I am tickled to death that Country Outfitter asked me to giveaway a pair of Justin Boots. BUT- and this will come as no surprise to those of you who read the blog regularly- it kills me that I don’t have a pair to give to each one of your who entered! I hate that there can only be one winner in anything, even football games.

However, seeing as how I have no desire to drive Country Outfitters into bankruptcy, a single winner must be chosen. And today, the lucky lady, chosen at random, is…

Congrats Blendab1! You can email me with your mailing address, choice of boots and boot size (which is generally a 1/2 size lower than your shoe size) and Country Outfitters will get your boots on their way to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered! We have another pretty cool giveaway coming up very soon, so check back. (I think we must have passed some important blog traffic milestone of late, because I’m getting loads of emails from companies who want us to give their stuff away. I only accept the ones I think are appropriate and products I actually use or love or covet. Just in case you were wondering…)

I am in my hometown- Fort Worth, Texas- for my very favorite event of the year, The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo! In Fort Worth, the Stock Show is the biggest of big deals. Every school kid gets a day off and a free ticket to the show, and ranches from all over the Southwest arrive with trailers full of livestock.

In addition to the nightly rodeo, there is a midway and carnival rides and livestock shows for sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, rabbits, and more breeds of cattle than you ever knew existed. There are daily horse back events like barrel racing and calf roping.

My favorite thing though is just walking through the barns. Watching the people who have carefully raised their animals get them ready for the show gives me a lump in my throat every time. There is a kind love, a mutual respect between man and animals there that defies description.

In honor of the Fort Worth Stock Show and my love for my hometown, the nice folks at Country Outfitter are letting me giveaway a beautiful pair of Justin Boots. Which is incredible because, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I am positively evangelical about Justin Boots! They are made right here in Fort Worth.

I’m not about to commit to writing the number of pairs of Justin Boots that are in my closet but I had no problem at all picking three gorgeous pairs for the giveaway that I would love to have for myself.

Red Classic Boot

Black London Calf Boot

American Tan Cowhide

Okay, here’s how to enter to win one of these lovely pairs of boots: Leave a comment on this post telling me which pair you would choose if you win and where you would where them. One entry per person and (just this once!) we can only ship to U.S. addresses. Entries will be closed on Friday at Noon and the winner will be posted here with information about how to claim your prize. Sound good?

Good luck, Y’all! And a Texas-sized THANK YOU to Country Outfitter for allowing me to host such a great giveaway.

Hi everyone!

I hope you all are having a nice, happy Saturday afternoon, and, if you’re celebrating Christmas tomorrow, that all your baking is baked and the knitting is knitted, that the presents are wrapped, the flights are on time, the house is clean, and your goose is getting fat.

Just kidding about that last one, Brooks.

In the meantime, we have some gifts to give you!

The winner of Shirra’s Gift Guide Giveaway is Amanda, who also gives to charity around the holidays:

and, for Deb’s Gift Guide, since she’s got seven knitting books to give away, we’re sending one to each of these seven people:

Congratulations to all of you! I know I would be super-pleased to find knitting books under the tree! (Also, thank ALL of you for the book recommendations! I’ll be trying to pick up at least a few of these myself, sometime this week.)

Now, if you see your comment selected, would you please send me an email with your mailing address? You can write to me at caroline AT fiberfarm DOT com. I’ll make sure your present gets on its way posthaste.

Heartfelt apologies coming your way! I am so busy busy-ing these days that I completely and totally forgot to post the winners in our last two Gift Guide Giveaways. Mea Culpa, y’all!

I will keep you in suspense no longer! The winner of the Crush on You body scrub from Not Martha’s Gift Guide is:

Congrats Stacy! Email me at susie at fiber farm . com with your mailing address and I’ll get Sexy Laundry Day on it’s way to you right away!

And the winner of the Lego Sheep Shearing Game from Lisa’s Gift guide is:

Woohoo, Joanne! Email me and I’ll get this off to you with lightening speed!

