "pinterest" because I often see something and think, I can do that myself and I can and I do...time permitting, of course.

You see, you can get on there an simply "explore"(which I could do for hours) or you can type in search and then specify it down, down, down to the very last arena/ detail you'd like and then it's there for your browsing pleasure. There is seriously EVERYTHING on there...nothing you can't find...even an old school (working, I might add) Polaroid instant camera WITH film and WHERE to locate more. Um, yup...THAT everything. You can then "heart" (seriously, it's a heart) something and it's added to your favorites. Once you click on something, you can then visit that person's shop and see what all they have to offer - or you can see other products of similar nature for your comparison shopping pleasure. Also, you can chat with the person (seller) directly through a "conversation" if you have a question or concern or issue about the product and you get instant communication back. I've had a few instances where something has been wrong with my order or a bit late and these people are all about the positive feedback and great customer service because every experience I've had there has been an exceptional one. The sellers and/ or people there are more than willing to rectify any mistake and are more than willing to ensure you are beyond pleased with your experience and their product. You may have recently seen my "Look wko's one" mishap on an embroidered outfit? Well, that seller not only replaced the entire outfit, she had me pick out something else of my choosing from her shop AND sent a coinciding blanket at no additional charge! I mean, WOWZA...I've NEVER had that exceptional customer service ANYWHERE. And it's on stuff you will not find ANYWHERE else...which of course, is right up my alley! I finished my entire Christmas shopping on there and have bought every single gift for my secret pal at work from Etsy and everything is 100% unique. People also ask me where I buy Jack's clothes or how do I always ensure him to be so well dressed and have such cute/ unique clothing? ETSY, PEOPLE...ETSY!!!!!

I have preached enough...now, the proof will be in the pudding...errrrrr... pictures I have to show you of my purchases from Etsy in the recent ~~months~~ year. Putting all these on here looks bad for my overwhelmingly obvious addiction, but looks great for my campaign to be an Etsy spokesperson! So if you'd out there Etsy people, here I am..."My name is Abby B. Thomas and I am an Etsyaholic and at your service."

Things/ Outfits for Jack-

EVERY. SINGLE. BIT from ETSY (some are him in the outfits or with the things, or others are just the pics from when I ordered the product because he has yet to wear them or I have yet to receive them, or I have yet to get [or forgot to] a pic of him in them)

smocked outfit for this summer and it was only $20!!!

new Spring longall for baseball season and it was only $20!!!!

this is on it's way (with his monogram, of course) and it is a handmade linen Jon Jon and was only $23, monogram included!

just got this int he mail this week - seersucker Jon Jon for only $18!!!

bib for 1st birthday party

Fixed outfit and then the others goodies I got WITH the fixed outfit

REMEMBER THESE?!? On his birth announcements?!? Omg, tears are flowing.... (his didn't have the pink flower/ bow thingy, of course) but our little Jackrabbit, nonetheless!

Chevron, handmade, AND the song that HE ABSOLUTELY LOVES me singing to him? LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOOOOVE.

such a great idea for a room that doesn't allow much space for a bookshelf! LOVE.

his Easter outfit this year!

got this for only TEN DOLLARS on a fall closeout sale on this woman's little shop for this next Halloween! LOVE.

the SMASH CAKE outfit (shown in picture) AND the invite were BOTH purchased on Etsy

on this, only the leg warmers and the hat are from Etsy

my monthly owl stickers for his onesies came from none other than...ETSY!

Gifts for others:

Brad is anal-retentive about his "collar-stays" for his work shirts, so Jack and I ordered these and customized them for our favorite guy :)

our nephew, Spencer, is an "Angry Birds" fanatic so we ordered this for his birthday - the other side we customized with a print of ALL the angry birds and a large "S" for Spencer with his name under it. It was PERFECT!

a gift for my newly engaged secret pal :)

Winter warm-up treats for my SP. I got them 2 days after placing order. Incredible!

we put a picture of Jack in here and gave this to Cathryn as part of her Christmas gift from Toots

hair chalk? Cathryn wanted it for Christmas so low and behold, Etsy had TONS. Literally.

who wouldn't want the iconic "Carrie" necklace...with their name of course! ?!?

