Mommy tote bag, bib-cape, children's book, headband, crocheted ornaments and bracelet for the Sapp family.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday this weekend. (and if you didn't celebrate, I hope you at least got to enjoy a few extra days off work! I was off work from December 23 - 26th and it was pretty wonderful.)
Olive wood sculptures from the Holy Land and local coffee for my mom's husband, Mike.
It is currently 2:14pm on Christmas day--even though this blog won't be posted until tomorrow--and I am officially two thirds of the way through my Christmas activities. Last night, I went to mass with my mom & her husband. Wes & I had a nice breakfast with his brother, their mom and her boyfriend this morning. We are taking a quick break now, and the grand finale will be dinner at my mom's house this evening.
Hand-painted and personalized brick door stopper for my mom.
All year (actually ever since RagsReborn was formed), I have been encouraging--maybe nagging-- everyone to go out to local craft shows and scope out all of the talented artists & vendors. Once November rolled around, I really harped on everyone to shop local for their Christmas presents. Unique, handmade and thoughtful are the best type of Christmas gifts. This year, I did about 90% of my Christmas shopping at craft shows. (For the other 10%: I handmade about 5% and had to begrudgingly purchase the last 5% from established retail chains.)
Children's book, an Oklahoma charm necklace and bracelet for the DeArment family.
Since almost all of my presents will be delivered by the time this blog gets posted, I will go ahead and post pictures of all of my gifts that I either handmade or purchased from a local artist at a craft show. I was sure to affix business cards to all of my local gifts so the recipients could go back and shop more from that vendor if they enjoyed the gift. I hope whoever has purchased pillows from me as gifts does the same for RagsReborn. Repeat business and referrals are the best for small business owners.
Handmade totes and clutch, and children's books for the Cape-Ngo family.
Instead of a blog, you can call this a local gifts shopping guide. I understand the gift giving season is over now, but some things to remember for next year are:
For children's book, I recommend local author, Carly Cartmill.
For organic gluten free dog treats, I recommend Zee & Zeus.
For handmade jewelry, I recommend Bead for Life.
And, of course, for anything sewn, I recommend yours truly, RagsReborn! I know everyone will have birthdays to shop for throughout the year so I highly recommend that you utilize your local resources.
Harry Potter wand, handmade clutch, owl magnet and bracelet for my friend, Lacey.
Some of the craft shows where I did a majority of my shopping are:
The Handmade Show at The Crown Center
Christmas Bazaar at First Presbyterian Church
Christmas at the Lodge at the Mustang Masonic Lodge
I was also a vendor at each of these craft shows. These shows mainly showcase handmade items but there are a few direct sales vendors if you need your Scentsy, LuLaRoe and Pampered Chef.
Handmade photo display, bracelet, organic dog treats and kitchen towel set for my friends, Alan and Melanie.
I can see you're thinking, "Craft shows aren't my thing. I'm not really into knitting and homemade pickles. None of my friends will like 'crafty' things." Well, I can assure you that you are probably wrong. I have friends and family members from age 1 thru 65 and I was able to find something for literally everyone on my Christmas list this year. I was able to shop for guys and gals who have a wide variety of interests and hobbies. And everyone was pleasantly surprised when they unwrapped their gifts.
Pokemon wallet and bracelet for my friend, Jessa.
If you still aren't sold on craft shows, you can always shop locally at shops and online. Many local artists sell their items in stores & boutiques and also have an online presence. Many cafes, bars and restaurants are run by local small business owners. My philosophy is that if you're going to spend money anyway, why not help out your community? I hope these pictures have proven that shopping local can produce bountiful gift ideas. As 2017 rolls around, I hope to see more and more patrons at craft shows. I already have three or four shows lined up that I will be participating in this spring. More to come on that on the next blog!
Crocheted ornaments and beer gift certificates for my friends, Travis and Cameron.
No comments:
Post a Comment