I’m excited, I love this time of year.  At my home, in the Colorado Rockies, it’s cold outside, there’s snow on the ground, the sun is shining and the Holidays are right around the corner.  Next week to be exact!  

As we all know, next Friday isn’t just a time to digest Thanksgiving dinner, it’s Black Friday and there will be deals galore at all of our favorite stores.  As a small business owner, and a huge supporter of other small business owners…especially those on Etsy…I will be scoring the internet for the next week finding my favorite gift items from some of my favorite sellers on Etsy.com.  Not only that, I know there will be plenty of unique promotions from these sellers in support of the biggest shopping day of the year! 

So, next Black Friday, instead of fighting the mass death march at your local big box store, try relaxing in-front of the fire (or the TV) and check out some of your favorite Etsy shops to see what special things we’re doing for you!  

If you would like to check out some of my favorite gift finds from my shop, and others, follow me on Pinterest.com at http://pinterest.com/idaestelle/.  I will have a special section dedicated to my products, and one with my favorite finds from Etsy!  

How about a few bracelets in turquoise, silver and pink.  These would fit in with any Shabby Chic Christmas celebration!

Inspired by the vintage Christmas ornaments I found on Etsy, I think my Classic Gold Wrap Bracelets are perfect ornaments to decorate yourself for this Holiday season!

Inspired by two of my favorite things…vintage and Christmas…I’ve showcased some of my favorite vintage Christmas ornaments found on Etsy.  

And so was born, Ida Estelle

         Never in a million years would I have guessed this would be a chapter in my life.  After a college degree, four successful years with a company I loved, three different cities and a year of self-reflection, I have become a self-proclaimed creator, designer and entrepreneur.

I have always been a fan of a “DIY” project.  I grew up in a house where my mom painted a room, re-painted that room, and painted it one more time.  Not because she didn’t like what she had done the first or second time, but because there were just too many great and endless options out there for her to try.

         My sister has a fantastic knack for spying out the one jewel in a pile of junk.  I have spent endless hours trailing behind her at flea markets while she finds the greatest vintage items most people only dream of scoring.  Her house is an always-changing collage of her most recent finds.

         My dad and grandpa were masters of tinkering.  There wasn’t a project out there they couldn’t MacGyver their way through.  To them, there was always a solution and you didn’t stop until you had it figured out.

         It wasn’t until I was home for the holiday’s one year that I realized who the real backbone of this DIF family really was…my Grandma Micki.  I remember showing her these “killer new bracelets” I was learning how to make for gifts, and telling her that I wish I could turn that fun project into a career.  Grams didn’t miss a beat.  She jumped into one story after another about her mother, my great grams, Ida Estelle.  We talked for hours about Ida, and how she was a strong, independent woman who truly was a Jack-of-all-trades.  Not only did she help her husband, great grandpa Fred, run a grocery store, but she was also a master seamstress, furniture builder and mother of four, all while running a boarding house during the depression.

         It didn’t quite occur to me at the time, but my grams has always been a constant champion for following your dreams, working hard and getting it done…whatever “it” may be.  By telling me stories of her mother, my grams was giving me the inspiration and confidence to go it alone and start a business based on the things I love to do: create, design and try new things.

Allison Rennemo

Founder/Designer/Everyday Person

Meet Black Eye…one of my favorite creations from my jewelry line, Ida Estelle!