Tag: gifts

  • Welcome Spa Bundles!

    I’ve observed a need for high-quality bathroom necessities like washcloths, loofahs, and face pads (cotton rounds).

    In the past 6 months, I’ve been creating crochet cotton face pads for cleansing and skin care. They have helped people in my community switch to a low-waste alternative and provided great gifts for their friends and family. After getting a rush of orders for those face pads, I have started making more bathroom products to help people transition to a zero/no-waste lifestyle. These products also support me in my education as my goal by the end of the year is to continue college to become a high school teacher.

    There are so many actions we can take to help the future of our children and nation; education and lifestyle choices play huge roles in the outcome of the country and the world. We need teachers who care about their job and kids, and we need to be intentional about how we consume as Americans. Buying from a local small business like BusyVandCo supports someone who wants to further their education and those of a small community, as well as brings you well-made products meant to last you years rather than moments.

    Crochet Spa Bundles

    Currently, the spa bundles contain three different washcloths, two face pads, one loofah, and one encouraging bracelet. Washing instructions come with each bundle, along with a description of the products so you know exactly what you’re purchasing and why. Every bundle can be made with custom colors, either monochrome or a color scheme.

    $25 + shipping. Local pickup and drop off are free.

    As time continues, the bundles will evolve for different needs in the community, like teenage skincare bundles, kid bathtub bundles, bulk spa bundles, and so on.

    I am so happy to have made something I know can brighten someone’s day and life when they receive their package. I hope the love for a low-waste lifestyle grows as people become more aware of their consumption and how it affects our ecosystem.

    Give a good gift, treat yourself to affordable luxury, and help a young college student become a teacher with BusyVandCo’s Spa Bundles!

    Thank you for reading this far. Your support means a lot to me and helps me more than you know.

  • Giving Good Gifts

    When I was 5, giving gifts inspired me the most. My aunt’s comment at Christmas that giving gifts is better than receiving them altered my brain chemistry. Little did she know that this is biblical. 

    Acts 20:35 says “In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 

    I want to be a person who gives amazing gifts. It’s in my nature. My family is full of great gift-givers, with tightly wrapped bows, thought-filled notes, and personalized trinkets… they love giving well. They think of your gifts months in advance, buying them throughout the year, and collecting them in closets and show boxes. God gives to us like that. He gives with abundance, thought, and will all the love we can accept. God tells us about how he gives to us.

    Luke 11:13 says “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

    My political placement is all over the place. I use the Bible to discern morals, and history to decide on all different views. I am not just a one-party person, I am more concerned with justice and an ethical culture. I don’t think that comes with picking one party forever. But one thing I wish our economy would shift to is a gift economy. At least at the local level, to have an abundance of resources and mindset, so when we have enough, we also ensure our neighbors have enough. A recent event I attended made me think of this. Everyone has a little to spare for the ones who have nothing to spare. In fact, in America, there is an overabundance of material resources that we waste a good amount of it in the trash. 

    Handmade gifts can be some of the best gifts we receive. Nothing says “I love you” like hours spent on heartfelt handmade goods. My community here in Idaho has shown me beautiful gifts including cheese, lotions, soaps, fresh produce, sourdough bread, jams, knit and crochet wear, quilts, sewn gifts, plastic canvas items, cards, and more. It is so wonderful to receive gifts like this that its impact lasts a lifetime. I would cry if I received a crochet gift that took more than an hour to make. That is the lasting love I hope to receive and I know this world has to give. My handmade crochet shop has items perfect for gifts like loofahs, hot pads, hats, and ear warmers that can light up anyone’s day. Shop local, shop clean, shop BusyVandCo! https://556042-3.myshopify.com/

    A bit of us already love the idea of a gift economy. We love birthday parties, baby showers, and t-shirts shot at us through cannons at concerts. Humans love gifts. A gift economy is similar to trading and bartering, where a member of a community gives to another without expecting anything in return. The idea is that you grow in love for each other and out of the abundance of love, you give to others as well. This idea can be worked on for our society, since we live in a capitalist nation, it would have a different spin. A good version of this is that every time we end up with extra, we thank God for the abundance and distribute the extra to the community, sowing seeds for the future and from the love God gives us. I hope that at least slowly, we can normalize the idea of giving as a better form of wealth. Considering the wellness of our neighbors is something Jesus told us to do.

    Matthew 22:37-39  says “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

    If we value being cared for, being provided for, and having enough we need to make sure our friends, family, and community members are taken care of too. I hope in 2025 and beyond, instead of being afraid of scarcity we embrace each other, help one another have enough, and share the wealth. Wealth comes in more than one way, and the biggest form of wealth, in my opinion, is the love we hold for one another. I pray Jesus pours his abundant loving Spirit into your heart so that it overflows to everyone around you. Amen.