I’ve been a wee bit heart obsessed lately. Blame it on the onslaught of Valentine’s Day stuff, my inherent girliness, the fact that I have two daughters or some combination of the three. Whatever the reason, my inner six-year old has been ooooohing and ahhhhhhing at just about anything with hearts on it.

So what better way to celebrate hearts and get them out of my overly sentimental system than to rummage around Etsy for some handmade goodness? Here are a few of my favorite finds:

So, this should surprise no one, but… I’m kind of a geek. And as a geek, I’m attracted to geeky fashion. If there’s anything whimsical or any kind of typography involved (oh hey, Kate Spade!) I am so in. And I’ll probably do a whole lot of squealing.

I also happen to love the combination of something casual and ranking kind of high on the nerd scale with something more feminine, like an a-line skirt. I like to call this combination geek chic (mostly because my inner word nerd loves the way it sounds).

Take this look, for example…

Instead of heading to the toy store and picking up a mass-produced hunk of plastic that anyone with a TV could have thought of, why not step outside the box a little bit and get something unique and handmade? Aside from potentially becoming the cool relative who buys the awesome toys, you can also help small businesses make a little extra cash money money this holiday season.

Take a peek at some of the cool kids pieces I found on Etsy:

Armadillo Dreams toolbox set / Girlie Q’s pot holders and dish towel / Kat and Company jar of bugs sorting and counting set / Apple n Amos natural wood milk and cookies set / Rustic Patriot Girl slippers / Kitty Baby Love natural crayons / Keepsake Toys eco-friendly wooden balancing toy / A Shiny Beetle sushi felt food set / Bannor Toys cars / The Joyful Rabbit stuffed babushka

Now, don’t get me wrong. My girl has some things on her list that require a trip to the mall (or in my case, a Google shopping search) and I’m not about to disappoint her. All I’m doing is suggesting that you give some of these (incredibly awesome) options a little bit of thought.

I have a sneaking suspicion that they might just last longer than some of the cheap chunks of plastic you might otherwise throw under the tree–and most of them are friendlier to the environment too.

I’m sure you don’t need any reminders (what with all of the commercials and other in-your-face guerrilla marketing that’s everywhere right now), but I’m here to tell you that come this weekend the holiday gift buying bonanza will be in full swing. Madness will certainly ensue.

Crazy eyes and frazzled hair will be out. Everyone will be sweating and grumpy and carrying much lighter wallets. Parking lots will become like wrestling rings with ornery heavy breathers ready to pounce at the slightest movement.

In case heading out into the chaos sounds about as fun as an enema, I thought I’d give you some handmade gift options that you can buy from the comfort of your own home. At least pajamas and bedhead are perfectly acceptable there and the most ornery creature you’ll encounter is a nap-deprived toddler.

Bread and Badger zombie mug / The Bold Banana crazy cat lady tote / Skinny laMinx dress / Warm Yourself fox handwarmers / Vintage shoes via Skinny and Bernie / Golden Plume quartz dagger wire wrapped necklace / Rocky Top Soap Shop soap set / Dear Pumpernickel bird art

For the record, those fab shoes are not handmade. But they are vintage and sold from a small business and I think supporting small businesses is important. So they get to stay. Cool? Plus, Small Business Saturday is this weekend and I’m hoping to nudge you into making a purchase to support just about any small business out there.

Do you have any go-to places for handmade gifts? Do you know any amazing artists who sell handmade gifts? I want to hear about them! Leave a comment (and link!) below or shoot me an email at jen@cuddlesandchaos.com. I plan on doing at least one more handmade gift guide before the holiday season is over and I’m on the hunt for amazing pieces to include.

Our family loves books. I’m a big believer in reading to kids pretty much immediately. Even if they don’t understand anything at first, just the sound of your voice is soothing to them. Eventually they’ll start paying attention to the stories and they’ll have positive feelings associated with reading, which I think is incredibly important.

Anyway, I’ve been reading to both girls pretty much since they emerged from the womb. We have tons of favorites, one of them being Where the Wild Things Are. When Max decides to give up being king, the wild things shout at him “Oh please don’t go–we’ll eat you up–we love you so!” I’m not sure how or when, but at some point I start saying this line to Samantha.

I’ve been wanting some kind of art that incorporated the quote for a while now and the other day I decided to make one myself. It couldn’t have been easier.