COME SHOP WITH ME

i heard on the radio that today is a big big shopping day on the internet. instead of facing the rain outside i joined in with the virtual hustle and bustle and filled my basket with a few things from the comfort of my desk with a hot chocolate for company. thought i'd share some finds with you if you happen to be stuck for gift ideas. it makes me very happy to buy handmade where possible and support some of the amazing talent around. if i were a little more organised i would extend this to overseas artists but i fear that posting dates may have come and gone...so these are all uk based with time to arrive**!

first up is julia smith ceramics...i love her little sugar pots and spoons...filled with some homemade vanilla or cinnamon sugar perhaps?

hannah madden makes these sweet hand printed notelets...i think my favourite is this festive cyclamen set. it's always nice to have some blank cards around and receiving a handwritten word has to be one of the best treats around these days.

i bought from dolly knits last christmas and am pleased to see some new additions to the collection this year...a ball ball brooch would make any hat or coat look very merry this season and i particularly love the 1920s inspired slipped pom pom hat too.

wouldn't it be nice to find a scandi set of magnets from screenprinter summersville in your stocking?

charming prints and cards from little doodles are birdy and funny which is about a perfect a mix as you can get for me!

abigail*ryan have at long last let us in to their wonderful world of homeware delights and in particular their tea towels...having some of abigail's fine artwork hanging on my kitchen radiator would bring a smile to my face. and how about wrapping a gift in one instead of paper?

**edited to add a pdf...i'd forgotten about the joys of the download and how it doesn't actually matter how far away the seller is! the wee wonderfuls store have so many nice crafty projects like this fairy embroidery pattern for sale which packaged along with the materials would make a lovely gift for someone creative.

and last of all i couldn't resist adding pam's recipe book to the list too. not strictly handmade i know but as we probably all have asked father christmas for something from toast this is a very good budget buy and full of lots of delicious irish dishes. i'm planning to listen to their podcasts whilst wrapping gifts by the tree.

phew...time to refuel on mince pies now before i head over to jamie oliver {and free p&p} for some other bits too {yes i must come clean and report that i'm not 100% handmaker-friendly!} but a good combination of the two is pretty good in my books.