Handmade, Local, or Special gifts

You know I got the advent calendar this year which was pretty darn special.  One of the gifts I received in it was Peppermint sugar scrub made by my cousin Vickie.  I thought I'd share a few gifts I received this year, that were either handmade, or from local, small businesses.  

From Patti Beck, made by Patti Beck!

She happily lives with the birds, in the warmth of the sedum, amongst nature. 

My Shug got me this Santa from Patti.  She makes a different Santa every year, with a different theme.  This one has a coastal theme and is gorgeous.  And being hand made, they are all a bit different.  She has a Christmas open house the first Saturday every December and my Shug told me I could pick out something from him to me, for Christmas.  I did!  I also got an ornament but it's packed away.

 

Here are a few details, which doesn't do it justice.

We had company over the holidays and my Patti Beck "dolls" sit on a bakers rack, which is a bit wobbly.  A couple of times the bakers rack REALLY WOBBLED!

 

My Shug decided to make me some "stands" for them.  Now when the bakers rack wobbles, I worry a little less about them getting knocked over. 

 My Shug also got me this statuary tree man from Eden's Way, which was a surprise.  Eden's Way is a local store that sells a lot of garden statuary, and inside she has a lot of hand made items from the United States.  A very fun store indeed. I want to paint him and put him in the woods to live in Coral Belle land!

My Sister got me some had made necklaces.  

I was a secretary for years, and she bought the typewriter key necklace at the Farmer's Market last summer.

She got me this necklace too, which is made out of a guitar string. (Did you know I'm a struggling guitarist?  I took lessons, until my teacher quit teaching.  I haven't gotten back into it yet-maybe someday)  The artist that made this has an etsy store called seize the night designs.  And, she's from Indiana!

 I also received this hand made hot pad which I'm not sure I'm going to use!  I might have to just look at the warm, tropical birds for awhile.  It matches another hot pad I bought in Florida last year on spring break.

My Sister gave me this book, which is very interesting.  It is the history of the shows I used to watch growing up.  These were the stations we all would pick up with an antenna, no cable in those days.  My Shug and I do not have cable now.  We have an antenna.  I just don't think there is enough on tv these days to bother with....oh sure I miss HGTV and the History channel.  But then, that makes it more special when we stay in a motel and get the extra stations.  And we do still pick up these local stations, and a few more, with the antenna!

Then there was the day I went out with Mom.  She came in, we went upstairs to the garage, got in the car and left.  I came home and found a little white box with a gold bow on the table.  This was inside. 

Our Mom worked for Delco Electronics (a division of GM) for our entire growing up years (except for the years she quit and stayed home and watched kids, because my brother and I would cry when she went to work.  That's the story I was told anyway)  She had a couple of charms from working there for all those years, and she doesn't wear a charm bracelet.  So, she gave one of the charms to me, and one to my sister.  One of my plans this winter is to get the rest of my charms put on my bracelet.  When I do, I'll show it to you.  I've had it since I was in about 8th or 9th grade, and whenever I would go somewhere I would buy a charm from that place.  Kind of a history of my life.  

What about you?  Did you get any special, handmade, or locally purchased Christmas presents?  I have decided that I'm going to be on the lookout this year for such gift items.  They really are special.

Cindy Bee