feature: sugar + spice

'Sugar and spice and everything nice,
That's what little girls are made of.'

...Well that's definitely the case if you're talking about Sugar and Spice by Christine Harling.

You might recall a sweet little doll named Lydia that I blogged about over Christmas. To say that my daughter A loves her is an understatement (I have to admit that I adore her too)! Since then we have purchased 2 more for the mini papercut, and a custom one for A that kinda looks like her:)





















You can see how much love was put into each doll, and they all seem to have their own little personalities and charm. We were very lucky to have come across Sugar and Spice while browsing on Etsy one day. Christine Harling is one of my favourite sellers, and a real pleasure to work with! Here's what she had to say when asked a bit about herself and her shop. Enjoy!























1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I'm a stay at home mom with three kids, ages 12, 9 and 22 months. I love to create...it helps me get through the long Minnesota winters. It's a lot cheaper than therapy! :)

2. What made you first want to create?
It's always been a part of my life. Ever since I can remember my mom was making things for around the house and for gifts. She always had us working on little craft projects and she even taught arts & crafts classes for kids during the summer.

3. How did you get started?
I started my first home-based business when my first daughter was about 18 months old. I loved staying home with her, but I was a little bored at the same time. I started making homemade dog biscuits and selling them locally. Long story short, that morphed into making dolls. I've been making and selling dolls since 2002. My style has evolved a lot since I first started.

4. What does your workspace look like?
My workspace consists of our kitchen table and my computer desk, which sits in the living room. I'd love to have a studio of my own, but we don't have the space. Plus, it's kind of nice that I'm around the kids even when I'm working.























5. What do you offer in your shop?
Mostly dolls, but also other things made of fabric. Right now I have fabric pears and yo yo and chenille pillows available as well. I love combining lots of colors and patterns in the things that I make.

6. What’s the one piece of advice you could give about starting your own business?
Be dynamic...be open to change. If something doesn't work one way try doing it another way....just don't give up!

7. What 3 words best describe you?
creative
introverted
optimistic



















Be sure to stop by Christine's shop on Etsy for more sweet dolls and other goodies!

handmade christmas

My kids received tons of wonderful presents this year. Lots of toys, lots of clothes, lots of gift cards. But the presents that I loved the best were the ones that couldn't be found in a big box brick and mortar store, but special treasures found on Etsy.

My sister went mostly handmade this year and while she did have to cave in and purchase a few items from Toys R Us (boys can be very particular), she was able to get almost all of her Christmas shopping done online from the comfort of her own home. This is just a small sampling of the fabulous items she gifted us with:
















Wonderful sweet pea soap that smells heavenly from Indulgent Creations, a beautiful cedar soap dish from Andrew's Reclaimed, a funky wristlet key chain from Tracy Designs and cocoa mint lip balm from Sparta Soap...all for me!
















For the mini papercut, a couple of adorable pink diaper shirts from Not Your Mom's Vinyl...yes daddy is a Star Wars fan, and Z is a bit of a spitter.























Fluffy and fanciful tutus for both the girls from The Girly Place. As well as a pink and black taggy minky blanket(not pictured) for the little one. My eldest promptly put her tutu on and twirled around the room:)























And last but definitely not least, the sweetest little doll ever, named Lydia, from Sugar and Spice! She's my favourite gift, hands down :) I've already custom ordered one for the mini papercut!

I love every single gift we received, but there's just something about presents that feel like they were made just for us. I know that with the amount of kids we have to buy for (roughly 20 in total, yes you read that right) going completely handmade is not all that practical. Plus not everyone appreciates it. But I'm thinking about doing a mostly handmade Christmas next year, or at the very least attempting to do it. How about you?