Thanks for your patience everyone. Tomorrow will pick the winner’s from Deb’s Gift Guide and I’ll be post the next guide in the series. Only two more to go, which is good, cause the holidays are upon us.

When my friend Deb offered to curate a Holiday Gift Guide featuring books, I was pleased but I wouldn’t say I was excited about it. That was before I read her contribution. Deb has a special gift for capturing the spirit of a book in a way that gives you a taste without giving anything away. Enjoy Deb’s recommendations and be sure to enter her giveaway at the end by sharing your own favs! Meanwhile, I’ll be on Amazon ordering some of these…

***

One of my favorite things to do is to recommend books, so I was so excited when Susan said I could share some of the books I think you’d enjoy. (Yes, you.) I was going to include some actual
knitting books (since heaven knows I’ve got a lot of them to choose from since I write a blog of knitting book reviews), but decided to go with books that are more fun to curl up with without needles in your hand. Perfect for a snowy day, a lazy afternoon, or a cozy night.

Or, you know, for when you’re recovering from the holidays.

Basically, there all just good books.

In no particular sequence:

Epitaph for a Peach
by David M. Masumoto
Beautiful. Elegiac. Poetic. Wistful. Evocative. Just . . . a beautiful read. I stretched this book out over a month when I read it, just to be able to savor it. It is a memoir of a year on the author’s farm as he struggles to save his heirloom peaches in a marketplace more interested in durability than in taste. Not only does he write beautiful prose, but I could almost taste those Sun Crest peaches. Absolutely wonderful memoir.

A Life in Stitches: Knitting My Way through Love, Loss, and
Laughter

by Rachael Herron
Best known for her knitting-themed romances, this book is a delight of heartwarming essays. They’re touching, funny, entertaining, and just truly a good read. She’s such a good writer, I never get tired of it. In fact, I liked this book so much, I bought a paper copy and then bought a second copy for my Kindle. Her writing is heart-felt and vivid and rings true not just for knitters, but anybody trying to feel her way through the world. (Her first book is How to Knit a Love Story.)

Phoebe’s Sweater and Freddie’s Blanket
by Joanna Johnson, illustrated by Eric Johnson
Two of the sweetest picture books you’ll ever want to read. These are produced by this husband/wife team, and I do mean “produced.” Joanna writes them, Eric illustrates them, and together they run their own publishing company to create them. And they’re awesome. (The books, I mean … but, the people, too.) Both books start with a sweet little story. Phoebe is a mouse whose mother knits her a beautiful sweater when she becomes a Big Sister. Freddie is a platypus who can’t get to sleep at night without his special blanket. The illustrations are amazing, with so much incredible detail. You can (and should) sit and pour over them because there’s so much detail. But then each book gets even better–because after the story, come the patterns so that you
can knit these for yourself or your child. Not to mention dolls of the characters with their own scaled-down versions of the knits in the stories. If you have a child in your life (or even if you don’t), you
MUST check these out.

Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep & Enough Wool to Save the Planet
by Catherine Friend
I know, you’re already reading about a woman’s adventures on a farm with sheep (why else would you be here?), but it never hurts to get a different perspective, and this book was delightful. The author was convinced by her wife to buy a farm (told in an earlier book), and now spends her days caught between writing and helping with the sheep … except she’s still not entirely sure WHY. What good are sheep, really? And so she begins her exploration of wool and the things you can do with it and suddenly,
she’s a convert. She’s “of” sheep now, like a Spanish person is “of” Spain, and the journey and explorations on the way? Fun.

Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on
a Farm
by Jeanne Marie Laskas
Another farm-memoir. Here, the author falls in love and decides to move to the Pennsylvania countryside with her boyfriend, even though neither of them has ever run a farm before, and then of course,
hilarity ensues. It’s heart-warming and wholly enjoyable reading. There’s a sequel, too.

