Samson does Halloween.

I know, it’s a little early to be talking about the holidays. (When spoken this early in the season I feel like I should whisper that word — like the grandmother in Sixteen Candles who would only whisper ‘cancer.’ I’m probably really dating myself right now, huh?) At any rate, the reason I bring up the gift-giving season so early is so that y’all can find lovely handmade presents from small batch makers and designers.

Seriously though, wouldn’t it be nice to avoid a trip to the mall? Here are some Small is Beautiful members who can help you:

Lady Vivienne has some beautiful photography available over at Viva Photography. These tiny things, like images of dandelion puffs or fairy-perch mushrooms, are created by taking digital photos through an antique camera. You can order any image as a glicee canvas print or as greeting cards. A steal at $20!

Christine Valters Paintner has been working her photography skills for some time now and is offering a beautiful collection of nature prints at SmugMug. (Click here to see her prints, then click on “gifts and prints” at the bottom of the page to see how Smug Mug operates.) Christine’s photography is also featured on her laminated prayer card over at her etsy shop. I could see you slipping one of these into someone’s stocking or tucking one into your holiday cards.

Our newest Small is Beautiful member, Aurora has re-purposed sweaters, art quilts, and other beaded surprises over at Borealis Beads.

Aine is offering fibery gifts for under $10 (coffee cozies anyone?) and her pal Michelle has some lovely beads over at her place.

Indigo Soul has high quality art prints from her mixed media collection, art cards with gallic blessings, and holiday cards (coming soon.) Go see ‘em at the The Happy Girl Shop.

Two of our fine artists are having sales right now. Go see Elyana at her studio, or Leonie at hers.

As always, I’d like to toot a horn for Jen Lemen and her place, where she’s now offering downloadable prints for a song. Of course she also has her inspiring gifts at her shop as well.

And finally, if you don’t mind, I’d like to sing my own praises because I’m offering a new crop of vintage coats and clothes, along with hand embroidered jackets for children.

Make your list and check it twice, then go support some other folks who are small, but beautiful.

This Saturday for Small is Beautiful, we’ll be featuring blogroll members who offer handmade items for sale. Got an etsy shop? Selling your prints on line? Did you make your art work downloadable? Have you been knitting up a storm? Let me know! I’d like to feature Small is Beautiful blog arts this week — so email me by Friday pretty please!

Yours in Tinyness,

Rachelle
moi at magpie-girl dot com

The Reincarnationist
M.J. Rose

The holidays are coming up and with all that stuff added to your to-do list, you’ll need a novel to escape into at the end of your busy. The Reincarnationist an international thriller by M.J. Rose, is the ideal book for your escapist reading.

The story follows photographer Josh Ryder and archeologist Gabrielle Chase as they track the hidden treasure that could unlock many secrets—including the answer to the question, “Is reincarnation real?” But as Josh slips in and out of his present day reality, and Gabrielle deals multiple personal threats, what once seemed like the simplest archeological dig quickly turns into a morass of danger and intrigue.

There’s a good size cast of characters in this book, and as most of them have more than one life to live, there are plenty of intriguing story lines to follow. (My favorite was the subplot involving artists and patrons in a very young New York City.) The reader also gets a two-for-one deal in the settings, as the stories move through ancient and modern Rome, as well as New York past and present. If you’ve traveled in either of those cities, you get the fun of saying “I’ve been there!” as the characters move through various historic landmarks.

Managing her large cast, M.J. Rose is a deft story teller and keeps us up to speed on all that is happening. Ms. Rose is no fool – the novel’s ending will make you long for a follow-up, say, maybe a nice little trilogy? And for her further marketing chops, check out The Reincarnationist’s blog which features posts of various phenomenon which will appeal to anyone harboring a past life as Xfiles fan. Rose’s professional site also has interesting information about her start as a self published author, which no doubt will appeal to some us aspiring blogger-writers.

Summary: A fast, intriguing read with an intriguing para-psychological plot.

This review is sponsored by MotherTalk. Click here to see their recommended reads. Click here for more suggestions by Magpie Girl.

Okay, response to this current challenge has been a little lackluster. Methinks the general creative soul out there might be feeling a little hopeless. Be not swayed, all ye who craft! Finishing is possible.

You’ve still got a good two weeks to wrap up just one WIP (knitter’s slang for “work in progress). And here comes the weekend, ripe with opportunity. Why not finish it up and feel the soul-nourishing satisfaction of a job well done? (Or at least just “done.”)

There’s a flickr group to post your WIP and the final finish. Those who post a finished project by November 1st will be entered in the drawing for this week’s prize. (Maybe some lovely hand dyed yarn from Green Prairie Fibers? Or the latest copy of Craft magazine if someone other than a knitter takes home the gold…..) Go on! Post your pics!

P.s. Speaking of Craft Magazine and prizes, have you been over to Sk*rt lately? Why not skirt this (see the little button below) while you head on over there?

After spending TWO HOURS in the piano teacher’s waiting room helping two second graders spell EVERY SINGLE WORD of their report on bumblebee bats (which are so rare, no one even knows what the eat), my fourth-grade daughter hit me with this one:

“I can’t believe you and Dad think things like making dinner and doing dishes are more important than helping me with my logic homework. I guess you two are just willing to jeopardize my educational future!!!!”

