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Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Easter Best

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Commercially speaking, Easter doesn’t really get the attention Christmas does. No matter how hard the Bunny tries, he will always play second-fiddle to the Big Man. This is okay with me. I can only handle one big holiday a year, which is why Easter, the most low-key, is also perhaps my favorite. (Daisy photo from Country Dreaming.)

Growing up, I looked forward to getting the Easter basket. What kid doesn’t love a basket full of chocolate eggs, marshmallow candies, and a over-sized chocolate bunny? I couldn’t tell you what the basket looked like, but it had that green plastic grass in it that hid lots of chocolate treats. The Easter egg hunt was also a lot of fun. My brother and I would run around the house finding plastic eggs filled with jellybeans. My brother, four years younger, needed help from my parents

A grown-up Easter basket from All Decked Out Boutique

I wouldn’t mind a basket full of these delicious-looking cookies from Holiday Candy Lane.

The second part of Easter after the egg hunt and basket unveiling, was less exciting at least for a kid. It involved getting dressed in a new dress, going to church, and then having a big family dinner. Frilly white dresses with lace and Easter bonnets were popular among me and my fellow 10-year-olds.

A stylish hat from Katrina Couture.

Laid-back yellow halter dress from One Avian Daemon.

25 years later, Easter is a bit different. There are no baskets or Easter egg hunts. However, we still go to church in the morning, I still manage to eat chocolate, and we do have a big family dinner. Also, I always find an excuse to buy myself something new—not necessarily white and frilly, but something for Spring.

Family Time

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Due to family commitments and an unexpected emergency I was unfortunately unable to get this post up the week it was written. Please transport yourself back in time a little and enjoy this wonderful post of Ellie’s with my apologies for the timing :) – Erika

It’s that time of the year – next Friday, or Christmas Eve as it’s commonly known, my husband and I will be travelling across the country to stay with our respective families for the holiday period. This may sound like a long trip, but being as how we live in the UK, it should only take us about two hours (snow permitting)! I love spending the holidays with my family, for the first couple of days at least, and in honour of this special time I’ve rounded up some fabulous, family-inspired handmade goodies. If you’ve still got gifts to buy, this little lot should certainly inspire you!

“Home is where the heart is” has always been my favourite cliched saying and in my case is certainly true. Although I haven’t lived where my parents are for nearly ten years, and although we own our own house here, I always describe going to my parents’ place as “going home”. So I’m really looking forward to spending some time there, catching up with old friends and re-visiting all my childhood haunts.

I may have mentioned once or twice that gifts for my family this year are almost all handmade, by me or others! I’m just a little bit excited about being able to offer my nearest and dearest totally unique items that are so different from the mass-produced goods I’ve bought in the past. I’m also hoping to receive a few handmade accessories of my own this Christmas – hopefully I’ve dropped enough hints with my husband…

Every family has its traditions for the holidays and mine is no exception. On Christmas morning, we eat avocado and bacon sandwiches while opening our stockings, then move onto presents before toasting the occasion with prosecco. My dad then makes the most delicious Christmas dinner you have ever tasted – no kidding – which we eat before collapsing in front of the fire to watch the Doctor Who Christmas special. It’s difficult to say what makes these simple traditions so special, but to me they really are.

I hope you all have a fabulous holiday period, whatever your plans are! I’ll see you in 2011, when I’m looking forward to discovering more wonderful handmade items!

Photo credits:
Preloved Penny Lane
Terrordome’s Extractionarium
Indira Albert
Cross Street Press

Falling for Pumpkins

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For me, there is no greater symbol of fall than the pumpkin. When my son was younger, I would always sign up to accompany his classes on their annual field trips to the pumpkin patch. There we would learn about the many varieties of pumpkins, sample a pumpkin treat and, finally, go on a short, bumpy hayride to the field itself. The ground would be muddy, but we would clamor excitedly out of the wagon to select our own pumpkins, paying little attention to the farmer’s instructions to “pick only what you can carry!”

Some of the children would quickly choose a small one and then turn their attention to the horse or tractor that brought us out to the patch. Others would go straight for the largest they could spot and then inevitably cry out for assistance, much to the chagrin of the teacher and the other parents. Quick to shirk my duties as a chaperone, I would set off on an exhaustive search for “the perfect pumpkin”; one worthy of gracing the centre of our dining room table (until it inevitably met its fate on Halloween).

bowls

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asherjasper

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My kids would have loved the felt squishiness of these wonderful tiny people when they were little.

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Imagined with such creativity, these hilarious little folks and creatures by asherjasper — incidentally not made of plastic like most toys — can be played with in so many ways.

At my house, Henry would build them a Lego fortress where they would defend against attacks mounted by Charlie and his wooden robots while Ed would be busy doing the play-by-play commentary of the battle.

Henry getting ready to build while Charlie watches

Of course, the level of ‘crazy’ at your house may be different.

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MaxEquations Wearable Art

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MaxEquations is a labor of love created by myself, Eve in partnership with my husband, Gary. He provides the business knowledge while I design our clothing and communicate with our customers. I have a varied background in the arts, as does Gary, but no direct experience in designing clothing until now. Strangely enough, I spent thousands of hours of my childhood drawing fashion designs. Who knew?

After the collection is designed, I work hand in hand with Linda Synder, our in house seamstress and pattern maker, who helps make my ideas come to life.

The clothing is then hand painted by our artist, Brian Metz. Our painted images are based on a seasonal theme determined by myself and designed along with Brian who paints each piece to order.