Extraordinary Chickens and Extra Extraordinary
Chickens
by Stephen Green-Arnytage
I had to include these, if only because I knew Susan would love the amazing photos of beautiful chickens (Because we know how Susan feels about exotic chickens.) This is eye-candy at its best for chicken lovers. (It doesn’t hurt that he has an “Extraordinary Pigs” book, too.)

Still Life with Chickens: Starting Over in a House by the Sea
by Catherine Goldhammer
After a messy divorce, this now-single Mom had to move to whatever house she could afford, and the only way she could convince her daughter was by promising her that they would have a yard so she could get chickens. Do I need to say more? You know, other than that I really enjoyed reading this, and that their trials and tribulations as new chicken owners were entertaining?

The Case of the Missing Marquess

by Nancy Springer
These are written for younger folks (like middle-grade/young-adult age), but oh! They are so much FUN. They tell the story of Enola, the much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes, who runs away when they threaten her with boarding school. Being as brilliant as her brothers, she goes to the last place they’d expect–London. I can’t tell you how much I loved this series of six books. I wanted to cheer every time she outsmarted her brothers. I started the first book with grave misgivings … I mean, a SISTER for Sherlock Holmes? The purist in me had doubts but … oh. Fun, fun, fun. I’ve read the entire series three times now, and it’s been less than a year.

Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sister’s Guide to Shooting from the
Heart
by the Shutter Sisters
We all like good photography like Susan provides here, but maybe your own photos aren’t quite up to snuff? Maybe you want to improve your skills but you’re not interested in learning about f-stops and apertures and lens focal lengths and all that other technical stuff. You just want to improve your eye for a good picture. Well, this book is charming, with some of the sweetest photos and tips on what to look for. It’s not a ‘how-to’ book, exactly, because it’s not about equipment and jargon. It’s about figuring out a new way to LOOK at the world through your camera.

Nine Coaches Waiting
by Mary Stewart
Actually, it was hard picking just one of Mary Stewart’s books to mention to you. If you’ve never read her delicious blend of romance and mystery, well, you should. She started writing decades ago and her books are gentle little mysteries with exotic locales, scrumptious food, and always a brave heroine. They’re not gritty, hard-edged mysteries, they’re not even all murder mysteries–but they’re wonderful, atmospheric, and charming. This particular one has always been one of my favorites, with its Cinderella-like parallels, but almost all of them are a delight. (And, of course, let’s not forget her Merlin series which retells the story of King Arthur and is a classic in its own right.)

Learning to Swim: A Novel
by Sara J. Henry
This is a page-turner of a book with SUCH a good story. I mentioned it on Ravelry when it came out (and even interviewed the author) and am still spreading the word because it’s GOOD. It begins when Troy, riding the ferry home, sees what she thinks was a person fall overboard from a passing ferry and, without thinking, dives overboard to help. She finds a little boy drowning in an oversized sweatshirt and gets him to land but when they arrive–there’s nothing. No worried parents, no emergency crews. Nobody who appeared to miss him. So she begins to wonder … did he really fall overboard? Or was he thrown.

And, folks? That’s just the first chapter!

This was fun! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. (Honestly, I could keep going.) Now–go to your library, grab your ebook reader, or head to your favorite bookstore and start reading! They all make great gifts OR excellent rewards for you for getting through the holiday season.

Now, as a prize? I’ve got LOTS of books, and I periodically weed out my library (much as it pains me), and I’ve got a pile of about seven knitting books looking for a new home. If you’re the lucky winner, they could be yours! All you have to do is recommend one of YOUR favorite books. (Because, hey, a devoted reader such as myself is always looking for recommendations.)

Hey everyone, Lisa Stockebrand here, and I pretty much just this minute started running a small stitch lounge in Elkins Park, PA called “The Stitching Room” so if you are every in Philadelphia, come on by!

I have to give Shepherd Susie a big virtual hug of appreciation, because she wrote a post a couple of months ago that caused me to close my eyes and take that big leap of faith in myself. So I did, I havenʼt opened my eyes quite yet, but the leap has been leapt and we will see how far I go!