After a certain age, you just aren’t musically hip anymore, you know? I’m still trucking out my Indigo Girl’s CD’s and Paul has an embarrassing penchant for all things George Michael. When the clothing of your New Wave youth show up in 80’s vintage shops and as Target knock off’s (leggings anyone?) you know you’ve crested over the hill.

Still, I need new tunes. So I did something my teenaged self would never sink to — I Googled all the TV shows I like that have good music. And what do you know? I found some good stuff. Here’s my recs for this week:

Ingrid Michaelson (Grey’s Anatomy and theOld Navy.)
Her solemnly perky little tune (The Way I Am) about giving her love her sweater is just so …catchy. You can’t download it on the subscription service from Zune, but maybe you can download it from ITunes or pick it up here.

Iron and Wine (Grey’s Anatomy)
Okay, I am SO in love. This is a songwriter dream – beautiful lyric and moody tunes for the grey season. My favorite line from “Love and Some Verses” is “Love is a skirt you made long to cover your knees. ” I’m not sure I know what that means, but I’m pretty sure I need to carry it around on a little scrap of paper in my wallet. Find your favorite lyric Our Endless Numbered Days“>here.

Will Dailey (CSI: New York) Why is Gary Sinise suddenly playing the bass in a NYC club? Who knows, and as long as he’s on stage with Will Dailey’s gritty, folksy voice, who cares? The single Rise (which also appears on Back Flipping Forward) is well worth the purchase.

Feist (Ipod commercial) 1,2,3,4…how many times have you seen the new IPOD ad? Not enough to find out who the quirky little gal is dancing on the new screen. Welcome to Feist and the 1234 single off “The Reminder”. Maybe she and Ingrid could do a little duet together? Buy “The Reminder” here.

What tunes are catching your ear lately?

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Sometimes, you find something so beautiful you just have to pass it on for the shear gothic loveliness of it all.

Slide over this way to see Peter Callesen’s beautiful papercut artworks. I’m especially fond of “Cradle.” Which one do you adore?

(Thanks to Barbara Lucke of the Fremont Arts Council for introducing us to Peter’s work.)

Today the grey arrived at Copenhagen, like a shade snapped down over a window. It brought this prose/poem with it.

__________________________________________________________

This is a place for melancholy songs

The sea stretches
long and grey and even
the seabirds alone on their rocks,
each an island unto themselves.

I feel I am trying
to memorize the landscape,
embed it rebar-deep within the ground of my knowing
until it feels familiar, like home
or at least,
until it makes firm the quicksand of foreign soil
so my children won’t feel the shifting
so they can land firm off the horse.

At home, our wisteria is two years young.
She stretches her thin tips
to finger the bare edges of her over-long trellis.

Here, the wisteria is old
like wisdom, she climbs easily up
two, three, four stories
protecting those who dwell inside
from the wearing winds of age
and change

Only one house stands out
amongst the others,
not for its beauty but
but for its size,
its inappropriate smoothness,
the monstrous heave of its bulk.

Echoing its neighbors, yet
the unbroken stucco,
the brazen two car garage
the freestanding ball hoop lying tipped behind the automatic gate
screams of young money.

The Land Rover drives by,
far to wide for these cobbled streets,
enters the third door I had not seen
which opens by unseen hand
with a whir and a click.
This, too much of the future
on a shore inhabited for five thousand years.

Linda Olsson

“See, you must know, that all that lives
Is deep inside of equal kind.
Like trees and herbs it seeks to grow—
Pulled forward by its inner laws.
And trees may fall and flowers wilt
And branches break, their power lost,
Still the dream remains—awaits the call—
In every living drop of sap.”

A poem by Karin Boye, as quoted by Astrid in the novel.

This is the story of two wounded souls, both of whom are living on the edge of society in an effort to move beyond grief. On the verge of turning thirty, Veronika has returned to her native Sweden to rent a country house and write a book in isolation. Astrid, the mysterious elderly woman who is her only neighbor, harbors her own untold tale. Both women possess the power to heal the other, though neither can initially see it in their woundedness.

Winding through the seasons from one Winter to the next, Astrid & Veronika is largely a story of place, focusing on how our leaving and returning affects our internal landscape as well as our external view. Olsson’s gentle story telling has an unhurried pace that forces the reader to slow her breath and to tread more carefully. Her strength as a writer is largely her sense of detail, and both people and landscape come into vivid view through her narrative. Olsson’s Swedish roots do much to imbue this story with the moodiness required for living where the days, like stories, sometimes stretch out indeterminately, and sometimes move by in a flash. (Something readers in Seattle and Copenhagen are likely to relate to, which may explain what drew me to this novel!)

An author interview–something that is featured quite often in newer paperbacks–provides an interesting read, especially when Olsson talks about the difference between writing a short story and writing a novel.

Overall, this books is a good choice for a Winter read, or for a study of how to capture place in one’s writing

For more great books, music, and flim flam head over to Magpie Suggests. Every purchase made through Magpie Suggests helps support this site!