Tacoma Holiday Gift Guide

Great gifts from local Tacoma, WA shops on Etsy: fun things, pretty things, cute things, artsy things & beyond, local Tacoma shops on Etsy have it all :)

For fun lovers:

Raindrop Cannonballs by slidesideways on etsy

                                                                           For busy bees:

Peppermint Red Bakers Twine by Just Scraps N Things

                                                                 For lovers of pretty things:

"Little Melancholy" earrings by CrowandIris

                                                                For animal fans & vintage lovers:

Vintage Owl Necklace 1970's by purevintageclothing

                                                                            For creative types:

Hand Painted Angora Mohair Roving by bertaberta

                                                                           For flower fans:

Hawaiian Hair Flower by lostaloha

                                                                     For game fans & scribblers:

Small Monopoly game board notepad by GratitudeJewelry

                                                              For retro fans & health fanatics:

White Swiss Cross Beanie Hat by TygahKnits

                                                                     For fans of classic style:

Vintage Mid Century Cuff Links by HoneyAndPearl

                                                                            For sweethearts:

Hand Crochet Cuff Bracelet "Fairy Tale" by samsstuff

                                                                              For art fans:

Serendipity in blue & brown by StudioZen

                                                                     For colorful & artsy types:

"Glass" photography by WmBrayPhotography

Check out Etsy (& ArtFire) for more great local handmade & vintage goodness from the Tacoma area!

My Valentine Presents

So, I received my Valentine's presents, the other day, from Jeanette of the Framed Frog on Etsy. She sent me so many cute & fun things that I don't even know where to start. There was a journal & a great polka dot pen, a tiny note pad & green cards. Everything was wrapped in adorable, reusable fabric (I can already see the projects...) & topped with pretty ribbons. She also sent this great little frame:

Super cute, don't you think?
She was in the midst of moving & didn't get everything sent out in time. So, in the end, we where both "bad Valentine's," but it worked out great, anyway!
Stop by  her shop & tell her I said 'Hi!" SAM

12 Days of Christmas

Recently, my mother sent me this great piece (author unknown) all about different Christmas traditions around the world (some with gorgeous photos) & at the very end of this piece was a description of the hidden meaning in the 12 days of Christmas song. It was an interesting bit of history:
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
While I can't top the story, it sparked an idea to do a 12 days of Christmas promotion, so for each day until Christmas I will post a Christmas special through my shop/shops on Twitter. If you don't already follow, add me to you list so that you can see the specials. For anyone who does not have a Twitter account, I will edit this post, each day to include these specials.
Do you know of any interesting holiday historical facts?
I hope everyone has a wonderful '12 days of Christmas' or is having a great season, whatever holidays you do or do not celebrate! SAM

Day one: Vintage rhinestone 'party' pin set with case

Day 2 Tattoo Sailor Girl Sails the Seas of Peace OOAK skirt

Day 3 The King & Queen of Hearts framed embroidery set

Day 4 While the City Sleeps Messenger Bag

Day 5 Hidden Dragons bag

Day 6 Peace, Love & Balance a small easel framed embroidery samsstuff on ArtFire

Day 7 Pink Keepsake Box

Day 8 Rhinestone Hearts & Skulls Bracelet

Day 9 Peace Dots Keepsake Box

Day 10 Sunshine Keepsake Box


Day 11 Peace & Balance Choker

Day 12 Pretty Bird Bracelet

I've gotten behind on this (work, etc.) I'll catch up & leave everything up until 1/1/10. Buy a little something for yourself? New Year's? Start early for Valentine's Day?

Unique Gifts...

First: Shop news
I have been busy re-shooting many of the of the product photos to make them clearer & less cluttered. The original idea was that of 'laundry,' to make the photos look like laundry, scattered about by a breeze, hanging or laying about the home & while a lot of the shots where nice, they where cluttered or didn't give a clear picture of the items in the shop. If you haven't stopped by in awhile, stop by & take a look. Let me know what you think. I've kept some of the other photos, just not as the first image.
New items:
Cool Turtles Bracelet
Cute Green Wallet/Make-up bag
A great little orange wallet/make-up bag
Hand crocheted orange tote
Vintage Leather Bracelet
Hand embroidered, reinvented vintage 70's tank top
Vintage late 70's punk stop preppies pin
Vintage 40's blue rhinestone cuff bracelet

I've finished moving household items from Etsy to ArtFire, so stop by the studio & take a look. There are a number of additions, as well.

So, now on to the main topic of this post, a phrase that I saw recently: unique gifts, something that I wanted to explore. It's a term that can have many different meanings & could be used in many different ways. For instance, as individuals & collective groups, we have unique gifts, things that we do well in some way. Some of us are artistic. Some create amazing works of art visually or aurally, things that make us think in new ways, lead us in new directions. Some create with the written word, taking to new worlds with their words. There are those that are gifted mathematically or who create with science. Some are gifted in business, advertising & marketing. There are sports figures who amaze us with their abilities. Some have the unique ability to help others. We each have unique gifts, some immediately obvious, some yet to be discovered.

The phrase unique gifts can also describe the physical, perfect items that we seek out to give each other, that one great gift that suits both giver & recipient, describing the relationship between the two perfectly. These can be difficult to find. Department stores & malls are filled with gifts, not unique or one of a kind, but mass produced items, carried in many places, easy to find. Some are high quality, some are low, but what most share is an absence of the unique. This is where the handmade movement comes in. Many handmade items are one of a kind, by their very definition, unique. Most others are made in small batches, individually designed & limited in production, artistically created, telling its own tale. Gifts can be hand made, by the giver, the ultimate expression of giving, giving of the self, from the heart. There are many great sites out there for finding unique gifts, gifts that display the unique talents of gifted individuals, most even have sellers who sell the supplies for creating your own perfect gifts. One that I would like to mention here is ArtFire. Check it out if you're looking for that perfect gift, want to create a perfect gift or even if you're looking to discover your own unique gift. SAM