Our Naughty Letterpress Christmas Card & Free Printable Christmas Card to Download

Our Naughty and Fun Letterpress Christmas Coal Cards.

At Pressed we like to have a sense of humor about our designs. With that in mind, we letterpressed these naughty, Christmas coal cards. Based on a Victorian coal illustration, we spiced it up a little with the addition of a red bow and the word “Naughty.” On the inside, the card reads, “But it sure was fun! Merry Christmas.” This card actually required quite a bit of effort. Two runs through the press for the red and black on the outside and a third run through the press for the text on the inside. We think it was all worth it though! We have them for purchase in our Etsy shop.

A detail of the coal illustration on the front of the card.

Funny note inside the card.

And as a thank you to everyone who as shown us so much support over the last year, we have another FREE holiday card printable. Just click here to go to our website where you can download it. This card features the word “Merry Christmas” in a red and in a very ornate font. To add a little extra bling we added three Swarovski crystals in hot pink (you can purchase them from this site). We matched that with a hot pink envelope. Typically red is matched with green…however, we wanted to change things up a little by adding hot pink with the red instead. With think the combo looks pretty good! Again, this card is also 4.25×5.5  inches and will require an A2 envelope.

Our FREE Christmas card printable. We added three Swarovski crystals for a little extra sparkle.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

– Caroline & Stephanie, www.pressedinbrooklyn.com

Our Gold Letterpress Chanukkah Cards: Inspired by the Architecture of Eero Saarinen

Our Gold Letterpress Chanukkah Card.

Last night we went to press to print our holiday cards. First up, our gold, letterpress Chanukkah card. We are so excited with how it turned out. We already have them up for purchase in our Etsy store.

As inspiration we used the architecture of Eero Saarinen. Especially, the Gateway Arch and it’s clean and beautiful lines. We also wanted to do a card that was a little different, with an uneven cut and a surprise when it is opened.

On the outside, the pattern looks like an abstract dot design.

But when you open it up, you can see the dots are actually part of a Menorah.

A detail of the Menorah.

And, as promised, here is a link to our FREE, Chanukkah card printable. You can just download the PDF and it is all set to print with crop marks. The cards measure 4.25×5.5 inches so you will need an A2 size envelope. We printed ours on 92lb Savoy paper. It is a rather simple design, so for a little added sparkle, we added a single Swarovski crystal to the star. You can purchase Swarovski flatback crystals on many online shops, like this one. Also, you will notice we spell Chanukkah with an “Ch” or an “H”. We spent quite a bit of time looking this up and it seems either way is fine.

Our FREE Hanukkah card printable. We spiced it up with the addition of a Swarovski crystal and added a grey envelope for contrast.

Happy holidays everyone!

– Caroline & Stephanie, www.pressedinbrooklyn.com

The Etsy Holiday Gift Challenge – Buying a Gift for My Dad

My puppy Pascal with a mini John Deere. My dad's hobby is restoring old tractors.

Another day, another gift list. Just to recap, I plan to purchase all of this year’s presents from Etsy or other small businesses/artists and my budget is $50 per person. On to my dad. This list is kind of odd, but then his interests are rather varied. He is a retired chemical engineer who likes chocolate, bacon, tractors, cycling, history and travel. He is from Missouri but has lived in New Jersey for the last 15 years. So that about sums him up…

First off, we have these delicious looking dark chocolate and rosemary truffles from estheraguirre. I love chocolate and I love rosemary, so I imagine together they would make a brilliant combination! This etsy shop also sells dark chocolate/wine truffles and cream brulee truffles. All sound amazing, not sure which I would pick!

Rosemary and dark chocolate truffles by estheraguirre.

Next up, this great vintage globe from 1947. I think my dad would really like it since he was born in 1948. Also, he has traveled all over the world, so this would nicely bring together his love of travel and history. You can find it  over at vintagecals shop.

Great vintage 1947 glove from vintagecals.

As I mentioned, my dad is a big history buff. As far back as I can remember, he has always had an interest in WWII. Ask him nearly anything about it…from the battle of Midway to what happened in Normandy and, most likely, he can write you a report about it off the top of his head. Anyway, I thought these WWII era rations looked pretty interesting. A great piece of history and, actually, rather pretty. I thought maybe they would make an interesting piece if I framed them. You can find them over at RememberMeEmily.

