Etsy Love: Etched in Stone

{photos in my collage from sjEngraving}

Okay, so perhaps one of my very favorite Etsy finds of late are these personalized rocks.

Yes, personalized rocks.

Engraved by sjEngraving these beautiful natural rocks can be engraved with virtually anything. They can even by engraved on both sides. The possibilities are endless...

...a nest of rocks with the names of her children for a mom.
...a marker of an important date (I just got one of these for a wedding gift for a couple who claimed to "have everything")
...an important word
...a message to a loved one
...a reminder to yourself.

I have a million gift ideas for these. (And, yes, Mom, I absolutely want that owl necklace.)

Etsy Love: Mason Jar Art

Mason Jar Love is genetic in this family.

Seriously.

I grew up with a Mom who used mason jars for virtually everything and even had a collection of antique ones -- many of which were dug up in our Maine yard! I'm happy to report that I've inherited many of those jars. I know for a fact that Mason Jar Love runs deep in this extended family. (Am I right all you family followers?)

Anyhow, you'll hear more about Mason Jar Love from time to time on Maine-ly Home. But, for now, in the spirit of Etsy Love Week, I'm featuring some Etsy Mason Jar Art.

Midwest Finds clearly shares my love for Mason Jars. She offers Mason Jar soap/lotion dispensers. And, Mason Jar Hanging Lanterns -- just perfect for summer outdoor parties (Or weddings! Would have been perfect for my barn wedding!)

Oh Little Rabbit has some to-die-for organic cotton produce bags handblocked with Mason Jars. (They also have dish towels if produce bags aren't your thing.) I'm adding these to my Christmas wish list.

And, LampGoods (based in Maine!) has some gorgeous pendant lights made out of old Mason Jars! I love, love, love these!








I think I'll go finish drinking my wine (in a Mason Jar, of course!) and contemplate which of these Mason Jar Loves should be my next purchase.

Etsy Love: Sustainable and Personalized Blocks

As I've mentioned, I'm a total Etsy junkie. My friend Kate is, too. (Sorry, Kate, just had to have company on this.) Sometimes we compare guilt stories. And, we always rationalize our purchases by the fact that we are supporting artisans.

Anyhow, I was shopping for a personalized baby gift (I love personalized baby gifts) for my dear friend Chrissy who had just had a baby boy (with one of my very favorite boy names!) and found these wonderful wooden blocks made by Hudson Block Company.

The blocks are made of Missouri maple and are free of paint and stain. They are sanded super smooth -- just perfect for a baby! The personalized blocks arrive in a muslin drawstring bag with the name/personalization hand stamped on the outside.

I'm smitten with the blocks, can you tell?

Anyhow, the blocks are an obvious baby gift -- but, I think they have lots of gift potential.
A family name for a newly married couple. A message for a loved one. Holiday greetings for mantels and window sills. Oh, the possibilities!

A Birthday Tribute to Etsy

As I mentioned the other day, Etsy's birthday is this week -- June 18th. In celebration, they are encouraging crafters and aspiring crafters alike to host or join in a Craft Party on the 18th. Learn more here.

In my own little tribute (have I mentioned how much I LOVE Etsy?),this week I am going to feature some recent Etsy finds I love.

Tell me, what have you found on Etsy?

A Camping Must-Have for Foodies

I'll admit, I've been camping a lot less since I started having children. 

I never meant for that to happen. 

But, well, I'm pretty sure I know why.  

The first trip with my eldest was well-planned. We even opted for car-camping instead of backpacking. We had a lovely dinner, watched the sunset over the mountains and off to bed. At 2 a.m. we were awakened by our daughter vomiting all over us AND our sleeping bags. Had it been just us, well, I'm guessing we would have stayed. But, wet and smelly sleeping bags wouldn't cut it. So, we packed up in the dark and drove an hour home. 

The second camping effors were pseudo back-packing trips (e.g. we carried our stuff for a mile). No vomit on this trip. But, the only way my daughter would sleep was on top of my head. Literally. Naturally, I woke (truthfully, I neer even slept) with a migraine and a stiff neck.

Third trip: repeat of second.

Fourth trip: I declared that for some time going forward camping would be a father-daughter thing. 

Fortunately, we have had  a couple of successful efforts now. Thank goodness. Because, when it works, camping really is fun.

But, now little Miss Goo-Goo-Pants has entered the picture, so I'm guessing...just guessing (the terrible sleep patterns, the put-every-in-thy-mouth-mantra, the seek-danger-attitude are just a few of my cues)...we might be in for some camping bumps again.

