DORÉ

It’s no secret that we love to discuss, promote and celebrate all things creative, which is why we adore the creative hub and community that is Etsy.com.

When Etsy approached Garance to be a judge of “The Etsies,” an international competition celebrating the work of sellers from around the world and across multiple categories with one grand prize winner taking home a cash prize of $15,000, she was thrilled to say the least. In her own words…

“I am so proud to be a part of the Etsy Design Awards – as a creator I have always wanted to support creators and small businesses. I think they bring something that the world needs more then ever today. Handmade, special, stunning, thought out objects that will be part of our lives for years.”

We wanted to take a moment to highlight our personal favorite from the group of winners; Justin Nelson of Fernweh Woodworking who nabbed the Inventive Decor Winner for his walnut and leather chair “The Sling,” which is what is pictured throughout this post!

Justin is a former Marine Officer turned self-taught woodworker. While “The Sling” might have nabbed a top prize at The Etsies (and in our hearts) we thoroughly encourage you to check out all that Justin has to offer on his Etsy Shop, from record holders to a perfect coffee table, Justin’s designs are elegant and practical.

And if you, like us, are wondering what Fernweh means, it’s a German word meaning “to be homesick for somewhere you’ve never been.” We’ve all felt that at some point in our lives!

During this process, we learned a few other facts about Etsy that wowed us, including 87% of Etsy sellers globally identify as women and 80% are businesses of one. If you had to describe Etsy in one word, we think we’d use “unique” as there are more than 60 million unique items for sale on Etsy. A creative hub indeed!

Click here to learn about all the winners of The Etsies and to shop their creations!