The holiday season is officially upon us. And while I intend to do tons of my own crafting to fill stockings carefully hung by chimneys, I’ll admit that I’m not going to have time make everything myself. Here are some little gifts that pack a big old punch, all reasonably priced and ready to ship. They’ll make lovely gifts for anyone on your long and jolly lists.

I love these sweet but practical handmade coffee sleeves from The Doe and The Mouse. They are the perfect thing to give your favorite eco-loving caffeine fiends:

Any compatriot with a vivacious fashion sense will love the sparkling pieces of wearable fruit from Glitterlimes:

You can never have too many bags, especially when they’re as cool as these gorgeous totes. Each one is hand printed using wood blocks from Ramshackle Press:

Your hotblooded sidekicks will love a pattern tank top from Mike Perry:

And your favorite person of letters will love to write notes of  thanks on these vintage wallpaper notecards from Sydney Designs:

With so much to do over the holidays, it’s nice to know you can take care of some of your gift-giving needs by supporting other crafty artisans.

November and December are gearing up to be the Crafternoon-iest months of the year. I’ve got two ‘noons each month in NYC, each with a completely different theme, and all of the delightful details are below.

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Saturday, November 14th – Handmade : Crafternoon at the New York Public Library
Time:  2:00 to 4:00pm
 
November’s Handmade: Crafternoon will be all about basic book making (both sewn bindings and not). Along with my co-host, Jessica Pigza,  our special guest will be the amazing, prolific artist Mike Perry. He will share his book arts expertise, and we’ll have lots of supplies on hand to share so that you can make your own handmade book!
 
Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building , 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, Margaret Liebman Berger Forum (Room #227, located in the northeast corner of the second floor)
 
Admission: FREE
 
Links:  http://handmadelibrarian.com/
http://www.mikeperrystudio.com/info
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Sunday, November 22nd: Second Annual Charitable Crafternoon at WORD
Time: 2-4pm
 
Join me for an afternoon of crafting for a good cause. Crafters of all ages are welcome to help us make Thanksgiving cards and decorations for the food pantry at the Greenpoint Reformed Church.
 
Want to do some crafty homework? Donate a handknit or crocheted hat, scarf, or pair of mittens. And we’ll have some yarn and knitting needles on hand if you need to add a few rows to a scarf or a pompom to a hat.
 
Location: Word, 126 Franklin Street, Brooklyn, NY
 
Admission: Please bring two cans of food or a handmade winter accessory to the event. And feel free to bring other snacks and beverages to share with your fellow crafters.
 
Links:  http://greenpointchurch.org/ministries/emergency-needs
            http://wordbrooklyn.wordpress.com/
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Saturday, December 5th: Holiday Ornament Extravaganza at SpaceCraft in Brooklyn
Time: 1:30 to 3:30
 
Join me for an afternoon making ornaments for all the things in your life that need festive decorations. We’ll be crafting up some clothespin ornaments and adorable Christmas bagels, too, in the warm and cozy Spacecraft space.
 
Location: Spacecraft, 355 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
 
Admission: $5
 
Link: http://spacecraftbrooklyn.com/
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Saturday, December 12th – Handmade: Crafternoon at the New York Public Library
Time: 2:00 to 4:00pm
 
Join us as we welcome Heather Ross, author of Weekend Sewing and two other textile mavens: Denyse Schmidt, author of Denyse Schmidt Quilts; and Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S, will all be on hand to talk about their creative work. And as usual, we’ll have lots of Library books to look at, as well as a spread of materials on hand so you can get started stitching if you wish.
2:00 to 4:00pm
 
Location:Stephen A. Schwarzman Building , 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, Margaret Liebman Berger Forum (Room #227, located in the northeast corner of the second floor)
 
Admission: Free
 
Links: http://www.nypl.org/blogs/2009/09/18/december-12ths-handmade-crafternoon
 http://heatherross.squarespace.com/weekend-sewing-gallery/weekend-sewing-photos-by-john-gruen/
 http://www.dsquilts.com/
 http://oliverands.com/