Be Inspired to Mail Handmade

Well, so far I have covered some of the immediate family, holiday decorating and stocking stuffers. Since the holidays are fast approaching, many people are getting their Holidays cards together to mail out, so I thought I would share some great handmade holiday cards with you. If you can, try to make your own because it's a lot of fun. These days there are plenty of kits and embellishments out there to help you create the perfect holiday card. If you're not so crafty, or don't have the time to create a bunch of cards on your own, you can still impress your friends and family with a unique handmade card by purchasing direct from the artist on Etsy. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, and/or Kwanzaa, you can find a great handmade card for the occasion. Here are some of my favorites that I found. Just click on each picture to be taken directly to the cards listing where you can make a purchase, or browse through the artists other items! Send a little handmade holiday cheer this year with a handmade card.


The mailbox photo at the top of the post was taken by bellajean and can also be purchase on Etsy!!

You Deserve the Whole Tree

It's that time of year when everyone is trying to find something to give their kid's teacher to thank them for their hard work. I was trying to think of what I would give my son's teacher this year. Last year I made an altered book for his Kindergarten Teacher. It took a very long time and I just didn't have that kind of time this year. I thought I would give her a pendant, but I don't really know her taste and I know most teacher's kind of loath the whole apple thing, so I thought I would give her something with some meaning to it. I took a little quote from the book I made last year and decided to turn it into a pendant. The quote is "A good teacher deserves an apple, you deserve the whole tree." I decided to make an apple tree pendant (I know, I know still with the apples, but it went with the quote!). I drew a simple little tree and painted it in bright colors. When I distressed it, the colors looked almost like they were done is crayon. I love that it is simple, has meaning, and is childlike in it's appearance. I will be attaching it to a altered tag which has the quote written on it, so that she can get the meaning. I hope she likes it.

Don't forget to get a little something for your child's teacher. They work so hard all year, and they really deserve a little thanks! If you don't have the time to make a gift, you can purchase one of these pendants for your teacher too. I will be offering this design in my etsy shop. I can also include a tag with the quote and offer free gift wrapping. If you would like to see the rest of the altered book, visit my flickr page.