Hi, everyone! It has been quite some time. My posting, as of late, has been far less than usual. Since testing positive for COVID back in June, I haven’t felt great most days, and the days that are good have been spent crafting for a new project. I meant to provide some updates last week and simply didn’t get around to it.

I was out of town over Thanksgiving week. Long story short, my leave was a gift, and very much appreciated. That aside, in the past weeks, I’ve been working on getting a new shop front started for my custom crafts. Will there be a reveal soon? Yes! The final details are being ironed out now. I’m also finishing up the last of holiday shopping. Normally, August is the month that I strive to finish all of that so as not to deal with backorders, rushes, and delayed deliveries. Many people who are on my gift list aren’t as appreciative of gifts that are handmade, consumable, less expensive, etc., and I can’t afford to gift experiences. Maybe it’s because of how commercial the holidays have become? Or how things have turned into “Keeping up with the Joneses”? I’m not sure. I used to love gift-giving, but find it more stressful now, so it’s easier to give gift cards. That being said, if you’re looking for a gift that is handmade, the pottery from Birch Grove Studios (see the photo above) is wonderful. They make their bowls, mugs, spoon rests, and more in their studio in Alaska. If you’d like to make a consumable gift (one of my personal favorites, even if others don’t appreciate them), a tin of homemade cookies or Chex mix is always welcome. A basket/bag filled with local jams, honey, nut butters, tea/coffee, etc. can be festively arranged with shredded newspaper, raffia, or whatever you have around. Admittedly that can get expensive, so my way of not going over budget is to put a spending amount for people. Family gifts are also great ideas, such as a board game with snack time favorites. Regardless of what you gift, it’s the thought that matters. The next post will be more detailed gifting ideas.

It’s hard to believe that December starts tomorrow! I’ve practically missed an entire season. Are you ready for the holidays? Tomorrow we will start to decorate, wrap anything that isn’t a gift card, and do some cleaning up. Ideally, I’d like to clean out the storage unit before the new year. It seems like a waste to have things just sitting around. Due to the cooler weather, the bugs and spiders aren’t out in force as they are once it warms up. Until the next post!

Peace & Love, always!