Gourmet Gummy Bears

Gourmet Gummy Bears

Amy from A Sweet Delivery was generous enough to send me a sample of one of her wonderfully gift-wrapped treats—gourmet gummy bears !  They were so so cute, and deliciously soft and sweet with just a hint of sourness.

Gourmet Gummy Bears

Gourmet Gummy Bears

Handmade Gourmet Gummie Bears

Handmade Gourmet Gummie Bears

Gourmet Gummy Bears

I went a little kookoo taking photos of these gummies, but I couldn’t help it—the color were just so perfect.  Luckily it was a decently big box—after each photo I couldn’t help but devour one! I am sad I didn’t think to take photos of the box beforehand, as it was in a really cute container that would make the perfect size for a gift!

A Sweet Delivery was created as a sweet, stylish gift alternative to flowers and fruit baskets. They do all sorts of wonderful candy boxes, so definitely check them out here:  asweetdelivery.com

Gold Dome Earrings

Handmade gold & silver dome earrings

March brought our handmade gift subscription participants some absolutely wonderful, delicate earrings—made by Virginia Wynne Jewelry!  These handmade gold dome earrings were created at a size just for our subscribers, and were definitely a big fan favorite.

Cute gift wrapping for handmade gift

Cute gift wrapping for handmade gift

Artists card for Fair Ivy

Artists card for Fair Ivy

As always, we loved the handmade gift wrapping, as well as learning about the artist in her info card!  The text reads:
“These collections of elegant jewelry are hand made by Virginia Wynne in a small studio in Baltimore, Maryland.  Virginia Wynne is a Louisiana native and graduate of the distinguished Savannah College of Art and Design. 

Using traditional metalsmithing techniques, each piece is individually handcrafted.  The studs are hand cut out of sheet metal, shaped, and then a thin layer of 23K gold used inside the dome with a technique called Keum-Boo.

You can find more of Virginia Wynne jewelry on Etsy!  Coupon code for 10% off: Surprise10″

Virginia Wynne handmade jewelry

Virginia Wynne handmade jewelry

Handmade gold and silver dome earrings

Handmade gold dome earrings

Handmade gold dome earrings

Handmade gold dome earrings  Handmade gold dome earrings

Handmade gold and silver dome earrings

Virginia Wynne handmade jewelry

We had absolutely wonderful feedback on this monthly surprise gift and will surely feature Virginia Wynne again in the future!

Interested in picking up a pair of these wonderful handmade gold dome earrings?  Head on over to Virginia Wynne’s Etsy shop!

Partly Sunny Tea Towel

Unique handmade tea towel

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March brought our Duet subscribers a fantastic unique handmade tea towel from Wit and Whistle, dubbed the “Partly Sunny Tea Towel”.

This flour sack tea towel is silk-screened with a hand drawn design, and the wonderful material gets softer and more absorbent with every use.  We love it!

Unique cute gift packaging from Fair Ivy

Unique cute gift packaging from Fair Ivy

We really enjoyed the unwrapping experience for this unique handmade tea towel—it felt very organic and packaged with a lot of love!  We got a little photo-happy with the unwrapping process…

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Fair Ivy Artist's Info card

In case it’s hard to read, the Artist’s info card says:

“I’m Amanda Wright, the girl behind Wit & Whistle!  Wit & Whistle offers witty greeting cards and whistle worthy paper and home goods—all designed and illustrated by me.  

Inside this package you’ll find one of my screen printed tea towels.  These are my favorite kitchen towels ever.  They’re huge, and they get softer and more absorbent with every use. I hope you love yours as much as I love mine!

Please come visit me at witandwhistle.com to shop or to browse my blog, where I share glimpses behind the scenes at Wit & Whistle and lots of creative inspiration.” 

Design Handmade tea towel

Design Handmade tea towel

Organic handmade packaging

Cute hello tag in succulent planter

This was one of our most well-received handmade surprise gifts yet!  Definitely head on over to Wit & Whistle’s shop, as well as take a look at her crafty blog for some wonderful inspiration!

 

Giveaway: Handmade gold heart dangle earrings!

Handmade gold heart dangle earrings

We’ve been lucky enough to pair up with handmade artist VenaDiAmore, who is offering these wonderful handmade gold heart dangle earrings as a prize to one lucky winner!

