The Etsy Artists of Westchester: Holiday Edition

By Krista Madsen:

There's nothing like shopping local, especially when you have the ease of buying something special right from your laptop. Above is a vivid sampling of the brightest, most unique items we've found trolling around the great halls of Etsy.

Many of the vendors are from Yorktown Heights, Scarsdale, Peekskill, Rye, Mamaroneck, Pleasantville, Croton, White Plains, Ossining, Port Chester, and Sleepy Hollow.

Yorktown's Love Struck Creations – created by Kristina Iennaco – is also offering a number of gifts on Etsy. 

"Love Struck Creations was created to give all women something unique," she wrote. "The items I make are one of a kind because I feel that we all should have something that is just for us. Not only can you purchase something for yourself, but any of my items are perfect to give as gifts! It's a great way to give somebody you love something unique."

Love Struck Creations is also dedicated to giving back. That's why $1 from every purchase will be donated to the American Cancer Society to help further their research efforts. 

Click here for Love Struck Creations' gifts. 

One other gift from a Yorktown vendor – Hema Santhanam – is a silver plated Chanukah charm bracelet with sapphire blue Swarovski crystals. The charms consist of the following: Bead Frame Star of David, Noahs Ark, Torah, Menorah, 10 Commandments, Hamsa/Chai, and a Dreidel. Some of her other gifts include a reversible hand painted inlay hamsa pendant, and a hand dyed silk wrap bracelet.

Santhanam is a perennial crafter and hobbyist. Since taking up knitting at the age of 8 years, she has pursued countless endeavors including sewing, embroidery, cross stitch, candle making, jewelry making, home decor painting, gardening and most recently paper crafts.

Click here for more of Anjali Creations's gifts. 

Here is another particularly special story and gift that comes close to home:

Healing Hearts

Tarrytown's Katie Smercak made a painting of flowers when was five, and in chemotherapy for leukemia. Her family has created heart ornaments imprinted with that floral motif. They are selling these on Etsy for $10 a pop, all proceeds to go to Camp Sunshine in Maine, a camp for children with life threatening illnesses and their families, at no cost to the families.

Katie is now 15 and cancer-free. A survivor.

She writes, "Camp Sunshine is the place where we became happy and hopeful again. From the second my family arrives to the minute we leave we have smiles on our faces and never stop laughing and having a good time. It’s a place where you can talk about your problems but have fun and smile while doing so. You can take a deep breath and fall if you need to and know someone is always there to catch you."

Read more about Katie and her family's journey here. 

Are you an Etsy artist from Westchester? Share a link to your shop in the comments.