A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Made in the U.S.A!

I may or may not be having a *soap box*  moment here, so bear with me. LOL!

Is it me or does it seem that EVERYTHING is made in China these days? What’s wrong with this Country? It’s like we’ve sold our souls to the devil. Sometimes it seems inevitable though doesn’t it? I mean I’m guilty of giving them some of our money this year for Christmas but I’ve tried really hard to keep my money right here in the good ol’ U.S of A.

You want to know a good place to start? Well if you haven’t already heard of Etsy, it’s a website dedicated to handmade things. There are hundreds of good ol’ Americans trying their best to make a dollar by creating some really great stuff.

First off let me tell you that with the exception of one person, I don’t know these people personally nor did they give me anything for linking to their store. I just happen to fall upon them in my search for Christmas gifts and thought I’d pass them along. The end.

You  might recognize this first store from a giveaway I recently had.

Lip Love specializes in Lip Balms. She has delicious flavors and I just recently ordered 3 kinds myself. To me, the price is great, especially for organic ingredients. These would make great stocking stuffers.

lip balm

How about these fabric wallets from Quilted by Anne? I recently went to a local craft fair and bought one that is the exact same style and I LOVE it. I’m not a purse carrier so this fits nicely in my pocket. It holds my cash, drivers license and whatever other cards I might have.

fabaric wallet

Okay, I REALLY think I need to get this next thing. LOL!

Crispy Bacon Tarts made by Scents of Humor Candles.  Who doesn’t love the smell of bacon? YUM!

bacon tarts

Now how about that man in your life? I don’t know about you but men are just hard to buy for. But I thought this Manly Soap Set looked really good. Not to mention they are made in my home state of Maine by Rocky Top Soap Shop !

man soap

And the kids? No problem. I found lots of fun things on there for kids. Here is a Mini-Hauling Truck Kit made by Times Past Toys. I thought it looked really fun. Especially for my boys!

wooden truck

And I couldn’t mention all of these without mentioning my daughter’s Etsy Shop. She is branching out and making new things all the time. She’s recently made crocheted slippers that are just adorable. You can find them in her shop, A Ray of Sunshine.

slippers

Well if nothing else I hope I inspired you  to “try” to keep your money right where it belongs, with the good people of America.  (Unless of course you don’t live in the U.S.A. and in that case just insert your own country in place of America. LOL!) And maybe you walked away with some good ideas for Christmas gifts too.

But let me leave you with this wise word!

Just because it was handmade, doesn’t mean it was cheap!” Trust me, I’m speaking from experience. LOL!

HAVE A LOVELY DAY MY FRIENDS!!

11 comments:

  1. Love this and I adore Etsy too. They have some of the coolest photography props that I adore. Have a blessed day sweet friend.

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  2. Kim,

    I've been noticing my labels on the products we have been purchasing lately and then you wonder why we lack jobs here in the good old USA. Perhaps if we all supported those who made things here, despite the pressure to buy cheap, we might get ourselves turned right side up again.

    Love the ideas you showed and can't wait to go exploring.

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

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  3. Kim, the crocheted slippers are too cute! I'm going to go check out her shop. Thanks for sharing these links to some wonderful products. Many blessings!

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  4. Loving your daughter's slippers...too cute!

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  5. Lovely items, I may just have to do my part to stimulate our own economy by spending my Christmas money at Etsy.

    Love the lip balms and I know so many guys who would LOVE the bacon smell!!

    Blessings to you
    MrsB

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  6. man what cool finds! Love it, and those slippers are a dubba dorable!

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  7. Thanks for this post. I completely agree, it is crazy how little is made in the US anymore, though there are still a few good companies. I actually have an Etsy shop myself & it is such a great site. I love making things for people to enjoy & I love shopping from other people on Etsy too!

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  8. Oh have you tried the bacon candles? It will remind me of my grandma's kitchen I bet. I heart Etsy! And yes, you are a goob.

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  9. I so agree with promoting the handmade gifts! Now more than ever!

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  10. OK - I'm sad that I'm this behind on commenting. Please blame jury duty!

    We were studying China for history and son said - You mean the land that everything comes from?! He notices that everything says made in China on it! Lots of cute gift ideas my friend! And of course your daughter's shop is fabulous and I love my super cute earrings! :)

    Big happy-to-have-some-handmade-gifts size hugs to you! Love ya!! :)

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