WWII rations from RememberMeEmily.

I found this great John Deere tractor t-shirt and thought it would be perfect for my dad. He loves tractors, especially John Deeres. He has a few mid-century John Deere’s that he has brought back to life. You can find this t-shirt over at TJaysTees.

Vintage John Deere tractor t-shirt from TJaysTees.

Besides being a hard-core chocolate addict, my dad loves bacon. There is pretty much not a day where he goes without it. When we lived in Saudi Arabia, probably the most difficult part about it for him was the lack of bacon…and the turkey bacon was a poor substitute 😦 I wonder if he would like these maple bacon cookies from KEcookies. I don’t even like bacon, but I have to admit, these look pretty great!

Yummy maple bacon cookies from KEcookies.

While searching for John Deere on Etsy, I came across this vintage John Deere farmers pocket ledger. Looks to be from about 1955, I think my dad has a tractor from about that year. I bet he would be really surprised to open a present with this inside! You can find it over at vintagetwice.

Great vintage John Deere pocket ledger from vintagetwice.

My dad is from Missouri. While searching for Missouri, I found this interesting map from 1893. I can’t see close enough to tell if his town is actually on it, but it really doesn’t look like there is too much in the way of highways going on. I think he would love to have this map framed and hanging in his office. You can find this map, and tons of others, over at Holcroft.

1893 map of Missouri from Holcroft.

For many years, my dad was a chemical engineer. This has to be the most beautiful periodic table I have ever seen. I have never thought of it in terms of beauty before, but this table of elements poster  from HeyMomByPromise makes me see it in a whole new way. Would also look great framed and hanging in my dad’s office. It is over my $50 budget by a few dollars, but it was just too great not to include.

Retro periodic table by HeyMomByPromise.

Here is another map of Missouri. This one, from 1873,  is just of St. Louis and more like a painting. You can see, there are no tall buildings, no Gateway Arch. I especially like all the steam ships dotting the Mississippi river. This map would also looked great framed. You can find it over at Imagerich.

Antique map of St. Louis from Imagerich.

I couldn’t believe it when I found this t-shirt! It is too perfect. It combines my dad’s love of bacon with science. I think I might have to get this for him! You can find it over at CrazyDogTshirts.

Great bacon t-shirt from CrazyDogTshirts.

I fell in love with this poster the moment I saw it. It has a great vibe and my dad loves the Gateway Arch. The architect, Saarinen, is pretty amazing and this poster was a planning sketch commissioned by the City of St. Louis. I think this might be it! You can find it over at midmoderngoods…that is if I have not already purchased it. It is a little above budget, but I couldn’t pass it up!

Amazing poster of the Gateway Arch from midmoderngoods.

My dad loves riding his bike, and he also loves wine. Have not really seen him do the two together, but if he decides to, this present from oopsmark would be perfect!

Bicycle wine rack from oopsmark.

Keeping with the wine theme, how great are these vintage german wine glasses. I love the green glass stem. Totally different and unique. You can find them over at CypressHouse. I would love to have them for myself!

Great vintage wine glasses from CypressHouse.

I’m not sure if my dad already has a bike bell, but I really like this one. I could even get it with the letter “R” for his first name. You can find this and lots of other great bells over at SpokeNWheel.

Bike bell from SpokeNWheel.

These chocolates from PetitesMorceaux are just lovely. These little gems are so pretty, they are like little works of art, too pretty to eat!

Pretty chocolate truffles from PetitesMorceaux.

And last but not least, this great poster by  Mandipidy –  “New Jersey, where we pump our fists and not our gas.” It is true, in New Jersey we are not allowed to pump our gas. In fact, it has been so long since I pumped gas that I don’t even know how to anymore…how embarrassing!

Great New Jersey poster by Mandipidy.

Now, I know my dad would get the part about pumping gas, but I don’t think he knows what Jersey Shore is. I think I would have to explain that part to him…

Me: Dad, do you know what Snooki is?

Dad: Geee, Snooki? No, what is that?

Me: It is a type of animal, kind of like a really large rodent or opossum. The proper name is Psnookidocherius Peregrines, but in regional dialect it is just called a Snooki.

