Plan Now for the Holidays – Order Early & Order Handmade!
Two weeks ago I was shocked to see that my local Whole Foods had holiday decorations up – not Halloween, not Thanksgiving, but Christmas and Hanukkah decorations. Yikes! At first I was disappointed, but a friendly cashier changed my mind. She told me that she sells custom designed, hand-knit sweaters on Etsy and that her holiday ordering deadline was quickly approaching. That got me thinking. I’m a huge supporter and consumer of handmade products. It’s a great feeling to give or receive a gift crafted by an artisan. I have a long list of arty-farty folks on my gift-buying list. I’m guessing most of you travel photography buffs do too.
Arty-Farty Gift Idea #1: A Lovely Leather Tote Bag Full of Creative Joys
[© Robyn Porteen]
I’m not a big fan of packaging. I’m even less of a fan of wrapping paper. The thought of all the paper created and discarded in a single holiday season nauseates me. Why not give your gifts wrapped in a reusable bag? Wouldn’t it be even better if this bag were handmade? How about if it were sassy, sexy, practical and great for day-tripping…wouldn’t that be fabulous? If you answered yes, then you’ll love Robyn Porteen’s latest artisan-designed-and-made bag for women – the leather tote.
[© Robyn Porteen]
The Bag: The glory of this bag is in its details. The angled top. The softness and texture of the leathers. The pretty, patterned fabric lining. It’s well made and stylish!
Filling the Bag: I am field-testing this bag as my “creative cross-training” bag of fabulous creative projects. It has yarn and a crochet hook for making granny squares; a magazine about creative writing; a half-filled art journal; a sketch book and some oil crayons; a book about creative exposure techniques; and my point-and-shoot digital camera. I’ve recently focused my will on being (regardless of obligations and work) relentlessly creative. Having a bag full of fun, half-finished, playful art projects handy has made a huge difference in realizing my goal. I believe that all artists must play and I recommend thinking beyond just photography when buying objects to fill this bag – any and all fun art and/or craft items would make awesome gifts for artists at any level of experience!
Porteen Gear Holiday Ordering Deadlines:
Orders in the United States – Cut Off Dates:
International Orders – Cut Off Dates:
Please do consider buying handmade for the holidays!
In joy,
Melinda Eliza
Click here to read my Review of Porteen Gear DSLR bag.