I have already professed my love for Etsy when babbling on about my recent wedding. The affair continues as I melt away in the summer sun with only memories of winter to comfort me. The obsession with cold and wintery has taken new shape in the form of cool (*pun intended) finds on my go-to vintage and handmade online shop consortium. Here are a few of my newest winter wants:
Dale of Norway has to be one of the most iconic ski sweaters; A total fair isle dream if you ask me. Though they can be quite costly, one could consider a vintage option to combat sticker shock. Pop those three words into Etsy to open up a realm of cozy, classic apres-ski possibilities. You must think I’m insane to suggest sweater shopping in July, but I dare say better deals can be found in the off-season. Try Viking Raids for a great selection of vintage norwegian sweaters.
Still in the vintage family, a while back I started a collection of ski books ranging from instructional to historical. Etsy has quite the selection of rad books to choose from. One of my favourites, Expert Skiing (1960), was purchased from Diz Has Neat Stuff. The 1960s were the golden age of skiing, seeing more innovations than ever before, including the arrival of extreme skiing. Expert Skiing is chock-full with instructional images on techniques that may or may not still be in play today making it a beautiful blast from the past; nostalgia inducing old book smell included.
Among the dozens of items I’ve book marked for future purchase are posters and trail signs. In fact, buyers can find a range of decorative options to fit their sliding memories, custom or otherwise. On the top of my list is are custom trail head signs depicting my most treasured runs across the globe. The Aspen Market fits the bill perfectly for fully personalized, distressed trail signs. Choose your trail name, colours and difficulty to create authentic looking memorabilia. Jamie, the shop owner, does some pretty amazing stuff and is a fast communicator to boot. She even creates his and hers wooden ski towel racks (Eeeep! So adorable). I am always fascinated by the stories behind how Etsy shops come to be. Jamie’s happens to be particularly heartfelt:
“I got the idea for the ski signs from a trip I took to the Blues & Brews festival in Telluride Colorado with my best friend who had lost her brother the year before. (…) We spread his ashes on a ski run that overlooks the town of Telluride and the festival park. I felt so honored to be a part of that special moment and wanted a way for her to remember that he is there and enjoying the amazing views. I made her the first ever Aspen Market custom ski run sign.”
A few months later, when she blew her knee out on the slopes, Jamie started her Etsy shop—in blatant defiance of the cards she was dealt. As a believer in dreaming big, she certainly hit the mark with a shop that has successfully been reaching clients as far as New Zealand.
What sweet Etsy finds have you dug up? Share in the comments below.
Winter is coming,
K