Give & Tell with Amy Turn Sharp of Little Alouette

I met Amy shortly after Alt last year. She’s a hoot, a poet, and the wood queen of Little Alouette, an organic wooden toy shop she runs alongside her master carpenter husband, Joe.

Their toys are beautifully handcrafted, wonderfully natural, and the kind you keep in the family for a long time. I gifted a wooden letter H to baby Harper last spring and I’m still waiting for the right little person to come along to give these gorgeous stackers to. Love the grain, don’t you?

If you need a gift for a wee one in time for Christmas or Hannukah, this wooden guitar and mustache rattle are in stock and ready to ship. And they’re awesome. Naturally.

Amy’s a mother of 3 in Columbus, Ohio. She’s also a public speaker, novelist, twitter addict, and blogger. Babble has named her as one of the top 50 Etsy Moms two years in a row. Thanks for joining us Amy!

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?

When I had my last baby my friends bought me hours of mothers helpers in advance. That was ace. I will always think about that. Mother’s are good gift givers.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?

I think when I collected a life scrap book for my gran’s 89th birthday. I took photos and letters from everyone in her life and mementos and compiled them together in a large book. She cried for days and days. She held the book for a long time.
Read More

Comments Off

Give & Tell

Give & Tell with Creede Fitch of Grassrootsmodern

Creede Fitch of Grassrootsmodern Creede coins himself a frugal design junkie. His site Grassrootsmodern is a long time favorite of mine filled with modern styled home goods at reasonable prices—in other words, many Wants!

He loves miminamist and mid-century influences and often finds himself with a hammer and drill in hand in order to achieve the style he wants without breaking the bank. He started Grassrootsmodern six years ago in order to share his ideas and inspirations on affordable design—you’ll recognize his blogging cohort, Wantist contributor Capree. (Design sleuth extrordinaire, that girl!)

Creede lives in Utah with his son, daughter, and golden doodle Ainsley. In between sharing awesome finds and working on his house, he took some time to Give & Tell with us today. Thanks, Creede!

What’s your favorite reason to celebrate with a gift?

I love holidays, and I definitely get into the giving spirit around Christmas. That being said, the best reason to give a gift, is no reason at all. I mean really, who needs a reason to be nice to someone, or show them you love them?

What’s the best food to give as a gift?

I could go two ways here. If the person is close by, there is nothing better than giving a gift of a home cooked meal. Everybody loves to have a nice dinner cooked for them, plus you get to share to food. Win, win. Of course that’s hard to do for you best friend out of state, so in that case I default back to my favorite food group. Chocolate. There is a fantastic selection of quality chocolate out there, my local favorite is Amano. If your friend isn’t chocolate savvy make sure you enlighten them as to the finer points of the bar you chose.
Read More

Comments Off

Gift it

Apple & Cherry & Pumpkin – OH MY – It’s the Holidays, Let’s Make Pie!

Pies made with the Breville Personal Pie Maker

Ever hear the term “all the rage?” It’s often used to refer to current trending items or topics. Lucky for us, pies are “all the rage” every year. Fall is in full swing, and winter is creeping just around the corner and what better way to ward off those harsh cold nights than with pie? Particularly with the holidays in full swing, pies are more popular than ever this time of year and whether you’re a natural Martha Stewart in the kitchen or deathly afraid of baking, we’ve got you covered!

1 Comment