handmade artisan soap giveaway

Hop over to the bluebird chic blog to read a bit about Rachel, and comment to win a set of handmade artisan soaps from her shop!

fave handmade christmas gift

I have to admit. These have to be one of my favorites on the list of handmade gifts that we gave this year. I've never felt anything as soft as the organic cotton terrycloth on the back of these, and I've never seen any fabrics as pretty as these. They're perfect. And when you have a little one that constantly drools, they're pretty AND functional.

These were made from the kits available at purlsoho. {though the second set is the one labeled "red" which I felt was a tiny bit misleading. This is definitely hot pink. :) Which was what I suspected - and since mine were for a girl, it worked out perfectly.}

I'm going to be sourcing fabrics and coming up with some different styles for bibs soon! I foresee a lovely little addition to the handmade corner of my soon to open shop! {More info coming soon! ^_^}

Have a lovely Friday!

getting ready for christmas.

Yes. You heard me. I'm doing it again this year. The handmade thing.

Shopping for Christmas is cool and all, but I don't really get into all the hoopla of it. In fact, I don't shop much. About the only places you'll find me, are my local barnes and noble {where I have a membership card}and target {where they have known me for the last 8 years, and comment on our kids growing every time I'm in! lol}.  there's just something deeply satisfying when someone opens a gift from you and they love it - and you know that you've made it. In the past, I've done denim tote bags lined with bright designer fabrics {4 years ago, and most of them are still in use!}, pretty cards sets that make it easier to remember and send birthday and thank you greetings,  and for the grandma's - year in review albums.

{This particular one was based on a template that Jessica Sprague offered that year, with modifications from me to make it fit what I needed/wanted. You can see the full album and credits for supplies here.}

One of the things that making handmade gifts requires is a bit of planning. I'm not even sure that it takes more time, it just takes planning in order to be successful.

I love starting a little list in one of my notebooks - I always list the individual's name, occupation, likes, interests, hobbies, and fave colors. At the bottom, I leave a spot for gift  ideas. It's so much easier to come up with something that a person truly loves when you think about them, and not just about what you can find when you're out shopping. Once I get some ideas down on how I want to move forward, I start planning what kinds of things I can create. My husband loves biographies, so maybe I'll grab him a few that he's interested in, but also create a fun notebook slipcover with a pen to take notes, and a homemade bookmark.

See how much easier the planning gets? Once I get everyone listed, and ideas together, I just move on to the creating stage. Rock on. I've already started two of my gifts for family members this year... Hope this gives you a few ideas on how to plan for your handmade Christmas!

Hope you can peek in tomorrow for my first installment of my tuxedo t-shirt tutorial! I didn't get a chance to edit all the photos last night...

Happy Friday!