stocking stuffers!

What? What's that you say? You haven't started stuffing the stockings yet? Oh my. What will you do? Oh right, lucky you! I have some fabulous ideas for you tonight. And wouldn't you know they all come from the same place? One stop shopping at zuzu girl handmade!

But seriously, we still have lots of little lovelies looking for homes for the holidays. We've even added a special SALE section this week. We'll be open until Wednesday morning, December 16th to ship these pretty little things and then we're taking a long overdue vacation. We hope you are too!

jen's closet

Welcome Jen's Closet to our newly formed flickr group "it's beautiful here!". These are just a few little lovelies that you will find in her vintage shop on Etsy. I can just picture myself curled up with that fabulous lavender set sipping hot tea on a cold day like today. Beautiful!

If you'd like to chat with Jen you can find her where I did...on twitter! Oooh, and she has a second vintage shop that specializes in milk glass... and it's beautiful there too.

If you'd like to join our *beautiful* flickr group please do. We'd love to have you!

all wrapped up!

Oh how I adore sweet, simple & PRACTICAL! This photo was taken by Shauna from lemon drop studio. She posted it on her flickr page with the following explaination...

I think we have all of our holiday shopping done except for our own kiddo! This year we are wrapping in kraft paper and decorating with ribbons that we already have at home.

I was so inspired that I just returned from a whirlwind morning of shopping with two big rolls of kraft paper. Cause y'all know I've got plenty of ribbon to work through too! Cards and gift tags will all be handmade as well. Now I just need to get off the computer and get to wrapping...

shroomin' snow covered bird house

This sweet little decorative bird house is courtesy of A Forest Frolic. I found it here, on her flickr page. It's not yet available in her lovely Etsy shop...but shouldn't it be?

moustache envy?

Can someone please explain to me exactly when the obsession with the moustache started? Seriously, I feel like I can't turn my head without running into one. Was there a movie I missed? Or a book series? Sixty-nine pages of them alone when you search by "mustache" on Etsy. That's more than 4x the amount of listings you get when you search by "fairy princess wand". Hmmmm, maybe if I adhere a fake stache to the dowels on my princess wands they'd be on trend?

Here are the links to the creative moustache selling shops above...
1.ipod case 2.bandaids 3.hand towels 4.coffee mug 5.ring 6.felt stache 7.notecards 8.hand mirror 9.glass 10.necklace 11.keychain 12.set of (6) mugs 13.the amazing fake moustache

just for fun

I can't tell you the last time I actually walked into an urban outfitters store. My best guess is Soho, 1998. But every now and then I get their catalog in the mail and enjoy the read. Yesterday, the book dropped in our home and I was amazed by the cover. It almost looked like an anthro book. Almost. But the garland display was stunning so I went on line to see how they made it. And get this. They are out of stock. The very day the booked dropped they are out of the cover item. Big fat FAIL. That would not have made for a pretty biz review in my previous life.

Regardless, being the avid consumer that I am, I continued to peruse the sight. And you know what? They've got some pretty clever stuff. Pictured above, and listed here, were just a few of the things that made me smile.... 1.potty desk caddy 2.balloon animals 3.keep calm bandaids 4.ouija board keychain 5.buddha peace bank 6.crosly alarm clock 7.turquoise chopper headphones 8.retro calculator 9.lomo camera

hot for teacher

Don't forget your teachers this holiday season! Gift cards are great, but so are super cute & functional handmade gifts. Here are some of my Etsy favorites made from the hearts of these fine folks...

1.unravel me 2.berd and bee 3.lemon drop studio 4.space dog studios 5.by order of the crown 6.disconsolator

jingle bells, jingle bells...

We were so inspired by lori marie's lovely glitter bells that we made some of our own. Mind you now, that the creative whimsy of a three & six year old is hard to contain so our bells are not quite as refined as lori's...but oh were they fun to make! Those are hers above. And here...are ours...

i {heart} Etsy

My latest treasury is up! You can find it here. And I wouldn't be at all upset if you gave it lots and lots of clicks when you visited!

In case you don't get to it before 8:44pm on 12/3 and it's gone, these are the lovely shops that are included...
1.strawberry anarchy 2.piano bench designs 3.the funky felter 4.somethings hiding here 5.miss mosh 6.zuppa artista 7.i love hearts 8.joo joo land 9.i sew cute 10.jennifer ramos 11.betsy 3 12.beehive kitchenware

yo anthro...

If I opened a women's boutique I would carry all of these things. And I would call it anthropologie. Oops, someone already did that. And I love them for it.

Yo, anthro, Happy Thanksgiving!

the big "O"

Oh, Oprah. Why must you do this to me? First you announce that you're retiring and then you go and publish the loveliest little gift guide ever. I almost love you more than Etsy. Almost. And you didn't even include zuzu girl handmade in the gift guide. Nor do I ever really watch your show. Go figure. You're just THAT cool.

The "FOR HER" gift finder contains 513 items and yes, I just combed through all of them to find these fab few. Do you know how hard that was? I advise that you take a peek at all 26 pages yourself if you can find the time. But if you can't, here's a little info about the lovely little items pictured above...