Dad: Gee, I have never heard of that before. Where do they live?

Me: Their natural habitat is along the coastline of New Jersey, from Staten Island down to Seaside.  They grow to be about four and a half feet long and can range from 90 to 150 pounds. They subsist on a diet that consists of alcohol, men and depravity.

Dad: What? Alcohol, men and raspberries?

Me: No dad, depravity…not raspberries.

Dad: Gee, now I know you’re talking nonsense.

Hmmm, I think maybe I’ll just get the New Jersey poster for my brother 🙂

And maybe I will give him a set of our letterpress word find, any occasion cards. This card works for any occasion, just find and circle the word that works for you, from Happy Birthday to Congratulations on Your Graduation to Happy Anniversary! You can find the wordfind card in our PressedInBrooklyn Etsy shop.

Our letterpress word find card from PressedInBrooklyn.

– Stephanie, www.pressedinbrooklyn.com

The Etsy Holiday Gift Challenge – Buying a Gift for My Mother

An old photo of my family. My grandmother with my little mom on the right and my aunt on the left. Strangely enough, 60 years later, my mom still looks exactly like this!

Here we go, another day of the  Etsy Holiday Gift Challenge. This list is for my mother. Just to recap, I plan to purchase all of this year’s presents from Etsy or other small businesses/artists and my budget is $50 per person. I skipped a couple days, but Caroline and I were both so busy gearing up to press our Holiday cards, which we will have up soon. Better a little late than never 🙂

So, my mother is from Germany. That being said, a number of these presents have a German theme to them. She also loves nature: birds, flowers, really anything to do with the outdoors. So, following are a few items I think she would like. All are $50 or under, except for one, but it was just so lovely, I couldn’t resist!

First, we have this amazing antique Deutsch Mark necklace from sweet2bliving.  I think I am going to have to get it, that is if it is not already gone! I’ve never quite seen anything like it before.

Antique Deutsch Mark Necklace from sweet2beliving.

My mom also loves photography. This vintage looking photo of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin taken by RetroLovePhotography, would probably be a big hit with her. I’d even love to have one in my apartment!

Retro-looking photo of Berlin by RetroLovePhotography.

Yum, all my favorite winter ingredients: pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon. Speaking of nutmeg, that reminds me, when I used to live in Saudi Arabia many years ago, nutmeg was illegal – really, you couldn’t find it anywhere. It was considered an aphrodisiac. Omg, I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence about a gift I am thinking about getting my mother…just, wow. ANYWAY, this pumpkin soap by wyldeivy looks like it would make an excellent present.

Pumpkin soap by wyldeivy.

My mother loves bees, I mean really, really loves them. There are bees all over her house: Queen Bee signs, bee art work, bee coasters, bee photos, bees, bees, bees! But these tea cups have the most elegant bees on them that I have ever seen. They come in sets of two and are made of  porcelain AND the are made by fellow New Yorker, Faith Adams. Check out her great Etsy shop for these bee tea cups and all her other beautiful work.

Sweet bee tea cups by FaithAdamsCeramics.

Another German themed gift. I love these Edelweiss hand towels by EmbroideryEverywhere. They are so elegant and they come in many different colors. I happen to like them in the natural color, as shown. This design can even be put on other items such as pillowcases and aprons.

Pretty Edelweiss hand towels by EmbroideryEverywhere.

My mother is a big coffee drinker. Whenever I visit my parents, my mom and I can sit around the table drinking coffee for a very, very long time. This set of 6 Azberg German teacups, from WrappedRoundMyFinger, would be perfect for our coffee marathons. A couple years ago, after a particularly long coffee drinking session, I realized my hands were shaking a little…that’s how much coffee we drink! The more I look at these, the more I like them…I am kind of thinking I might get these for myself now!

German tea cups from WrappedRoundMyFinger.

I love the Scherenschnitte work by ePaperCuts.  Scherenschnitte is an old German art, whereby an image is created by using small scissors to cut out intricate designs. ePaperCuts has tons of great work, but I love this French Bulldog. My mom would love it, too because it would remind her of her little four-legged grandson, Pascal!

Little Pascal Scherenschnitte by ePaperCuts.

