You should be able to post comments now

I had mentioned that this blog was new, right? Well I think I mistakenly failed to set it so that people could comment. I am very sorry about that! Now, I think I fixed it so anybody can comment on posts; it's not necessary to sign in or belong to Blogger or anything.

I hope you comment! Once again, sorry for the mixup.

Snowed in & lovin' it!

We're snowed in today....yet another storm promising to turn to rain and/or sleet later on. Our beloved New England Patriots are still going to play football today, which is good for us TV spectators! In any case, we're having so much fun! My husband, son and I have spent the late morning cutting up paper Trader Joe's bags and turning the blank side into handmade wrapping paper. We use rubber stamps, marker, stencils, fingertips dipped in paint or flicked on color....it's fun and it's going to make for some cool-looking packages under the tree. Though I know there will be some rolling of the eyes in some sectors of the family (the same folks that object to wearing Birkenstocks with socks), as this will be seen as further evidence that we've gone way too earthy-crunchy-liberal. (is that a bad thing?) But I'm hoping that instead, they join in the fun of it and maybe even get some ideas that they, too, can try next holiday season.

Those brown paper bags will run out eventually, though, since we've finally bought some more permanent Trader Joe's handle bags for our many shopping excursions there. We don't want to continue bringing paper bags home, despite the fun we have crafting them into things.

Lip Gloss Productions

I came across another creative entrepreneur today, in the most unexpected way. I was in the city helping my friend who is looking for an apartment, and in a rather rough-around-the-edges section of Boston we stumbled upon an open house in a place called Lip Gloss Productions. What could it be, I wondered. Well we walked through the door with the hand-painted sign and grapevine wreath, down some stairs to the basement level, where we found ourselves plunged into a veritable wonderland of colorful fleece! Fleece items hanging from the ceiling, covering the tables, spilling out of bins, hanging from racks and being admired by customers. A sewing machine in the back was surrounded by fabric and thread on every available surface. A room positively overflowing with creativity! Darting around the room with a high energy level that could only mean "I'm the owner of this place," was Suzy Peabody.

Suzy's business card says "Clothing manufacturer, sample, production & consultant services," but the side of her we saw was creator of fun fleece clothing and accessories. Her fleece hats, scarves, mittens and more have her own distinctive style...the most popular theme is--hmm--how do I say it--dots, or flowers. Let me explain! Many items are adorned with little fleece flowers created from a series of cutout dots layered atop each other. And at the center of the flower---a handmade button created by none other than Suzy herself. Other items have dots cut out of them (hmm. Now that I think of it, I see the connection....those flower-dots have to come from somewhere!)

I hope Suzy had a successful open house. I was happy to buy some Christmas-gift scarves there, and a hat for myself in a vivid purple/pink combination. When I get a photo from her I will put it (or them) up here on the blog. She doesn't have a web site...yet. Telephone: (617) 269-0047 or Email: lipglossproductions@comcast.net

A different kind of shopping season

I never thought I'd say this, but I am having fun shopping for Christmas. Traditionally, I've been a Scrooge. Maybe it comes from my days in retail, or the fact that I am still in the business of making and selling gifts; after all, I am usually too busy right up until the last minute trying to work, then a mad rush to pack and mail all the out of state gifts before my lateness causes the postage to cost more than the gifts themselves. Or maybe it stems from my lack of money or all of the above. But this season has been different.

I had already thought about buying local and buying handmade, but after taking the BuyHandmade.org pledge, I felt a greater sense of obligation to follow through. Every step of the way I have been watching what I am doing. I ask myself, is this from a faraway company or a chain store, and can it be bought closer to home? Can the picture be framed by the local mom & pop rather than the big craft store chain that keeps sending me coupons?

Yesterday I needed to buy something for my family in the midwest. I usually go to the mall, but not this year. I called up a friend who I know makes great, affordable home decor items out of felt and fabric. She hand-sews them and sometimes even uses wool from her very own sheep on some of the details. She said sure, come on over, and I got to shop in the comfort of her dining room and pick out gifts for three people. (Heartfelt Designs by Trish - www.HeartFeltbyTrish.com)

For the kids, I went to my local art supply store, C.C. Lowell (www.cclowell.com) where there is the most amazing selection of not only fine art supplies but creative gifts of all kinds. It's a fantastic place to shop! Not only that, the customer service is top notch. Since we're regular customers, they know our names & have watched my little son grow up, chat and interact with him when he comes in, the whole bit.

Throughout the little shopping trips like this, I've really felt good about what I am doing. It makes the whole shopping experience much more enjoyable. And for me, that's really saying something!

Am I a little late to the table, here?

I just found out about something called www.worcesterlocalfirst.org - It's being promoted by C.C. Lowell (awesome art supply store in Worcester) and I wrote to find out more. Also, I just took the www.buyhandmade.org pledge the other day. So my idea about promoting local businesses and touting creative folks in the area is really sort of me, riding a wave that's already in progress. But it's a good wave, so --so what? :-)

Tell me about places you love

OK, enough about me. I'd love to hear about your favorite local artists, crafters, artisans, shops, etc. (Oh, and don't forget to say what city and state you live in!)

Welcome to my blog

I started this blog because of a growing passion of mine: buying from each other, not from big corporations. The list of reasons not to shop at the mall are growing. I suppose that the one that pushed me over the edge was the growing number of unsafe products coming from overseas, but you can just add that to the over-commercialized, cookie-cutter, generally spirit-sucking mall experience. Also the fact that many entrepreneurs and artists (I count myself among them) create wonderful things and are often struggling to put food on the table or provide a useful or creative service or product that we would probably love to buy if we just could find out about it above the confusing din of mass advertising that permeates every aspect of our lives these days.

This blog is designed to not only discuss ideas surrounding the "buy local" and "buy handmade" movements but also to talk about wonderful businesses or products out there that have caught my eye.

In the old days, even before my own childhood, there was a sense of interconnectedness, of community. Of neighbors supporting neighbors for the things that were needed. Now, it seems we are spread out globally in a hundred different directions, very few of which are healthy for us or the planet. It's time to rediscover that many of the things that we need are right nearby, often in our own towns, produced by our own neighbors.

Let's improve the quality of our lives, starting right now.