Post-holiday wrap up!

Now that the gift giving of the holidays is over, I can share some of the great handmade stuff I gave as gifts this year without ruining the surprise. Of course, most of it was not handmade by me, which was my original goal, but it was great to support small businesses and give gifts that seemed especially meaningful. Here are some of the great Etsy shops I bought from this year.


For my sister and sister-in-law, I ordered two of these cute pink bird zippy pouches from Bethysak. She was very helpful with the custom order and really friendly to work with.

To match the pouches, I was able to get custom-made sleep masks in the same fabric from one of my teammates and favorite sellers, Our Side of the Mountain Crafts.


Debbie from Our Side of the Mountain also took a custom order for two half aprons that went to my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law. They both love to cook, so the aprons were perfect, and I can't say enough good things about how sweet Debbie is and how great her stuff looks.


My sister, who is always stylish, also got some silver sparrow earrings from the Urban Muse. They have a lot of great jewelry and I'm sure I'll be back for more from their shop soon.


I also ended up with some great stuff for myself this Christmas. Through trading with other sellers, I managed to pick up some wonderful items that had been some of my favorites for awhile. These beautiful filigree earrings are from Beaux Bijoux Jewelry. I've worn them several times already and they always get noticed.


The POE team (Photographers of Etsy) held a Secret Santa Swap and I got paired up with fellow team member Risamay. She sent me a print of her amazing Let There Be Lights photograph, along with some Obama post cards.


And last but not least, I got this set of three adorable pink bird ornaments from Woodmouse. Her shop is temporarily closed for the holidays, but make sure to check it out when she reopens in January because she has really wonderful toys and decorations. In addition to being so cute, these little birds are incredibly sturdy. That comes in handy, as I found out, if your cat enjoys trying to knock your Christmas tree over!


I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I had a wonderful time with my family and friends and love all the wonderful gifts I was able to give and get. Happy New Year!