One of my favorite etsy shops is run by a woman named Kate who lives in Vancouver, and I've got a bit of an irrational obsession going on with her wonderful, hand-stitched animals. I've already bought several of the hand-stitched elephants (see here), and when she ran out of those I couldn't resist this bear, which happened to be the last one of its kind. Right now she's got a couple of bunnies and a whale in her shop, but she adds things all the time. The animals themselves are adorable, but what's most amazing about them are the choice of fabrics, the fact that she makes them from her own original pattern, and the intricate stitching that makes them feel so unique. Having these nestled around me at my desk makes up for the fact that Jon won't allow me to adopt a baby hippo.