I have TWO of these, I gave these as gifts to people are they are the EXACT same thing that others are ordering and paying $50 - $200 for. Me? $25. Yup. Exact same thing. Can't get any better and it arrived WAAAAAAY fast too!

got this customized for my M-i-L for Christmas with our whole fam tree :)

got this CUSTOM made for my secret pal since she used to train dolphins. And for only $12. It's PRECIOUS!

handmade and ordered from the Ukraine. Cost? $15. So cool. Very, very unique...and she included a handwritten postcard from the Ukraine as a gift tag to accompany it. So cool!

EIGHT DOLLARS!!!!!!!! Buy in bulk? Less than 5 a piece! Love them! Got one for my SP and a few other fancy folk

again, my SP loves sea life and used to train dolphins so I had this made for her with her name put on it. The woman allows you to customize colors font, and ribbon used to tie on. Love.

hand sewn and all 100% customizable. I think 100% PERFECT for a bridesmaid's gift

guess the price?!? $23. Is it all ganky and falling apart? Nope. I love it and so does everyone that sees it. Trust me, you need it too.

jersey knit and all component customizable. So cute!

love, love, love chevron! And the colors were customizable!

all parts customizable: colors, chevron, font, monogram, etc. And only $18.

Miscellaneous

(either bought for myself [most of it is] or are in transit, or are for J's party, or are ideas come to life, or are things on my favorites list I intend on ordering little by little):

I have this exact one in black, coral, and navy. Black one only cost $17.

wear these [with my monogram, of course] almost every single day! Cost? $12.

ordered the digital file for $3, printed, bought Lucky Charms, assembled, and gave these to my kids for St. Patty's Day

ordered the digital file for $2.50; bought Peeps, Hershey's, and Graham Crackers; assembled; and gave to the entire staff of my school for a little "Happy Spring!" treat

bought for my SP, but then liked it so much, kept it for myself. Whoops. She's been pretty spoiled though and it just so happened to coincide perfectly with my outfit the day I was going to gift it to her. Don't worry, I bought something else (and better, if you ask me) to replace it

I got this in the teal with the circle script font monogram and got compliment after compliment when I recently took it to a wedding - it's just so unique, pretty, and FUN! Oh and it was only $20.

wore this today! I think it's just so unique! Cost? $8.

liked the one I got for my SP so much that I got one for us. The only downside? It's too small to hang on our front door, so it's now hanging over our back door. Cost? $25

I bought this when I first found out I was pregnant and realized I'd be a whale in the summer and we had a few weddings to attend. I thought this would be a great little preggo summer dress. Now? It's just a precious summer dress!

every single bit customizable for your taste...even size preference. Me? I liked this one so much, I ordered it (with my monogram, of course!) $8.

Nail decals! I got TWENTY for $5. The Sally Hansen ones? 16 for $10.

I ordered these and got them 1 day later and they're fab! And they were only $10 for 75.

You get FOUR of these customized in any way imaginable for $8.50.

This is one of my very most favorite childhood memories. We would read this with my dad and laugh until we cried every time. I have the BEST memories with this book so I wanted to give it to my Dad for Father's Day a few years ago. It is out of circulation and was IMPOSSIBLE to find...anywhere. We ended up finding it on like Amazon for like $40-$50 and I didn't mind spending it because every single laugh, smile, and fond memory made it worth every single penny. A few months ago, I just randomly typed it in to see if it came up on Etsy. Guess what? It did and a seemingly brand new mint condition one at that. Total cost? $8. The memories I had with my dad and look forward to sharing with Jack? PRICELESS.