You don't have to be crafty to give homemade Christmas gifts, you just have to know where to shop to find distinctive holiday presents.
Why buy mass-produced toys and trinkets for Christmas presents when you can get unique, charming and handcrafted gifts from creative people who sell their wares online?
If you have no time to make your own gifts, or if you lack the crafty gene, look to the Internet to find homemade toys, decorations, clothes and jewelry for your holiday shopping list.
Etsy.com
The ultimate marketplace for buying and selling handmade goods, Etsy began selling handcrafted items ranging from clothing to furniture in 2005. Over 100,000 creative folks have opened shops on the site to sell their wares. Shop for Christmas decorations such as the “Red and Mirror Mosaic Ornament” from Artdefleur, currently on sale for $10.20, plus $5.50 shipping. The 4-inch diameter recycled glass ball shimmers with glittery grout between red art glass and tiny mirrors. A shiny silver ribbon tops off the pretty handmade ornament. Since each ornament is a unique creation, Artdefleur only has one of these items in stock. Check out the other mosaic and glass ornaments in her Etsy store.
Sweet Potato Prints
Three stay-at-home moms create unique children’s clothing with the ultimate in humble, homey craft tools—the potato. The individually printed results at Sweet Potato Prints are truly one-of-a-kind pieces of clothing for children. The designs are hand stamped using carved potatoes dipped in fabric paint and feature flowers, lady bugs, pirate ships and butterflies. Shirt sizes include onesies (starting at 3-6 months), toddler girls and boys (sizes 2, 4, and 6). Short-sleeve shirts are available in spring and summer and sell for $20, plus tax. Sweet Potato Prints sells long-sleeve onesies and shirts in fall and winter for $22, plus tax. Shipping varies with USPS Priority Mail.
Blue Poppy Jewelry
Again, creative stay-at-home mothers combine their artistic talents and business sense to make and sell unique handmade jewelry. Blue Poppy Jewelry’s Jill Redman and Erin Lockwood design simply stunning necklaces, pendants and earrings that honor and celebrate motherhood and friendship. Their “Motherhood Necklace” hangs a freshwater pearl on a 16” sterling silver chain. A single drop of silver extends from the pearl as a symbol of motherhood. Price: $64 for the 5/8” diameter pearl, $7 shipping.
Handmade Wooden Toys from Country Toys
The Nixon family of Ollala, Washington, takes soft ponderosa pine and creates classic toys that never go out of style. A dump truck, trains, a tugboat, and an airplane are some of the designs that stir the imaginations of young children. Little ones can hit the backwoods with Country Toys’ logging truck, which measures 13 ½” long and 6 ½” tall and comes with its own logs. Price: $49.95 through Paypal, shipping varies.