As I mentioned, my mother loves nature. I think this butterfly art by  BugUnderGlass is just lovely. The detail, the color, the delicate lines, it is all just so pretty.

Butterfly art by BugUnderGlass.

So, this gift is over my budget a little, but I just had to include it. It is a mid-century serving dish by Ernest Sohn and can be found in the BrakingSandsVintage Etsy shop. I’m going to share this listing with my husband and see if we should just get it for ourselves…sorry mom!!

Beautiful mid-century serving dish from BarkingSandsVintage.

I love any type of salty and sweet combo and these sea salted carmel lollipops by VintageConfections look too good to pass up. I think they would make an excellent stocking stuffer for my mom…and unlike nutmeg, neither caramel or salt are known aphrodisiacs!

Totally tempting, caramel and sea salted lollipops by VintageConfections.

This vintage inspired locket by dreamyvintage is absolutely beautiful. What I think would really make it perfect is a photo of my mom’s grandson, Pascal, on one side and another photo of her other grandson, Gabe, on the other!

Beautiful vintage locket from dreamyvintage.

This set of 4 Spode saucers from sesameandsparrow is lovely. In fact, so lovely I would almost want to hang them in my (I mean, my mom’s!) kitchen as decoration.

Spode saucers from sesameandsparrow.

Like I said, my mom is a big coffee drinker. I think she would love this vintage apothecary shot glass by fifthseason.

Vintage shot glass from fifthseason.

Here we have another German inspired gift. Love this sweet little Fachwerkhaus ornament by ARTISANIEeurope. Actually, I love all of their architectural ornaments!

Sweet German inspired ornament from ARTISANIEeurope.

Sometimes my mom can become a little wound up. Things that set her off: people who cut her off while driving, people who move too slow and people who slurp while eating. On the flip side, certain things make my mom really happy: the bluebirds in the back yard, seeing me (haha) and getting joke emails from her friends. Well now, with this cute Mood Diary from EineDerGuten, she can chronicle the day’s events and write down what mood each one put her in! I have no doubt all entries pertaining to me will have “good” checked off next to them!

Mood Journal from EineDerGuten.

I love these bees wax  candles from underthefigtree, and I bet they smell amazing! What makes them even better is that half of the proceeds for each candle will make sure that a child in need gets a Christmas gift, too!

Bees wax candles by underthefigtree. They come in these great little tea cups that can be reused once the candle is finished.

And finally, Caroline and I are in the process of drawing and printing monogram stationery. My mother’s name starts with a “B” and I think she would love our set of “B” letterpress, monogram cards.

Our hand-drawn, letterpress, monogram notecards from PressedInBrooklyn.

Oops, I almost forgot. I took this photo a couple weeks ago. The full moon was glowingly intense and the way in which it illuminated the clouds and bathed the night sky in an other-worldly light was gorgeous. I just had to take a photo, this is from my living room window in Brooklyn. When my mother saw it, she told me she would love a print of it. I think I will go ahead and do that…now I just need to find a nice frame.

A night in Brooklyn.

So, that wraps it up for my mother’s holiday shopping list. Just have my dad, brother and husband to do…saved the hardest for last!

– Stephanie, www.pressedinbrooklyn.com

The Etsy Holiday Gift Challenge – Buying a Gift for My Mother-in-Law

My mother-in-law as a young lady, so pretty.

On to the next Etsy Holiday Gift Challenge, my mother-in-law. Just to recap, I plan to purchase all of this year’s presents from Etsy or other small businesses/artists and my budget is $50 per person. I had wanted to do one blog post a day on this and so far, I am not doing too bad.

So, whenever I think of my mother-in-law, I think of deep and rich colors like cranberry, chocolate, eggplant and other jewel tones. These colors really set the stage for my latest list.

Lets start with this beautiful Holiday wreath by WildRidgeDesign. So pretty, I am now thinking about getting one for my door.

Beautiful wreath by WildRidgeDesign

I love this smokey quartz pendant from SMV designs. I also love that this artist is located in Brooklyn, too! Wonder where I could see her jewelry in person?

Love this smokey quartz pendant from SMVdesigns.

