Buy Gifts AND Make a Difference

This Christmas, why not buy gifts AND make a difference? One great website to visit is Ten Thousand Villages, one of the world's largest fair trade organizations. Artisans in 38 different countries handcraft jewelry, furniture, clothing, and other items, in impoverished places where they wouldn't be employed otherwise. And each item tells the story of the person or group it came from. Here are some great and inexpensive gift ideas I found:

Multi Strand Cuff Bracelet from India

Cut Metal Tree of Life from Haiti

Back Scrubber Kit from Ecuador

Blue Art Deco Bracelet from Guatemala

Condiment Jars in Basket from Vietnam

Reversible Silk Scarf from India

Recycled Foil Mosaic Bag from Bangladesh

Leaf and Bamboo Journal from Indonesia

Hammock Chair from Nicaragua

Elephants Puzzle from Sri Lanka

Leather Stick Drum from Kenya

Geometric Rose Pendant from West Bank

Reverse Painted Jewelry Chest from Peru

Crazy December & New Etsy Finds

Well, this past week has been one of total emotional chaos. We've had lots of long conversations with many different people about various crises that have come up recently. I'm grateful for God's grace in this time. In spite of it all, Ted & I have been especially united in prayer for the people involved. And I feel hopeful that things will improve, even though it looks overwhelming right now.

Every year, it seems like so many major things happen in December. I guess I'm always reflective towards the end of the year, too. I look back and wonder what was accomplished this year, what I need to reevaluate and pursue again, what needs to be finished and put away. I suppose that's helpful, like our yearly garage sales. It's great to get rid of stuff, but it's always such a mess and so frustrating. It's really hard to analyze everything that's happened in the year, but it's also necessary in order to plan for future goals.

On a different note, I thought I'd post some more great finds on Etsy for those of you who love unique handmade gifts. Have fun browsing!

Here's one from my shop, Mixed Emotions:

This one's from tiedupmemories:

Here's one from Needlings:

And a beautiful angel from rochelle31:

Christmas Creating

Do you even remember life before cell phones? We use ours so much that we don't even have a home phone. Unfortunately, I could use one right now. My cell phone is broken & the store is giving us the run around on getting it fixed. So it's been 3 days now with no phone. On the positive side, it's been very quiet around here.

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It's hard to believe that Christmas is next month! 

The last two years, I've tried to be creative and make as many gifts as possible. Mostly for financial reasons, but then I discovered that I truly loved it. It's so much more personal when you hand someone a gift you've created just for them. It forces you to plan ahead, really think about the person and what they'd love. In the past, I'd think for a few minutes and try desperately to find something amazing at the mall. Which rarely happened, and I usually felt guilty about my less than ideal gifts.

So this year, I've decided to go one step further. I'm either going to make all the gifts for Christmas, or I'm going to buy from small artists and crafters, to support the incredible talent out there. I love using

 www.Etsy.com for this purpose. I could spend hours (and sometimes do!) looking at all of the handmade items listed on the site. I encourage you to go check it out, but be forewarned- you'll be hooked! I'm selling my gifts at www.MixedEmotions.etsy.com. 

So this holiday season, go look online at some creative gifts, or create your own for those special people in your life!

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Here's some of my recent favorites: 

From cosedolci

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16697158

or this from ChamberryCherry

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12816503

or this from skinnerstudio

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16014053