Tuesday 1 December 2009

On the First Day of Christmas ....




It's here!  For the next 12 days I'm going to be featuring some wonderful creations from talented fellow team members.  Why am I doing this and why now?

I'm not a royalist, by any stretch of the imagination, but in the words of the Queen of England - this year has been an annus horribilis for a lot of people.  It has been a year when we have seen greed rewarded with bailouts while us normal folk are left reeling and floundering financially as jobs and services are cut.

Big retail corporations can minimise damage with staff and pay freezes, reductions on their profit margins and aggressive marketing.  Small independent artisans whose income depends on selling their products only have marketing, quality and the uniqueness of their product to fall back on. 

So all the items you'll see here over the next 12 days are handcrafted, unique, quality goods from independent artisans and my way of trying to help them market themselves and their goods.

First up is some relaxing music from Nancenet a member of the Crafty Ireland Team.




A ten-song collection of lush, sweet melodies to help get little ones to Slumberland, Sunflow: Under the Stars has handy links so you can listen to some of the songs ... like I Wish You Love -  which is my favorite.  Aside from the music what I love about this album is that it's choc full of wonderful affirmations.  Everyone should drift off to sleep with sweet words and positive thoughts in their head.  A real sweet dreams winner!


Or how about some delicious and organic Cajun Christmas Soap from Herbfriend a fellow Etsy Organic Team member.



Check out the list of ingredients in this beauty ... and imagine a shower surrendered with orange, clove, nutmeg and tangerine scents!  A perfect seasonal soap, with no nasty chemicals or artifical scents.  Your body and senses will thank you for using this product!


The next item is a stunning Upcycled wine bottle cheese plate from bprdesigns a member of the Trashion Team





At first glance it's hard to discern that this was once a regular wine bottle that has been transformed into a beautiful platter.  As well as the recycling element this is sure to be a talking point at any dinner party.  Pass the hors d'oeuvres anyone?  These appear to be flying off the shelves - so I'd be quick if you want one of these!


Or maybe you're into geekery? Then you need to check out DebbyAremDesigns who is a member of the
Eco Etsy Team.  She has a shop full of wonderful creations all made from vintage circuit boards from the 1980's.  These Recycled Circuit Board Geekery Coasters are just amazing!



They speak for themselves and I'm sure when you look around her shop you'll be in awe!


Final offering for today comes from a dear friend and member of the Irish Rogue Artisans Team - which has evolved into a social and support network more than an organised team per se.  Always lots of craic in their forum threads and we're a welcoming bunch - so pop by and join the chat sometime.  But I digress!  Back to the item at hand and this beautiful La Vie en Rose Flower Scarf from lilycobweb.



Note that these are custom made - Lily informs me that she lots of beautiful yarns in all kinds of colors from Yarntopia Treasures - and will gladly crochet you a scarf like this one in your favorite colors.  I have one of these scarves and it always draws attention! Functional yet elegant ... a great twist on the plain old scarf.

BREAKING NEWS!  Lily has just told me she will give 10% discount on a scarf like this if you mention that you saw it featured here. Nice!

So there you have it!  Sorry this post was late in the day - internet decided to go awol earlier.  I hope you enjoyed perusing through the shops and finding out a little bit more about the sellers, what they do etc?  I'll be back tomorrow with another installment.

Stay safe and well everyone!

11 comments:

  1. WOW!
    I am impressed with your blogging skills :D

    Great pressies you have blogged about too and quite a bit different in my opinion:)

    Come here to me, that winebottle, is that real glass?
    it's such a different thing altogether, wonderful !

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  2. what an honour! thanks so much for including Sunflow in your 12 days, you're a star!
    loved the whole post!
    xoxo

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  3. Thanks for the kind comments girls!

    Yes Iris it's real glass - a whole bottle full of glass in fact. Isn't it brilliant?! I love the colors and so want one too! They seem to be selling like hotcakes for sure that was the 3rd listing is I had to use cos the others were sold already.

    Nancy you've very welcome! It's a great cd and was my honor to feature it.

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  4. Wonderful selections! Your teammates show real talent! And I LOVE that scarf!

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  5. Those coasters are cool!! Thanks for including my wine bottle cheese plate!

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  6. Great job and beautiful picks!!!

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  7. that wine bottle plate is so cool! i have to investigate that!
    this whole blog is cool, really.
    so great to see some new things and get some gift ideas!!!
    can't wait to see what day 2 has!!!

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  8. What a great idea Maura, you're so creative!! That wine bottle is gorgeous and Nance's songs are really lovely. ♥♥♥

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  9. Brilliant blog, Maura! So many good gift ideas. Love the soap and the songs, and everything else as well! Thank you so much for featuring my scarf:)

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  10. Awh thanks! All shy now! Thanks for the support and glad you're enjoying the picks.

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  11. Your blog rocks Maura! And such good taste in your selections!

    I am planning to add more organic items next year (when I can get my a** in gear) so I can join the team again!

    I miss ya'll....

    I can't wait to see what you have in store tomorrow.

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