Part 2: Support Handmade for the Holidays Participants Continued

Today I've got the second half of the Support Handmade participants to introduce you all to.  Let's get right into it!

Kristina's company is Plum Paper, an exciting new company, she started and has been building over the past year.  She designs wedding invitations, cards, baby announcements, holiday cards, and more. There are many designs to choose from and they also offer completely custom wedding and social stationary.

She also has a delightful blog that features her products, DIY projects, and things that inspire her designs.  One of her latest posts has a tutorial for a Notebook DIY, complete with free cover download that you can personalize.  They'd make a great stocking stuffer!

My Pick:

Since the holidays are coming up, I picked my favorite design.  The clean design is full of interesting details like a dotted border, flag shaped date, and the beautiful swirly font.  Love it!  Plus gray envelopes are so fresh and unexpected.

I can't leave out mentioning her Baby Announcements, they are so cute and I love that each comes with a return address label.  And it's not just any ol' ordinary label, it's super fab, really!  I also like her use of unexpected colors like coral, some even come with coral envelopes!  You all know what a stationary addict I am, and how I could go on and on!

Lauren's email got my attention right away, as she started off by announcing she was a "hooker" {as in a crocheter}.  After I finished laughing to myself, cause that certainly caught me off guard, I knew before I even clicked over to her blog I was gonna like her!  Gotta love a sense of humor!

Here is a bit of Lauren's story: I taught myself how to crochet when I was 18 and started making things for children when I was pregnant with my daughter. My daughter is now 2 years old and is full of spunk! She loves to sit on my yarn or try to steal one of my hooks so my crocheting has been moved to nap time and night time! I also love cooking and crafting which is why I started a blog just under a year ago. I post kid friendly recipes, crafts and tutorials for the grown ups too! I work full time and creating is my way of relaxing. My husband is super supportive of all I do and there is not one thing I make that he doesn't compliment.

Sounds like a good husband, huh?  Must be like mine, someone who doesn't mind tripping over crafting supplies!

My Pick:

Oh goodness check out this!!!  Isn't this Birthday Party Hat with Fur Pom Pom just so stinkin' adorable!!!  I can't add enough !!! to describe it!  I am tempted to get one for ME!  Okay, well may be not but I wonder if LB would mind wearing it.  I'm sure it's very masculine looking in different colors. 

Brad wanted to weigh in and suggest the football hat/beanie and being infinitely more suitable, but c'mon can anyone pass up that fur trim?!

Alison at Toile Good Things is someone I met through the weekly linky party I co-host.  I was already very familiar with her craftiness when she contacted me about Support Handmade.  I'm so pleased to have the opportunity to share some of the amazing home decor items she makes with old book pages.  You'll be so impressed by how she transforms them!

My Pick:

Page Book Chalkboard Wreath:  I love how words are incorporated into this unique wall decor.  Not only are they on the pages but it's clever how you can add your own special word on the chalkboard.  Nice how you can change it to match your mood or the season!


JAQS Studio's owner is am a mom of 2 and her dream is to make handmade creations her full time gig one day :).   She's so talented, I can definitely seen that becoming a reality!  She loves sewing and crafts and her shop is featuring handmade quilts and cloth napkins for the holidays.  She also blogs and shares her amazing quilts.  She's been very busy this year, you won't believe all the projects she's finished!  I have quilter's envy!

My Pick:

Boxed Zoo - Green 64"X88":  I could gush about the combination of polka dots, stripes, and animals all day!  I love the hip and modern fabrics she picked, the designer zoo animal print will look fresh and current years from now. 

It's perfect for any child's bedroom and is such a lovely statement piece, it's a great jumping off place when planning your child's room decor.  It's ready to be snuggled under now and enjoyed for a lifetime.  Q has a great eye for combining fabrics!

Jennifer from Modesty Matters contacted me to tell me about their blog, a great resource for sewing tutorials.  There's lots of ideas there, some very neat ones I'd never heard of before like a paci-tee.  Tutorials include lots of photos and often a printable version.

On their main website, "We teach sewing using video (with LOTS of close-ups), photos, text, and hands-on experiences. We even have a video set that teaches how to make clothing for those wonderful American Girl and Beautiful Girlhood type of dolls! Even better – there are matching styles available for little girls, so they can match their dolls! This is usually a big hit around Christmas time."

My Pick:

Colonial Costume Dress: My kiddo's favorite American Girl doll is Felicity, shhh...Grandma's got one for ER when she's a little older.  Part of the attraction to her for ER are the dresses.  That girl loves dress up.  I know she'd go wild over one like this!  I love how your pattern purchase includes, instructions and video tutorials that will help walk you step-by-step through every project.  Cause I'd need all the help I can get to make anything like this!

Sabina from SBB1 HANDMADE has been sewing, crocheting and knitting practically all of her life.  She began crocheting before the age of 3! She blogs about sewing and craft at Slip Stitches & More. 

There you will find sewing tips, tutorials, and whatever handmade art she is into at the time.  Plus snippets from what she describes as her organicky greeny lifestyle, which includes freezer cooking and other fun challenges.  Aside from designing and constructing clothing, she also has her own line of reusable cloth feminine protection pads and accessories and other green handmade items. 

Sabina is also a traveler and just returned home the states from the middle eastern part of the world about a year ago. She's always going somewhere with her husband, and brings us along when she shares those moments on Slip Stitches & More.

My Pick:

I was drawn to this Regular Size Wet & Dry Bag Black with Red and White Flowers because I carry around a lot of wet burp clothes and baby clothes that have been spit up on or are soiled.  I think it's design with a side for wet and a side for dry items is really creative.  The construction of the bag with a hanging strap makes it sound extra handy, because I can hang it from my stroller.

Dalia from Inspirations by D specializes in glass magnets, push pins and pendants all made by her.  She is currently working on a more items now that the holidays are approaching, so make sure you keep checking back!  You can also keep up with her on her blog, where she tempts fans with sneak peaks of soon to be listed products.

This may be cheating a bit, because it's mean to show you something no longer available, but I've been familiar with Inspirations by D for awhile now.  I've always liked her pendants and this Silver Butterfly Pendant is my all time favorite.  It's sold but if you ask nicely I bet D will help you out!

But I won't leave you without suggesting something still in stock.  The Glass Push Pin Vintage Santa are the perfect thing to dress up your cork board and make organizing notes elegant.  When the holidays are over replace with the Push Pins in Shades of Green, Pink, and Blue.

I can't believe I'm on my last feature already!  Hasn't it been a great collection of bloggers and shops!  I'll finish with Sara, whom I know from her blog Happy Brown House.  She quit her day job to be a full-time mommy and for years, friends have oohed and ahhed over her handmade gifts.  With the encouragement of friends, she turned nap time into sewing time and Stitches by Sara was born. It's both her creative outlet and "me" time during the day. Almost all of her items can be customized with a monogram or other embroidery design and she loves custom orders!

Sara has an especially good reason to turn on her sewing machine, all proceeds from Stitches by Sara go toward her family's plans to adopt. She'd like to thank you in advance for helping her family bring their little one home!  As an adult adoptee, raising money for kids to come join their forever family is an especially poignant cause and one I'm happy to support!

My Pick:
Embroidered Owl Hair Clip: At just $3 this felt hair accessory is such a cute stocking stuffer!  Birds not your thing, your little sports fan can also clip in an embroidered football hair clip or another of her hair clip designs.  While getting that for my girly girl, I think I'd also have to add a coffee cozy to my cart :)

To see Part 1 of the Participants, click here, and be on the look out for tutorials from the Support Handmade bloggers and shops all month long!