To enter, simply share this blog post on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest using the buttons below, and then comment letting us know you did!

Winner announced Friday April 11th via this blog—so be sure to sign up for updates in the sidebar —>

Succulent arrangements clas

Cute succulent arrangements in cups

This past Sunday (March 30, 2014!), Whole Foods invited Fair Ivy owner Lucy (that’s me) to teach eager crafters about a fun way to personalize your dinner place settings.  The DIY Dinner event was connected with Whole Foods’ new online publication called Dark Rye.

I decided to combine three of my favorite things to create this DIY class:

  1. Crafting
  2. Upcycling (definition: The process of converting old or discarded materials into something useful and often beautiful.)
  3. Succulents!

So I headed to the art store, the thrift store, and my own garden to gather the materials.  Check out the photos from the successful event!

Succulent planters

Twigs for succulent name tags

Succulent collection - how to plant succulents

Washi Tape collection

Dark Rye Whole Foods Presentation by Fair Ivy - Succulent Arrangements

The main materials were:

  • Pots and cups that were upcycled with spray paint
  • Succulents snipped from my own garden as well as from generous friends (you can just put a clipping into the dirt and 90% of the time it will just grow its own roots!)
  • Paper scraps and twigs to create the name cards

Below are a few simple samples I brought to give participants an idea of how these succulent arrangements could be used as DIY dinner table settings—plus, as party favors that guests can take home at the end of the night!

Thrift store dishes upcycled into cute succulent planters!

Dark Rye Whole Foods Presentation by Fair Ivy - Succulent Arrangements

Dark Rye Whole Foods Presentation by Fair Ivy - Succulent Arrangements

Dark Rye Whole Foods Presentation by Fair Ivy - Succulent Arrangements

Whole Foods presentation - Lucy from Fair Ivy

Above: Me in action, teaching the steps.  Below: Whole Foods was generous and provided us with delicious snacks and drinks that were perfect for the warm yet breezy afternoon outdoor event!

Whole Foods snacks

Whole Foods Dark Rye Recipes

Whole foods presentation from Fair Ivy

Succulents in cups

Make a succulent mini planter

Make a succulent mini planter

There were so many wonderful cute succulent arrangements created by all the participants!  Check out some of my favorites below:

Thrift store dishes upcycled into cute succulent planters!

Thrift store dishes upcycled into cute succulent planters!

Thrift store dishes upcycled into cute succulent planters!

DIY succulent planter

DIY succulent planter

Succulents in dishes

Thrift store dishes upcycled into cute succulent planters!

Cute Succulent Arrangements

Succulent how to

It was a ton of fun—a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  A big thanks to Whole Foods for inviting me to teach, and to all the wonderful participants who were so enthusiastic and creative!

Handmade hammered silver necklace

February brought us some wonderful surprise gifts—and the jewelry item was a definite joy to receive (and now to wear)!  Jill from Grey Goose Gifts—one of our favorite repeat artists—was the mastermind handmaker between February’s handmade hammered silver necklace.

Let’s delve into the exciting package-opening photos!

Mystery package from a Fair Ivy artist

Mystery package from a Fair Ivy artist

Mystery package from a Fair Ivy artist

Can’t wait to find out what is inside!

Mystery gift!

 Cute handmade gift packaging!

This adorable little box was a classic Grey Goose Gifts packaging style, and we love the simplicity and cleanliness.

Cute handmade gift packaging!

Cute handmade gift packaging!

Cute handmade gift packaging!

Handmade hammered silver necklace

The hammered necklace is revealed!

Handmade hammered silver necklace

Handmade silver hammered necklace

Handmade silver hammered necklace

Artist's Card

The artist’s card reads:

“Each piece in the Grey Goose Gifts line is designed and handcrafted by artisan jeweler Jill Goulait.  Her simple, delicate designs feature bold geometric shapes rendered in sterling silver and 14 karat gold fill.  Jill’s versatile pieces are perfect for wearing along, or for mixing and layering.”

Handmade hammered silver necklace

Kilee from One Little Mama even adored this necklace when she received it as a Fair Ivy surprise gift last month!  Check out shots of her modeling it (photos courtesy of One Little Mamma, of course!)

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We can’t wait to see what other fantastic handmade surprise jewelry items Grey Goose Gifts has coming up in her store in the future!