In any event, I'm very excited to get one of these very cool Mobile Foodie Organic Spice Kit for our next camping trip. We love to cook when we are camping. To us, sitting down and having yummy food in the middle of the no where is a really cool feeling.  But, packing the right things for this isn't always easy -- and, now we can be certain we'll have the right spices for whatever we cook (e.g. whatever we catch!) on the trail.

 

The spice kits are available in four different flavors...a general "survival" kit which includes a little of all the most-common spices; Mexican, Thai and Indian. 

The Mobile Food Organic Spice Kits are made in New York City by a team of developmentally and other mentally challenged adults, under the supervision of professionals training in working with the mentally challenged, at the Manhattan packaging and assembly workshop of the nonprofits AHRC.

AHRC, a nationwide 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, was founded to support developmentally disabled children and adults. The organization currently offers adults in this population the opportunity to be gainfully employed in various ways. This allows them not only a sense of accomplishment and the opportunity to contribute to their own support, but a place to build an ongoing, daily community and the accompanying sense of place.

All the herbs and spices in the kits are USDA-certified organic (not including the wasabi, which is so expensive in organic form that the kit would be prohibitively expensive itself), and come from a farming co-op in Oregon that is dedicated to sustainable farming practices. At this point the Tabasco and soy sauce in the kit are conventional, but that will change at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime...

By buying a Mobile Foodie Organic Spice Kit, you are supporting not only sustainable, organic farming practices, but also the gainful employment and sense of well-being of the disabled adults who made it. 

Let's Have a Party!

I'm a huge Etsy fan. (I promise you'll hear this again and again from me.)

Not sure what Etsy is? It is an amazing collection of creative people selling their creations on line. Log on - and I dare you to limit your visit (not possible -- you'll be sucked in for hours of window shopping).

Anyhow, Etsy's birthday is June 18th, and in celebration they have launched Etsy Craft Party, a global initiative to energize your local community, make art together, and throw a party in your neck of the woods. They want to celebrate crafting together on June 18, 2010 with as many celebrations across the globe as possible.

Etsy and the Craft Party sponsors (more to be announced soon!) will provide every event organizer with a free downloadable Craft Party Kit containing crafty project instructions and templates, along with tips and ideas for hosting your own party. There might even be a few fun coupons and surprises — who knows?!

So, I invite you -- know I challenge you -- to organize an Etsy Craft Party. Not too long ago, I hosted the first in what I hope is many Crafternoons at my house. And, it was truly a ball to drink wine, eat cake and craft with friends. I'm thinking an Etsy Craft Party could be even better.

How It Works:
Etsy started an umbrella Etsy Craft Party on the new and fabulous Meetups Everywhere site. From this over-arching event anyone can start an Etsy Craft Party Meetup, attend an existing Craft Party Meetup, or even step up as an organizer (if there isn't one already).

If there isn't an Etsy Craft Party Meetup scheduled in your town yet, click Schedule a Meetup near you to get one on the map.

To find a local Meetup, just search for your town on the Etsy Meetup map and click I'm interested. That will let others know that you'll be there on June 18, and together you can decide what project(s) to make, what snacks to nibble on, and what your individual Craft Party will be like.

Then, drop some ideas for a location and activity for the Meetup in the comment box to help folks get ideas flowing on where to meet. If your Craft Party Meetup doesn't have an organizer, you should consider stepping up. This will enable you to set the location, change the time, and to curate comments and guests.

Gearing Up for an Supercharged Outdoor Summer

{photos via naturerocks.org}

Like many parents, I am keenly aware that school is letting out (already out in some places!) across the country.

And, frankly, I'm thrilled at the prospect of a break from making sack lunches and fighting the daily "hurry, up you are going to miss the bus" and "you can't wear that" battles. (Oh, and, of course, I'm thrilled about more time with my kid, too!)

But, I'm also aware that I'm entering a new juggling act....how to work without the regular routine of school...how to help my children have a fun and fulfilling summer...how to balance the constant begging for playdates (because, after all, it has been a year of being around kids all the time) and how to make the most of this outdoor season.

I'm pretty excited to put this relatively new online resource to use this summer. Nature Rocks is a national program that aims to inspire and empower families to play and explore in nature. The website has all kinds of tools like a "Find Nature" activity which enables you to search for a variety of natural spots by zipcode; a "Find Activities" feature which helps to figure out an activity appropriate for you (by age of children, duration of time available and location) -- and even a "Connect" feature which helps you connect with others.

For our little family, figuring out how to "be" in nature is second nature. Still, sometimes it is nice to have a little help thinking about what nature-rich activity to do -- and how to make it even more engaging for little ones.

No matter where you live, you'll find something in your area. Go to Nature Rocks and check it out. And, report back on what you did!

And, if you are looking for some related summer reading, why not check out Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods -- the inspiration for Nature Rocks.