1. Belart Tagua necklace
2. Hallmark adhesive gift wrap
3. Bambu nesting baskets
4. Baekgaard checkbook cover
5. Bumble and Bumble ponytail holder ball
6. Pralus Pyramide des 10 Tropiques Dark Chocolate Sampler
7. Bodum Bistro toaster
8. Chan Luu Leather wrapped bracelets
9. Rollei Rolleiflex digital camera

i love ballet

1.ribbon wands 2.white ruffle leggings 3.fuchsia petticoat 4.cupcake toppers 5.ballet shoe necklace 6.dancer wall art 7.messenger bag 8.pink ruffle tights

Zuzu and I have ballet on the brain today and had such a fun time putting together this fabulous assortment of ballet inspired Etsy goodies. We just returned from her super sweet ballet school where they are currently studying The Nutcraker. Like her mom when she was little, Zuzu loves to dance. But her very favorite part of the class is the warm up when all the girls lay on their bellies in a circle with their hands on their chins and chant together "I love ballet". They get progressively louder and louder until they are screaming so loud they must dramatically hold their ears. It's just about the cutest thing you've ever seen.

bossy e

I made these sweet ponies for Little Miss Emma tonight. Emma is not bossy in the least, it just happened to be the first title name that came into my head. I'm going to have her test them out in her sassy blond locks. If those shiny bossy E's hold up after enough use they might just become available for your sweet one too. Even if her name isn't Emma.

i heart Etsy

Have you peeked at my Etsy favorites lately?
They are all here ...

thankful wednesday

I've been quite literally stumbling over stuffing mix & Christmas decorations in multiple stores all week. Don't get me wrong, I worked in retail for 20 years, so this shouldn't surprise me in the least. But ever year, inevitably, it does. And I'm never quite prepared.

I suppose it's because I'm somewhat of a scrooge. Yup. I said it. I like to give thanks and the best thing in the world is my family...hands down. But I prefer to celebrate that every day. And not just when the calendar (and the retail stores) tells me it's time. With that said, I can still enjoy the beauty in the holidays, even if I do not decorate my house as such. This morning I searched Etsy for "Thanksgiving" items and it returned over 750 pages of handmade goodness. These were just a few of my favorites. And I'm thankful for all of them...

1.pom poms 2.felt acorns 3.dish cloths 4.winter tree dishes 5.mercury glass centerpiece 6.pumpkin soy candle 7.happy indian & thankful pilgrim 8.pumpkin spice soap

contain me

I'm a virgo. I like to organize. I love baskets. I love THESE baskets. And once I decide where they are going and what they will hold I will own these baskets. You can find the entire assortment at the Sewing Momma via Etsy.

oh deer!

Products by Etsy.
Styling by Zuzu.
The fabulous, custom & hand made poncho is courtesy of The Trendy Tot. I'm so in love with this cozy, hooded goodness, and fortunately Zuzu is too. It's the perfect weight for our chilly California mornings and it doesn't hurt that it's one of a kind which makes it super special. The leg warmers were a spontaneous but wise purchase from Fate Goddess. The black and white stripes go with everything. I love the ease in which they go on and the way they stay up just about all day and Zuzu loves that she can still wear a skirt (or tutu) when it's cold out. Guess what else I love? Etsy. Truly.

small print: I paid full price for both of these items. No one asked me to write this blog post. I just did. I'm endorsing them only because they deserve it. And Zuzu looks cute. Check them out...

paint it yourself

Daisy Creek Designs offers a super cool collection of rhinestone tees & accessories or as the shop deservedly boasts, "unique, sassy, and fun clothing and gift items for kids and adults alike!" The owner, Liz, is a Kindergarten teacher, devoted mom and all around neat lady. And she just recently she added these PIY tees (paint it yourself) to her line. The moment I saw one I was hooked. Fortunately for me, I've got connections and only a few hundred miles between me and the tee.

I held off painting for a few days because the mood had to be right. I wanted to make sure we were well fed, napped & genuinely excited to create. And we were! Zuzu had a blast painting and I took 90+ photos of the process. (A quick scroll down will leave you relieved to know that I'm only going to share about a dozen or so with you). View the photos clockwise for the full effect and apologies for the missing shirt on my little artist. We tend to remove articles of clothing when we paint...
(if you click on the collage it gets MUCH bigger)



Zuzu can't wait to wear her creation tomorrow and she will remember the afternoon painting experience with mom every time she does. At $18.00 plus minimal shipping these make fabulous birthday gifts or stocking stuffers for any budding artist! The link once again? Sure! Click HERE.

everything's coming up roses...

So I might be just an little teeny, tiny bit biased...but aren't these just the sweetest little barrettes you've ever seen? Truly, I was sad when someone snatched them up only hours after listing. Hardly the way a shop owner should feel! But never fear. I've ordered more rose buds and plenty of barrettes so you'll definitely be seeing more of these in zuzu girl's future. And in my hair.

In the meantime, here are a few of my other favorite new items in the shop this week....





Happy Monday!

modern handmade child

The new, winter issue of Modern Handmade Child Magazine launched last night. That's right...we're live! You can access the magazine easily by clicking here. Be sure to check out my stocking stuffer article beginning on page 56 for lots of great handmade finds like those shown above. Happy Shopping!