Search results (tags) for: "registry"

Handmade Weddings: Off-Road Wedding Gift Guide

2009-03-06T16:05:00-05:00

We've all received the wedding registry wishlist from friends. In some ways, I think registries are great: I can see whether my friends need sheets or already have a blender. On the other hand, I work for — and am completely obsessed with — Etsy. If I can buy a handmade or vintage gift, why oh why would I get it at the mall?

In this wedding guide, I go the "off-road" approach to wedding gift shopping. In case you don't think these exact items fit the taste of your newlyweds-to-be, I've posted some handy search results links below. These are some of the classic items you might see on the average registry. Go rogue! Go Etsy!

Dinnerware (First stop, the Handmade Ceramics and Pottery Category, next stop Vintage.)
Tea towels (Check out this post for some truly inspiring tea towel action. There's a tea towel renaissance going on right now!)
Bedding, pillows and linens (There's Vintage too, if your newlyweds are cool with secondhand sheets.)
Picture frames (Handmade and Vintage. Try wall decals too.)
Clocks (Handmade and Vintage)
Cake stands
Teapots (There are some amazing handmade teapots in the Ceramics and Pottery Category.)
Mugs and glasses
Photo Albums (Handmade or Vintage)
Vases (Handmade or Vintage)
Cutting boards
Strainers
Rugs (Handmade or Vintage)
Other kitchen items (Try searching kitchen pots in Vintage!)

If you're getting married and want to get your family and friends into the Etsy gift-giving state of mind, check out Etsian dorana's Ning registry site, MyHandmadeRegistry.com.

Find out how it works. She's adapted the Etsy Favorites Mini to be used as a custom registry. Very cool, dorana! You can also check out these posts for some other custom registry sites.

Handmade Weddings | Vintage Wedding Items | Weddings and Celebrations Gift Guide

Handmade Weddings: Custom Registry Websites

2008-03-14T09:26:00-05:00

Etsy does not yet have a registry feature built into the site (though this Handmade Wedding Series is making us wish we did). Some brides and grooms use their Favorites to heart items, which you can then use to generate an Etsy Mini to post on your blog or wedding website. However, we have tried out a few websites that allow you to curate registry lists, cobbled together from any online store you choose, including Etsy. We've noticed a bunch of these site popping up online these days.

And so the question arises, which one is best for me? We asked some Etsians to share their experiences...

skyfiregraphics uses thethingsIwant.com
Thethingsiwant.com is easy to use and can be used on any website worldwide. After signing up and creating your registry account, simply add your “thethingsiwant” button to the toolbar of your search engine and start shopping! Once you have found an Etsy item that you would like to add to your registry, just click the button in your toolbar. This will bring up a window that includes a photo of the item, the name of the item, as well as the price and any other information which is then saved in your registry. Your wishlist can be easily changed at any time.

Once someone purchases an item from your wish list, they can mark the item as purchased. This prevents others from purchasing multiple items from your gift registry. There are a variety of other features available at thethingsiwant.com that allow you to customize your wish list as well as move items around, delete or edit items, and even add notes to each item if you would like to include specific information such as color choice or size.

If you are looking for a way to create a gift registry or wish list that includes Etsy items as well as other items from the internet, thethingsiwant.com is a great way to organize all of your wished-for gifts together into one list without having to subscribe to multiple registries at selective online stores. Best of all, it’s free and easy to use!

pinklilypress uses Wists.com
Wists.com allows you to create and maintain a list of everything you desire, from any website, in one place. The website also makes it easy to share your “Wist” (short for “Web List”) with family and friends…Perhaps they’ll help you check off a few items?!

Like thethingsiwant.com, creating your own Wist involves two simple steps. Create a user name and account, and then drag the “Add to Wists” link they provide to your bookmarks tool bar in your browser.

When you find something you must have, click your “Add to Wists” button and you will be taken to a page where you will choose an image that best represents the item you are adding to your list. Wists also allows you to create a thumbnail screenshot, which is a neat option.

