Be Still My Heart -- ShopWiki

January 15, 2009

I recently found a website I wish I had gone to months ago when my sister-in-law gave birth to little "Oscar". Better yet, I wish I had this site at my fingertips when I was pregnant with my children, or when all my friends were having theirs. I want to tell everyone about it because I think I've found my new home!

I have decided that ShopWiki is the place to go online for any and all your shopping needs. I surfed the site for a long time because there is just so much to look at. At the time I went on initially, there were 223,963,832 items in total on their site, for everything from collectible comic books and lampshades, to computers and bedding. ShopWiki surfs the web constantly, and finds anything and everything for sale online, unlike most sites, where stores and companies actually pay to have a spot.

After looking at Canon digital cameras since I so want one, and then at snowpants so that I can walk the dog in this godforsaken country, where the temperature in January hovers at freeze-your-nose-off, I ended up at nursery furniture since I am now an aunt for the first time, and I love babies and all things baby. So, I wanted to see what there was that I could spend my money on for this new little creature in our family.

I was truly amazed at the detail and variety of products. However, not only the products, but all the information related to the items. For instance, they have a section with some absolutely gorgeous and oh-so-cute wall hangings for baby's room. What I found in addition to the wall hangings that was very helpful was that there are also plenty of tips on how you can decorate the room, such as how to do it with just a few simple changes that are really affordable, or how to choose furnishings that will have an extended lifetime.

If I had another child of my own, I would buy this Noah's ark wall hanging. I love Noah's ark. Doesn't everyone? This wall hanging is more than "just" a hanging -- it's a work of art. Absolutely gorgeous. It's 24 x 36 inches. And I have never seen anything like it before.

Then, after a bit more looking, I found these amazing children's lamps that I absolutely fell in love with, especially the Prince Charming nursery lamp from Creative Wallcovering. ShopWiki not only lists items with great photos, it also directs you to exactly where you can purchase the item, making shopping a leisurely, enjoyable experience, even for those of us who can't stand the thought of it. Shopping, that is, in a real mall, with lots of real people.

I also saw this beauty at the Victoria & Richards site, and I fell in love with it. This lamp goes for $397, but it blows me away. I don't really know why. Must be the colour combination. Very unique.

Got a little boy who adores dinosaurs? Who doesn't? I know ours is still enthralled with the gargantuan reptiles, and he's hitting 11 years old soon. This Tyrannosaur Dinosaur lamp might be one of his birthday gifts if he's really lucky. Very cool.

And then I found it: the creme de la creme of toyboxes. This cherry wood toybox available through ShopWiki at Badger Basket, is gorgeous, even nice enough to have in your fancy living room. Now, why didn't I think of this 15 years ago instead of the big, ugly plastic tub that still sits in a corner of our living room?