The great 1st-time-ever SWAP fun continues. I'd almost forgotten that I would be the recipient of a swap gift when it arrived yesterday and I was thrilled. I'd seen sneak previews on the Flickr page and coveted the hell out of the beautiful journal (done in a fav fabric line) but did not think I'd be the lucky recipient. Squeee! Tammy (from Texas) is another incredibly talented person with a blog and an ESTY shop. How do these women do it???? I can't even find my good camera, but the shots below are a peek at Tammy's lovely handiwork.
[gallery link="file"]
BONUS - I also received an exquisite, hand-made ornament from my very talented craftsman-friend at Quiltboxes. (It's the center picture above.) I'm already the proud owner of one of his fantastic QuiltBoxes. It has a place of honor on my dresser (I wrote about it here) and this lovely ornament will probably hang from my pediment mirror because I'm sure as heck not hiding it in a box until next Christmas.
All of the above to say that the most wonderful gifts are those made by human hands. I'm amazed and awed by the creative talent in the world. We've lost so much of our humanity by paying for things with money we can't see, downloading books or records we can't actually touch or hold - it makes me feel we are slipping down a hole into a dark, solitary place. There is no finer present than one we can hold and feel and use and sense the good intentions and kindness (and talent) of the person who made the gift. It adds an entirely new - and spiritually valuable - dimension to the gift.
Showing posts with label Gift. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gift. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Boston Gift Show Report
Well, it's over for another year. Even though the Boston Gift Show opened today, I'm all done. We've been going to this gift show for almost 20 years (Joe has a gift shop in Gloucester) so we know the vendors & the drill by heart.
In the past few years, it has moved from the old Bayside Expo to the new Boston Convention Center. It has also become about 1/3 the size it used to be. We used to spend an entire exhausting day working the show - today we did it in three hours. Honest. It was a little surreal - vendors and sales reps we've known for years were not present. Hoity toity vendors that would never deign to do a gift show for the great unwashed were actually present. A nationally known candle company had a tiny little booth there, and I got a taste of one of my favorite emotions - schadenfreude - as I walked past their booth.... without stopping. I remember having to make actual appointments to see the TY rep (think Beanie Babies) and being forced to purchase a boatload of other unsaleable plush toys in order to get the 'privilege' of buying the Beanie Babies. They were nowhere in sight. Again with the schadenfreude. There are dark secrets in the wholesale / retail universe. It makes you want to go somewhere and just live off the land.
I have learned an awful lot about retail over the past twenty years - I could not do it for a living. I just do not like shopping (or selling things) that much. I am saddened to see the lack of high quality merchandise that passes for giftware. There were some booths with beautiful and artistically made goods, but most looked it came over on a container ship. So much is imported (there were at least 30 booths selling imported pashmina (maybe) scarfs for $4 to $6 a pop) and just, well, schlocky.
This is a trend in giftware, soft goods and even appliances. It is why some brides no longer register for beautiful, quality china that will still be available 20 years from now, and instead pick out something CUTE at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware. (Good luck finding a matching piece in a year or so when you break a plate.) It's about how disposable everything has become in our current culture. I bought a toaster oven about 5 months ago and it looks like it is 10 years old. It's cheaper to replace it - and that "disposable" mentality is why our garbage dumps are so full of things that used to last for years and years. It is sad, really. Or maybe I'm just getting into old-fart mode. I have to tell you, though, we had custom drapes made for our bedroom 21 years ago and while they were pretty spendy at the time, they still look beautiful and show some (but not much) wear. I have no intention of replacing them. I don't need to! I registered for a very simple, bisque china with a fine gold rim over 21 years ago, and I still use them and throw them in the dishwasher. They are made so beautifully well. If I needed a plate, Lenox still makes them. It works for me.
Let's go out on a high note - the website for the gift show has the header I put below. I'm pleased to point out that the picture on the far left is actually in GLOUCESTER, and I live near those houses. HAH - Nothing in Boston was so lovely, eh? Well, Boston Gift Show, you're welcome!
In the past few years, it has moved from the old Bayside Expo to the new Boston Convention Center. It has also become about 1/3 the size it used to be. We used to spend an entire exhausting day working the show - today we did it in three hours. Honest. It was a little surreal - vendors and sales reps we've known for years were not present. Hoity toity vendors that would never deign to do a gift show for the great unwashed were actually present. A nationally known candle company had a tiny little booth there, and I got a taste of one of my favorite emotions - schadenfreude - as I walked past their booth.... without stopping. I remember having to make actual appointments to see the TY rep (think Beanie Babies) and being forced to purchase a boatload of other unsaleable plush toys in order to get the 'privilege' of buying the Beanie Babies. They were nowhere in sight. Again with the schadenfreude. There are dark secrets in the wholesale / retail universe. It makes you want to go somewhere and just live off the land.
I have learned an awful lot about retail over the past twenty years - I could not do it for a living. I just do not like shopping (or selling things) that much. I am saddened to see the lack of high quality merchandise that passes for giftware. There were some booths with beautiful and artistically made goods, but most looked it came over on a container ship. So much is imported (there were at least 30 booths selling imported pashmina (maybe) scarfs for $4 to $6 a pop) and just, well, schlocky.
This is a trend in giftware, soft goods and even appliances. It is why some brides no longer register for beautiful, quality china that will still be available 20 years from now, and instead pick out something CUTE at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware. (Good luck finding a matching piece in a year or so when you break a plate.) It's about how disposable everything has become in our current culture. I bought a toaster oven about 5 months ago and it looks like it is 10 years old. It's cheaper to replace it - and that "disposable" mentality is why our garbage dumps are so full of things that used to last for years and years. It is sad, really. Or maybe I'm just getting into old-fart mode. I have to tell you, though, we had custom drapes made for our bedroom 21 years ago and while they were pretty spendy at the time, they still look beautiful and show some (but not much) wear. I have no intention of replacing them. I don't need to! I registered for a very simple, bisque china with a fine gold rim over 21 years ago, and I still use them and throw them in the dishwasher. They are made so beautifully well. If I needed a plate, Lenox still makes them. It works for me.
Let's go out on a high note - the website for the gift show has the header I put below. I'm pleased to point out that the picture on the far left is actually in GLOUCESTER, and I live near those houses. HAH - Nothing in Boston was so lovely, eh? Well, Boston Gift Show, you're welcome!
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