Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Gift Guide – Last Minute Holiday Shopping

by

red organic christmas napkins

The Christmas themed organic napkins above are from: Nikki Designs

Have you already got your shopping done? I’m not going to brag but mine is all finished! Ok, fine – you just heard some bragging. This is the last post in my series of holiday gift guides, and this one features a little bit of everything for all the special people on your list. One note – I’ve included a mix of items, from shops in both Canada and the United States. That means some items may not make it in time for the big day without some express shipping. Or one thing that truly can work well – print out a photo of the item and wrap it up. I actually love receiving a gift a bit late – it makes it feel like the holidays aren’t over yet!

It seems most of us are more than a little bit addicted to our iphones, ipads, or ipod touches. So I’d describe this as a gift for the tech-lover but we probably all have tons of people on our list that would love a cool stand or dock from Woodwerx.

Woodwerx shop owner, David, lives not too far away from me – which is always fun! His creations are all made from reclaimed wood, including walnut, cedar, and maple.

I know my favourite dog loving friend would be pretty darn happy if I got her a personalized dog bowl for her cute little pooch! I love these ones from Luckypups:

personalized dog bowl

Have some sweet newlyweds on your list? Guaranteed they’d love a beautiful personalized vase from Los Angeles based Maid of Clay Ceramics:

customized monogram vase

We’re going to cover every stage of life here – how about those new parents or grandparents who want to have some pictures of their little bundle of joy at the ready? Check out these mini brag books from Painted Fish Studio:

pocket photo album

When in doubt – handmade bath products are always a fan favourite! Olive Bath and Body is also from right here in British Columbia and their product titles alone (Winter spice, Forest walk, Italian orange) have me craving some of their all natural soap!

handmade holiday soap

There you have it – lots of last minute gift ideas, hope these help you as you’re wrapping up your shopping!

Mother's Day Gift Guide

by

Mother’s Day comes around once a year. Although you should thank mom for what she does all year round, it’s especially nice to do something extra special on mother’s day, too. If you’re like me, you worry about the ‘perfect’ gift for weeks, and then the week of mother’s day you’re running around last-minute and many times, wind up with something a little more cliche than you would have liked (usually flowers). So to help you in your quest for the perfect mother’s day gift, and to eliminate any last-minute scramble, here are a few ideas.

Betty Crocker: If you grew up with, and still come home to, homemade brownies, cookies, muffins, and cakes, you know mom will flip out over a gorgeous cake stand like this one from Vessel and Wares. She can display her wares proudly and it’s pretty enough to stay on the counter, long after the last cupcake has been eaten.

CEO of the Household: What every “CEO of the Household” needs, besides an extra set of hands and more hours in the day, are better ways to get organized. One way is with this adorable little shopper from Get Sassed. She can finally declutter her wallet of coupons and rewards cards and receipts and store all shopping needs right here, where she can also make lists. It’s sure to put a smile on her every time she hits the store.

Mom On The Go: For the mom on the go who needs to bring everything with her everywhere she goes, this sturdy, meticulously-crafted bag from MOOP will keep all her stuff in place.

Mom and Daughter: For an extra-thoughtful gift that you can share in too, check out this mother daughter necklace set from Iris Jewelry Design.

This year, celebrate mom with a thoughtful, handmade gift that will keep her smiling all year round. To all the moms out there, celebrate, be happy, and enjoy life a lot.

Isabel Amyo

by

1

Isabel Amyo: Women fashion designer for almost 10 years now.
I had an unusual career. After having been Assistant Director, I wanted to realize my childhood dream by becoming a fashion designer.
Full of motivation and energy I have taken training to hone my skills as an autodidact.
I worked in several fashion house in Paris, and now after having two beautiful boys I decided to run only in creating my own brand.
Let my creations enchant you and I would be most happy.

3

2

What’s In Season Now: November Edition

by

Here, last weekend marked the final Farmer’s Market of the year. While it’s a bittersweet passing of time for growers — the loss of convenient, weekly contact with customers is never a welcome thing, but the late fall and winter downtime that is a result of a lightened market schedule is imperative in the planning of the next year’s crop — it’s mostly just bitter for shoppers. Especially those new to eating local and those who are not accustomed to stocking up. Many will have few choices other than to turn back to their local chain supermarket to feed their families.

Last year in On Year-Round Appreciation, I briefly grazed the topic of keeping in touch with your local growers year round, and the advice there is still relevant and useful to this day, but if you’re committed to eating local even in the off-season you may need to dig deeper. The end of organized markets doesn’t necessarily mean the end of local food, but you may have to do a bit more homework to find it. And even if your local Farmer’s Markets are still open, doing your homework may yield you better sources of local food than you had before.

Most locales are still supporting some growth, though the variety will be less impressive than it has been. If your markets are still open be on the look out for those early spring vegetables that are making a comeback for a second season this year. Greens are huge — spinach, lettuce, kale, chard, collards — as are fast growing root crops. Think: radishes. Also keep your eyes peeled for long-season crops that are just now ripe, such as leeks, egg plant and winter squashes, as well as those crops that store well for winter like potatoes, onions and garlic. Those that store well can be stocked up on now, and eaten throughout the coming cold months. Just be sure to ask the grower to make sure the variety they’re selling is one that stores well; not all do.

While you’re out there also ask the vendors you frequent whether or not they’ll have limited crops available during the time when the market is no longer operational. You may be able to pick up local food on-farm all winter. If your market, like mine, has already closed for the winter search Local Harvest for growers near you and get on the phone to line up sources of your favorites for the whole winter season.

Of course the transition to the non-growing season also means a transition to those foods that have no season. Meats, soft dairy and hard cheeses can be produced and harvested year round and are excellent staples for hearty, warming winter meals. Canned products, if you didn’t can your own during the months of summer bounty, are also something you may want to be on the lookout for as December approaches. Think outside the box and even a simple jar of jam can go a long way. Raspberry, spread atop a pasture-raised pork loin is to die for.

However you choose to round out your winter pantry this November, happy local shopping!