Boy, it is finally getting cold enough for hats and coats and scarves here on the Central Coast. And that reminds me- don’t miss the Christmas Craft Fair in the Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo this weekend, December 1 and 2. There are always lots of great holiday handmade goodies to give your loved ones, or better yet, to buy for yourself. And while you are there, don’t forget to stop by my friend and SIL Erin’s table to view her Tinerhats. She makes the most fun and fabulous crocheted hats- you just have to see them!

Here are a few of her hats on her pal and her niece:

I’ll see you there!

Today’s holiday post is about hand-made coasters. As a host or hostess this holiday season, you will need some festive coasters for your guests’ drinks. Here are some of my favorites from Etsy crafters and designers.

Amy at Craftchi has these fun coasters. They are collage on tile and are $15 for a set of six. I like these four styles: Paris, Leafy, Tiffany and Victorian.

Sidney Ann has many different patterns to choose from. These coasters are glass with soldered edges and are $30 for a set of 4. Here are some styles in polka dots, flowers and paisleys and they are made from paper or vintage scarves or wallpaper.

The coasters from Mirrorgirl are designed by several different designers and are printed on mousepad material. See these fun designs by Susie Ghahremani of boygirlparty, Jill Bliss of blissen.com, Heidi Kenney of My Paper Crane and one of my favorite Etsy artists, Ashleyg. They come in a matching tin and are 6 for $16.

Littletilegnome makes decoupaged tile coasters and has over 500 styles available! They are available in sets of 4 for $10.00. Here are a few of their holiday styles and their other fun styles.

Today I want to mention some colorful and fun mobiles that you can hang to brighten any room.

Animal mobiles: The first is an Ole Flensted Elephant Party mobile, designed in 1974 and made in Denmark. The elephants are plastic and it sells for $28 at the MoMA Store.

The second is called the Vollabella mobile by Selecta made in Germany. The birds are wood and it sells for $66.50 on Moolka.com.

The third is frolicking Bunnies mobile. I am not sure where it is made or what it is made from, but I couldn’t resist including it, since I am a bunny fancier! It is available through ModernTots for $27.

The next set are of modern and abstract shapes: The first is Orange Circles by Quilt Baby on Etsy. It is made of die cut foam and sells for $46. (There is a nice blue and white one available as well.)

The next is a company on Etsy called pukapuka and they have a bunch or fantastic mobile designs like the Marine kinetic, Sprout kinetic, or just plain Kinetic mobiles. Pukapuka is run by Nina in Melbourne, Australia and the mobiles run from $75 to $120. These are really smashing.

The last are some fun glass mobiles: Mini, maxi and computer mobiles that attach directly to your computer. These are designed by glass artist Leah Pelligrini and are sold on Etsy. The mini and computer mobiles are $25 and the large glass mobiles range from $30 to $350.

It is almost 2008 and it is time for a beautiful calendar lineup. There are many gorgeous handmade calendars on Etsy and around the web, and these are just a few of the wonderful ones I found. They are a nice combination of art and practicality. Love them!

The first is a desk calendar from Modernarteveryday on Etsy. This calendar includes 12 different giclee prints in a jewel case and sells for $18. Each image is just lovely and makes me want to buy some of the giclee prints on canvas also available in the Etsy store.

The next calendar is from one of my favorite card artists Cecilyink. This is another desk calendar in jewel case and is printed on textured paper and sells for $14. Sweet! Don’t miss her paper stockings and cool card sets too.

Next is a letterpress desk calendar from Ilee in Seattle. According to Ilee, it is “a rich mix of old school letterpress, silkscreen, foil stamping, fine papers and handpainted accents.” It includes 12 monthly cards and one extra year at a glance card and sells for $20. Check out all the cool images.

The next calendar is a Gocco screenprinted limited edition wall calendar from Sarahparrott825. It is 5X7, is made using vintage images and sells for $20. It is both retro and fresh!

The next to last is a lovely letterpress wall calendar made by Satsuma Press in Portland, Oregon. It is also a limited edition and is hand numbered on the back and tied with a silk ribbon. What a lovely gift it would make! Quick! There were 200 printed and there are only 57 left in stock. Available for $39.

And lastly, I saw an amazing calendar on Buyolympia.com by artist Nikki McClure titled Things to Make and Do. Her art is unique and surprisingly she uses an X-acto knife to cut images out of a single piece of paper. This calendar is printed on acid-free paper using soy ink and sells for $16. You may also want to check out her cards and t-shirts on the same site.

Well, there you are…. now which one will you pick?