So, when your idol-mentor-spirit-guide, friend asks you to put together a gift guide, you say “Heck ya!”

So, I have been wondering just how to go about this Gift Guide. I thought maybe I should organize around some sort of theme – maybe an “all-handmade” gift list, or a “for you geeky friends” list, or “organic and healthy gifts which will enhance your karma” gift list – so many choices! Well, the unfortunate early demise of the Gavleboken has given me inspiration so I give you a goaty-sheepy-homemadey-good-geeky-happy-karma list!

This is a fancy-dress-up time of year, so some jewelry is always in order, first on my list are these cute-as-a-button sheep rings!

Which were the sweetest little sheepy things I had ever seen until I saw these buttons!

One of my favorite Etsy shops is Song and Branch. If I were not careful, I would be buried under 14 tons of teeny weeny ceramic creatures -

dog and sheep

brown chicken

piggy

For a home-made sheep, Flutterby Patchʼs blog has a great little sheep pattern that comes with a story “Knitted Sheep in Woolly Land”

She also has some great owl egg-cozies for the owl fans among you, and also PENGUINS!  I love how much fun flutterby is having – everyone on the blog is going on wild adventures, making new friends and getting great clothes!

My last gift idea while we are talking about sheep, would be something for your favorite cook, omnivore or vegetarian, and your purchase will help support our favorite fiber farm, my favorite girl, Miss Daisy:

Check out the other great swag while you are there! 

If, like me, you find the idea of a knit flounder irresistible, or you have a knitting ichthyologist friend, then this is the knitting book for you.

There are not only fish inside, mind you, but other amazingly fun and whimsical creatures:

Pig

Fox

More woolly goodness that I covet, and I am sure someone on your list will covet as well, would be a great pair of felt slippers:

These are from Ing00teʼs etsy shop

or maybe you are the bootie type

I love, love, love these posters from Joe Wirtheimʼs company Victory Garden of Tomorrow:

“The Victory Garden of Tomorrow is a self-commissioned poster art project for home and community designed to inspire and educate. The “Victory Garden” represents our history of hard-working resourcefulness, and “Tomorrow” represents our aspiration to build a better world.”

They are wonderful posters and they have branched out into t-shirts:

tea towels

and postcards

This one is in my shop:

and this one is in my kitchen

Iʼm putting the flour sack towels on my list!  Best of all, every order seems to come with a chicken tattoo!

I have also discovered a great company, Peace Fleece, located in Porter Maine. Peace Fleece was started in 1985 with a mission:

“A yarn company committed to helping historic enemies cooperate and prosper through trade. Peace Fleece offers knitting yarn made from a blend of Russian, Romanian, American, Israeli and Palestinian wools as well as felting supplies, batts for quilters. Also Russian handpainted knitting needles and wooden buttons, patterns, knitting, crochet and felting kits and batting and raw fleeces for hand spinners as well as Waldorf puzzles and toys made in Russia.”

The yarn is really nice, but the wooden puzzles are great and most come with a copy of the story which inspired the puzzle:

Russian family with turnip

Grandfather Mazai and the hares

The Story of the Speckled Hen

Anthropologie has, unsurprisingly, some amazingly cool christmas ornaments, knitted and otherwise but I am totally coveting the crochet tree skirt, so much so that I may have to copy it…

This company has super wallets at a range of price points, but if you want to be my best friend, this is the wallet you will get for me:

I love that it is a wallet and purse and fun but not fussy! Lots and lots of cubbies and pockets! They have bigger bags and smaller bill folds and card covers, just sayinʼ.

The last item on my list has made the Fiber Farm rounds before, but I cannot resist it. My new workplace is walking distance from my house, and a new Co-op Grocery store is going in right across the street, our library is about four tenths of a mile further along, with my bank, the dry cleaners and a pharmacy all on the way. Therefore I think the Madsen Bike is required equipment!

