Handmade Holidays Kick-Off

The holiday season seems to be in full swing, tv advertisements and all.  Except for the weather here in Colorado (high of 73 tomorrow!), it is beginning to feel festive.  A procrastinator by nature, this is normally the time of year I think I should start shopping for presents, but never actually do.  Often I end up surfing for the one-size-fits-all gift card, the procrastinator's gift I hate giving but sometimes turn to anyway.

Anyway, this year I thought I'd spend a little more time thinking about gift-giving, and maybe avoid the plastic-card kiosk, by focusing on handmade gifts, and the wonderful people who sell them.  If you read my blog, you know that I'm a big fan of supporting micro-business, especially those that creative women operate, and I love challenging myself to consume in more mindful and resourceful ways.

So, to kick off "handmade holidays," I thought I'd start with a do-it-yourself project.  Now, I can't take credit for this idea--I stumbled across it on Jessica Jones fabulous blog, How About Orange.  The project is making Oreo truffles and packaging them in adorable handmade boxes.

I know, I know...I'm starting with junk food, the holiday nemesis of every waistline-conscious woman, but I couldn't resist.  Make the truffles for someone else if you're practicing junk food abstinence.  Or skip them altogether and just have fun with pretty boxes.

Here's my "craftivist" twist to the project: send out invitations or evites to invite your friends over and make a party out of it.  Tell them that the price of admission is canned food, which will be donated to your local food bank (they need all the stock they can get any time of the year!).

For links to the recipe and boxes, click here to read Jennifer's original post.

And let me know how it goes by emailing me at shillberry@comcast.net.  Also, don't go too far!  Check back in later today to read about another Marketplace Maven!