growing and refocusing

like most of you out there, our family has been pinching pennies lately, and that meant holding back on our holiday buying this year. looking back on past christmases, my hubby and i were shaking our heads about the amount of money we used to spend in our carefree pre-baby, two-salary life. many dollars were spent, not only on gifts for each other and friends and family, but on our life in general - admittedly our favorite courtship pastime was having a nice dinner out complete with bottle of wine (or two) - a weekly event that we surely couldn't afford but somehow always found a way to justify. there are moments now, with our nonexistent savings account, that i start to regret our self-indulgent beginning. but then i think about how i have so many wonderful, comical memories of those days and i know those memories will stick around much longer than a few extra bucks would!

see how good i am at justifying?

in any case, for various reasons our focus has now definitely shifted and i am quite satisfied with our quieter, simpler life. actually, i think the state of the economy has some benefits for everyone. this holiday season, when so many people had to tighten their belts, made a lot of us get back to the real reason for the season. sharing quality time with our loved ones, making gifts by hand, thinking long and hard about our purchases so that they are thoughtfully chosen. it's nice to get back to basics and enjoy the freedom that comes with a less consumer-centric life.

so the hubby and i had a limit for ourselves, and i was touched by his thougtful choices and the fact that he even stayed, well almost, within budget. one of my gifts that i've been thoroughly enjoying is the book craft, inc. unknown to my husband, i had actually listened to a podcast interview with the author, meg mateo ilasco, on craftsanity a while back and had already learned a bit from her and her craft business sense. this book is great for anyone who is attempting, or thinking about attempting, a craft-based business. i'm about a quarter of the way through and already have some good ideas on ways to refocus and grow oliver.handmade. meg writes with a casual prose that makes it an easy and pleasurable read. so i urge you to check it out!

a baby and her daddy

well, we are back.

almost 2 weeks, over 1800 miles, two adults, 1 baby, 1 dog, 1 massive stroller (used exactly once), 1 tiny volkswagen.

twenty-something relatives, countless gifts, many friends, a couple of colds, lots of laughs.

the best part?

spending time with these 2. and watching them spend time together.

happy new year!

the thrill of the countdown

this weekend the clouds rolled in, bringing with them gradually cooling air. today the world is bright, sunny, crisp - and almost 40 degrees colder than it was 3 days ago. a welcome change for the new season.

the cooler, overcast weather made for the perfect backdrop for lots of cozy last-minute holiday preparations. this weekend we enjoyed...

~ a family holiday evening downtown, armed with travel mugs of spiked apple cider, wandering the streets and enjoying the holiday sights and sounds


~ deliciously crusty homemade bread, made with the assistance of this amazing book

~ the final farmers market of the year, at which we picked up our final csa box of the season


~ creating two handmade ornaments for my little one's first christmas - a tradition i am adopting from my godmother, who made me a handmade ornament every year for the first 18 years of my life (see inspiration here)


~ attending an ugly sweater party. alan was in charge of finding the sweaters and this one he picked up for me - but i think it looked much better on him, don't you agree? we especially love the detail on the sleeve

~ finishing the holiday baking...this year i made spiced vanilla cookies, mini pumpkin loaves, and good old recipe-off-the-bag chocolate/peanut butter chip cookies


~ a treat for our lazy sunday morning: cinnamon rolls, made with the same dough as the previously mentioned deliciously crusty homemade bread

~ a treat for our lazy sunday evening: stew made by hubby using all the veggies he could fit in from previously mentioned csa box


gifts are wrapped, holiday greetings are sent, laundry is...well...guess that's the excitement that today holds.

safe travels and happy holidays to all!

the stocking is hung...

blue, sunny skies...80 degree days...windows wide open, letting in the warm breeze...

sounds lovely, right? and is lovely, no doubt about it. just not exactly the type of weather that gets one into the holiday spirit.

regardless, i'm still excited about christmas, and have been enjoying the slowing down of orders so i can ramp up the holiday preparations. first thing checked off my to-do list: a stocking for my babe's first christmas. my desire? to make something without having to buy any new supplies, but rather using what i've already got in my big rubbermaid craft box. my requirement? to be able to make it all by hand, seeing as i don't currently own a sewing machine.

here is the result - and i must give credit where credit's due - i got the inspiration here. next up: baby's first ornament! then it's on to the kitchen...

 

 

 

save handmade toys

we have all been warned about buying plastic toys, especially those made in china, and the importance of choosing wooden toys that are made with non-toxic paint, for some time now. it is encouraging that so many companies have responded with safer alternatives and there have been new safety standards placed upon toy and clothing manufacturers. unfortunately, it seems that now the careless actions of many mass-producing companies are possibly going to ruin it for the rest of us. the "rest of us" meaning anyone who makes, uses, or supports independent, handmade, and small toy manufacturers.

i have recently learned that congress has passed the consumer products safety improvement act, which will go into effect in two months. this is good news for the regulation of large toy manufacturers, but,with the way the law is currently written, it is possible that we could see the end of independent and small-business toy crafters.

as a mom who prefers to buy locally made, handmade, natural items for my daughter; a former montessori teacher who knows that these also what comprise the materials used in montessori classrooms; and as a crafter myself...this is scary. there needs to be modifications made to this law so that independent and small toy makers are not put at risk.

if you'd like to help prevent this from happening, go here to find out more about what you can do. you can also learn more on etsy, where many of these small toy manufacturers sell their products, and at the handmade toy alliance website. it only takes a few minutes to take action on something that can make a world of difference to our children.

just 3 days left...

hi everyone, hope y'all had a wonderful weekend. i just wanted to make a little announcement that this wednesday, december 17 will be the last day to place an oliver.handmade order if you need to recieve it in time for the holidays. i will continue to take orders after wednesday, but due to holiday traveling insanity, they will not be sent out until the week of january 5.

i truly love creating and personalizing and packaging these little creations for you. thank you so much for your support - each day i feel closer to making this little dream of mine become a reality.

holidays in my home

there's nothing cozier than a home decorated for the holidays. even a ridiculously tiny one. such as ours.

we have very limited space for extraneous things such as decorations, but my resourceful mama helped me find a few simple, economic ways to adorn my my home with some sweet holiday decor...

 

here, an oversized pinecone is placed into a square glass vase and filled in with cranberries. in the background you can glimpse the corner of one of olivia's christmas gifts, a trade that i did on etsy with this shop. we got the giraffe in the fruit loops pattern and it's just adorable.

 

this is our front door wreath, just a simple wreath bought from a discount store and adorned with holly and berries.

 

above our windows. i have no idea what exactly this garland is but my mom brought it from home and i love the whiteness, the rusticness, and the simpleness.

 

we recieved eucalyptus in our csa box many weeks ago and it's held up remarkably well as living room decor. now spray-painted with red and gold, it continues to live on, taking on a new festive flair.

and finally, our tree. although it is painful to both my hubby and i to have an artificial tree, the combination of limited funds, limited space, and limited time here over the actual holiday made us decide that this was best choice for this year. at least this is a cute little tree, and we have it up on a bench, which is pretty much perfect when you have an increasingly curious 8-month-old. we chose a few special ornaments, strung a few lights, and there you have it.

i have plans for one little handmade decor project, but i have yet to find the time to squeeze it in...perhaps tomorrow...