Once you have chosen a picture, you will be able to input a title, keywords, and notes about your item. This makes it easier to sort through your own Wist when your list starts growing, and also allows other Wist users to find your favorite items when searching Wist lists.

Wists.com provides users with a personal link (http://wists.com/username), making it easy to share your Wist with friends and family. Whether you are looking to create a wedding registry, your birthday wish list, or keep track of your most extravagant desires, Wists.com is an easy and fun online tool.

Anda uses MyRegistry
MyRegistry was really easy to set up. The site allows you to customize your registry with a photo and welcome message, and then choose from a limited number of slightly boring templates (so get creative with that photo). Once your registry is all ready to go, it's simple to add the MyRegistry button to your browser for on-the-fly gift adding, the same way you would with Wists or theThingsIWant.

Say you're looking at something cool on the web, like a sweet set of ceramic bowls on Etsy or some gorgeous appliqued pillows. Once you click the browser button, a window pops up allowing you to dynamically add the item to your virtual registry.

People viewing your registry are taken straight to wherever you first found the item when they go to buy something, and it is then shipped to the address you have on file. You can also add a link to a PayPal account for those awesome cash gifts that magically begin arriving as soon as people find out you're getting hitched. (I actually had no idea giving money as a wedding gift was considered good luck until the PayPal transaction emails started appearing in my inbox.)

The MyRegistry pop-up is slightly glitchy in that it never seems to "guess" the appropriate photo of the item you're attempting to add on its own, forcing you to choose the correct image manually. Unlike Wists, it doesn't have the screenshot option. There is a text window for any special instructions (like color choices and whatnot). This was useful for the Etsy items I was adding, because I could add a note for people to check the shop further if an item had already sold.

The site also has a feature where once you decide to add an item, you have the option of first searching through their partner stores for the same thing at a lower price. This is cool if you're looking for the thriftiest option, not so useful if you're just trying to support a particular shop or online retailer — but I used it often for the various obscure and stupid kitchen utensils my husband and I were convinced we needed.

When I set out to create our registry, I felt I didn't really know what one was supposed to put in the thing in the first place. Well, the homepage of MyRegistry showcases about a billion items from about a billion sites all over the web. Initially its rather overwhelming, but in the long run a godsend for getting ideas. Or for putting ideas in my head, rather — I am kind of a sucker for advertising. Wists is not just for wedding registries, so its homepage tends to be more ecclectic.

I had a few relatives not "get" the whole concept and buy stuff featured in our registry off-site, which resulted in two duplicate gifts, but this would probably be an issue with any online registry, not just MyRegistry. Weirdly, MyRegistry does not give you a simple, individual url to print on all your announcements and such. Visitors have to first search your name, and then provide an email address before they can see your list. But in the end this was probably the most annoying thing about it — everything else was really a cinch, the registry was easy to edit, and the browser button was extremely addictive.

Vanessa uses Wishpot.com
Wishpot.com works like these other websites: you install the widget button in your browser toolbar and add items from any shopping site on the fly. Very cool and useful to me, since I wanted to give my friends and family the option to get us registry gifts from Etsy and a few other choice websites. My main concern with using one of these new-fangled web registries was this: "Will my not-so-tech savvy relatives be able to find me?" And I must say, it's not so easy with Wishpot.
There's only a tiny link on the homepage that says "Find People" and the rest of the page is very oriented towards the bride.

When you click on "Find People" you have to then click again to "find a wedding registry." Alternatively you can navigate to the "Weddings" tab, and then enter in the name perfectly — which can be challenging when one's fiancé's name is Mykola Duzyj to his family and Mickey to all his friends!

This would all be a lot easier if the site just gave you a custom url, like Wists does.

It seems to me that Wishpot is a good option for couples who are into the social-networking side of things: the site tries to connect you with other brides-to-be and has other tools which feature hot items in "Top Registry ideas" and "Most Wanted" with sortable results.

Once folks get to your registry, I do like how they can filter and sort your list to hone in on a gift they'd like to buy.

