Weekly Roundup: The 10 Best Finds on Etsy This Week (Dec. 31 – Jan. 6)

Over the course of the last few years, Etsy has grown immensely in both usership and notoriety, gaining not only new users, but an unwavering reputation as the everlasting home of all things twee, hipster and DIY. If you've never visited the homepage, you might be bombarded with images of women in homemade knit circle scarves, or kitschy typeface posters urging you to keep calm and feed your cat. But don't let this mislead you.

As with many tech products, e-commerce sites and apps, once you sign up and actually begin clicking around, saving things and adding stores or items to your favorites list, Etsy catches on to your taste and feeds you spot-on recommendations when you visit the home page. Plus, the latest iPad app is pretty baller and infinitely time consuming if you're the scroll-happy type.

However, if you don't feel like going to the trouble (which you should!), or need a push in the right direction, we've picked 10 items from the depths of Etsy we think you'll enjoy, including vintage items recovered from the 1960s, letterpress notebooks for six bucks a pop, and a DIY beer brewing kit.

You don't have to tell your friends where you got everything. You can just act like you're in on a secret no one else is...which is actually kind of true.

Do you love your Instagram account so much you want to eat it? Imagine all those filter-happy snaps of bespoke ice cream sundaes, short ribs and Sunday brunch cocktails, turned into a Polaroid-like photo and expertly displayed on the surface of a sweet sugar cookie. These little guys would make a perfect gift for your mom, girlfriend, or just to have around because you like your own damn photos so much.

But please, we beg you, no selfie cookies.

Shop: Manjar
What: Edible photo cookies, set of 6 for $24

The most brilliant minds kept notebooks on their person at all times, and in a world of throwing all our thoughts into the cloud or into a tweet, there's something important and special about writing things down. There's no shortage for beautiful little notebooks, but a simple, no-frills letterpress one for six dollars? We'll take five, thanks.

Shop: ARMINHO
What: "Travel" letterpress printed notebook, $6

You can find candles these days for over $100, which, when you break it down, is like burning a couple of bucks every time you light it. But with scent pairings like cedarwood and vanilla, woodmsoke and amber, and tobacco and sandalwood, these candles won't inundate your nose and environment with overly fruity or artifical smells. They're not bad to look at, either.

Shop: Syndey Hale Co.

What: Soy candle in Cocoa and Espresso, $28

Most people don't have the patience to sift through the junk at estate sales, flea markets and dark, seedy alley ways, so let others do the dirty work for you. This gem, made from a cast iron fan base and rotating shade, is a perfect example of the age-old adage "one person's trash is another's treasure."

Shop: Ethan Ollie

What: Vintage Industrial Lamp, $125

While Etsy is full of awesome little trinkets, we can't exclude some of the equally respectable furniture items that beat out Ikea any way you look at it. This desk is crafted from reclaimed douglas fir and recycled steel, so you don't have to worry about little kids in foreign countries losing limbs so you can have a nice, modernist table.

Shop: Blake Avenue
What: Great Big Sur Desk, $1,500

Do kids even play games anymore, or are the newest 5-year-olds playing Words With Friends on the iPad? This vintage board game from the 1930s comes with, well, "easy money" currency for you to throw around. The box itself is worth the spend.

Shop: Urge Studio
What: Easy Money Vintage Board Game, $65

Shitty beer is fine if you're hanging with friends watching a game, or if you're in college and too broke to afford anything else. But the whole DIY, specialty beer industry is taking off, and if you're at all interested in making delicious liquid bread, a home brewing kit is a great place to start. This shop offers 1 gallon kits for every kind of beer connoisseur, including everything from Oatmeal Stout to Hefeweizen.

Shop: Urban Brewery
What: Amber Ale 1 Gallon Beer Brewing Recipe Kit, $18.50

This retro wood clock straight out of the 1970s is perfect for your office, fireplace, bedside table or wherever else these little red hands will fit in.

Shop: MeshuMaSH
What: Midcentury Wood Clock, $80

Serving bowls have earned a bad reputation, courtesy of Betty Draper types who only want crystal punch bowls and nothing less. But this pottery serving bowl is equally as fitting for popcorn as for your seasonal alcoholic punch of choice, or, just fill to the brim with fruit and call it a day.

Shop: Julia Paul Pottery

What: Pottery Serving Bowl, $125

One can definitely over-do it with buttons and badges, but a few killer ones make a statement without shouting. This one is about the size of your palm and hails from the 1960s. It's pretty badass, and there's really nothing more to say about it.

Shop: MouseTrap Vintage
What: Vintage WOLF Button Badge, $62