November 19, 2007
Thanksgiving is this Thursday, and you know what that means! Holiday season will soon be in high gear.
This year, my husband and I are putting in a real effort to make and buy as many handmade gifts as possible. Judging from all of the handmade holiday action on the web, it seems that we’re not alone.
The ladies at Sew Mama Sew are running a fantastic series on their blog- Handmade Holidays, 30 days of gifts to sew.
Each day features links to projects (all available for free at various blogs and craft sites) with a different theme. I haven’t started actually *making* anything yet, but I have found the perfect gift for almost everyone on my list through this series. Thanks gals!
Buy Handmade: Take the handmade pledge!
From their website: “The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left people all dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. The connection between producer and consumer has been lost. Buying handmade helps them reconnect. We created the pledge as a call to action for consumers to be conscious of how they spend their money this holiday season. We want people, whenever possible, to support independent creators and shop outside the big boxes.”
At first, I thought that it would be difficult to go all handmade with two little boys in the house who have visions of toy trains and yu-gi-oh cards dancing in their heads. But as we’ve gone over their lists, we’ve found that nearly everything (with the exception of the aforementioned yu-gi-oh cards) can be handmade with a little creativity and effort!
So, I think, since I didn’t see any Chris Cringle on the pledge list, we’ll ask him to bring the yu-gi-oh cards, and the rest will be handmade from mom and dad. Our boys may not appreciate it much now, but I think they will some day.
April 17, 2007
Contests - ThisNext:
A world without trees would be pretty dull. What is a picnic without a shade tree? And hanging a tire swing off of a telephone pole is never a good idea. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our busy lives that we take trees for granted. Trees keep our air supply clean, reduce cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars each year and provide food for our furry friends in the wild. In honor of Earthday (April 22nd) for each eco-friendly recommendation you tag “earth day” ThisNext will plant 10 trees.
Love to ‘window shop’ online? Put your mad skills to work recommending eco-friendly products and ThisNext will take your time and turn it into trees! CraftRevolution is doing it- don’t you want to do it too?
January 30, 2007
There are a lot of independent jewelry designers these days, and while all of them create beautiful adornments, a select few are taking the artform to a new level.
One of those artists is Jennifer Morris, whose work I recently stumbled upon while browsing the items at etsy.com (one of my favorite pastimes).
What I like about Jennifer’s work is that she uses the same technique to create elegant pieces as well as whimsical ones. The intricacy and precision of her work is stunning!
The extra-special touch: Jennifer uses many vintage materials such as rhinestones and ribbon in her work, and makes gift pouches from vintage fabric and ribbon as well!
January 1, 2007
Didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas? Don’t shop off the rack. Shop Indie. Shop for the good stuff!
In a world of sameness, we dare to bring you something new, something unique, something different, something that has a story of its own.
See more of Craft Revolution’s product picks on the Indie Goodness list at ThisNext.
November 8, 2006
This past summer, I went to a festival in Starkville, Mississippi - a town not so far from my home. My mother and I had taken different paths around, and she, obviously, hit the jackpot. When we met back up she gave me a bar of homemade Mango-Melon Soap by Creature Comforts. Wow. It was nicely made and locally, too. If you are from the south or a sparsely populated area, like I am, you know what a surprise it is to find locally-made goods so close to home.
The makers of the soap had (intelligently) attached the web address to the soap, and I, of course, found myself there.
I was surprised by the makers’ motivation to start this business. It wasn’t originally about soap; they started out making better, longer-lasting collars for dogs. The business-owners are Meg Woolley and Elizabeth Miller students at the Mississippi State University Veterinary College.
I won’t waste your time on their history, that’s what the website is for - I’ll shoot it straight.
Their collars run about $10, and are cute as everything!
They have All-Natural Flea Shampoo bars for $3.
Their soaps are top-notch and are also priced right - most from $3 - $4.
They have lip balm for just $2.
And these are NOT sale prices!
If that isn’t a deal, I just don’t know what is!
November 2, 2006
It seems that summer just ended, and yet I was met with a dusting of snow when I left the house this morning. In Vermont, this signals a few things: Time to put on the snow tires, stack firewood, and pick out your new winter accessories!
I love scarves, not just for their added warmth on cold mornings, but because they are a great accessory to brighten up the dull months of winter.
Here are a few of my favorite handmade scarf finds from the indie world:
Vintage silk scarves from Kimono Momo
Silver Convertible Scarf from India Romeo
Tentacle Scarf from Mod Cloth
Desert Bloom Scarf by Auriis
Cabled Mustard Yellow Scarf by PixiLelu
As many of you know, I am a YouTube fan. This morning I woke up at an unholy hour and was wasting passing time by watching videos from all around the world. While I was browsing I stopped by the Fred Flare page, since they’ve always got something entertaining going on. I couldn’t believe it when I realized their latest video is a clip of Chris and Keith as they take a roller coaster ride!