Also useful: we could note that we didn't "need it" but we "wouldn't mind having" the crazy alarm clock aXbo Schlafphasenwecker, sort of an embarrassingly telling gift.

Like Anda said, once you get on a roll with one of these Wedding Registry sites, you end up wanting a lot more stuff than you'd previously thought.

You may also be interested in reading this post about registries written by design*sponge. Comment below if you've used Felicite.com or Kaboodle.com or any other of these online registry sites. Which do you prefer? How badly do you want Etsy to develop a registry tool???

Wedding Gift Guide | Wedding Category | Wedding Showcase | Handmade Wedding Series

Handmade Weddings: Registry Ideas by design*sponge

2008-03-14T09:23:00-05:00

Blogger Grace Bonney from design*sponge brings her good taste and vast knowledge of chic design to the Handmade Wedding Series. Lucky for the Storque, we tapped her just as she got engaged! Below you'll find her take on the custom craft and design for the indie wedding registry of the future!

As a recently engaged (yippee!) design blogger, I can tell you first hand that the world of online registries and home goods can be a bit, well, overwhelming. I've only been engaged for two weeks and I'm already being bombarded by friends and family asking what sort of china, silverware, pots, pillows, towels, etc. we're registering for. I'm not sure about you, but the idea of walking around Macy's for hours with a little registry gun is not my, or my fiancé's, idea of fun. That's not to say we won't register for baking dish here and a set of sheets there (who couldn't use those?) but these days registries are changing to reflect couples who wish to celebrate their big day with independent design in mind.

Artwork and Custom Craft
One of the big categories that people tend to cover with registries is home goods. But who says that home goods are only for the kitchen and bedroom? Why not add fine art, crafts and custom pieces to the list? These days artists, like those at Etsy, are increasingly open to the idea of setting aside a few choice pieces of affordable artwork to be purchased by friends and family. I know that I'll be interested in fine art and prints for my registry, so I made a list of artists whose work I love and emailed them individually to ask if I could set aside a few pieces of their work for a month or two to be used as part of our online registry. Each one of them said yes and now I'm able to offer a link to these artists' websites as part of our registry for those who aren't interested in gifting the traditional silver platter.

[Pillow with Pink and Brown by AmyMarcella]

Have something more custom in mind?
Contact your favorite artist and ask what the cost would be to create the commissioned artwork/craft piece/design of your dreams. (You can do a private Alchemy request directly with your favorite seller if they've opted-in to this new Etsy feature).

Obviously, you'll want to tailor your price point to be realistic (if your guests are mainly younger friends and those on a budget, picking a $4,000 painting may not be the best idea), but you can let your friends and family donate towards this piece of custom art and then collect the piece when you're ready (and financially able) to take it home. Because gifting money towards a yet-to-be-made present may be uncomfortable for some people, a nice gesture would be to send a picture of the finished painting or artwork in your home in a thank you note to everyone who contributed. That way you can show them what their gift bought and how much you're enjoying it and appreciating their generosity.

[Bad Beaver Vase - Smooth by paigerussel]

Don't want to contact artists directly?
Try a site like Mixed Greens where you can set up a registry through their website. Mixed Greens represents about a dozen emerging artists with the mission of helping them reach a wider audience.

Some of my favorite artists who I might be adding to our registry:

Zoe Pawlak: ZoePawlak.com
Jen Garrido: JenGarrido.com
Amy Ruppel: A myRuppel.com
Evan B. Harris: EvanBHarris.com
Jen Corace: J enCorace.com
Oh My Cavalier: Ohmycavalier.etsy.com
Chelsea James: ChelseaJames.com
Dolan Geiman: DolanGeiman.etsy.com

[Spoons Apron - Red by skinnylaminx]

Home Accessories/Design
If you're looking to help add to your home's decor or simply start filling in your first home with furniture and accessories, looking to some of your favorite online design shops can be a go "home" without doing the traditional furniture store list. Some of my favorite options are:

