There was a subtle undercurrent of Orange running through Christmas with my in-laws last year, so subtle I was the only one aware of it. But it made for a brighter and better Christmas than many in the past.
You see, back in July 2012 someone had mentioned trying to get an improved living situation, and I took a look at their Etsy shop. Found some beautiful items that I thought would make a great Christmas present for my cousin, and that had the added benefit of directly helping a Kossack. Win-Win.
Then at the beginning of November, Sara R and others started posting Kos Katalogue diaries. I was somewhat (ok, very) blown away by the number of talented Kossacks, and the more I browsed the shops, the more inspired I was to buy as many Christmas gifts as possible from the list. Follow me below the squiggle for my tour through the Katalogue.
My uncle loves tending his fireplace, and it was with great delight that I found this hand carved bellows from fat old man's shop:
In addition to the bellows, I was able to pick up a lovely cheese board, and it, along with some holiday themed table runners from Sara R and Winglion, became my mother-in-law's gift:
Jan4Insight's shop had a lovely scarf that I combined with a chainmail hand armor piece from Nwyvre Weave Wyrks for my sister-in-law's gift:
These awesome cuff-links from Poz's Mixed Media Studio were part of my father-in-law's gift:
LoreleiHI's handiwork, a crocheted scarf, fingerless gloves, and a custom tam to match the scarf and gloves, were for my cousin:
A creative journal from Jan4Insight and a pair of fingerless gloves from LoreleiHI for my other cousin:
Mayrose made a wonderful necklace and earring set that became a gift to a friend:
A silver and onyx necklace from Wings: Hands on Silver was the perfect gift for my aunt, who frequently attends formal events as a museum director:
Pootie Pads from Sara R and Winglion make excellent gifts to friends or family with pets:
I also made sure to treat myself; Fineena's scarves are a delight to the eye and a comforting warmth in winter:
and a custom pendant from Wings - Aji was great to work with regarding the stone, size, and symbology I wanted incorporated, and Wings outdid himself:
and the back:
The Kos Katalogue is now my first stop when I need to buy something - check out these awesome gloves made by Kossack primeq, from her shop Fair Haven Fibers. Just got them last night and they are perfect!
I found the Kossack merchants in the Katalogue to be very willing to take custom orders, and as a group they were very pleasant to deal with; taking time to answer questions, prompt replies to orders, etc. It certainly beat going to the box stores at the mall, and it felt good to know that my money as a consumer was going to help liberal small business owners. And honestly, the gifts from the Kos Katalogue got more "Wow!"s and enthusiastic "This is awesome, where did you find this?!" type comments than the mass produced/retail items I've given in the past. Items from the Kos Katalogue are not only made with care and love, they're given from the heart, and that makes all the difference.
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Kos Katalogue Blogathon: November 12-November 14, 2013
Happy Holidays! Please consider buying your holiday or celebration gifts for friends and family from the Kos Katalogue.
Kos Katalogue is an online catalog of businesses owned by people who cherish and promote liberal values. Handmade or original gifts include pet supplies; fine art; quilts; jewelry; children's department; arts and crafts; stationery; books; clothing; craft supplies; electronics; food and drink; household sundries; yarn, knitting, crochet, and weaving; freelance services; software and webdesign; sporting goods; and music.
Our Daily Kos community organizers are Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, Sara R, and JekyllnHyde. Below are four examples of these handmade or original gifts. Thanks for your support.
Community Quilt Project David M Bowman Studio
Wings: Hands on Silver Laughing Coyote Woodworks
Please remember to republish these diaries to your Daily Kos Groups. You can also follow all postings by clicking this link for the Kos Katalogue Group. Then, click 'Follow' and that will make all postings show up in 'My Stream' of your Daily Kos page.
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