Handmade is Hot!

It is this time of a year again. Christmas is coming and you know exactly what that means - Christmas shopping! With this festive season fast approaching, I thought I would make a list of unique gift ideas and inspire you to have a look at some awesome handicraft stuff. I am so excited to share with you the beautiful modern art with a traditional Polish touch which just stole my heart away! 

Buying presents can truly be a great fun as long as we change in our heads the perception of gifts as such. For some people gifts are only physical objects which are exchanged during Christmas when in fact giving a present has always got a meaning and always shows our true intentions. Obviously they are people whom we buy usual boring gifts, but I think that our loved ones deserve to be snowed under more personal, meaningful presents. Ironically, the best presents do not cost a fortune.

If you think your partner wouldn't bear getting another pair of men's novelty Christmas socks and you cannot think of anything worse than getting another hot bottle warmer or set of PJs, this post will surely be helpful. A unique look and value for money were the two main criteria which determined mine choice. Here's the list and details of where to look for more original Polish handmade Christmas gift ideas:

1. Beautifully hand painted porcelain tea cups by talented Polish lady, Hania Jakubiec. And yes, I am a massive fan of her folky designs already! Morning tea must taste like heaven when you drink it in such a sweet gorgeous candy easy on the eye cup. For me - a real masterpiece! 

in red - red roses tea cups

in blue - blue roses

the shadows of grey

a red roses tea set 

a red rose and gold flower combination tea set

and a beautifully wrapped wedding gift 

With many thanks to Hania Jakubiec (Malowanki Hanki blog), the author of the above photographs who kindly agreed for them to be published on this site. For more exciting photos of  hand painted cups, dinner sets, shot glasses, clothing and eco bags, all decorated with traditional Polish folk designs, mainly ethnic floral motifs visit Hania's official fanpage on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Malowanki-Hanki/286532751462828?fref=ts or follow her blog: folkifashion.blogspot.com. 

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2. Handmade vintage crochet and embroidered designs by Ania Szwarc. I have to say this. Ania gets my immediate admiration for cultivating basis for these Polish craft traditions that are slowly dying out in the contemporary world. I absolutely love the quality and great care for details. Just imagine snuggling down under fluffy handmade blanket on a cold wintry night with chilly winds howling outside your window. Just the idea of it has warmed me up! lol And if you are a fan of vintage, this is definitely your perfect choice.  

With many thanks to Ania Szwarc (Kot Bury blog), the author of the below photographs who kindly agreed for them to be published on this site. For more artistic photos of handmade crochet cushion covers, beautiful cuddly knitted soft toys, hand made house decorations, accessories, extraordinary crochet throws and blankets  visit Ania's official fanpage on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kot.bury or follow her blog: http://kotburykot.blogspot.co.uk/

 Halloween house decorations

crochet cat face keyrings

hand knitted purses

and finally a crochet bed throw

3. And last but not least, one of women best friends - jewels! lol I still cannot express enough of my admiration to astonishing personal creations by Izabela Stachnik. How clever can one be to do such great gifts out of nothing, basically? All she needs is a handful of beads, she says. A variety of unusual beading patterns, a range of colours and skillful hands when put together can do a real magic! A high quality and contemporary look made this jewellery an absolute timeless hit. Any woman who gets such a nice Christmas prezzie would surely love you to the moon and back!

For more artistic photos of amazing works including: handicraft artistic jewellery, stained glass, handmade table lamps, handcrafted folky keyrings, handmade animal felt hand warmers visit Venabell handicraft gallery: http://www.venabell.com or its official fanpage on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venabellshop?fref=ts. With many thanks to Izabela Stachnik (Venabell handicraft gallery), the author of the below photographs who kindly agreed for them to be published on this site. 

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried to measure how many positive vibes one can trigger by treating their loved ones with a carefully chosen meaningful gift??? For now, myself and Agatha (below) are wishing you lots ofun doing your Christmas shopping! xxx

Yet again, many thanks to Izabela Stachnik (Venabell handicraft gallery), the author of the above photograph who kindly agreed for it to be published on this site.