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This is my last post for 2010. I am off to California for vacation! I am looking forward to spending the holidays with my family and Cali friends, snowboarding, and the SoCal New Year's Blogger's Bee. Hooray!
Thanks to all of you who've peeked into my little bloglet over the year, and who've given me a peek into your life with your lovely comments.
Don't forget about the two great giveaways I have going on (Gift Guide & Jewelry) - I will be announcing the winners when I get back from vacation.
God bless you guys, and I will see you next year!
I know we already have a giveaway this week, but why not have another one? This one is lovely!
A friend of mine (Michele), told me about her friend's new jewelry store - C.C. Creations, so I stopped in to visit, and everything was lovely!
Don't you agree that her jewelry would be the perfect extra bit of oomph to your holiday outfit? Christmas Parties, New Year's Parties, it really is the social season - and a girl can never have enough jewelry at this time of year, right?
Shop owner, Chrissy, has always loved jewelry. As a little girl, she would sneak to her mother's jewelry box and wear the prettiest pieces. Then as she grew older, she realized that half the jewelry she was buying at stores she could probably make herself, so thus began her jewelry-making journey. Her Etsy store was encouraged by her sister, who always told Chrissy about the great things she's purchased from there. So Chrissy began as a buyer, and loved the Etsy experience so much that she decided to take the plunge and try selling her pieces in her own Etsy store.
In addition to jewelry-making, Chrissy's hobbies also include decorating and refurbishing furniture, so she is constantly being creative in all her pursuits.
Chrissy is generously giving away one of her pieces to a lucky reader. To enter, leave a comment here letting me know which of the three you'd rather win - the Falling Showflake earrings, the Blooming Flower bracelet, or the Cascade necklace, and what holiday event you would wear it to. I will announce the winner when I get back from vacation in January. So technically you won't have it in time to wear to those parties - but hey, there's always next year ;)
Among all the wonderful things that I love about Christmas - celebrating Christ's birth, family, friends, Christmas Carols - can I point out one thing that I DON'T like?
Thoughtless gifts. One thing that I don't like about Christmas is that everyone is expected to give gifts, so oftentimes, people just buy any random item to give, without putting any thought into it at all. Obligatory gifts are never fun. However, thoughtful, meaningful gifts are - and that's one of my favorite things about Christmas. Giving well-thought out gifts.
This year, about 40% of the gifts that I have bought have been from Independent stores, so I thought that I would put together a little "Shop Indie" Gift Guide for any of you looking for great indie goodies for your family and friends.
1. Canvas art by L. Young Studio. Her art is lovely, and each piece pays special tribute to a different American state.
2. Nature Still Life photography by Miles of Light. I am in love with the simple images of gatherings from nature. I feel like I am looking at a beautiful Botany Book
3. Fine Art photography by Sarah Moldovan. Her photography is like a slice of a pretty daydream. Her lovely whimsical photography takes me to beautiful childhood memories, and secret romantic rendezvous'.
4. Home Decor signs from Mooza. I love their quirky restroom signs. They immediately give unexpected character to any room.
1. Ceramic Lovelies by Tracy McEvilly Ceramics. The ethereal, soft-colored ceramics would be a gorgeous addition to any kitchen or living space. So pretty and delicate!
2. Vintage Homewares by La Bestia. I love her tastefully curated selection of homewares. Her vintage store is full of gorgeous vintage finds.
3. Vintage Knick-knacks from Fabuless Find. The perfect shopping spot for the vintage collector. From vintage perfume bottle collections to sets of vintage greeting cards - this has a great range of vintage collections.
4. Miniature Pastries from Miniature Patisserie. I love sweets and I love adorable, tiny little delicate things - so of course I am in LOVE with this store.
1. Vintage Jewelry from BeJoyful Vintage. Along with other lovely vintage finds, you can also find gorgeous vintage jewelry here for your friends that enjoy personal, hard-to-find vintage jewelry.
