Ten on Tuesday | Shopping Locally

Perhaps you were in line before eight o'clock on Thursday, perhaps you stayed out all night in search of the season's best deals but unlike many, Trevor and I skipped out on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Though I've managed to snag luggage and expensive sweaters on Black Fridays past, this year, I've been focusing on keeping my Christmas spending local, handmade and small. (Plus, it's Tuesday and I'm really confused about why I'm still receiving Cyber Monday e-mails.)

You've undoubtedly heard of Small Business Saturday, a product of American Express. Am I the only one who finds this ironic? But, I've tried to make shopping small a bigger part of our holiday shopping. In Montana, our shopping options are limited in many ways. Our only affordable local grocery stores, chains.  (Though, we are glad to support Hennessey Market for our gluten free needs and the Good Food Store when we make it to Missoula.) For that reason, we unfortunately do much of our grocery shopping at Walmart. Perhaps its that guilt that's led to my newest insistence for support independent artists and local businesses.




I know that the idea of not shopping big box stores seems revolutionary to some and so, I've dedicated this week's Ten on Tuesday to ways to support local and small businesses.

1. Independently owned restaurants. Rather than grabbing chicken fingers and fries at Applebees or a microwave-cooked meal at Red Lobster, try eating at local dives and family owned restaurants. When out shopping with friends, grab a sandwich and soup at a local eatery instead of a burrito from Chipotle. A second way to support local restaurants? When you don't know what to get someone, grab them a gift card for food. Perhaps your friend or in-laws haven't had a chance to check out the new local place but buying them a gift card is not only a great holiday gift but also a great way to spread the word about supporting local.

2. Local coffee. Yes, we all love Starbucks. Especially those holiday cups, right? But, most towns have their own coffee shops - even in Montana. Actually, here, we have these adorable little coffee huts. You drive up to a little wooden shed, order your coffee and get on your way - without the Starbucks line. When family is in town to celebrate, consider picking up your morning joe from the local coffee shop instead of Dunkin Donuts. Gift cards and locally roasted coffees also make great stocking stuffers.

3. Microbreweries. Let's be honest, most of the guys in your life would prefer a six pack of unique beers to a new sweater. Chances are you can find a local brewery near you to - according to CraftBeer.com, most Americans live within 10 miles of one. If you need helping finding local beer, check out their search. In Montana, we have Big Sky Brewing Co. and Bayern Brewery in Missoula for beers and Headframe Spirits (located in uptown Butte) for various liquors.

4. Florists. Many florists now network with companies like FTD or Teleflora but making a purchase still benefits the small business front you are shopping through. A great gift for your boyfriend's mom or perhaps even grandmother is a holiday wreath. Wether you're looking for real or fresh, chances are, you can find a great option through your local florist. And, after years of working for a florist myself, I know that hurricane centerpieces are also a big hit when you're hosting holiday dinner. If you're in the central Pennsylvania area, I highly recommend Pealer's Flowers but no matter where you live, there are plenty of choices.

5. Handcrafted jewelry. If there are women on your shopping list, chances are that you have jewelry on your holiday radar. Though big box stores offer plenty of choices, local and handmade jewelers offer even more unique options. My personal favorite? Tina Steinberg's line of clever charms, personalized lockets and fingerprint jewelry.

6. Clothing. New clothes are a girls best friend. Or at least their best weakness. Though I will always love swooning over Anthropologie's newest finds, I have tried to add more handmade clothing choices to my wish list. During winter, new hats, gloves and scarves make great gifts for friends and Etsy is full of hand crocheted and knitted options. For Aiden this year, I chose a Montana shirt from local Montana mom & maker, Nici Holt of Dig This Chick. And personally, I'm hoping for one myself.

7. Non-profit Giving. Making a donation to a community non-profit in a friend or family member's name is a great choice for someone who is impossible to buy for. Eventually, this donation comes back to benefit the community where you live, as well. Other options include purchasing toys for families in need or donating holiday dinner ingredients to local food banks.

8. Shopping on Main Street. Like I mentioned this weekend, Anaconda held a great Christmas Stroll on Black Friday. The idea? To get locals shopping on main street. While your town may not host a christmas event dedicated to shopping locally, you should take the time to check out your downtown or local farmers market. In Wellsville, we had Weaver's Meats - and who doesn't want a gift certificate to buy meats and cheeses? I mean, that'd be a great gift in our house. Anaconda, on the other hand, has gift shops, clothing boutiques, and bakeries.

9. Christmas bazaars. Another way to support handmade gifts is to frequent the little bazaars that seem to show up this time of year. These craft shows usually feature an array of products - candles, candy, clothing, something for everyone - even pet treats! Better yet, these events are a great way to spend time with family or friends. Check your local newspaper and store bulletin boards for dates and times.

10. Pampering. Spas, hair salons, and nail salons are typically locally owned and operated. For the guys in your life, massages are also a great option. For a meaningful gift, take your girlfriends for a pedicure on you before all your biggest holiday party. Go for a couples massage with your boyfriend. Get your mom a gift certificate for a hair cut and color.