It is chilly out! In fact the only time I left my house today was to go to the store (I tried to subsist solely on the stale Pirates Booty in my cabinet, but that wasn’t working out so well for me). Maybe if I had had this great scarf by BessetteArt, going outside wouldn’t have been such a daunting task.

Wool cowl by BessetteArt.

My mother-in-law is a big fan of coffee, so I really see the following five gifts going together. It really would make a lovely morning, coffee served in a beautiful ceramic mug, cranberry and pistachio biscotti and cranberry sugar cookies all served upon a beautiful handwoven table runner.

So first with the coffee. This gift is for four months worth of membership to a coffee-of-the-month club from AproposRoasters.

Coffee-of-the-month club from AproposRoasters.

Would love to have these cranberry and pistachio biscotti from notjustcookies with my coffee.

Yummy biscotti from notjustcookies.

These cranberry and dark chocolate, shortbread cookies by ButterBlossoms are totally tempting me! I also noticed that ButterBlossoms is located in Charleston, South Carolina, a city I have wanted to visit for a long time now.

Shortbread cookies by ButterBlossoms.

Go Brooklyn! These ceramic travel mugs by yevgenia are just so pretty. I think my mother-in-law would really like them, too.

Pretty ceramic travel mugs by yevgenia.

And all of these served on this pretty handwoven table runner by NutfieldWeaver.

Handwoven table runner by NutfieldWeaver.

I bet these cranberry soy candles by purebliss smell amazing.

Cranberry soy candles by purebliss.

Forget my mother-in-law, I need to get this spiced cranberry body lotion by Souhtern TwistedSoaps for myself!

Spiced cranberry body lotion by SouthernTwistedSoaps.

It will be for after I use this cranberry chutney soap by SoapsByAlexandra. Wait, got side tracked, this is supposed to be a gift list for my mother-in-law!

Cranberry chutney soap by SoapsByAlexandra.

Since we are on the topic of bath and beauty products, check out this cranberry and orange lip balm from LongWinterSoapCo. I could totally use some right now.

Cranberry orange lip balm by LongWinterSoapCo.

Ok, so this necklace is a little above my $50 budget, but it was just so pretty I had to include it…and it is from a Brooklyn artist, too! You can see this necklace and other great jewelry over at ThePeachTree’s Etsy shop

Necklace from ThePeachTree.

I think the color of this silk scarf from joyinmystudio would look lovely on my mother-in-law.

Silk scarf from joyinmystudio.

Love these delicate gold and cranberry earrings by PeriniDesigns.

Earrings by PeriniDesigns.

I really like the color and shape of this cranberry salt pig from LittleWrenPottery.

Salt pig from LittleWrenPottery.

And finally, we recently printed deep red, little heart letterpress cards. Maybe I will package up a few of these for my mother-in-law, as well. You can see them over at our Etsy shop. We have them blank inside or with a quote.

Letterpress little heart card by PressedInBrooklyn.

So, that wraps it up for my mother-in-law’s cranberry inspired list. As usual, I have no idea which of these great finds I am going to pick!

– Stephanie, www.pressedinbrooklyn.com

The stunning photography of Candida Höfer…and an amazing option for those of us who can’t afford it.

A library in Lisbon by Candida Höfer.

Sometime back, my husband introduced me to the photography of Candida Höfer. Her work is absolutely amazing. She focuses on large-format photos of empty interiors and social spaces that capture the “psychology of social architecture.” Her photos are often taken from a front angle or sometimes a diagonal. Often, her empty and actionless rooms are shot from an elevated vantage point near one wall so that the far wall is centered within the image. From her earliest photos, she has focused on depicting public spaces such as museums, palaces, libraries, places of worship and theaters that are lacking any type of human presence.

While I am in love with her photos, I am unfortunately not so in love with the price. Short of winning the lotto, I am not sure how I am going to ever get one of these gems into my apartment. Not to mention, these photos are HUGE….to the point that I don’t even think I have a wall large enough for one. The cost for a 10×20 foot photo of hers can go for between $35,000 and $45,000.

But, don’t despair, I believe I have found a viable and much more affordable alternative, on Etsy, no less.  So below, I have a test. Three of  these images are from Candida Höfer and two are not. Two of the images below are from the Etsy artist, Mable Tan, and are a much more reasonable price of $215 and $90. See if you can guess which photos are which!

