I am a firm believer in buying local, buying handmade and hand crafted, and supporting local arts and artisans. As you are thinking about picking up something for that special someone on your list, check out my friend Prasti Purdum. She sells a selection of handmade goods-including the almost lost art of embroidery. What I like about the things she creates, is that they are often one of a kind designs that you will not see anywhere else. Sometimes she works with her husband Aaron to create a completely unique design, which then ends up being the new design for a onsie or other small garment.
We met Aaron and Prasti through a mutual friend. Both having ties to the west coast, and a love of all things coffee, we instantly hit it off. I started following Prasti’s blog, Here to There. I had no idea how creative she was until I started seeing her work pop up in her blog. She teaches her kids through arts and crafts, and maintains an etsy store to sell her wares. She creates such cute things, it reminds me of my mom every time I see them. My mother could sew up a storm and her embroidery was always top notch! In this technology age, I am glad to see that there are still people who are keeping this craft alive! In addition, she creates unique greeting cards that are mostly origami based. You can find these great cards on her etsy site, or at Lilly’s Handmade Chocolates in Tremont-where chocolates become art in their own right (and you can buy a great imported beer or dessert wine, too!)
I asked her how she got started in this endevour, and here is what she had to say:
let’s see…i originally started embroidering (a/b 3 years ago) because i was just not into a lot of the baby/toddler clothes the stores had to offer. and i also wanted emma to be in clothes that stood out from the bunch. funny thing is, she was 2 years old before i embroidered her something…lol! i was so busy embroidering gifts for other people that i kind of forgot to make her something. anyway, i discovered that i was not really bound to the classic (grandma-esque) embroidery patterns, and that in fact i could make up my own designs (with the help of aaron) and put them on pretty much anything. with origami, it was always something i enjoyed doing. there’s a serene quality about the whole paper-folding process. we’ve made our own cards for birthdays, weddings, etc. for a long time and i thought the origami cards would be a fun way to send our special messages to friends and family. i also like keeping my hands busy (i’m one of those people who has to be doing something else while sitting and “relaxing” during a movie night) so embroidery and paper folding were a perfect match
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Check out her designs and buy something one of a kind for the little one on your list. For more hand made and hand crafted items for your holiday gift giving, be sure to check out Bizarre Bazaar. This weekend only at the 78th St Studios, you are sure to come home with the perfect holiday gift for that someone on your lift that is impossible to buy for!
awww…thanks so much for the props
. are you guys going to go to the last minute market? aaron is working so i don’t know i’ll be able to make it w/ 3 kids…but maybe.