Velocity Art and Design: Modern home goods and accessories.
Moss Online: High-end (majorly high-end) home goods and accessories.
Branch Home: My favorite online shop for eco-friendly gifts and furnishings.
3Rliving: Home and personal accessories with an eco-slant (based in Brooklyn!)
Finn Style: Scandinavian home goods and accessories.
Global Table: Tableware to get your collection started.
Conran: High-end modern home and personal goods.
Target: You can find some great odds and ends here from the designer collections.
Clio Home: My favorite tableware store in NYC. A great collection of European designers and up-and-coming artists.
Fitzsu: Modern design accessories.
Not Neutral: Colorful tableware and accessories.
Chiasso: Modern home goods.
Tart: Tableware and dining accessories.
The Magazine: High-end modern design goods.
Viva Terra: Home goods and personal accessories with an eco-slant.
Unica Home: Modern home goods and furniture.
Relish: Modern home accessories.
Maxwell Silver NY: A mix of home and table goods.
Heath Ceramics: I'll be registering here for sure.

[Found Billboard Wood Assemblage with Silkscreen by dolangeiman]

Other Options
If you're still not finding an option that clicks well with you, why not try some of these choices for creating unique registries by theme or to more accurately reflect your needs?

Felicite and Gift Box Home: Online services that allow you to combine gifts from different locations. (See the review iof these types of site in this Etsy Handmade Wedding series).

Amazon: If you'd rather order books, cookbooks, or magazine subscriptions, this is the one-stop shop for you.

I Do Foundation: Register with one of their partners and up to 10% of your guests' gift purchases will be donated to your selected charity.

Charities:
Select several charities and, instead of gifts, you can request your guests donate to a charity of your choice. To help make things easier you can either provide a wedding website where people can donate instantly by clicking on a charity or try providing links to charities in your invitations or in any wedding documents you provide guests.

When it comes to your wedding registry, remember that this is just another way to inject some of your (and your partner's) sense of style into the wedding planning. There are no rules about where and what you have to register, so be sure to keep an open mind and think outside the box when it comes to creating your own unique list. I've created a list of Etsy artists below that I think would be great for modern home and home decoration registry items.

[Yellow - 6x6 Print by ErinTyner]

Recommended Etsy artists from Design*Sponge

Artwork:
LisaCongdon
Maditi
DolanGeiman
MatteArt

Ceramics and Homegoods:
KarinEriksson (Karin Eriksson)
Holly
Joom Pillows
SkinnyLaminx
AlyssaEttinger

Wedding Gift Guide | Wedding Category | Wedding Showcase | Handmade Wedding Series

If you have an idea you'd like to share, feel free to let us know in the comments below. Happy Registering! Check out the Storque review of online registry websites.

Handmade Wedding

2007-09-25T07:19:00-05:00

We're swooped up in love over here in the EtsyLabs. Anda's off to get married to Pete and we're all mushy and dreamy over it. Especially since we saw Anda put her wedding dress together with the help of Benny of Burda (who used to share space with us). Anda used a Burda pattern to get started, but used her own brilliant design sensibilities to come up with a very modern, yet very classic and beautiful dress.

We had a little surprise shower for them last week, which included Anda's favorite food at the moment:

I gave Anda an If'n Books photo album I knew she wanted thanks to Myregistry.com (Where you can create an online registry with items from Etsy!).

Being recently engaged myself I thought I should set up my own registry on Myregistry.com. Seems like a great way to get your friends and family to buy handmade! Here's some great handmade wedding items I've found lately:

pretty pretty porcelain by kimwestad

silk pillows by pamelatang & lovely bands by PowderMillStudio

perfectly simple earrings by KathrynRiechert & precious tissue holder by nest

the sweetest accessories by glowtiara & mod wedding albums by ecklectic

silly and sweet custom invitations by unbridledpress & silk custom ring bearer pillows by crrysstall

Now I just have to pick a venue, a dress, flowers, cake, guests and a few more little details. Can't someone just set up an Etsy shop selling these things?!