a small shop gift guide

Screen shot 2013-11-30 at 6.16.06 PM

Screen shot 2013-11-30 at 3.38.06 PMgift guide for her 3

Bluebird Lab
Sol Del Sur
Hilary Frazier
Tzunuum
Mmim Designs
A Merry Mishap
Lady Lee and Drew Jones
Colby June
Georgie Cummings
Blackbird and the Owl
Milkhaus Design

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Screen shot 2013-11-30 at 5.38.42 PMfor him

RSVP Hand Crafted
Commandery
Pop Chart Lab
Urban Brewery
Son of Soren
Guarded Goods
Walnut Studio
Prismatic Print Shop

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Screen shot 2013-11-30 at 5.28.24 PMpaper goods

Yellow Button Studio
Toodles Noodles
Joliemade
One Canoe Two
Knot and Bow
Quill and Fox
Hello Small World
Studio KMO

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Screen shot 2013-11-30 at 5.18.14 PMfor the home

Artet Manufacture
Wind and Willow
MB Art Studios
Storie Brooke
The Coastal
Cute Old Things
Goodbye 1979

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Screen shot 2013-11-30 at 5.58.12 PMto eat 2

The Caramel Jar
Whimsy and Spice
Urban Cheese Craft

♥♥♥

dear mom, // a wishlist

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a few ideas, because you asked.

Striped Camera Strap
Pink Geometric Wood Boho Necklace {above}
Faux Dear Antler Jewelry Rack
2014 Illustrated Mini Calendar
Kinfolk Subscription
The Lumineers, on Vinyl

thank you. thank you.
LOVE YOU.

love,
me

good thoughts for a friday in november.

Friends! HEY!

I feel like it’s been awhile since we’ve seen each other. Seen? Heard? Read? Hmmm….

I’m going to have to sit on that one for a bit. This whole blogging thing totally boggles my mind sometimes. AND I LOVE IT.

So… what have I been up to this week…good thoughts, good thoughts. Let’s see…

Last weekend I spent another weekend in Boston (evidence above!). I met up with Clair and Mackenzie for coffee, which is my favorite, and strolled Newbury Street and the Public Garden with my holiday spirit in full force. This coming weekend will bring yet another Saturday and Sunday at home. There is sleeping in to do! And crafts to be done! And Netflix to watch! It’s all so exciting. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever spend another weekend away again or if I will just be in Boston FOREVER. Just kidding! I know I will travel again! But this might be the longest streak ever in the state of Massachusetts, or so it feels. And it feels pretty good.

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On Monday and Wednesday I participated in the most incredible workshop at school, Family Stories in Picture and Writing. I worked on collage art and spent my time writing down and telling my dad’s story. It was such a wonderful experience and incredibly important for me to record and write down. The artwork aspect of the story telling is amazing, and I’m considering sharing some of the artwork I did here on this ‘ol blog. I think you guys will be impressed! It’s also amazing and wonderful to me how everyone can be successful while doing this artwork and writing– and I’m so excited to try this literature project with my own first graders.

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On Tuesday morning we exercised our right to vote, and on Tuesday night we cheered and cheered and danced along to Stevie Wonder’s soul single with a smile in our eyes and pride our hearts. You go, Mr. President, YOU GO!

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I’ve been making handmade decorations for the holidays and even had to break out my hat and gloves on Thursday morning because of the SNOW! I don’t like cold, but I’m having a hard time doing too much complaining with this stuff in my kitchen. Y.U.M. With enough hot chocolate and six full seasons of Dawson’s Creek to dig into on Netflix, I think I’m officially all set for winter. BRING IT.

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Other things I’m loving?

This Hip Handmade Holiday E-book. So fun!

This dry shampoo. I wash my hair twice a week now! Not even kidding!

This She & Him Christmas record. Our turn table always gets the most use around the holidays.

These killer leopard print boots. Target! $14.50 on sale! Gleee!

This best-selling book. Wow. I finished it last week and I cannot stop thinking about it. It’s truly an incredible story.

And, last but not least, the new instagram profile pages and pinterest secret boards! I, for one, think they’re both pretty rad.

Any good thoughts you want to tell about?

Happy Friday, friends! And, as always, HAPPY WEEKEND!

a handmade holiday.

Today is November! And because it’s November two very important things are happening in my life:

1. Christmas music is playing throughout my days morning, noon, and night from here until January 1. I’m so excited. It’s just glorious.

2. I have officially starting my holiday shopping! Eeeeeee! If there’s one thing I love more than anything else it’s shopping for Christmas. There is something so satisfying about buying gifts for other people. Don’t you think?

This year, I’ve decided to do something different. I’m declaring this year a “Handmade Holiday”. Not in the “I’m making all my gifts kind of way” (I may try my hand at a few gifts, although DIY projects and I only go so far), but instead in the “I will only buy gifts for my family and friends from handmade shops” kind of way. And I’m really pumped about it. I think it’s going to be so, so good.

Here’s where I could use a little help…

I’m not the biggest online shopper. I’ve bought from etsy a couple of times– shops that I mostly heard about from word of mouth. Since starting my holiday present search, I’ve basically found myself just clicking, clicking, clicking through the pages and paaaages on Etsy which can be pretty tedious. There are a lot of great shops out there, but for every really good shop I find there are at least two mediocre shops (if not more, sadly).

Here are some of the good ones I’ve found:

One Canoe Two Letterpress

Firebird and Body

Gritty City Goods

Velle Handmade Leather Goods

Pauliszka Knits

And the following shops are those that I’ve bought from in the past– I can only say good things about all of these places and will definitely be going back for more this holiday season:

Lady Lee and Drew Jones

Letter Girl

Emme Purses

Gussy Sews

Anyways, help a friend out! I need to start my shopping now so that my gifts will arrive in time for CHRISTMAS! It would be awesome if you have a favorite handmade shop you could guide me to. Or do you have a friend with a shop? Or even better, maybe you have a shop yourself?! Let me know so I can take a look around!

Happy November, everyone! ‘TIS THE SEASON!!

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**UPDATE: THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all who linked to shops in the comments! Be sure to take a look– there are some AMAZING suggestions and I am so excited about them all! Happy handmade shopping, everyone!