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Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Mother's Day Gift Guide

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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.

Garden Gifts For Boozehounds

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Happy day, happy day! My friend Lotta is back at Try Handmade. Last year she wrote the Crafting with Lotta column, and now she’s back with the equally inspired Gift Guides column. Lest you think this is just another yawn-inspiring “Gift for Her” “Gifts for Him” column, just read on. And laugh. And learn to Love Lotta like I do :) Welcome Back Lotta – so glad to have you here! ::Erika

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Is there anything better than sitting in your backyard and admiring the day’s hard work? You’ve weeded, you’ve planted, you’ve given the large majority of your paycheck to the garden center and now it’s time to enjoy. Scrub the dirt and mulch splinters from underneath your fingernails, take a long hot shower and pour yourself a glass of something medicinal to ease your aching muscles. Do you hear those ice cubes tinkling around in your glass? Bring it up to your ear and listen because that’s the sound of applause for a job well done my friend.

May I offer a few product recommendations to help capture this perfect post gardening, all cleaned up with a drink in hand bliss? Perhaps these Hummingbird Feeders by DeeLux Designs? They are made from upcycled Jose Cuervo and Captain Jack Morgan bottles. It’s as if you are generously inviting the birds to partake in your post-gardening celebration with you.

And don’t grab just any old glass to pour your drink into. You deserve something special, something that says “Sure my recycler bin might crash and clink more than yours on garbage day. But did you see the water feature I just installed in the back beds? Sweet right?” Like these reclaimed Red Stripe Beer bottles that have been smoothed into super classy tumblers by Bottlehood.

One mistake I’ve made as a gardener is forgetting to water the window boxes and deck plants. The flowers in the ground can usually weather a few days neglect, but those container gardens dry up mighty quick. I suggest purchasing a pack of Wine Bottle Plant Nannies to make your own watering stakes out of discarded Merlot bottles.

Lastly, I am always a fan of a good vintage boozeholder. Decant your margaritas into this vintage modern polka dotted beverage holder from HydrangeaRow. And drop your scotch into this retro plaid “Skotch Party Bucket” from TheClassicFarmhouse.

Cheers,
Lotta

Tell Me Something Good

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When stress or boredom starts to take its toll on me, I ask my fella to “tell me something good”. More often than not, he rolls his eyes and carries on with what he’s doing. I don’t take it personally, though; who can be expected to think up “good stuff” on demand? This week, however, he surprised me with something good – an email containing a link to Hello Rewind’s t-shirt upcycling program. It was the first that I had heard of the fledgling organization and I was immediately impressed. Not only is it something good for the earth, it’s something good for survivors of sex trafficking in New York City.

Here’s how it works: you have a favourite t-shirt that you no longer wear, but can’t bear to part with. Rather than let it langish at the bottom of a drawer, you contact Hello Rewind and tell them that you want it made into a sleeve for your 13“, 15“ or 17“ laptop. You pay them 49 bucks and in a few days you’ll receive a prepaid envelope, which you fill with the aformentioned shirt and drop back into the mail. They stitch it up into a custom, padded sleeve and before you can say “upcycle”, it is back in your hands. Not only will your laptop be cozy and happy, you’ll be happy knowing that you’ve helped women get off the street and back on their feet. How cool is that?

Hello Rewind got its start as a simple idea – take an old t-shirt and make it into something new and usable like, say, a laptop sleeve. The social/rehabilitation aspect of the business came into the picture when the company formed an alliance with the founder of Restore, NYC; an organization which provides support and housing to women victimized by the international sex trade. Soon, the ball was rolling and the company is becoming a source of support, training and income for women trying to break free from prostitution rings. The young women, mostly in their 20s and 30s, are taught to make the custom laptop sleeves, paid a fair wage and given a safe and viable option to a dangerous and marginalizing lifestyle.

The $49 that Hello Rewind charges for the sleeves is, in their words, a “break-even” price. The money that they receive is spent on training and wages for the women in the program, materials, shipping and operational costs. If there is anything left after that, it is used to sustain the business itself. From the sounds of it, no one is getting rich over at Hello Rewind. Not financially, that is.

Check out the Hello Rewind blog for more info on their background and what they do. To read more about what Restore, NYC are doing to help integrate ex-sex trade workers back into society, visit their site.