Shopping Fun

Anyone else miss shopping? Anyone else have a Hobby Lobby gift card burning a hole right through the old pocket?

I don't think I mentioned this on the blogaroo, but our county did lift the non-essential purchase restrictions, which is how we found ourselves the proud owners of TWO GALLONS of paint that, when applied, don't remotely resemble the color on the swatch or even in the can. But we bought them legally and happily and this will be the wall color, no matter what.

That's about our only edgy purchase. Groceries for the win the rest of the time.

Meanwhile, I've been having some fun on Etsy and Amazon. Do you guys shop on Etsy? I enjoy it quite a lot, actually, though I do try to keep my overall spending down.

I thought I would share with you today some of my favorite finds lately - purchased and unpurchased.

* This was actually something I purchased last year, but I love it and have gotten two years of wear from it, so yay! It's my "He is Risen" t-shirt from the shop Mason Dixon and Down. I got it last year to wear on the ship, since we were cruising over Easter, and I knew this would be more practical than a fancy dress. I wore it again this year since we were quarantined at home. It's a very soft shirt, and if you don't like gray, it comes in many other colors, too! The shirt was less than $15.00, which puts it in my acceptable price range, and I paid extra for expedited shipping so I could get it before the cruise. (It was a last minute decision/purchase.) The extra money was worth it; it arrived the day before we left town!

* For several months now, I've been using this Berries and Cream Body Wash from the shop Creations 721. It's marketed as natural organic vegan skincare. I don't necessarily need my skincare to be vegan (though I know some people do) but I appreciate that it steers clear of toxic ingredients. The shop has several scents, if berries and cream aren't your thing - but I like the smell of this one. I also like that I have the option of ordering it with a pump cap or a pop-open cap (without a price difference) and the label on the bottle is personalized just for me! The scent is there and delightful -but not nauseatingly strong. And while I know this doesn't matter in the grand scheme of life, this maker packages the bottles SO BEAUTIFULLY. It's seriously like getting a fully wrapped present every single time I buy one. So much fun to open! (I also appreciate the cost, which is under $15.00. It seems like most nontoxic body wash options are so super expensive.)

* Sticking with the skin care line for a moment, I've also been using this facial cleanser and this moisturizer  from the shop Simply Radiant Beauty for quite some time, and I'm loving both. They're also natural based products and they last FOREVER. (Clarification: they seem to have discontinued the exact moisturizer I chose...why does that always happen?...but the one I linked appears to be its replacement.) I bought these two together in September and am still on the same bottle of each. A little bit really does go a long way with both, and I've had ZERO issues with my skin reacting negatively in any way to either of them.

* Okay, so apparently I'm buying all my makeup and skin care from Etsy now. I used to buy everything from Lemongrass Spa, which is a consultant-based company, and I had signed up with them so I could get the discount, but I found it hard to make the minimum purchase every month, because I didn't always need something. So I've been hunting around for other options. Because I want to buy nontoxic items, Etsy is a good place to look! I found a shop called Simpurity that has makeup, so I tried an eyeshadow, a foundation, mascara, and blush from them. Here are my thoughts. Price? Really good! More affordable than most other options I found. The eyeshadow didn't go on quite as thick for me as my previous options, but it's not bad at all. The foundation, ironically, goes on a little thick at the beginning, but once it settles, it looks fine and stays well all day. (It's powder.) The mascara works great! And the blush went on perfectly, too. I'll be sticking with this company as long as they continue to exist, I think!


So those are some of my purchases. Now. For my wish list? Here are a few things I've stashed away for a sweet someday:

* This vintage US travel map. I want to eventually put this in our foyer to mark places we've visited AND the locations of those who come to visit us!

* You can't hate this bathroom sign... ;)

* What is it with maps?? I also like this one - to document our travels.


So what about you? Etsy or not, anything on your wish list - or a great find we should know about?