Wait, you say, other than the knit flounder what, on this list, is particularly geeky? Never fear, I have found the most perfect geeky sheep-y gift. This is quite possibly the best all-purpose gift I have seen in a long time, do you like sheep? This gift is for you, like games? itʼs a game! Are you a Lego fiend? Covered. Are you 9? Youʼll love it! Anglophile? THERE IS A BRITISH VERSION!

Really, how can you possibly go wrong with Wild Wool:

A little birdy told me, there may be Wild Wool game out there for one lucky reader?

Happy Holidays to everyone! However you celebrate, raise a glass or mug and accept my toast of a warm wonderful woolly new year!

***

Susie here! We’re giving away a Lego Wild Wool Sheep Shearing game to one lucky reader! To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling me how freaked out you are that Christmas and Hanukkah are less than two weeks away a little more than a week away! [I have been so wrapped up in the photo shoot that I LOST A WEEK. Now I'm really freaking out!] Comments close at Noon on Monday. One winner will be chosen at random and posted right here.

Good luck, y’all!

I am so excited to announce the winners (x10) 0f the Slushie Cowl pattern  giveaway from Elana’s Gift Guide!  This is such a lovely cowl and I had great fun reading about who you all would make it for.

The ten winners, chosen at random, are:

Congratulations, Ladies! To claim your patterns, you will need to PM me on Ravelry so I will have your  Rav name to send the pattern to.

I am so excited to introduce y’all to my friend Elana! She is probably the only person in the world who can make me laugh all the way from Ireland on a weekly basis.  She is also smart and has done so many cool things in her life, including working for Edward Gorey!!! Could you die? 

***

 I am so crazy honored that Susie asked me to do this. I’m such a fangirl, like most of you!

I’m Elana, a 40 (eep!) year old mom of two December birthday boys, so they’re going to turn 10 and 5, and we live in south county Dublin, Ireland.

It’s been kinda a crappy year for us, since my husband Brendan was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in March, and died from complications of it in mid-July. Our year has been all over the place, and we’re still trying to dig ourselves back up for air.  So being asked to do this has made me focus on what the season means to me and the boys. We’re not really doing much presents this year, our present to ourselves is to head out to Hawaii to visit with my father (a rock star–no, really, he’s a geologist) and stepmother (who has to deal with my dad’s and my bad puns). It kinda rains here a lot, and we need some sun. I’ve learned that being with the people you love is worth more than anything else. The memories of travels with Brendan makes me want to show the boys the world.

Our traditions will be changing from here on out, but what we’ve done the past few years is normally get a tree from the boys’ school each year, and try not to set it up till the 12th (Eoin’s birthday is the 11th). Then popcorn and hot apple juice (apple cider here is alcoholic…what I would give for some American apple cider!)  Our decorations each tell a story…I have some from when I was 4, pictures of the boys, a walnut ship that my late brother made, and a felt ice skate–that’s my favorite–that was my sister’s. There’s the old plastic leis from the 60′s strung together that we can’t touch or they fall apart!  We also celebrate Hanukkah, using my grandmother’s menorah, and raise a glass to Solstice, so December is a busy month for us! On Christmas day, at the Forty Foot bathing place nearby in Sandycove, it’s traditional to take a dip in the ocean. Haven’t done it yet, but hope to!

Our family is a little quirky, and I love to give practical gifts that really suit the person, instead of just some stuff that they’ll like for a bit and then toss away.

Since I’m a parent, I tend to look for things for the younger ones. I try to shop all year for stocking stuffers, but this year, obviously, my mind was on other things. I’ll be tucking some of Restoration Hardware’s classic card games into their stockings, that’s for sure!   I love card games, and with all the holiday travel that’s going to be going on, it’s easy to deal with, TSA can’t get angry at you about it, and it helps them learn a bit too!

Brendan loved whiskey, Glenmorangie and Balvenie were his favorites. He liked it cold, but always hated the watered down bit at the end. For his birthday last year, I gave him some Whiskey Stones.  He loved them, and I’ve got a few more sets earmarked for other whiskey lovers I know.

