If you haven’t decorated your Christmas tree yet—or even if you have and it needs some finishing touches—then consider visiting West Elm, which is having a sale on its handmade ornaments from all over the world. The charming handcrafted felt balls (below) are made with New Zealand wool by women artisans who live in a village near Kathmandu, Nepal, and the adorable painted wooden birds were made in El Salvador using a folkloric technique unique to the La Palma region. There are plenty of others, too, including some by the talented designer David Stark. The ornaments start at just $2. Plus there’s a general sale at the store right now for 20 percent off or more on all kinds of furnishings, accents and gifts, so if you need a few things to get your house ready for Christmas—West Elm would be a good place to start. The sale lasts for just one more day. Visit the shop online.
And if you’re the crafty type and you’ve made some creative ornaments like this yourself—or any other well-made handmade thing for that matter—why not submit them to ReadyMade magazine’s ReadyMade 100 contest? It’s the publication’s first annual contest celebrating the best DIY projects—and its panel of expert judges includes renowned designer Jonathan Adler, Instructables founder and CEO Eric Wilhelm, Design*Sponge’s founder Grace, DIY Network’s Amy Devers, director of creative community programming at Etsy, Julie Schneider, and contestant on Bravo’s “The Fashion Show” David Caldwell.” That’s a lot of expert judges, so you know whoever wins will be a talent worth watching. The goal of the contest is to identify ReadyMade’s “Main Maker” and the winner will get $500, a three-night stay in New York City, including a one night at a ReadyMade party in his or her honor—plus a spot on the cover of ReadyMade’s April/May issue. The top 50 Makers will also receive prizes and a spot in the April/May issue. So if you’re a talented crafter, go for it. Now’s your chance to shine. Visit ReadyMade’s Web site to enter.
