Handmade Holiday Gift Guide

Welcome friends, and happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you and yours have spent a wonderful holiday with family acknowledging all the good things you've been blessed with this year. Personally I am very thankful to have all of you readers here as I get to know you more each day. I'm especially glad you stopped by today because I have a wonderful batch of small business owners I want to highlight as we think about our holiday gift giving.

While I love many mass produced things like comic books, clothing, and makeup I also have a soft sport for all the beautifully handmade items. And the great part is there are tons of makers who focus on handmade items that fit more niche interests. I believe that spending our money on their great products is one of the most rewarding things we can do this season for our loved ones and the makers. So I hope that you will join me in shopping at some of these amazing stores as you find the right beautiful, geeky, fun, and handmade gifts for some of those special people on your Christmas list. At the end of the list you'll find a giveaway too!

Lydia's Designs - 2015 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide

Paper & Chocolate Press

I heard about Paper and Chocolate through The Rising Tide Society, and was hooked the moment I saw their fantastic superhero themed journals and blank books. As you can see they cover a bunch of great fandoms, plus they have more traditional journals as well as some lovely Christmas ornaments! They're running the following sales this year:

Seasonal Deals:

During November use the coupon code NANOWRIMO15 to receive 15% off writers notebooks and journals; excludes recipe books, ornaments, and guest books.

Black Weekend Special: Free Domestic Shipping with coupon code: BLACKWEEKEND2015, November 26-December 1.

Holiday Deadlines:

All custom orders and made-to-order items need to be ordered by Thursday, December 10, in order to arrive by Christmas.
All ready-to-ship items need to be ordered by Thursday, December 17, in order to arrive by Christmas.

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Authored Adornments

Authored Adornments specializes in literary inspired jewelry. Seen above is a beautiful cuff bracelet, and in their shop you'll find rings, pendants, and earrings as well as bookmarks and wine bottle stoppers. Most of the works featured are classic literature, but they also create custom pieces and have items in partnership with John Green which you can find at http://store.dftba.com/collections/john-green.

Seasonal Deals:

Black Friday is amongst us once again! This weekend will include some great sales. Each sale will be announced the day before, so please stay tuned! Since Thursday is Thanksgiving and I'll be spending my time with family, the Friday deal will be announced a little early, thanks!

Use: FRIDAYISBLACK for 20% off your entire purchase, good through 11/27. Visit the shop for more information.

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr
Instagram

Wood Notions

Sometimes I find myself looking for a more traditional gift, and ornaments are the perfect fallback. My husband, Bryan, is picky about no glitter being brought into out house, so I've found that one of the best types of ornaments we can both agree on are laser cut wood ones. Wood Notions has pegasus and griffin designs, many animals, and nature themed pieces, as well as creating custom designed pieces. I found them while looking for the perfect dragonfly Christmas ornament as part of Bryan's Christmas gift last year.

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter

Ruskerville

You all may recall not that long ago I wrote about how I'd found a wonderful Ravenclaw themed planner, well, Ruskerville also carries planners fit for a time lord! And for those with less nerdy inclinations there are a variety of other general printed covers to choose from as well.

Holiday Deadline:

December 18

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Paper From Heaven

Paper From Heaven is a fellow North Carolinian who creates bags for just about anything you could want, from the fantastic cosmetic set above, storage for essential oils, crayon aprons for kids, to crochet hooks. And her fabric choices are lovely to boot!

Holiday Deadlines:

12/12 for US order
11/27 for International and military orders

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Spicy Paprika

Each pendant and earring in Amber's shop, Spicy Paprika is made delicately from tiny beads and semi-precious stones to create completely unique pieces. Each one is imaginative and has characteristics inspired by nature's own beauty. One of her pieces occasionally makes appearances here on my blog too, I was lucky to be able to watch her create it while visiting her home in California.

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter

Olive + Pine

Olive + Pine collects beautiful handmade items from different makers and curates a collection that's sure to please the most picky people on your list. And importantly, their shop carries items hand picked for the men in your lives.

Seasonal Deals:

10% off storewide with the code SHOPSMALL valid Friday-Monday (for black friday, small business Saturday, and cyber monday!).

Holiday Deadline:

December 15

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

Flytrap Clothing

Flytrap makes beautifully designed botanical printed clothing. I own and love one of their cowls that I got last year when I first saw their work at the Boylan Heights Artwalk in Raleigh, NC. Their work is also 100% made in the USA, down to their labels. Additionally they carry a couple of shirts for men as well as womenswear (currently available in S-XL).

