etsy delights: for the little girly girl

So I mentioned in my last post that I was scrolling through the delights of etsy last week, looking for some things.  Two of the things I wanted to get were a nice tutu skirt and a matching pair of fairy wings, as our present for Happy on her birthday--for her "Fairies in a Forest Teaparty" that is coming up in a few weeks. 

(This party theme has been a tradition so far--in our home, your kindergarten year you get your first birthday party, and when Sunny was a kindergartener she and I chose this theme and it was so charming and so fun that we have repeated it for every girl.  The 8th birthday is the Princess party, which we just had for Merry earlier this year--who knows what the next theme will be!  And what we will do when Smiley is old enough for his first party?  Methinks he won't want to be a Fairy in the forest.  His father won't want him to be either. ; ) 

So this past week, after looking at what must be hundreds of tutus, I found two sellers that seemed to have the nicest and still reasonably priced tutus.  (So if anyone is in the market for a tutu, let me know--I'll hook you up!)  This will be a custom order, and so we went with the seller who could make it in time.  I found some really pretty wings, too, and I could even send a photo of the wings to the lady making the tutu, so she could match the colors!  That is one of the true beauties of etsy, communicating directly with the artisans, so you get what you really want.

Now, I did check eBay as well before ordering the tutu, and I could have bought a tutu there for a pittance.  But I just could not bring myself to do it.  The cheap tutus were all coming from China, which just screams "sweatshop."  If I can buy a tutu for a couple of bucks from China, what did the person who made the tutu actually get for his/her labor?  Probably not enough to support a family.  The maker could even be a little girl the age of one of mine, forced to slave over a sewing machine. . . I can't bear the thought.  Buying most things on etsy is safe--you are typically supporting artists or crafty moms.  (There are a few shops that are located in China or India, and I get skeptical, thinking how did you bead that pillow all by yourself, seller, and have a whole shop of them, and still only charge $35 for them?  Makes me think those things are still being crafted by a questionable labor source, with just fancier photography.  But these shops are not as common, and sometimes appear to be supporting a family industry, which could be legitimate.) 

Another problem with ordering one of the cheap eBay tutus--who knows what kind of terrible, "barbie" plastic fabric they might be made of, scratchy and ugly. . . .  no fun to give Happy if it is no fun for her to wear.  I know that I could have bought my own tulle and handmade a tutu, knotting the fabric on elastic.  You can see lots of examples of this style on etsy too, and being sold for considerably less, but I don't think they look that great.  Fine if you just want something for a one-time event, or for dress up.  For this purchase. . . well, I have a momma's heart for my third little girl.  She gets so little new just for her (mainly the beautiful dresses my mom makes for every birthday), and is the child most easily passed over in our family, because of her place in the ranks.  I want her to feel truly special on her birthday, and want a skirt that will be well made and long-lasting, and make her feel like a princess.  I think the things I found will do it.

Anyway, while in my etsy foraging, I came upon so many other adorable skirts and little girl clothing--so many worth sharing with you!  So of all the adorable little girl skirts I saw on etsy this last week, here are some of my favorites:

fantasy garden twirl skirt, by onlyu

city birds a line ruffle twirl skirt, by ShereesAtelier

the urban tutu, by Xmarksthetot

Be Mine Too holiday skirt, by dragonfrye

This one is one sale for $7.50!  It appears to be simply made, but that price makes it a sweet retro buy.

gertrude skirt, by EvyBleuDesigns

This one looks just like the designer brand of children's clothing Matilda Jane.  I love the shabby/countryside style, and th mix of patterns and colors.  It's on sale too, for $22!  (And you certainly won't find a Matilda Jane skirt on eBay for that little, even used.)

camel dunes tiered skirt, by SilkRoute2

LOVE the colors and style of this one!  But it is made in India, and it is not clear from this store who is actually doing the making. . . .

floral lilly skirt, by koosi

kaia fleece and hand knit skirt in cream, by EdenDesignGarden

chenille puppy reversible skirt, by WhimseyRanch

shades of blue twirl skirt, by freespiritstudio

sunny zinnias vintage linen apron skirt, by onlyu

I love these apron style dresses--also very Matilda Jane.  The vintage hankie apron is genius and adorable!

saturday swirl skirt--tangerine dream, by ChoochMagooz

buttons pleated skirt, by CollieOllieDesigns

Some of these, like this pleated skirt, I might not actually want to own, but it is such an original and cute design I had to include it.

love in bloom valentine twirl skirt, by ChewChewsCloset

too cute!

rose tiered skirt, by BellaBowsBowtique

This one is also priced very reasonably and is so pretty!  It reminds me of another upscale children's clothing brand, Room Seven, a sister company to Oilily.

girls super-full two-tier poofy skirt, by CottontailKids


This is the one that I think would be so cute on Sunny, who is a petite ten, with these black leggings.  What do you think, Mom?  Can we together some up with something similar? ; )

I admit, some of them would be adorable on my girls, and when I see something so cute I get a momentary urge to buy. But one thing I love about sharing these delights here on my blog--somehow, posting about them is psychologically just as good as buying them, and so I can enjoy the beauty without emptying the back and overfilling the closet. : )