Biblioteca dei Girolamini Napoli

Palacio Nacional de Mafra

Trianon Palace, Chateau Versailles, Paris

Hall of Mirrors, Versailles, Paris

Palazzo Corsini, Firenze

Ok, so could you guess the three photos by Candida Höfer and which two photos were by fellow Etsy artist, Mable Tan? You couldn’t? Photo 3 (Trianon Palace, Chateau Versailles, Paris) and Photo 4 (Hall of Mirrors, Versailles, Paris) are by Mable Tan. I think both photos are lovely and capture a similar beauty and detail as Hofer’s photos. While Mable Tan’s Photos do not measure 20 feet, they are still a very good size of 16×20 inches for the Hall of Mirrors and 20×32 inches for the Trianon Palace photo.

You can check out Mable Tan’s Etsy shop here for all her amazing photos. If you have $35,000 burning a hole in your pocket…or you just want to see some absolutely stunning photography, you can check out Candida Höfer’s work over on Artnet, which is where all these photos from her can be found.

– Stephanie, www.pressedinbrooklyn.com

The Etsy Holiday Gift Challenge – Buying a Gift for My Sis-in-Law

My nephew, Gabe, and his mama, Melanie.

So, here we are on day 3 of the Holiday Gift Challenge. Just to recap, I plan to purchase all of this year’s presents from Etsy or other small businesses/artists and my budget is $50 per person. I had a great time shopping for my sis-in-law, Melanie. All of the presents I found are amazing and I would absolutely love to have each one of them for myself!

So, lets start with this fantastic scarf by EcoShag. Love it! They have so many colors and versions to pick from, it was very hard to pick a favorite! To top it off, a portion of each sale is donated to the National Brain Tumor Society and The Make a Wish Foundation.

Muti-color scarf by EcoShag.

I just know Melanie would love this silver, monogram bracelet. And how perfect, this photo even has an “M” on it…like it was meant to be. You can find it, along with tons of other great stuff, in BeadinByTheSea’s Etsy shop.

Lovely silver bracelet by BeadinByTheSea.

I want these fingerless gloves by MoonHalo for myself. Super stylish and you can still txt with ease while wearing them.

Fingerless gloves by MoonHalo.

I can never have enough soap. These shea butter soap bars by sweetpetula look perfect. Not sure what I like more, the soap or the beautiful paper it is wrapped in!

Shea butter soap by sweetpetula.

In this house we are hard-core chocaholics. These handmade chocolate marshmallows from whimsyandspice would be gone in no time. I am totally craving a cup of hot chocolate topped with these marshmallows, NOW! To make it even better, they come from a fellow Brooklyn Etsy member.

Yummy chocolate marshmallows from whimsyandspice.

These slate, resin, dot earrings by DriftGifts are simple and understated and would make an excellent gift.

Slate, resin earrings by DriftGifts.

This necklace from cherryandviolet is so elegant. I would love to have it for myself!

Amethyst necklace from cherryandviolet.

Love these fingerless gloves from elde. They look so warm and soft.

Love these gloves from elde!

Go Brooklyn! I love this amethyst ring from sweetolivejewelry!  I wonder if she sells her work in any local stores so that I can see it in person. I’m going to have to ask. All her jewelry is just amazing.

Love this ring by sweetolivejewelry.

These ornaments by ClothandPatina are so pretty and have such a classic design. They are made from vintage game cards and can be made with the letter of your choice.

Vintage ornaments by ClothandPatina.

We are on a Brooklyn roll today! Here is another great item from a fellow Brooklyn artist. Love this simple canvas and leather bag by tomboylessons. If anyone is looking for something to get me…

Canvas and leather bag by tomboylessons.

And Brooklyn again! So many amazing artists in our lovely borough! This Tear Drop ring by musebymichelle is beautiful. Is it bad to buy Holiday presents for myself?

Tear Drop ring by musebymichelle.

Love the design of this laptop case from Adimaa. I have a very similar case for my iphone and I constantly get complements on it.

Laptop case from Adimaa.

And we have another Brooklyn artist. I love these constellation pendants by JulieNolan. So pretty. I want to buy one for everyone I know! My sis-in-law is a Scorpio. In fact most of the people around me seem to be Scorpios, even my puppy, Pascal!