Seasonal Deals:

11/27 15% off your entire purchase
11/28 20% off all apparel, both men's and women's
11/29 20% off all scarves
11/30 - Cyber Monday, $30 off orders over $150, free shipping, plus a pack of blank Flytrap Clothing notecards.

Holiday Deadline:

December 21

Social Media:

Facebook
Instagram

babyCorn Soaps

BabyCorn Soaps create a variety of fun bath and body products as well as traditional soaps. Plus they make monthly subscription boxes on a nerdy theme (Star Wars is December's, and November featured Doctor Who) and a more conventional box with seasonal themes too. Anything from their shop would be perfect for the beauty lovers out there. Additionally they make items for men too, such as radioactive shave cream and lumberjack soap.

Seasonal Deals:

BFRIDAY for 20% all items except wholesale and subscription boxes from 12/27-12/29

Holiday Deadline:

November 30

Social Media:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

The Little Smith

And last but not least is The Little Smith. Their jewelry designs are hewn from wood and silver to create stunning geometric shapes and sinuous metal details. They've been kind enough to allow me to do a giveaway for one of their gorgeous Tigerwood Geo Pendant necklaces, pictured below. I'm thrilled to be working with them on this article since they happen to be longtime friends of mine.

Seasonal Deals:

11/27 - 20% off the Earth Collection with code blackfriday2015
11/28-12/16 - 20% off orders over $25 with code holiday2015

Holiday Deadlines:

December 16

Social Media:

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest

Lydia's Designs and The Little Smith Necklace Giveaway

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share some of my favorite handmade shops with you today!  If you have any questions or comments I'd love to talk to you more, so feel free to leave me comments.

Love,
Lydia

P.S. If you need a few more ideas head over to my Etsy art shop at http://lydiasdesigns.etsy.com or check out The Rising Tide Society's own gift guide here.

Cooler Coverings - Fall Fashions

Hello Friends!

This week has continued to be yet another crazy one.  I've been to doctor's visits and getting things done with Bryan while he's around.  And hopefully I'll be able to schedule a follow up for some of the tests next week too.  In any case I've been having trouble with my keyboard that's led me to several house of troubleshooting and very complicated systems of trying to work around it as I've written posts and anything else typed online.  I finally found that a separate keyboard fixes the problem, even though it's super awkward since I don't own a Mac keyboard.  My computer is apparently warped enough that the keyboard is having severe problems, and the trackpad is starting to as well.  At this point my laptop is over 6 years old, so it's done well to get this far, but another fix is probably too costly since it's almost to the point of being outdated technology.  (I had to stop updating my OS a couple years ago since if I moved to the next version I wouldn't be able to use Photoshop.  Of course now it's harder to do all the beautiful things I'd like to do with the tools I can find for Photoshop because they're all meant to use with newer editions, and I'm still running Creative Suite 3.)  But on to more fun subjects.

Poshmark

On another note I am loving selling on Poshmark!  I started selling most of my clothes that didn't make the cut for my capsules there.  I haven't even finished listing everything yet and have already had 7 sales totaling around $90.  If you haven't tried it yet go for it, and have a $10 off coupon on me by using my code to sign up - PYIHF at www.Poshmark.com and then just download the app.  You can buy on the site using any device, but selling and the $10 for signing up is only available by downloading the app.

Fall Fashions

Transitioning to Cooler Coverings

Fall is here in full force and North Carolina is finally nice and cool most days.  I woke up this past Sunday morning to frost covered grass and chickadees pecking at our backyard feeder.  I'm finally having to break out my jacket a couple times a week and we tested out our new home's heater too.  In terms of fashions I'm experimenting more to make the summery portions of my fall capsule wardrobe keep me warmer.  Here are some examples:

With this outfit I decided it was time to start pairing some of my fun tees with skirts.  this outfit is comprised of my Switchfoot shirt, bag from Target, skirt from Torrid, leggings from Target, and boots from Hushpuppies/Trendsetter.

 

For Halloween I wore this Doctor Who, 9th doctor inspired outfit.  Dress from Her Universe, bag from Amazon◊, leggings from ModCloth◊, boots from Hushpuppies/Trendsetter.

I'm really excited to get to reading our picks from Fight or Flight's Halloween sale.  And Miles Morales Spiderman is a new one for me, which so far I'm enjoying a lot!

