Holiday Season

It seems that there's nothing I can do to slow the oncoming winter and holiday season. So instead, I'm embracing it, within reason. I'm not exactly looking forward to trudging through wet snow, but I am enjoying sweaters and boots. Other ways I'm getting ready for winter:

Nesting: instead of spring cleaning, I think I'm in love with fall decluttering. As the air gets cooler I want to stay home, which makes me notice all of the little projects that need to get started (or more often, those projects that paused halfway through). Bonus: the faster I bustle around the house, the lower I can keep the heat.

The annual Two Loose Teeth Ornament Swap: over at my other [online] home, we're on our fourth year of trading handmade ornaments with friends. I haven't decided yet what I should make. Have ideas that I can't possibly pass up? Want to join us? Drop me a line at sarah at twolooseteeth dot com.

Thinking about Christmas gifts:

• As usual, I'm late to the party, but I keep flipping through Gifted Magazine. There are several good ideas in there, and I'm liking this trend of a traditional magazine set-up with the ease of reading online. Think Nonpareil, but with great gift ideas.


• I'm having a sale over at the Anderson Ink Shop. Custom silhouettes and Spring City Barn prints are seriously on sale and ordering early ensures that I have plenty of time to make your custom item. I'll also be adding some new items soon. Stay tuned.
• Lastly, my list of loved ones is long, my budget is small. I'm mulling over a few handmade ideas, but the question becomes: is the gift that you make cool enough? I try to remember that if I wouldn't see it in a store and want to buy it, it probably doesn't make the cut. How do you decide if a homemade gift makes the cut? Is the fact that you made it and you love the recipient enough? Do you only choose from crafts featured in a great magazine, website, or blog? Do you reproduce something that you saw in the store? Tell me your secrets.