Emerson Made mouse.

Now, this is a cute mouse to have in the house.

Pssst. . . Emerson Made's new clothing line includes this wedding dress. How cute is she in it?

sweet little gift #8: ballet dahlias.

For your sweetest baby cousin, Delia Mae, because she sure doesn't need anything to make her more cute, but when you see or hear the word dahlia, you think of her, and wish you lived closer so you could hug her all day long.

$14.50 plus shipping, Ballet Dahlias in 3 colors, from Emersonmade

sweet little gift #6: the most true to the heart t-shirt.

For your super stylish aunt who in the midst of raising 4 kids, finds time to dream about changing the world. And after having moved 7 + times with babies in tow, still calls the midwest the best home there is.

$25 plus shipping, Midwest is Best T-shirt, from Megan Lee Designs

sweet little gifts.

I'm not going to do too much in the way of Christmas gifting this year due to a tight budget and starting to pay back grad school loans in December, eeps! Besides that, Johnny and I are traveling to NYC for the holidays so we're telling ourselves our real gift is going to be spending time together in one of our favorite places. Furthermore, what I DO bring to gift has to be small, since we'll be living out of a suitcase for 12 + days. . .

With this in mind, I'll be posting tiny little gifts for giant-hearted people throughout the week. Please stay tuned. . .

P.S. The focus is not "on the cheap"; instead, the focus is on gifts that support good businesses, causes, the environment, the handmade movement, and most of all, love. xo.

photo via East Side Bride

eco-friendly edition #17.

wrist worms. handmade by sandra juto with 100% wool. bliss.

found via mrs. french

well hello, beautiful necklaces.

each of whitney deal's necklaces are so feminine and full of whimsy. i think they would make terrific gifts for a close girlfriend or two.

handmade jewelry.

who loves this necklace as much as i do? i don't wear many bracelets, but i do like to rock a good necklace. such a clever way to dress up with some antique charm.

photography by burcu avsar, found via darling dexter

chicago renegade craft fair.

one of the best parts of living in the windy city is found in the constant activity and list of festivals happening each weekend. it's even a bit overwhelming at times; however, i've been getting excited for the chicago renegade craft fair, happening this saturday and sunday, for over a month now. it's going to be like walking through all of my favorite etsy stores in person! i'm hoping to find some christmas purchases in an effort to support handmade goods. are any of you chicagoans planning on making an appearance? if so, let me know and maybe we can meet up. xo.

unflattering portraits.

darnit! i just discovered that i missed this totally rad event at Renegade Homemade a few weeks ago. the Misanthrope Specialty Co. & Sweetie Pie Press are touring across America, sketching "Unflattering Portraits" of you and yours. i LOVE this idea. tell me, friends, would you be willing to do this and take a little battering to your self-esteem? i would have totally taken johnny to this event, so we could have some fun refrigerator artwork.

more adorable totes.

these sweet totes, from little glowing lights, just went up for sale at their etsy shoppe.

found via frolic.

well hello, beautiful necklace

aren't these necklaces from eva at tinctory just breathtaking? i think they'd be a great gift for a close friend who would wear such a fun and divine piece of jewelry. i think you could wear a necklace like this with anything from a simple white-T to a simple, flowing dress.

found thanks to mrs. french