Sweet DIY Gifts for Under $5!

Do you like receiving handmade gifts?

I do! Some of my favorite things are made by friends, each one telling a little story- like a ceramic bird that rests on my fireplace or an embroidered tea towel that I made into a cafe style curtain. Each handmade gift is a little treasure. Sure, making things takes time but adds so much value, not to mention it's often budget friendly~

Maybe it's the cold weather moving in, but I've found myself in a very crafty mood in the last few weeks. It started with a hand sewn patch for a baby blanket, which inspired me to make some new napkins in time for Thanksgiving, which led to an insatiable desire to decoupage!

My plan is to make a variety of yummy sweets and fill these boxes for a little holiday joy-making. I'm always looking for nice containers for gifts of all kinds and decided to try making my own. This way, it's like receiving two gifts since the box itself can be used for other purposes. I also like the fact that you don't have to wrap it, and there's much less waste involved.

For this project, I chose sturdy cardboard boxes with lids and wooden boxes, with a few little wooden purses for children. Both the boxes and the wooden containers cost between $1-$4 a piece at Michaels, although an old hat or cigarette box would be cool to use, too. I purchased sheets of craft paper at Micheals on sale for only 16 cents- making this project very easy on the old pocketbook. Children's art, old maps, wallpaper, and even fabric would work as well. I also incorporated some of my art and my daughter's art into these pieces because the stuff is too precious to throw away, yet we have mounds of it!

These little gems are super easy to make. Just grab your box, glue the paper and use Modge Podge (which you can get at any craft store) and gently brush over the whole thing to complete. A medium container of Modge Podge is about $8, which goes a long way. But, if you want to get super thrifty, you can make your own glue like we did.

This Homemade Glue Recipe is just made of flour, water, sugar and vinegar. There's no chemicals, and you can even eat it (don't recommend it, but OK for small children who tend to want to taste everything!) We used the homemade glue to glue the paper to the box, then used a light layer of Modge Podge over the top to keep it sealed. You can choose glossy or matte finish.

Now we just need to make the cookies- any favorites recipes you'd like to share?
xo- Happy Crafting!

Naughty Dog. Cute Skirts.

It's Thursday!
Time for MY LITTLE BRATTLEBORO, where I talk about art, culture and style on Brattleborology.

The other day I was shopping in one of my favorite downtown stores, Twice Upon a Time, and I happened to find the CUTEST handmade skirt. It was perfect since my BFF was coming to visit from Cali bringing her adorable little 3 yr old and I needed a gift. Luckily, I was able to get a matching skirt for my daughter so they could be twinkies. I was so excited that I emailed the designer and found she was local! Jamaica is local, right? I mean, it IS Jamaica, VT. Here's her story:


Twinkies. Skirts by Naughty Dog.



Kim Rak, Naughty Dog

When did you start making clothes, and what inspired you to do so?
I started making clothes when I was a kid - my mom was always making things for me, and gave me my own machine when I was a teenager. I remember making clothes in college for kids going to parties to make extra money. When my son was born, I made some of his clothes. Several years ago I realized I needed a retrospective, a portfolio, to make sense of my life in the arts. I decided to develop a children's line as a business model for colour expression, and because children's clothes wouldn't require many materials. It helped me find my confidence again, and here we are today.

What's your story?
I have always had to relay on my resourcefulness, inventiveness and attitude to make ends meet. I lived self sufficiently for 15 years (using a treadle machine during those years,) by choice. Growing up in the 60s and 70s with a European mother who was a refugee from an occupied country, and a french Canadian father who

was an orphan for part of his life, brought me a different perspective of living life. Being of modest means, I have a tendency to feel challenged by day to day activities - how can I make it brighter, more interesting and more fun? The byline of my portfolio project is inspired by a line from a postcard my son sent to me during one of my most creative times "Hope you're Having Fun!", it's something I think of daily and thus became part of the logo/branding of The Naughty Dog. Though we have our own naughty dog, I imagine we all know and love the spirit behind any family "naughty" dog.

Where can we find your stuff?
Right now, my stuff is available at Jamie and Dave's, Jamaica Coffee Shop in Jamaica, Vermont and at Twice Upon a Time in Brattleboro, Vermont, and on Etsy at The Naughty Dog. I do have a website, that is currently down, at www.thenaughtydog.us. (I hope to have that running and up to date soon.)

Anything else you'd like us to know about you or your creative work?
hmmm. I think that it can be hard to let creativity just happen in everyday life...you have to practice that idea. Once you have, it's important to take time to enjoy the beauty, you know, admire the moment... and..then..do it again. Do it for growth. Do it for happiness. Share it. Teach it. :) It's most enjoyable!

Thanks Kim for sharing your story. Are you creative? If so, I'd love to hear from you. Send me a note in the comment section below and stay in touch HERE as well.

Dar Tavernier-Singer

Brattleboro, VT attracts a lot of artists, musicians, and other creative types. People choose to live here even though the economy is tiny because it's a lifestyle where one can create. It's pretty common to hear the term "piecing it together" in reference to the all consuming question, "what do you do?". 
We piece it together and somehow it works. 


In fact, by piecing it together we are allowed to tap into multiple selves and get away from that awful thing called "specialization". 


I prefer to celebrate and admire those who are boldly multi-talented- like this Vermonter, Dar Tavernier-Singer.  She describes herself as an artist, graphic designer, chocolatier, magpie and bowerbird. She has two Etsy sites, both with a small but beautiful selection of handmade items. Below are a few of my favorites.

Etched in water buffalo bone, this scrimshaw piece was made with waterproof sepia ink that was sealed with a beeswax resin, & strung on a delicate filigree copper chain with copper lobster clasp. By Dar on akimbaMade.

two initials etched side-by-side on one face of an oval disc, which spins to say "beloved"
on the other, both in graceful script

Imagine getting one of these necklaces in the mail. Delightful!

Flour sack cotton towels, hand printed with antique hand-carved Indian woodblock

Simple and Beautiful Hand Towels by Flo & Ella, named after Dar's Grandmothers

~Visit Dar's blog, Bucolic Splendor, for more visual goodies and tell her to keep multi-tasking~