Handmade Holiday.

So, I have not gotten very far with Jasper's quilt yet...life has been so busy. I really doubt now that I will get it done in time for Christmas. And I don't think I will have time for any other handmade gifts this year either. I know there are moms out there with more children than me, who manage to homeschool and blog and still have time to knit and sew amazing gifts. But I am not one of those.

But I love the idea of handmade gifts for the holidays. So I have been buying a few handmade things this year from Etsy. Can I share?

I already have this doll, made with organic cotton, for Amy. Isn't it sweet? It was made by Andreann, a lovely young mom in Quebec.

For Amy I am also going to be ordering some baby shoes like these, from a homesteader named Annie.

Jasper is in love with horses, especially Spirit (from the movie of the same name), so I am so excited to give him a horse like this one.

You may have noticed the buttons on my sidebar. Those aren't sponsors, just friends of mine whose work I want to share! There is Tonya whose family sells toys, buttons, and decor items made from beautiful birch branches at The Vermont Branch Company. My farming friend Lindsay (someone whom I actually know "in real life!") has an Etsy shop selling her lovely knitted creations, Trinity Fibrecraft. And a new friend is Mary, who is one of eleven siblings who homestead with their parents and sell handmade toys, soap, and much more in their shop, Home 'n Stead. This is where I found the horse that I am getting Jasper. Although it's out of my price range, I can't resist showing you the amazing Little House on the Prairie play set that Mary and her siblings make...isn't it just perfect?

Although we certainly don't have a large budget for Christmas gifts, I feel good about spending money on handmade gifts. I know that I am supporting a hard-working individual, and I also know that handmade gifts are usually the most memorable and the ones that get kept through the years (as opposed to broken quickly).

I do want to try making some new ornaments for the tree this year, but I am also eyeing these tiny wooden ornaments, aren't they beautiful?

Has anyone else found any particularly nice sources for handmade gifts this year? If so, please do tell! I'm not 100% done my shopping yet...

Comments

[Plain and Joyful Living]

You are so sweet Laura. And as I blogged today and yesterday, I certainly won't have time to make everything handmade myself either - but will be supporting small family businesses as much as possible.
Warm wishes, Tonya

[Shannon]

I wanted to make gifts this year as well but the curriculum this semester of college is extremely, well, I'll say "challenging" lol. I'm not sure what I'll end up doing. Oh and I love the little house on the prairie set. It's amazing how well they captured Ma and Pa and Laura and Mary in yarn. I didn't even have to read the description to know right away who it was!!! :)

[Brenda]

THey are all lovely things, there is nothing wrong wit hsupporting other who make handmade, one day you will probably have people buying your things! Have you checked out Linda from natural suburbia, she is from south africs and has amazing knitting patterns of animals and other things, do have a look, I'm sure you will love it. xxBrenda

http://naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/

[Carrie]

Last year we hade a "homemade" Christmas...this year I decided to buy other people's homemade work or the resources for the person I'm gifting to make. I feel good supporting crafters, but mostly I'm just not that good at making things worth giving ! have a wonderful Christmas season with your family. Enjoy all the little moments that make life special.

[Mary]

Wow, thank you so much Laura! I am so flattered. I couldn't agree more. Handmade, small family business is the way to go!!

Good luck on your handmade, crafting and buying everyone! :)

Love,
Mary
http://lundkids.blogspot.com

[Andréann]

I fell in love with that house too!
I went in my studio to get some gift done...And there I am, reading blogs instead!

Thanks for the nice pub, Laura!

[Lindsay]

That is a sweet, sweet doll :) Thanks for mentioning my shop!

[Brenda]

Two comments to one blog post! Have you googled strip piecing? It just occured to me that you are new to patchwork and strip piecing is something you may not know about, have a look it will save you heaps of time! xxBrenda

[Diane]

The Little House on the Prairie house and dolls are wonderful. Thanks for sharing the photo.
Blessings
Diane

[Tiffany Workman]

Thanks for commenting on my blog! My husband and I were just talking about when we have children that we don't want them to play with all of the newfangled toys that are available today. We would much rather have them play with meaningful, handmade toys like the ones you have shown. It is so good to know that there are more people out there like us. You folks are hard to find! :)

[Leigh]

The Little House doll house is absolutely adorable. What a clever idea. And good for you for focusing on handcrafted items to give for Christmas! Great finds. Thanks for sharing. :)