Night before last, I was trolling Etsy for that something special for my little sister. She's a down-to-earth young lady, environmentally-minded, and remarkably, she has sailed around the world on sailboats while working for a semester at sea program. Now she's  pretty much landlocked and still yearning for those open vistas and the salt air. What is the perfect holiday gift for an ocean lover?

Well, I sure found it: a bag from reiter8.  reiter8 makes bags and pillows from recycled sails from sailboats.  The bag has clean lines and subtle detailing, with lots of pockets on its organic fabric-lined inside. Even her cardboard hang-tags are eco-friendly: they're made out of upcycled cereal boxes. I snapped one up and made good on my Buy Handmade Pledge.  Very pleased with myself, I sat back from my computer and started the wait for the shipment to arrive by mail.



BUT... yesterday, while working away at the Etsy Labs, I had a visitor!  Katherine aka reiter8 showed up in person with my purchase. Imagine my surprise! When I'd clicked the buy button the night before, I hadn't realized that she is based in Brooklyn, just a neighborhood away. It was one of those great moments where Etsy popped into 3D. It was so fun to meet her in person and hear a bit about her process and her experience on Etsy.  She told us about how she gets people to donate their used sails in exchange for a free bag. Apparently, hardcore racing sailboats only use a sail for about 100 hours of sail time and then, like racecars with their tires, they have to swap out the sails. Katherine's apartment is completely filled up with sails, and as she said with a wry smile, "It's kinda an issue with the family!"

So help out reiter8 and get one of her items! She makes bags and pillows. Help out the environment by buying eco-friendly items! And help out independent artists by signing the Buy Handmade Pledge.