The Catholic Etsy Artist's Guild

In that meandering way of internet links, I randomly happened upon the knowledge that there is a guild of Catholic artists on Etsy. Of course, I had to start poking around and found that if you type "teamcatholic" in the search bar at etsy.com you'll get 26 pages of items hand made by Catholic artisans. How fun!

Spend some time looking around yourself, but below are a few items I really liked:

Lepanto stationery by Anchor Greetings! (Be sure to look at the inside and back cover images - it's pretty much the poster child of POD!)

They also have some beautiful Christmas cards (look for the Fulton Sheen quote) and at just over $1 per card, they're a great price!

This sturdy Nativity playset by St. Luke's Brush all slides into the box for easy storage.

They also have a Guadalupe playset and a pretty darned cute Saint Nicholas doll.

These dolls by Saint Anne's Pixies are filled with details! Note Saint Mary Magdalene here contemplating her own sinfulness (her tear of repentance and the traditional skull).

Hand -poured beeswax candles by Saintly Soaps

(with a special note that the third one is rose and not pink J)

They have a number of wonderful items in their store!

If you're not familiar with Etsy, you may want to start here.

Our readers are the best!

Many thanks to Killian who not only read my post on the tartan created for Pope Benedict's visit to Scotland, but came back to leave a comment on where items in this beautiful design can be purchased. (And in plenty of time for Christmas giving!)

Thrifty Gifts: Recycling Edition

(I plan to save my other Thrifty Gift ideas for a little later in the year, but this one requires a bit of planning, so I'm posting it early.)

When my kids were elementary school aged one of their favorite "toys" involved a box of stuff that easily could have qualified as garbage. And a roll of tape. We called it the junk box (creative group, aren't we?), and it was filled with things like plastic strawberry baskets, toilet paper tubes, small yogurt tubs, bits of yarn, Popsicle sticks, bubble wrap, foam trays (but not meat trays - I don't think you could get them clean enough), Pringle's cans, rubber bands, chenille sticks, oatmeal containers, plastic lids, paper plates, thread spools, old greeting cards, etc.

It was a very fluid inventory, but the one constant was tape. I'd recommend the cheapest cellophane tape you can find and lots of it! Duct tape and packing tape are helpful for projects that need a bit more support, but since the entire cost of this gift is in the tape, you can keep the price pretty reasonable. Put everything in the right sized box and share it with your favorite creative 7-year-old. I happened to find a copy of the book pictured above to jump start some ideas, and there are lots of similar publications if you actually want to spend money on the gift, but really, it's not necessary.

What is it with kids and tape? I'm pretty sure I could not find an intact roll of tape in the house for the first 10 years of my life as a parent. It helped to be able to remind them that their tape was in the junk box.

NOTES:

• My copy of the book was free from an online book exchange, but it's also available at Amazon.
• It's not uncommon during the Christmas shopping season for stores to offer great deals on tape (sometimes even free).

DISCLAIMER: Consider your recipient carefully. Not everyone will appreciate you giving their children a box of recycling, but if you know a kindred spirit who will see the potential, this is a fun, creative idea. I have a godson who's 5, so I'm just saving the choicest pieces of junk so far, but in a couple year I know he's going to LOVE it!

Spring is in the air...

...so it must be time to think about First Communion!

Aquinas and More Catholic Goods is offering you the opportunity to write about your fondest First Communion memory, share it with others, and possibly win a $100 gift certificate!

You'll need to submit the story by March 31, and voting runs through April 30, 2010.

Complete rules can be found here, and if you'd like to read some of the stories people submitted last year, click here and scroll down a bit.

And while you're thinking about it, you might also want to do a little shopping for those gifts you'll need. My favorite? I think 2nd grade is the perfect time for a child to get their own Bible so they can read along at Mass. (Although, I do have to admit I really like the idea of personalized holy cards.)

Too cute

One of the nuns at work gave me this sleigh. It's made of 2 candy canes with 4 minature candy bars- one larger and three smaller. The whole thing is hot glued together.

Thrifty Gifts: _____ of the Month Club

This gift can be customized to fit the recipient. It works best if the giver and recipient are geographically proximate, but can still be used if you see each other monthly and can transport perishables. Basically, you're taking the expensive concept sold in magazines, and cutting out the middle man by doing the cooking/purchasing/delivering yourself.

