Thursday, December 16, 2010

Staff Holiday Gift Picks: Betsy & Amber

Welcome to part four of our staff picks for holiday gift giving. Today Betsy and I are sharing our favorite gift ideas.

Hi, I'm Betsy, one of the new employees at Fancy Tiger. I'm a knitter, sewer and just finished my first Tunisian Crochet Cowl! I love working here and can't wait to pick up some more mad crafting skills.

Olfa Rotary Cutter $20
Olfa Self-Healing Cutting Mat 24" x 18" $28.95
Olfa Clear Ruler 6" x 24" $22
Good sharp scissors are nice but if you are sewing a lot, especially quilting, the Olfa Rotary Cutter with Mat and Ruler are the best upgrade that you could get. With these on your sewing table cutting is fast, accurate and no longer the dreary part of starting a project.
JoJoland 100% Cashmere Yarn $28
Cashmere! 100%! Soft and glamorous and Cashmere! This beautiful yarn is one that any knitter would love to have in their stash. Because who wouldn't just love being able to say "Oh, Thank you, I knitted it myself... It's cashmere!"

Mary Frances Knitting and Crocheting Book $28
Originally published in 1918, The Mary Frances Knitting and Crochet Book is the last of a whimsical series of books chronicling the adventures of Mary Frances with little fairies who teach various skills that would make any little girl "feel of very much account". In this book the knitting people teach Mary Frances how to knit and crochet clothes for her dolls and favorite people. It is simply a precious book, with functional instructions, adorable illustrations and an heirloom type feel. Great for any girl big or small.



Hi, I'm Amber and I'm one of the owners of Fancy Tiger Crafts. I spend a lot of time dreaming up things that I want to make. My holiday wish list includes the fixin's for two projects I've been dreaming about lately...


1/4 yard each of 14 different prints $33.50-ish & up
Stacking The Odds Denyse Schmidt Quilt Pattern $15.95

Denyse Schmidt is a huge inspiration to me when it comes to quilting. I love her Stacking the Odds quilt pattern. This quilt is great because it's simple enough for a novice quilter and it can showcase almost any fabrics without being too fussy. Add 14 quarter yards of fun print fabrics and your favorite quilter is ready to get started on honing their patchwork skills.


West Knits Book One $20
Two Skeins of Malabrigo Sock Yarn $37.90
Stephen West's new pattern book is full of amazing patterns for hats, scarves and shawls, but there is one in particular that I am obsessed with. The Chadwick is a modern, asymmetrical shawl that is long and linear--a sort of scarf/shawl. A skein each of Malabrigo Sock yarn in two contrasting colors and your favorite knitter could make a beautiful version of the Chadwick!


Juxtapose Handmade $29.95
Juxtapose Handmade is an amazing photo book full of craft-meets-art madness. I like weird things and this book is full of weird things--like crocheted TV dinners, insanely intricate paper-cut fantasy worlds and illustrations on patchwork quilt "canvases". Topping off the weirdness, there is a water buffalo plushie giving birth to a baby water buffalo plushie. Cool.
Hope that helps with your holiday shopping! We have tons more ideas where that came from, so stop by and see us at the shop if you need help finding the perfect gift for someone crafty. Happy holidays and happy crafting!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

We believe that making things by hand makes the world a better place..
Gotta love your plastic manufactured cuttign boards and knives.. they help you craft they wernt made by hand.. is it just me that see's the screaming holes in your ideaology?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous: I thought you had a good point but then I started thinking about my thread and fabric and sewing machine that aren't made by hand but are used to make homemade stuff. Oh and then needles, pins, some of the buttons that I have as well as the knitting needles, some of my yarn, embroidery hoop, lace and binding, even the regular non-plastic scissors I have and just about everything else that enables me to craft and make more homemade stuff. I don't think that it's a screaming hole in their ideology. I just think that if sold only sold "made by hand" supplies to help you make homemade goods it would be really hard to find any needles or thread.

Simone said...

Your blog is incredible!

Congratulatios,
Simone from Brazil