Category Archives: Life & Photography

Handmade Gift Guide 2015

Posted on November 24, 2015November 24, 2015 by Melissa Harrison

Buying handmade means buying something special. When one person, or a small team of talented people, are entirely responsible for a product and work on a project from initial idea, to sourcing materials, to handcrafting the product, right through to selling, shipping and customer service, they are able to ensure their values are upheld every step of the way. Whether it be a commitment to environmental sustainability, fair trade ingredients or incredibly high quality products, someone who has a hand in every part of the process finds it easy to achieve these goals. When you shop small, local or handmade, you are supporting these people and their devotion to the aspirations and ideals that many of us share.

Here are some of my favourite handmade items this year:

Zephyrus Terrarium by ABJ Glassworks (Pennsylvania, United States, $65.00)

Crochet Braided Headband by Plexida (Greece, $9.58)

Stud Earring Set by Liperla (Turin, Italy, $22.60)

Because Cats Pinback Button by Sparkle Collective (Toronto, Canada, $1.54)

Teen Dream Enamel Pin by Ludlow Luna (Pennsylvania, United States, $10.00)

“A Certain Glamour” Cat Watercolour Print by Water in My Paint (Canada, $7.70)

Haters Gonna Hate Bunny Tote Bag by Hello Harriet (Winchester, United Kingdom, $16.00)

Antler Ring by Autumn Equinox Jewelry (New Hampshire, United States, $32.00)

Sunday Plaid Eyeglasses Pocket Square by The Honey Press (Massachusetts, United States, $25.00 – 40% off with coupon code “CLOSING40”)

Lace Up Slippers by White Noise Maker (Wellington, New Zealand, $29.00+ depending on size)

“Will Perform for Cakes” Side Plate by Jimbobart (London, United Kingdom, $35.00)

Terracotta Serving Bowl by Baskakova (London, United Kingdom, $43.49)

All prices in USD. All photos via respective shops.

Christmas Giveaway: 2 Retro Handmade Garlands

Posted on November 2, 2015November 3, 2015 by Melissa Harrison

$Christmas Giveaway! 2 Retro Handmade Garlands \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog$

Time for a Christmas giveaway! This time I’m giving away two of my handmade tinsel chain garlands from the Sophster-Toaster shop. That’s enough to trim the tree nicely, but they can also be used to decorate the mantle, the bar cart or overhead the dining table for added party sparkle.

$Christmas Garland Giveaway \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog$ $Christmas Garland Giveaway \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog$ $Christmas Garland Giveaway \\ Sophster-Toaster Blog$

They come in eight colour options. You can have your choice of pink, blue, white, green, red, gold, silver or multicoloured (learn more about the colour options here). You could get two of the same colour or mix it up with two different strands!

Enter the Christmas giveaway now

Please follow the Rafflecopter instructions below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway is open to everyone and ends at midnight on Sunday, November 8th. One winner will be chosen at random and announced here, on Twitter and on the Sophster-Toaster Facebook page on Monday, November 9th. They will also be contacted by the email address provided in the entry form.

Good Luck!

Month of the Lepus

Posted on November 1, 2015November 1, 2015 by Melissa Harrison

If you’re still wondering why my blog, Etsy shop and clothing brand are called Sophster-Toaster, wonder no more! They are named after a spunky little bunny I used to keep and love called Sophie (or Bun-bun, Sophster-toaster and sometimes Soph-a-loaf). Sadly, she passed away a few year ago.

A painting my brother made for me from a picture I took.

Every year since we lost her, I’ve donated 10% of all my Black Friday through Cyber Monday sales to Rabbit Rescue Inc., a local no-kill shelter that takes in abandoned, neglected or injured rabbits and rehabilitates them for adoption. But I feel like that’s not enough so, this year, I’m donating 10% of all sales from the entire month of November!

The year I found a little Christmas tree for her.

Bloglovin’

Posted on October 30, 2015October 30, 2015 by Melissa Harrison

I’ve been trying to set aside time to get back into blogging these past weeks. I love photography, fashion, food and writing but it’s been hard to find time to get it all down on the blog when I spend most of my time sewing, designing new dresses and trying to keep a small business together. I’ve been pulling a lot of inspiration from the bloggers that I admire lately while trying to make a real effort to create authentic, honest content. I’m starting to find a good rhythm, so now it’s time to work on prettying up the blog and connecting with the people that excite, inspire and motivate me.

Over the weekend, I’ll be gussying up the look and functionality of the blog and figuring out this whole Bloglovin’ thing as I switch over to them for all my RSS needs. So… if you would like to see all the new stuff in store for Sophster-Toaster, you can Follow my blog with Bloglovin!