For the tinkerers in your life (you know you have ‘em) there is nothing as much fun as Sugru.  It’s amazing! Moldable silicone that air dries in 24 hours, can withstand the heat of an oven or a dishwasher, and is electrically insulating! I know I’m talking this stuff up, but truly, it’s amazing. I’ve fixed cables, a piece of pottery, and my drainrack using it. Each pouch comes with the putty in a small sealed packet, you just knead and use and 24 hours later, POOF! There’s tons of videos on YouTube about it, hackers of all kinds love it. An Irish design student in London came up with the idea, and I still have 3 packs in my purse at all times, for those Sugru emergencies (they happen!)

Art can be subjective, I know. But this is the only person I’ve ever bought art from: Liam Daly. Disclaimer, we’re in a group of geeks who meet up once a month at a pub in Dalkey, down the road from me, and I think Liam is a lovely guy.  He’s just completed a round-Ireland bicycle trip, trading paintings along the way for places to stay. He posted on his blog while he went, but is on Twitter [@eolai] a lot too.

We bought one of his paintings last year, Lilac Sheep, and I love it.  If you think someone would be into his paintings, mainly of Ireland, get one. The price is right, and he is mucho talented.
Now, I might be in Ireland right now, but I’m a New England girl. Born in Massachusetts, there is only one type of syrup for me: proper maple. I get mine at Maine Gold.  Their maple products are *delicious*. Did you know there were grades of syrup? You can buy a selection of grades! Of syrup! Imagine hot apple cider with a touch of maple.  Mmmhmmm. I bring back their syrup each time we’re in the US for presents for folk here. They carry a lot of smaller food company items in their gift baskets, so you’re helping out the little guy as well as making someone happy! Go for one of the breakfast baskets, or one of the smaller ones as a hostess gift. If you’re nice, maybe they’ll let you stay for breakfast!

I left out the part as to my day job.  I work part time in a yarn store. Yes, you heard me, a yarn store. No, I don’t know how I got it either, but YAY!  We have talented people who work there, who create lots of shop patterns. My boss, Lisa Sisk, along with co worker Nadia Coburn, made up the Slushie Cowl pattern. I love this pattern: a quick cowl, using alternating rows of Mirasol Tuhu and Debbie Bliss Angel. We’re also pairing the Angel with some Louisa Harding Grace silk and wool for more evening stylie wear. It’s a fast knit, knit flat and then seamed. Emergency knitting FTW!

***

Susie here! To celebrate Elana’s gift guide, we are giving away 10 copies of the Slushie Cowl pattern to ten of our readers! To enter, leave a comment telling us who you will knit the Slushie Cowl for. Easy peasy, lemon squezeey!

Comments will close at Noon EST on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Ten lucky knitters’ names will be posted right here on Tuesday or Wednesday. Good luck, y’all!

The winner of the AmeliaKay Photo Giveaway from Michelle’s Gift Guide is…

Carrin L, email me with your shipping address and I will have your print shipped directly to you! susie at fiber farm dot com

Today’s Holiday Guide is curated by my friend Michelle,who also happens to be Juniper Moon Farm’s IT person and web shepherd. I met Michelle when she and her friend Kim came to the farm for a weekend farm stay. By noon on Saturday, I felt like I had known them both my whole life.

Michelle is hilarious and fun and brilliant and one of my favorite people in the whole world.  I think you’ll love her too.

***

Oh, Christmas, how I love Christmas. I have been looking forward to this holiday season since last year, when I found out I was pregnant. Christmas, to me, is all about family, and I cannot wait to experience my daughter’s first Christmas in less than a month! I am one of those people who completely tossed Thanksgiving to the side in order to focus on Christmas, and I feel no shame about that.  Sorry, Turkey, I just didn’t have time for you this year. Maybe next year.