I know I don't show my makeup looks often, because I don't wear as much.  But I have fun playing around with it and a couple weeks ago I donned a bit to go on a double date night with Bryan's parents.  I used Boe eyeshadow in Fun House, Face Stolkholm's Jeanann eyeliner, Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara, and Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Venizia.

This date night outfit is the Paige dress from Cherry Velvet, leggings from Target, and boots from Hushpuppies/Trendsetter.

Another thing I've been experimenting with is styling my dresses.  In this shot I paired my LuLaRoe "Nicole" dress (I'm hosting a LuLaRoe online party for the next 24 hours if any of you readers want to catch a sale with me! You can find it on Facebook here.) with my sweater from Target, plus leggings from Target, and flats from Payless/American Eagle.

I also threw in some Julep nail polish by using the color "Darby" with this outfit, well technically I'd been wearing it for 6 days before this picture was taken.  It just lasts so well!  As always you can try a free box from my affiliates at Julep by checking them out here:

I've been breaking out my jacket from Maurice's, and wore it with a top from Old Navy, skinny jeans from Torrid, and flats from Torrid.

And finally my last outfit I'll be sharing from my fall capsule includes the jacket from Maurice's, top from Target, zip ankle jeans from Torrid, and flats from Torrid.

This fall capsule has gone well, better than I thought it would when I was panicking that first week about how to style things.  Now I'm thinking ahead to winter and the next capsule.  However I'm going to be doing a mini capsule for December as I adjust when my seasons change.  I've found that grouping the months of October-December would have been a better choice with less need for both summer and winter items.  So next year my capsules will run from January-March, April-June, July-September, and October-December.  I'll tall you more about what I'm planning for December in my next fashion post around December 4th.  I'll be taking a break from writing next Friday for the holiday and so I can focus on filling orders from my Etsy art shop at http://LydiasDesigns.etsy.com where you can find art like that in this picture below:

I'll see you all Monday!

Love,
Lydia

Crazy Times are When I Drink Tea and Make Origami Turkeys

Hello friends,

Crazy Times

Sorry for the absences in the past week.  Things have been a bit rough as my husband lost his job a little over a week ago, went on a job search, found a new job, and is now waiting to start that job on Monday.  He's back to working in Raleigh again, though this time the commute is a tolerable half hour rather than something more crazy.  We thought he'd be working in Durham for a long time when we decided to move here, but we at least moved to an area that's close to the research triangle and not too bad for getting to north Raleigh, where his new job is at.

We've been through the wringer emotionally this past week and in some ways are glad he'll have some time off.  But we're using a lot of the time to take care of doctor's visits and things before we have to figure out what we'll do for health care next year since we'll have to buy our own plan under the contract position Bryan has landed.  But I won't bore you with the details, on to the fun!

Matcha Green Tea

Culinary Grade

So I tried cooking with matcha green tea powder for the first time about a month ago.  I'd had pastries and other great green tea items at restaurants, but hadn't really found a great green tea to enjoy at home until then.  I used a recipe for making a matcha glaze, which was intended for use on brownies, but I used on cinnamon rolls instead.  The results were a bit ugly, but tasted wonderful.

Drinking Matcha

The logical next step after using culinary grade matcha powder in cooking was to try the better ceremonial grade varieties that are the type made for drinking.  I got a little help from Midori Spring and Kenko brands (affiliate link) who let me try some of their products for free in exchange for an honest review.  I even bought a little whisk and scoop set made for making the matcha with.  Here's what I did:

I heated up a mixture of milk and water knowing the tea might be a little bitter at first, but the milk would help with that.  While I had the liquid heating up in the microwave I took one scoop of the powder and added it to my little tea bowl.  Once the water and milk was hot I added a teacup amount, with a touch of space for the whisk to move.  Here are photographs of both brands:

The Midori Spring was more finely sifted, but they both performed about as well as the other.  I really enjoyed them both.  I think I ended up with a slight preference for the Kenko tea, but they were both fantastic.

A peek at the powder inside the tins.

The Kenko looks a bit darker, but it's really not, between the photo's exposure and the slight difference in heat since my first cup was probably not as hot as it needed to be I had to stir it a little more after the picture was taken.  The trick is you pour the for water over the scoop of powder and whisk it until it froths.  I found that with the milk added in I didn't even need to add sugar.  But if you're more sensitive to bitter tastes you might want to try that too.  Overall I find tea is one of my favorite things about cooler weather.  I'm really glad to add green tea as a new option.   At this point I have a whole drawer dedicated to tea, plus a bunch more looseleaf teas I keep in a section of the cupboards.  Here's a shot of my tea drawer, just because.