2. Artistic Jewelry from A Lost Feather. A whimsical gathering of lovely jewelry, I adore her pieces. They combine the beautiful and the unusual.
3. Laser-cut Wood Jewelry from Vector Cloud. Looking for quirky, fun jewelry for that hard-to please friend? You'll find it in the adorably fun offerings at this store!
4. Textile Accessories from Moloco. Cute fabric animal pins and brooches along with other textile art can be found at this store. A great selection of cute gifts for friends and family.
1. Handmade Paper Packaging from Happy Huismus. What a lovely range of gift-wrapping ideas! Definitely the go-to place for Christmas Gift-wrapping supplies!
2. Children's Papergoods from My Little Jedi. A darling store filled with gorgeous note cards, memo pads, invitations - you must go see for yourself!
3. Ermm... and my little store City Of Dionne. Note cards, postcards, photography prints. It's pretty cool ;)
4. Illustrated art by Atpalicis. Such a charming store where you'll find adorable post cards, prints and note cards.
1. Handmade Plush Toys from Knitting Dreams. The little bears in this store captured my heart. Children and adults alike would be charmed by a little friend from this store.
2. Doll Softies from Goodbye Blue Monday. This store carries beautiful handmade doll softies. They remind me of charming children's illustrations, with rosy cheeks, and endearing over-the-eye bangs. A lovely family of dolls here!
3. Handmade Pillows and Textile art from Dear Adam. Such charming textile art, and huggable pillows. I love the assortment of lovely goodies in this store, all of them perfect pieces to adorn any home.
4. Apartment Decor from Merriweather Council. OK, I realize that this store fits into several categories - Things to Hang, and Things to Display, but the reason I have put it in Things to Hug is because her Hand-Embroidered Hoops remind me of the hugs ( xxx ooo) I used to draw as a child. I wouldn't just draw a circle, but I would fill them with tiny, mini hearts, that looked similar to this. Such a darling store!
Now for the Giveaway. EVERY store featured in this Gift Guide are giving away something!!! For the specifics on the Giveaway, meet me after the jump.
My bag seems to be the place where I stash all the little bits and pieces that I come across throughout my day.
An old earring that has lost it's partner? I think I will just stash that away in my purse.
The wrapper I removed from my Lindor Truffle before devouring it in one bite? I may as well add that to my bag, too.
A movie ticket stub from the most boring movie I've ever seen? Hey, it may as well keep the earring and wrapper company.
My bags and purses seem to always be a storage place, not just for my money, but all of life's little bits and pieces - the handy and the not-so-handy. But I wonder if I would do the same if I owned one of the cute little bags from Oktak?
Oktak is a collection of lovely and whimsical bags, purses and clutches, created by the talented Aki. Based out of New York, Aki is constantly surrounded by inspiration - from the little boutiques, to the fine museums and bustling restaurants, Aki loves being surrounded by it's diversity. Even the random posters plastered throughout the New York subway have managed to capture her attention. In addition to New York's diversity, she is also inspired by product packaging, kids' artwork, and vintage wallpaper.
Aki's favorite colors gravitate towards the gem tones. She loves emerald green, magenta, and amber - definitely colors that grab attention, much like her favorite desserts - Chocolat Fondant, Coffee Ice Cream and Crème Brûlée.
Aki is generously giving away not one, but TWO of her lovely purses (pictured directly above). So there will be two winners this week. To enter, leave a comment here telling me what random bits and pieces that you keep in your bag right now. One item that you will transfer to your lovely new Oktak purse, and one item that you definitely won't. I will announce the winner next week.
(PS. SALE ALERT! Be Joyful Vintage is having a 15% off sale until the end of January. If you like vintage goodies, stop by and take advantage of this deal!)
(SoCal Bloggers - email me at spotty_zebra@hotmail.com if you're interested in coming to a blogger's meetup 3pm January 1st in Los Angeles)
