I am a huge fan of Etsy. I spend a lot of time online, scouring all of the interesting and eclectic finds—baby gifts, purses, laptop covers, t-shirts, personalized stationery, home furnishings, vintage '60s martini glasses. The possibilities are endless, really.
When it comes to back-to-school gear for my three children, I tend to choose function over funky. I buy pencils and pens and notebooks and paper and all sorts of good supplies during the year when there are sales. I don't like to spend a lot of money on erasers and glue sticks and folders and scissors and tissues boxes. These are easy to find at relatively inexpensive price points. But every year I like to buy my children one or two special items that are unique and individual, and are just for them.
For these special items, I like to turn to Etsy. They have great options for items that are reusable—like water bottles and sandwich bags. They also have tons of great options for items that will get a lot of use over the year—like lunchboxes and backpacks. Here are some of my current favorites that may show up in our home before September 3rd.
1. Personalized Notebook, $12.38
2. Vintage Beatles 1965 Blue Metal Lunchbox, $296.01 (I know this one is expensive, but I couldn't resist. If you search on etsy for "vintage lunch box" you will get many affordable and adorable lunchboxes—like Star Wars, Strawberry Shortcake, and E.T.)
3. Reusable Sandwich Bags, $21.39 for five
4. MOMO Vintage Flower Backpack, $37.14
5. Airplane-shaped Crayons, $23.34
6. Out To Sea Shark Pencil Case, $46.68
7. Personalized BPA-free, Aluminum Water Bottles, $42.44 for two
You can learn even more ways to get organized and transition from summer to school on our Back-To-School 2014 page.
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