As you can see I really enjoy Stash brand teas too.  If you'd like to try them out they make a really great herbal sampler box you can find here, which has the Cinnamon Apple Chamomile Tea or their Breakfast in Paris blend if you'd like a more traditional black tea that's similar to earl grey with a hint of lavender (both links are affiliates).

Origami

Another fun thing I was given to try by a company was this origami paper by Orchid.  With a value pack this size I don't think I'm going to run out anytime soon.  There are 10 fun colors, which work well for most projects.  You can buy a pack here (affiliate link).  I found it to be a pretty great deal for a 500 pack, and the paper itself it pretty good quality, holding up well to what I put it through for each of the three projects I tried.

I had fun creating some fun seasonal things, and plan to work on some more to make things festive.  I might even make some Christmas ornaments!

I tried my hand at a pumpkin, turkey, and Christmas tree.  The links go to instructions for each so you can try making them too.  I think the pumpkin is actually a really versatile shape.  You could turn it into an apple or a beach ball easily for various occasions.  It was really fun to make because once all the folds were done you have to blow into the hole on top to inflate it!  None of these were too hard, though the turkey and perhaps the pumpkin could be frustrating for younger kids.  The tree is a really easy one that it would be simple to make a large set of for decorating.

Well, here's hoping I'll be around more this week than last week.  Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lydia

October Beauty and Swap Unboxings!

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Hi folks,

So today I've got a big October unboxing post because I just got behind and haven't gotten around to posting what I got last month yet.  Unboxings are the term a lot of bloggers and YouTubers use for giving folks a peek at what they get inside a subscription box they like.  I subscribe to a couple myself and love trying new boxes in a lot of categories.  Since I know it's not everyone's thing I'll be condensing the beauty centered boxes into one post from now on.  Which is rather nice because it's easier to compare them that way.  So let's get started!

October Birchbox

When I first opened this I was a little disappointed in it and expected to like my Glossybox a lot better since they were making a big deal about their Parisian themed boxes.  I ended up liking the Birchbox better overall than the Glossybox once I really looked at what was inside each box.  I think part of what made me feel less enthused about this one was the size of everything.  The bottles just seemed smaller than usual.  Overall it was an okay box for October, but not the best I've had from them.  If you'd like to try out Birchbox please follow my link here to find out more.

I got:

Acure Cell Stimulating Facial Mask - I almost never use this kind of product, it gets a no

Well People Mascara - I like mascara and this one is all natural, it gets a yes

Dr Jart + Ceramidin - more skin treatment type stuff and even the description is kind of vague as to what it's supposed to do, no

Exo All Natural Nail Polish Remover - I always have my nails done, yes (I tested it yesterday and it feels more oily and doesn't absorb into skin or dry up as easily while you're using it.  One wipe was just barely enough to take of my Tardis blue nail polish left from Halloween.  I think it's better for lighter colors.  It takes a little getting used to the difference in feel, but I'd consider using this in the future since normally it comes from a bottle like most nail polish removers.

amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo - Sometimes these dry shampoos help my super oily second day hair, though I've yet to find one I love I'm happy to try this one, yes
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October Glossybox

This box has beautiful artistic designs on every side of its surface and I'd been seeing its excellence touted everywhere between emails and Instagram.  I was pretty excited about it, and at first I thought it might live up to the hype.  But it too had a couple things I just wasn't interested in.  I think a lot of people loved this box though.  It's great for people who like a balanced variety of products, which can be tougher for me to find pleasing.  If you'd like to find out more just go here to visit Glossybox's site.

And here's a second shot of the products that had a bit of packaging obscuring what they really look like.

I got:

De Bruyere Paris Red lipgloss - I love lip products and this is a pretty good color, yes

Lollipops nail polish - I love nail polish, but I hardly ever wear red and as such have plenty of it already, no

Phyto Phytokeratine Repairing Thermal Protectant (hair) spray - I thought this was another skin product until I went to look at the survey regarding how I liked my items.  It was there I found out it was a hair spray.  I don't use hair spray much, but I'm up for trying it, so tentatively, yes

Sabe Masson Le Soft Perfume - I don't like most perfumes, though the title for this scent excited me until I smelled it since it's Artist.  Unfortunately it was way too strong for me, and smells very spicy/musky, no

Vichy Idealia Skin Sleep moisturizer - I never use anything like this so, no
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Sweater Weather Swap

I'm part of a fabulous group called Geeks & Beauties (Join here!) that allows bloggers and YouTubers to network and encourage each other as they learn and grow in what they do.  One of the more fun things we get to do is hold swaps.  This swap was fall themed and had us pair off and send a partner a box of goodies that includes some of your favorites!  This is my box, sent to me by Cassandra Morgan.  She's a fantastic Youtuber who immediately welcomed me to the group when I joined back in September.

