Dad deserves the best

Father's Day is fast approaching and in order to not get stuck holding out a bag of coffee bought around the corner (which is what I did last year, bad Mommy!) I am starting my shopping now.  As a maker of handmade objects I appreciate how much cooler the gift that doesn't exist in mass quantities on the shelf of your local superstore can be.  I always try to give a gift that is made by a small business when I can; I just have to plan for shipping time - although sites like Etsy do have the shop local search function which means I can search people near me and get things faster while also supporting my immediate local community.

I don't know about you but shopping for my guy can be hard.  He is not corporate so a tie doesn't appeal to him, he actually wears a t-shirt to work most days so a "dressy" t is one of my top options.   

DNA Tshirt by NonFiction Tees $18. via 20 Best Twenty

He does love his coffee too, so maybe instead of just a bag of beans from our local roaster, I will try this year to get him an awesome handmade mug this year as well. I love this little owl cup from Mie Kongo, it's like a little sculpture you get to drink out of.

Owl Cup by Mie Kongo $23.

Like many guys out there, he also likes his technology and we just got a brand new 13" MacBook so a handmade but manly sleeve might help protect it when it gets tossed into his messenger bag.  This option by Fern Fiddlehead has an understated elegance that I know would appeal to him.

13" Laptop Case by Fern Fiddlehead $24. via 20 Best Twenty

Anyway you cut it I know that this list of goods made by individual makers will have a much larger impact than anything I could order off of Amazon.   So I am making a choice and ordering soon to make sure that this year in addition to his handmade card he get a little something especially for him because Dad does work hard.  So what are you going to get your man this year?

Art Star Craft Bazaar

 

So I am up early and we are packing up the car to head down to Penn's Landing Great Plaza for Art Star Craft Bazaar.  I will be pedaling my magical mobiles and a few new items like my necklaces under tent #41 for Baby Jives.  If you are in the area come by and see me - here's the info for the event.  Now off to fill this tent with magical mobiles!

Shared Studio

Like many Etsy sellers I started my business so I could work from home while raising my son.  That means many days my work time is limited to naptime and after bedtime but as my business gets busier I am finding I need to squeeze studio time and little man time into the same space.  Literally, my studio is becoming his play area and it's actually pretty fun to have Gavril in there with me.  So I thought it I would show you around the scenes in my studio and give you an inside glimpse to my business.

Where the magic happens - my Bernina Record

Gavril's driveway / my fabric shelves

piles of dragonflies and butterflies

 Ok, I guess these are more of studio vignettes because if I showed you what my real studio looked like your jaw would drop in horror - it's a mess!  Sharing a space with all my fabrics and my son is not ideal.  He really needs to get a little bit of his own space in there so I have been daydreaming about the perfect studio for both of us.  For him it would include this:

 

The deskhouse by Nine to Nine, found via TwentyBest20

and for me it would include this:

Alphabet Drawers by Kent and London found via TwentyBest20

Mother, there is no other

Grandma helping our little guy on his path

 I sometimes think about what my life would be like without my mother being a convenient 45 minute drive away and I have come to the conclusion that it would most definitely SUCK!  She does so much to help me in my week and having her nearby as we raise our son means that he gets to have this amazing relationship with her.  Little man loves going to Grandma and Grandpa's house, it is his vacation spot of choice. She takes my son once a week for an overnight so I can get 36 hours of uninterrupted work time in the studio and squeeze in a weekly date night with my hubby - I know, boy am I LUCKY!  She also sits down with me and talks about motherhood, researched articles on food allergies when I was having issues with my breastmilk, sends me links to sites about child development (not pushily, helpfully), and is always there for a good laugh.

My mother also gave me an amazing gift when I was growing up - the freedom to pursue my own path.    My mother (and father, he's great too) never pushed me to pursue her goals.  She always encouraged my own interests: enrolling me in the art classes I wanted, taking me to soccer practice which I loved, even letting me choose to go to an all Arts college when the time came.  My mother never hounded me about  homework or what extra curricular activities I was going to choose, instead she would ask about my life and let me share what I was interested in.  Even when I got a D in Latin because I figured it was a dead language and why bother learning it, she didn't get mad she simply asked what language I would rather study and told me to pursue that instead (which solved the D - always got A's in Spanish and still use it to this day).  I also believe that without my mother I would not have had the confidence to start my own business and pursue a dream.  She is my biggest cheerleader in this whole venture and when told me the other night how proud she was of how I have realized my vision it was one of the my best moments yet.

So this week I wanted to say thank you to my mother for helping me keep sanity in my life and allowing me the freedom to pursue my own path - there is no other!  Without her my growing empire would not be possible.

How about you - what makes your mother equal to no other?
I would love to hear your stories!