Growing up, we had two Christmases because my parents had split up. We spent Christmas Eve  at my mom’s house, eating pizza and opening presents. We’d spend the night, and in the morning we would open our stockings – but we had to wait until AFTER breakfast to open them, which always seemed to take SO LONG to finish. And we weren’t officially done until my mom had finished her breakfast, so we always snarfed our pancakes and ended up sitting there staring at her while she took her time enjoying every last bite. Meanwhile the overstuffed stockings were calling to us from the living room…. And the best part of Christmas by far was the stockings. My mom traveled to England at least once a year and she would always pick up little gifts to hide away and stick in our stockings come Christmas. I especially looked forward to my fresh supply of Beano and Dandy comics, which were always a stocking staple.

After tearing through our stockings, we would head over to my dad’s house for presents and a turkey dinner. He always served us sparkling grape juice in champagne glasses, and we sat at The Dining Room Table and ate off The Good Dishes. He also let us open our presents as soon as we got there….

You may think two Christmases would spoil us, and you may be right. But about three weeks after Christmas, my dad would take back most of our toys and hide them to give again the next year. I think that’s why I really just like unwrapping things, no matter what is inside.

But this is a post about gift ideas, not re-gifts! So let’s get down to business.

1. One of my favorite gifts to give are photographs from AmeliaKay Photography. I try to support small businesses and work at home moms (like Amelia) as much as I can, and it doesn’t hurt that I love, love, love her photos. She does a lot of macro photography and she adds textures so her photos are always unique and lovely. Luckily she’s my sister-in-law so I can request custom photos and she’s happy to oblige. I have several of her prints and bookmarks and notecards. They come in a nice little package with a hand written thank you note – it’s such a nice touch when Etsy sellers do that!

This is my all time favorite print of hers. I actually have it as a canvas print, and it’s across from my desk in my office so I see it all day when I am working from home. There’s something about the light on the hay bales that just makes this print come alive. You have to see it in person, but it’s mesmerizing to me:

And this one is on my wishlist, such a sweet little bird:

How delicious are these pears?

2. I love coffee, and I love tea. And I love mugs for coffee and tea. This one seems perfect - my husband will always know when he’s added enough milk to my tea before he brings it to me in bed! (A girl can dream, right?)

3. I love to bake. And as much as I love my Kitchenaid mixer, I always have to stop midway through and scrape down the bowl to make sure everything incorporates well enough. I think one of these would fit in my stocking  nicely (I have a huge stocking):

4. Being a new mom, I have a bit of a diaper bag obsession. A year ago I would have just said I have a bag obsession, but diapers are now my life. I already have 5 diaper bags but I’m lusting over a Petunia Picklebottom. It’s a bit extravagant ($149) but it’s just gorgeous. And when you’re walking around covered in spit up, un-showered, and wearing mis-matched socks because you’re just too tired to care, I think a fancy bag really helps to pull your look together.

5. I think these Pikle Paks  are just the cutest little paks filled with all kinds of essentials you may find yourself needing when you are out and about. It looks perfect to just toss in a purse (or diaper bag!) and then you don’t have to go hunting around for a pair of tweezers or a hair band – it’s right there in the pak! The fact that they have one called the MacGyver Pak just puts it over the edge into the must-have stocking stuffer this year:

6. This one may be a little hard to get unless you can borrow a baby for a while, and some moms might have a small problem with that:

You email a scan of footprints or handprints or artwork or whatever you want on the pendant, and surfingsilver scales it down and stamps it into the metal. I ordered my daughter’s handprints on a pendant just like the one above, and it turned out amazing. Her shop has tons of ideas for what you can get made into a pendant – a handwritten note, a drawing, etc. I think it’s a brilliant idea for a unique, personal gift.

I’ve been waiting for so long for Christmas to get here that I almost can’t believe it’s December and soon Christmas will be a memory. I hope this year brings you many great memories – Merry Christmas everyone!

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Susan again! We are giving away a a copy of AmeliaKay’s beautiful hay bale print to one lucky reader. To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me who is the most difficult person on your list to buy gifts for and why. People are always telling me that I’m hard to shop for- in fact, Amy said that just today!

Comment close at Noon on Sunday and the winner will be posted right here on the blog. Good luck!