She sent:

Iced Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes from Tastykake - these things are great and I don't think I could have found them easily here in the south!

A set of 3 Whish Body Butters - As soon as it starts getting cooler my hand and feet get dry, so this is perfect for me!   The scents that came in this pack are Pomegranate, Lavender, and Coconut, all of which I really enjoy!

The next logical item Socks! - And not just any socks the two pairs have moisturizer in them.  There's the zebra print pair, plus a black pair too.  My feet are the first part of me to get cold, so these will be excellent for keeping me toasty.

Pocky - If you've never tried it Pocky is a wonderful Japanese snack that consisted of a cracker stick dipped in some kind of flavoring.  These are chocolate ones, which is the most common.  There are so many great kinds to try though, I think my all time favorite was a seasonal one with chocolate dipped in cocoa powder.

Speaking of Cocoa that was the last item in my box, Land O Lakes Mint Cocoa - I've never tried this flavor before, but I'm excited to curl up with a nice warm cup before bed some night this week.

I didn't bother rating these because it should be pretty obvious that they would all be yeses.  Yeses....what a strange form of the word.

If you're curious what I sent to Cassandra stay tuned and I'll post a link here soon!

Thanks for reading.  If there's a box you think I should try let me know in the comments.  I'd love to try some new ones!

Love,
Lydia

Suspense, Dystopian Worlds, and Gaming for Charity!

Hi folks,

I've had a rough week, but I'm going to be writing 3 posts before I go to bed Saturday.  This is post one!

So I've had the pleasure of reading two books recently that were given to me by the authors for review.  I'm excite to get to do this sometimes because it allows me to try some things that I might not normally see otherwise.  I find these books through reviewer partnership sites like Tomoson or Net Galley and occasionally even get some compensation for spreading news about them online (as I would most of the books I review).  But, on to the reviews....

The Torment of Rachel Ames

The Torment of Rachel Ames is a novella by Jeff Gunhus.  I'm normally not so interested in horror or thrillers, but I noticed the blurb for this book put emphasis on how a lot of what is happening is simply the character trying to figure out what parts of her life are reality and which are her mind playing tricks on her.  All of this takes place at a lake house, which could be anywhere, but seems to have a bit of Maine flavor to me.  As the story progresses the reader thinks they know what's happening, but the truth really doesn't come out until the last few chapters.  And even then it left me with unanswered questions.  Luckily it was in a way I didn't mind!  I liked this book and it's a quick read, though I will warn it is more graphic than most I read, but I read pretty tame books overall too.  You can pre-order the book on Amazon here◊ (it comes out November 10th!) and read more about the author at www.jeffgunhus.com

Alice in No Mans Land

Alice in No Mans Land by James Knapp◊ is a dystopian fiction that sticks to a lot of the trends I've seen lately in the genre.  It's not uncommon since so many of the trends are universals, some part, usually a large chunk of it is left to some horrible fate, in this case blocs of desolation where squatters live.  One of the country's largest businessmen decided to go out and look at bloc he wants to convert.  He brings his kids and second wife along for the ride, and then things get crazy as his daughter Alice finds herself crash landed in the middle of the bloc.  What ensues next is the typical kind of exploration that opens the privileged girl's eyes and earns her friends along the way.  It's not entirely predictable, but it's a little more predictable than I'd like.  The writing is pretty good and kept me reading to know the ending.  It's a reasonable choice if you're looking for more in the genre, though I admit I might be getting a bit jaded towards it myself.

Extra Life

Lastly, today Bryan, his brother DJ and I are participating in Extra Life - a 24 hour game marathon for charity.  We're playing several different games from Season 2 of the Walking Dead to Street Fighter 4, Arkham Knight, and more.  All proceeds are going to the Children's Miracle Nework, so if you feel like you're interested in watching you can watch a livestream of us playing at http://www.twitch.tv/fatubuu8990 and if you feel moved to support us you can visit our donation page at http://www.extra-life.org/.  

Otherwise I'm going to attempt to write more later today because I have too many things to catch up on!  Have a great day everyone.

Love,

Lydia