holiday shopping?

A quickie holiday reminder: Support your local businesses this holiday season. If you need to find affordable gifts for your friends and family, please consider handmade gifts. A great deal of care and love goes into the work done by your local artists and crafters. Here are some of my favorites:

Sunshine Factory (that's me! I'll be updating this site as December progresses)
Fran Saperstein (beautiful acrylic paintings, handmade books and quilted items)
Leah Piken (some of my favorite paintings!)
Becky Hawley (really cool handmade journals)
Any studio artist at the Poudre River Arts Center

If the person you're shopping for already has everything he or she needs, another great option is to make a donation in that person's name. Here are a few of my favorite charities:

Celebrity autographs for charity (My friend Lisa is an avid fundraiser for Avon Walk for Breast Cancer)
Adoption Dreams Come True (an adoption agency here in Fort Collins)
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital