Home for the Holidays

Tomorrow my husband and I will finish packing our bags, hiding the presents among our pyjamas and socks. We will bid a sad farewell to our little kittens as we drop them off at the vet for a weeklong "retreat". We will make our way to our local airport, suffer the indignity of a pointless shoe removal and subsequent hopping to lace them back up. We'll enjoy tiny bags of peanuts (maybe) and chairs that always recline just short of comfortable.

We'll disembark for the second time in a long since familiar airport and seek out my mom amoung the masses. We'll drive home and Christmas will have begun.



Christmas will be full as ever this year. Full of love and laughter. Full of old traditions (like our family Christmas gift exchange and party) and new ones (like the delicious sugar cookies that my husband I will be making Christmas Eve. the days will be packed with board games and food and chatter. And of course, crafts.

I have dedicated an entire bag just for hauling craft supplies with me and I expect to be able to spend most of January stocking up my shop with the results.



A week from today, we will be traveling in reverse--leaving my family to come home to our kittens. Sitting in too cramped seats, breathing recycled air, and anticipating a few days of quiet putterings and getting things in order for the new year. We will pick up the cats, cover them with the reassurance that they are loved and were not abandoned and we will settle back into our comfortable routines.

So until then, enjoy the winter air, the soft warmth of blankets and the steam from full mugs. Spend some time with your loved ones and rest up before the coming new year.

Tis the Season to Trade!

With the holidays upon us and money tight for everyone, I thought I would try my hand at trading for some of our holiday gifts this year. This proved far more difficult than I anticipated. Both because I insist on gifts that are *just right* but also because there has to be a mutual want/need. You quickly learn why currency is one of mankinds better inventions.

Regardless, I kept hanging around the traders R us chat room on Etsy and did manage to trade for a few things. Sadly, they weren't all gifts, but happily those that weren't were guilt free new things for me! : )

One such trade that I am anxiously awaiting is this pendant from mybellebijoux.



Isn't it gorgeous? It's absolutely magic to think that trading can transform some of my dragonling buttons into a necklace!

RIP

This is a very sad happening. My poor little Nikon Cool Pix--a holiday gift from my parents in 2004--has died. And I don't mean a little bit dead (although not smashed into a million pieces dead either), it's kaput.

I went to turn it on a couple weeks ago and discovered that the lens was stuck open (it had been plugged into my computer uploading). This has happened before and usually a quick on/off does the trick. No go. So I figured it needed fresh batteries.

I was on my way to something else, so it took me a few days before charging the batteries and trying again. No luck. : ( My poor dead little camera.

I am officially going through camera withdrawals. Having been on flickr for just over a year, I have come to love documenting my life. Even if just for my own purposes. So baking my first batch of sugar cookies and no pictures? Sad. Doing all of the holiday baking without a photo as proof? Hearbreaking. Spending a wonderful evening with the hubby wandering around the Gaylord Opry Hotel in Nashville, drooling over the gorgeous decorations and no photos to share? Depressing. (My husband eventually forbade "I wish I had my camera : ( " comments because I was driving him nutty. And we weren't even inside yet!)

Aside from the personal effects, there is also the obvious impact on my Etsy store--I can't list anything I don't already have photographed! Gah! *sob*

Maybe Santa will have a new camera tucked away for me. *sets out extra sugar cookies with sprinkles*

Family Portrait

Every year, I hem and haw about what to do for holiday cards. I don't like paying tons of money for mass produced shlock and I try to keep them religiously neutral. (Which is more difficult than you would think). I've also never had the time or inclination to make all the cards I would need.

Well, this year, inspiration struck early! A friend of mine had commissioned a friend of hers to create this drawing for a community of female engineers.



When I saw that I knew we had to have her to a family portrait of our little family! My husband was unconvinced by my arguements ("We don't have to pay a photographer! We don't have to try to get both the cats to sit still at once! It will be unique and awesome!"), but I pressed on anyway. I figured even if we didn't use it for the cards, I could frame it up. I was in love with the idea.

After much discussion (I think working with artists must be the worst for other artists, we are so darn picky!) the image was finalized yesterday. I love it. And you know, so does my husband! He was surprised at how much it looked like us and loved how she captured the personality of the cats. (I tried not to say "I told you so" too much ; ).



I absolutely adore it! : ) I am planning on making this a family tradition--to each year have a new portrait done.

Best Birthday Gift Ever

So in keeping with the spirit of the handmade pledge, I thought I would show off a belated birthday gift that I received from one of my friends a couple of weeks ago.

This piece was entirely handmade (although I've stuck the buisness card of the artisian somewhere safe and can't find it right now! Boo!) and is 110% totally awesome.



I absolutely adore the little feet, which make it appear that the dragon is walking. But even more amazing is the fact that someone was able to create this with their own two hands. (Well, and maybe some welding ; )

Which One Do You Feed?

So, I have no idea where this came from; I very much doubt that it actually is a Cherokee Fable (the internet likes to assign all sorts of orgins to things). However, I saw this elsewhere online and I thought it was absolutely beautiful. You know how sometimes things hit you at just the right time? This was the right time for me. I hope it might strike a chord with some of you as well.

A Cherokee Fable
A Cherokee Indian elder was teaching his grandchildren about life.
He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me... it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

This same fight is going on inside of you, and inside every other person, too.”
The children thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather,
”Which wolf will win?”
The Cherokee elder replied simply ...

”The one you feed.”

Looking to Shop?

With the holiday season already upon us, there are several people and groups who have gone out of their way to help you find those things you need (and want) for gifts (and yourself!).

If you are looking to buy handmade this season, check out these tools from Etsy sellers:

Betsy Search
Use this site to search Etsy directly with expanded options like title only search and a shop location search. You can also search forum threads! : )


The Etsy Mini Blog
A collection of Etsy Mini's organized by product category. They use slightly different categories than Etsy does, so if at first you don't see the category you want, try looking again. A wonderful way to get a feel for what various sellers offer. They also offer the option of finding shops that support charities, a great way to get even more out of your holiday shopping this year!



Etsy Greeting's Winter Exhibit
If you are looking for handmade holiday cards, this should be your first stop! The sellers change weekly, the cards change as often as the seller updates their featured items.

The Etsy Greeting Blog
With new cards featured daily, this blog is your year-round source for discovering new indie card designers.



The Official Fantasy Art of Etsy Website
This site offers multiple ways to shop, with new ones being added daily. Some notable ones:

Holiday Gift Exhibition-- Fantasy items that would make great gits!
Holiday Themed Gift Exhibition-- Fantasy items with a wintery or holiday theme.
Shopping Portal-- Options to select shopping by theme, type, or seller; available year round
Countdown to Christmas--A twist on traditional advent calendars, each day the magic door will lead to a new seller's shop. The joy of unexpected discoveries! : )
Looking for Custom Work?-- A list of members who accept commissioned work.