Secret Confession: I’m terrified of roller coasters, but I force myself to go on them. Here in Florida we have quite a few. Here’s the last roller coaster I rode (other than the indie business roller coaster we are all so fond of!): The SheiKra. If you like heights, love going really fast and have an addiction to adrenaline, the SheiKra is definitely the ride for you! Personally, you couldn’t pay me to go back on it!
You might be asking yourself, “So what’s The REAL reason Tamara is rambling about all this?”. Well, the truth is Georgia and I both adore Fred Flare and you can just imagine that roller coaster feeling of surprise we had when we found out that they have been reading our blog! [Waving Hello To Everyone From Fred Flare!]
Even better, they dropped us a line to let us know that they’re having a sale! You all know that we LOVE a good sale, and this one sure qualifies!
The new Fred Flare holiday gift guide has launched and they’re offering 25% off for two weeks!
They have some super great products in the gift guide, including this Roller Tote (a much safer rolling experience than the SheiKra and my personal favorite!):
So yes, dear reader, get your beautiful behind over to FredFlare.com and take advantage of this rather advantageous sale!
OH! And while you’re in the holiday mood, check out THIS treat from Reliving Moments: Personalized Santa letters!
Each adorable letter comes with holiday stickers, a combination Christmas coloring/activity book and crayons! There are seven different letters to choose from and they even have the official postmark from the North Pole! How cute is that?!
Order early though, so that your little ones get their letters from Santa in time!
October 31, 2006
After a month of such great deals and steals, it was somewhat difficult to decide how to end these posts. After putting some thought into it, we decided to leave you with an amazing array of designers all featuring their OWN deal or steal! That’s right- today’s post is for SEVEN deals! Ready? Let’s go shopping!
Eclectic Elements
Chunky Mahjong bracelets for a great retro look. Funky, rockabilly dice jewelry including handcrafted charm bracelets. Check us out for fun game piece jewelry. All items handmade, unique and unusual gifts, custom orders welcome. 10% off your purchase of $10 or more with discount code Craftrevolution.
Erica Burns Designs
Erica Burns Designs features handcrafted jewelry most of which is completely customizable. You will also find one of a kind jewels! Use the code “indie” at checkout and get 20% off your total order!
Essence of Ahurani
Natural soy candles and bath products scented with pure essential oils and fragrance oils. Environmentally friendly - contains no dyes, chemical hardners or glosses. Clean burning - no harmful petrol soot. Free shipping for all Craft Revolution readers! just mention revolution in the discount/coupon section when checking out.
Melis
Melis - Fresh Decadent Bodycare. A delectable line of natural, indulgent bodycare! Use Code: 142881088, for 10% off anytime!*no expiration *can be used on top of any existing sale on the web site (cannot be used together with another discount voucher or coupon .
Peep*Accessories for Chicks
All handmade accessories. The items are mostly hand-knit or crocheted, but we also use beading and embroidery on certain pieces. We sell handbags, jewelry, and home accessories. Our handbags are one-of-a-kind and our other accessories are featured in limited editions. Free shipping with code SHIP10011206.
Sunrae Artworks
Handcrafted wire art jewelry in semi-precious gemstones, metal clay, and polymer clay wrapped in sterling silver, gold-filled, or copper wire. Also wirework sculpture for unique gifts and decor. Craft Revolution readers may enter “CRAFTREVOLUTION” at checkout for 10% off their purchase.
Urban Martini Designs
A fresh new store featuring handpainted bags and wallets, silk scarves, mirrors, picture frames and more. Craft Revolution members receive 30% off their orders, enter the code CR30 when you checkout.
With such a wide variety of products, you’re sure to find something for everyone on your shopping list! We hope you’ve enjoyed our daily features! Stay tuned as we continue the holiday shopping countdown with even more great products from around the web.
October 30, 2006
Sharla Oliveri is the designer behind Sharma Designs. Sharla creates beautiful, ultra-feminine jewelry with just the right amount of spunk.
Some of our favorites:
Silver Oak Necklace
Filigree Shell Earrings
Brown Shell Bracelet
Receive 10% off your order when you use the coupon code CRAFTREVOLUTION.
October 29, 2006
These “hobo” mittens are handknitted from all the colors of the rainbow - to reflect the many facets inside every woman!
Bright, beautiful and unusual…. we think the maker quite justified in calling them “the greatest mittens ever”.
Available at http://dishkitty.etsy.com for a mere $14! Go, hobo, go!
- posted by Victoria from www.OriginalJewels.com
