NOTE: I will have more posts like this as I find other great shopping ops for you!

---

Can you believe it’s already November? Where did September and October go?

Well, altho we can’t do anything about the rapidly progressing year, we can get a jumpstart on Christmas shopping. Here are a few sites that I highly recommend for purchasing books, gifts and other items for you and yours. These “stores” are owned by other Catholic homeschooling moms who supplement their family income and/or give the all or part of the proceeds to charity.

BOOKS: I love to give (and get!) good books, especially those classics that are hard-to-find or the books that tell a good story. You can’t go far wrong by checking out Margot’s Hillside Education for great books — all solid, well-written books that make fantastic read-alouds. These are living books … stories that tell the tales of the past, engaging your reader/listener with the people and events that continue to shape our world today. And guess what? She’s having a huge sale where ALL her books are on sale. Just click on the books you like and see the discount. Hillside Education is the publisher of my books, In His Image and Great Yarns for the Close-Knit Family — so if you’ve been waiting to buy those, this would be a great chance as she’s got them listed at 40% off, cheaper even than Amazon. If your kids (or you) like books, head on over to Hillside and shop a bit.

Hair Bows for Life — this site, run by Cecilia, has gorgeous hair bows. The cool thing: for every bow sold, 10% is donated to pro-life causes. Cecilia’s bows are not only beautifully made and reasonably priced, they stand the test of time (or rather, the test of girls trying to pull them out!). She sells bows for the holidays, bows for special occasions, and bows/clips for everyday wear. She has “korkers” and “clippies” and even infant headband/bows. She also has gift packages — for baptisms or other special occasions.

Cecilia has also set up a donation program where, for $5.00, you can send a bow to a little girl in an orphanage run by the Missionaries of Charity. She will have a sale on CyberMonday (11/28) or you can shop now for best selection.

JEWELRY/ROSARIES — Beads for Mary, run by local artist Bridget, has gorgeous rosaries, necklaces and other jewelry items for sale. Proceeds for all sales go to the Mary’s Shelter, a non-denominational home (actually they have three houses now) for unwed mothers and their newborns. Bridget’s items are beautiful and well-made, each unique and delicately hand-crafted for a one-of-a-kind gift. The rosaries and necklaces are hand strung using 49 strand stainless steel flex wire. She uses various semi-precious gemstones and Swarovski Crystal and Preciosa Czech beads; and crucifixes and centers made from solid antiqued brass, solid bronze, gold and silver-plate Italian oxidized metal and sterling silver. All rosaries and jewelry pieces will be shipped in gift boxes. A beautiful brocade pouch will be included with woman’s rosary purchases.

And of course, if you’re into knitting, you can always check out my pattern shop at Ravelry to see all my designs available for immediate download. I have designs for quick gifts as well as elaborate sweaters, designs for men, women and children, and home accessories, too. If you don’t see anything you like, email me and I’ll see what I can create just for you and yours!