I would like to invite you to another swell event at Hello Bluebird!  Starting with a swingin’ opening reception this Friday evening (5-8pm), Hello Bluebird is hosting another terrific 3-day trunk show upstairs (thank you, amazing landlord!).  Olive Park Links and Tea Street Vintage will be featured, as well as some swanky tunes and holiday refreshments!

Ongoing at the shop are our latest exhibit, Sewing Circle, and, of course, a packed house of handmade goodies for everyone on your list…

Please remember to keep shopping local this season.  Support handmade, independent artists and sustainable goods!

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Lancaster-made, artisanal jams and preserves by Christina Maser

Good thing this isn’t a countdown of News Years resolutions, or I’d be off to a shaky start!  Nothing like trying to hang a new show, decorate the shop for the holidays, provide excellent customer service *wink*, AND start a new habit of daily journal entries all at once!  Ha!

So, to make it up to you, I’m going for TWO features in one day!  I’ll post the Day One item now, and Day Two tomorrow morning!  So, all day Wednesday, you can have 5% off of TWO fabulous artists’ wonderful products!  Yay!

Day One: Looking for that perfect hostess gift?  Look no further!  Inspired by a visit by local indie blogger, Tara Gentile, of Scoutie Girl and HandmadeinPA, (who was looking for just such an item and took home the Cranberry Poblena), I am featuring the amazing pantry goods of Lancaster-based Christina Maser.  All of Gretchen’s foods are crafted from the freshest, locally grown produce she can find.

Hello Bluebird proudly offers a range of jams, as well as Red Sauce, vinaigrettes, soup and chili mixes, and her 100% soy scented candles.  Please enjoy our 5% discount on any Christina Maser products purchased on Wednesday, December 2nd!

Handmade Advent Calendar Idea from Cathe Holden

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I pulled out a book that I snatched up at a shop somewhere in my travels as a sales rep called “The Book of New Family Traditions.” It is filled with ideas, old and new, for how to bring more meaning and ceremony into our daily and seasonal lives.  Flipping through the myriad of clever ideas for every holiday and circumstance you can think of, I am particularly taken by the section on Advent calendars.  Each year, we struggle to put more meaning into the holidays for our children, and I feel like we manage to come up short in the last minute scramble to find every fun new toy or gadget on “the List.”  I feel like the right nightly commemoration of Advent might help us to slow down and focus on enjoying the season for all of its rich meaning and family tradition.

While I am still struggling to find that perfect family countown (better hurry!), I did have an “ah-ha” moment regarding how I can mark the days at Hello Bluebird!  This season, I plan to post one fabulous handmade item from the shop every day until Christmas Eve!  If you purchase an item from that artist in the shop on that day, I’ll gift you with 5% off–because, at this time of year, every little bit helps!

The best part for me is that, while we count down the shopping days, I get to count my blessings.  It is such a joy and reward to be surrounded daily by such amazing talent and support.  Honestly, my own “List” is pretty short this year: I have every thing I could want.

(PS–Love the spool idea above? Learn how to make one here!)