Constellation Pendant by JulieNolan.

This hooded wrap is great. I would love to have one myself. Love the color, love the fit, love everything about it. Check it out on HervanDevi.

Love this wrap by HerbanDevi.

And lets finish up this list with one more Brooklyn artist! Love these hand drawn tote bags from feitoemwilliamsburg! I can never have enough tote bags and this would be perfect for Melanie to carry around all her baby stuff in.

Great tote bags from feitoemwilliamsburg.

Also, I think I will package up some of our Susami Letterpress Notecards for Melanie, as well. Maybe we will even customize them with her name. I think she would like that…or maybe we should put baby Gabe’s name on the cards, that would be pretty cute, too.

Our Susami Letterpress notecards, based on antique Japanese textile patterns.

So, that’s it, done with Melanie’s list. Really, finding presents is the easy part, I see that now. There is just so much amazing stuff out there. Picking presents from these great lists is going to be the hard part.

– Stephanie, www.pressedinbrooklyn.com

The Etsy Holiday Gift Challenge – Buying a Gift for My Puppy

My sweet little Frenchie, Pascal.

On we go to day 2 of the Holiday Gift Challenge. Just to recap, I plan to purchase all of this year’s presents from Etsy or other small businesses/artists and my budget is $50 per person. I am such a bad doggie mama. I can’t believe I left Pascal off my initial gift list! So, to make it up to him he has now been moved to the top of the list! Once again, my fellow artists on Etsy did not disappoint. I found tons of great stuff for my little piggy. Check it out.

I love this yellow chevron doggie bed by PetDesign. So cute. It totally reminds me of our yellow chevron wedding invites that we did a few blog posts back.

Lovely chevron doggie bed by PetDesign.

This doggie cowl by eleanorandmilo is as adorable as the boxer wearing it. I would love to get this for Pascal, I think it would look great with his coloring!

Great doggie cowl by eleanorandmilo.

These peanut butter treats by peanutbutterbones look good enough for me to eat and Pascal and I both love peanut butter.

Yummy treats by peanutbutterbones.

I love this doggie collar from SillyBuddy. The color and pattern would look great on little Pascal.

Super stylish collar by SillyBuddy.

I bet this herbal doggie soap by GoodCleanDog smells amazing. Pascal could really use a good bath right now, so I might not be able to wait until the Holidays to pick up this present.

Doggie soap by GoodCleanDog.

Pascal goes through toys pretty quickly but this Doxie Dog toy by wagsandwiggles looks cute and durable, too. Perfect for my hard chewing puppy!

Cute doxie dog toy by wagsandwiggles.

Love this silly doggie tag by billetsdoux. Pascal has been know to give some pretty intense Frenchie kisses, so this would be perfect for him.

Cute doggie tag by billetsdoux.

Pascal and I both love real sushi, and I bet he would love this cute sushi toy by SquidStuffis just as much.

Cute sushi toy by SquidStuffis.

Wow, these doggie cookies by TrueTreatsPetBakery look amazing. I want them for myself and I don’t think I will share. They can even be made wheat free for doggies with allergies.

Treats by TrueTreatsBakery.

Love this cute reindeer toy by smilingfrogpets. Perfect for the holiday season!

Sweet reindeer toy by smilingfrogpets.

It is starting to get pretty chilly out and Pascal does not like the cold. This great little doggie sweater by Schuba4yourPooch would be perfect for chilly fall and winter days in Brooklyn.

Stylish doggie sweater by Schuba4yourPooch.

Yum, I love carrot cake. These cute carrot cookies by DogCityBakery can be made gluten free, too.

Carrot cake treats by DogCityBakery.

Love this wooden doggie bowl stand by MenehunePetCrafts. Perfect for the little piggy since he is always pushing his food bowls around with his flat little face and making a mess.

Great doggie bowls by MenehunePetCrafts.

Again, another great day of window shopping on Etsy. I am always impressed by the skill and creativity of our fellow Etsy artists. I so don’t know how I am going to keep to my $50 limit! I want everything on my Holiday shopping lists 🙂

– Stephanie, www.pressedinbrooklyn.com