Friday, November 30, 2012

A Handmade Christmas Story - It's A Great Read!

Looking for a good book to curl up by the fireplace with? Well grab your blanket, your glasses (if you need them), a good cup of hot cocoa, and enjoy this great new book.  It's not Fifty Shades Of Gray, it's better it's like Fifty Shades Of Handmade!

Sit back, relax, and we hope you enjoy our story!


A HANDMADE CHRISTMAS STORY
WRITTEN BY: HANDMADE CIRCLE TEAM
ILLUSTRATED BY: HANDMADE CIRCLE TEAM ARTISTS
COVER ART BY: Holly Westmoreland of HOLLY'S HOMEMADE GOODIES

It was a cold and snowy morning, Mama was in the kitchen making breakfast with her 
new Pot Holder Handles, 
she turned around and saw, She was leaking breastmilk all over her nice new apron. She went and put on a pair of nursing pads

and then heard a knock at the back door.

On her way she thought : oh my! maybe it's a burglar. I should take something to protect myself....so she turned back to the kitchen and grabbed
She opened the door and to her surprise, it was a vampire, dripping blood from his fangs from his last kill! She took the spoon and plunged it through his heart! Mission accomplished. But now, what to do with this vampire carcass? She looked again at the teeth, gleaming redly in the dawning light. My, you know, those would make a really lovely necklace. She pried out the teeth with some pliers and made,
 My it's been a busy morning, she thought! I've already killed a vampire, made a necklace and I still have to  make POZOLE!


 After she finished making her delicious Pozole, she had piles and piles of dishes to wash. This is going to take forever she thought...I need some dish cloths that will stand up to the job. 


and she pulled them out of her dishcloth drawer. "What if the vampire's friends come looking for him? I'd better be prepared!" She went to her jewelry box and pulled out her handmade silver cross and fastened it around her neck. 


"Hmmmm, now where did I put my silver plated spoon with the Power Of The Gnomes? These mythical little creatures surely could help in this  situation!


But wait! What is that noise? Who could it be? Oh, its our lovely Nana awaking from her mid day slumber. She suggested that I hang up a sign...a banner of sorts.


Nana is also feeling a bit cold, so she laid down on her couch by the fire and wrapped up in her favorite quilted throw.


Nana thought....hmmmm... I feel so cozy by the fire wrapped in my beautiful quilt...I think I will send some amazing ( can you even believe someone made this guitar!) postcards to my friend for Christmas!


Being a practical, yet funky and stylish Nana, she wanted to help Mom with the evening's vampire fighting plan, but looked down ASTONISHED! No warm socks! and Snow In The Forecast For Tonight! she raced to find her warmest chunkiest socks and pulled on the first COLORFUL pair that caught her eye!


 NOW she's ready to fight some vampires, she turned with her a FIERCE DETERMINED look on her face and put on her custom handmade pink Mary Jane slippers.


Oh Mama" she said as she walked out of the room, "What are you doing?" Mama was changing the baby into a cute little diaper.


After the baby was all fresh and clean, they went into the living room to play with Nana and much to their surprise, was non-other than Santa Claus!!


What was he doing here so early and YIKES, aren't we supposed to be decorating out tree with all our handmade ornaments?

'Well done', said Santa. 'I have an early present for both of you! It makes my heart glad that you have chosen to decorate your tree with handmade ornaments. Here is something I have made for each of you:


 Mama and Nana both oohed and aahed over their gift! "And for baby", said Santa, "here is something to make him smile".


And they all lived Happily Handmade Ever After! 


What other people are saying about the individual's and their items in this story: (While our story is fictional of course, the following comments are actual feedback left by customers who purchased from the shops above) 

Spectacular!! Even better than I imagined! Super fast shipping and superior customer service!

Awesome seller! This was a custom order and it turned out PERFECT. I bought this for my daughter for Christmas and I know she is going to love it! Quick turn around time, fast shipping and the seller is amazing! I'll definitely be back!

Item arrived today as described and craftsmanship is flawless! I bought this as a wedding gift for a friend at work and now want one for myself too. I will be back to buy more!

Wonderful, wonderful product!!! So well made, beautiful colors, unique, I can't say enough!

Thank you so much for the beautiful custom-cast ring! My fiancee, could not be more pleased with the unique design and has spent the weekend showing it off to friends and family with pride. It's interesting, has a story to it, and fits him like a glove. We couldn't be happier to have him wearing your design for years to come.

The necklace arrived in two days, packaged in a lovely box with a ribbon. It was beautiful.

Excellent workmanship! So happy with my necklace! This shop was great in answering my questions & Fast turnaround time! A++++

Thrilled as always, can't imagine having a big party without some special touch from Whispering Rainbows!

This quilt that I bought from Holly is a true masterpiece and is so beautifully made. She has a real talent!


We hope you will visit all these great shops and see for yourself all the lovely items they offer and why these people are raving about them! 























SEASON'S GREETINGS! 

Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags










Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Why Handmade?

Have you considered Handmade Items for your gift giving this year? Think you can get a better quality item from the big box stores? Think the people on your list would rather have something that is massed produced and everyone has one like it?

I am here to tell you all the reasons why you should MOST Definitely consider a Handmade Item this year.

  •  Higher Quality- no machine can take the pride in its work like an individual does.

  •  Handmade items are made with love - the creator usually puts a piece of themselves into the work.

  • A handmade item has a unique and special character that manufactured goods can never ever have. It has the life and breath of the maker flowing through it.

  • Handmade is unique and usually one-of-a-kind, the buyer is supporting the small business owners vs. the big companies that produce items with no care or love for the item or person purchasing the item.

  • Artists and Crafters put a little bit of themselves into their work. Everything they make has their own unique signature, be it a certain style, color palette, or stitch.

  • Buying handmade supports an individual doing a craft they love.

  • Because a real person took the time to make sure what they made was made with the utmost care and perfection. Nothing is more precious than one's time and each handmade gift is a gift of time

  • Customer Service - This is the big one for me, if you go into one of the big box stores and find something you like but want it in a different pattern, different length, or variations of the product, guess what? The selection available is what is on the shelf. Not with Handmade, most if not all Handmade Artists will bend over backwards to make the product you desire and insure your Custom Order is to your desire! 
Still not sure about buying Handmade? Well why not browse through this wonderful list of
talented Artist's? Here you will find Jewelry, Baby Quilts, Accessories, Home Decor, and more in fact I am almost positive you can find something for everyone on your list! 




















Marsha Bourquin/Head Hag- Bags By Hags
https://twitter.com/BagsbyHags
BagsbyHags@gmail.com