Some ideas:
Flower of the Month (drop off a bouquet each month)
Herb of the Month (for the budding gardener)
Tea of the Month
Soup of the month
Cheese of the Month
Wine of the Month
Pie of the Month
Bar (Cookie) of the Month
Hot Dish of the Month (the latter two reflect my Midwestern heritage)
Chore of the Month coupons

You can even package the idea up nicely. Wrap up a vase, pretty tea cup, ladle, cheese serving set, a corkscrew, pie server, casserole dish, or other symbol of your gift to come.

Now, where's Margie with the hot dish?

Thrifty Gift: Chocolate Spoons

These spoons will add a little pop to your morning cup of joe or turn a cup of hot milk into cocoa.

2 cups semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips
20 plastic spoons or 4 new large wooden spoons (for a family treat)

Line a baking tray with waxed paper. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat until smooth. Dip the business end of the spoon in chocolate, then set on tray to cool. Wrap with plastic wrap and tie with a ribbon.

Thrifty Gift: Tea Cosy

At about 150 yards of yarn and a few buttons, a tea cosy is a quick knit. Check out Ravelry for pattern ideas. If you aren't sure whether the recipient's tea pot's handle is on the top or side, make a cosy that fastens with buttons for maximum flexibility. A box of tea and a packet of shortbread round out this gift nicely!

Our Lady of Guadalupe, and more

A long time ago, there live an Indian named Juan Diego. He was an Aztec Indian who lived in a country called Mexico. Juan Diego was a Catholic. All week long he worked hard in his corn field. Every Saturday he went to Mass at the Church of Santiago, in honor of the Mother of God. After Mass on Saturday, he would stay for the great celebration of prayers and Mass on Sunday.

So begins the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe as told through this fun, interactive product by Illuminated Ink. They have an ever-growing line of creative craft projects to help your family grow in the knowledge of the Faith.

Really - poke around on their site and you'll find page after page of original kits ranging from Heavenly Host paper airplanes to First Communion keepsake banners that even Church Ladies would approve of. You'll find some other things relevant to the current season, so order now and you'll have them on hand for Christmas gifts or next year's Advent. Their prices are great enough that I could've listed this post in our Thrifty Gifts category and pretty much anything they sell would make a nice stocking stuffer for your children or godchildren.

Does it sound like I'm a fan? I was first introduced to the Butek family through my annual trip to the Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference and we're always glad for the years they are able to make a return appearance there. High quality, original art, great prices, solid Catholic content - what's not to like?

Oh, and back to Our Lady of Guadalupe - I cut down the sides of an ordinary paper box and store my book there. It's lasted for several years without even getting a little crumpled this way. (It's just the type of box that reams of paper come in. My husband gets them from a recycling area near his department's copier at work.)

Disclaimer: Church Ladies have no particular connection to Illuminated Ink and do not receive any compensation from the promotion or sale of products mentioned here. They just have fabulous stuff and you should know about them.

Thrifty Gifts: Emergency Car Kit

The grandfather of Rosaleen (one of the original Church Ladies, who has taken the veil) gives his grand-children one of these car kits the first winter they had a new car.

Put the following items in a box to be stored in the trunk.

-Shovel
-milk jugs filled with sand (or a jug of ice melts)
-Flashlight with batteries
-Blanket
-Bottled water
-first aid kit
-canned food (preferably with pull tabs)
-road flares and emergency matches
-duct tape

Thrifty Gifts: Luminarios

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
[Jn 1, 4]

Growing up in Texas, luminarias, paper bag lamps directing the path of Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve, were a holiday tradition in my neighborhood. My siblings and I used to make sets of them for the parish's annual Christmas fundraiser. We used the traditional paper bag kind without incident, but if you are concerned about fire safety, the Church Ladies have a few other versions to share.

Traditional Paper Bag Luminarias
Tin Can Luminarias (safer)

Ann Ball's Catholic Traditions in the Home and Clasroom offers the safest option. Make tin can luminarias, but punch a hole big enough for a bulb to fit through in the bottom. Stake outdoor big bulb lights along your front path at least 2" above the ground. Place the tin cans over the bulbs.

Image source