While there are other ways to support local and handmade businesses, I think that these suggestions provide a great start for changing your shopping habits.

So tell me, what are your favorite handmade or local businesses? 

Schwine Design Giveaway!

It's no surprise to anyone that I am an Etsy addict - I love all things handmade.
I love them even more when they're made by friends.

So, let me introduce you to Schwine Design - a fabulous Etsy store for handmade jewelry, crafted by my friend Lauren. When I first met her, her fun jewelry was the first thing I noticed. I was so excited to find out that she made it all herself.

"Ive been crafting for many years, since a young child.. I was introduced to the art of jewelry making about 4 years ago. My favorite part is the creativity and freedom I have with it. There is no right or wrong way to make the jewelry, because I design it. I really enjoy letting my mind wander and coming up with beautiful creations."

Summer is always the perfect time to indulge in new, fun, brightly colored jewelry and Lauren's store is the perfect place to do it.

                            
"At the moment, the summer is inspiring most of my designs. Even though the summer inspires my designs, they can be flaunted at any time of the year."

Right now, Lauren's shop is featuring a lot of hemp jewelry but she loves a lot of other materials like mood beads, greek ceramic beads, ribbon, swarovski crystal, wood beads and lamp work beads. She also loves sterling silver. In addition to fun and different materials, she loves different techniques like macrame, wire-wrapping and bead-weaving.

"Right now my shop features mostly hemp, however I hope to expand it one day, and sell a variety of jewelry including silver jewelry."

The best part of it all? Lauren is offering to add a little extra style to your summer jewelry choices - for free! She has agreed to give away two fun designs to readers here.

It's taking a lot of determination to actually give this away! It's so cute and classy. The ribbon was hand-dyed by Lauren to a fabulous light blue and is woven with silver chain. I've seen designs like this in high-end boutiques for expensive price tags. Personally, I rather support local hand-made jewelry like Lauren's. Besides, it could be yours free!

Lauren is also including this fun summer design! Floral accents are always in style but more so than ever. I'm a huge fan of the color orange (another surprise, right?!) and love this, too. 

To enter to win a bracelet, go visit Lauren's Etsy show and tell me which piece of jewelry is your favorite! It might be tough to decide, I know. Leave a comment here describing it, once you pick! While you're there, if you make it a favorite, leave an extra comment.

To get a better chance of winning, you can get a few extra entries by doing the following:

1. Like "Schwine Designs" on Facebook!

2. Follow Lauren on Twitter!

3. Post a status or tweet about this giveaway with a link to this blog post!

"Check out this fun summer-time jewelry giveaway from Live Beautifully and Schwine Designs. http://tinyurl.com/62ed9ab"

For each of the entries, you must post a separate comment! You have until 8:00pm on Wednesday, July 6th to enter. At that time, I will choose the winner through a random number generator and get the jewelry to you when I get home from vacation.

Classy

There are few things I love more than getting packages - or really, mail in general... even the credit card applications with nine pages of regulations and restrictions in English, nine in Spanish and four in Russian. But as you know, I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new camera strap. Today, I received the USPS tracking update that the package had been delivered to my home at precisely 12:25 and only four hours of babysitting and a night class stood in my way of opening the newly arrived manilla envelope.
 

My house lacks good acceptable lighting.

I couldn't be happier with it. The best feature is the plush lining across the shoulder but the ruffles are nice too. Every girl could use a little more ruffles in her life. If you happen to be looking for a new camera strap too (or would like to start thinking about a birthday gift for me..), check out Sassy Strap on Etsy - she carries straps for your DSLR, Point & Shoot, and even simple lanyards. The best part? Quick shipping. Mine arrived in less than five days including a southern snow storm and a Sunday. Now that's classy.

For those of you who are lucky enough not to talk to me every day, you may not have realized that "classy" has become my catch phrase - the word of the day, week, and month. Typically, it finds itself being used sarcastically and mockingly at the situations and people I encounter from day to day. But, occasionally, it means just what it says - classy. [Ahem, see the paragraph above.]

I always seem to have cling to words. You may remember the "legit" phase. Maybe "meep"? Or  possibly "bahaha"?

I don't think many things are classier than Sunday night football with the guys except a simultaneous taco night and Steelers win. Who am I kidding? There's nothing classy about the Steelers.

You can bet that such a combination is how I spent my Sunday night. After watching a miserable Bears lost and consequently seeing Ryan's heart break a little, Sean joined us as we ventured to Giant to seek out the perfect dinner choice. So we braved the 7 degree weather and piled into Ryan's not-even-remotely-warm Mazda to wander the fluorescent lit aisles until deciding upon tacos. Soft and hard, we do it right. Honestly, we couldn't have made a better choice - they were delicious. But then again, dinner always tastes better when you can leave the dishes to someone else your boyfriend.


That's Ryan's "Please put the camera away, already" face. Love it.

I know it's not much of a post but I wanted to simply stop in and update you on the musings of my weekend before a week jam-packed with interesting (no, really) blog posts. You can look forward to a Penn State York THON feature including Basket Bingo and our Dancer Announcement, a look at the Hope Express and my advice for surviving forty-six hours on your feet.