Kneedles & Life

a little bit of yarn. a little bit of life.

HP Themed Gift Ideas

I wanted to do this theme because I LOVE Harry Potter and think wizard themed gifts are so fun! This is one of those categories that is pretty easy to gifts but I try to choose cute and classy ones!

Just a heads up, this post contains affiliate links. This means if you use my link to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, and helps me continue to create free content for you! Thanks for supporting my blog in this way.

  1. Sweatshirts. I love HP themed sweatshirts and thought these were really cute! Linking the “I solemnly swear” one here.
  2. Candle. LOVE this candle we got a few years ago! It burned really slow and smelled amazing. The shop is really fun too so check out their other candles!
  3. Socks knitting pattern. I haven’t personally made this pattern but I love the stripes and they would make the perfect house socks!
  4. Blanket. My husband gave me this blanket for my birthday and it’s sooo soft. I love how beautiful it looks on the couch but it’s also the perfect lap blanket.
  5. Mug. I gave this mug to my husband for his birthday as a little joke but our daughter is crazy about it LOL.
  6. Sticker. I used to have a sticker on my old laptop that’s not available anymore but this one is really similar!
  7. Coasters. I gave these to my husband when we were dating and we still use them today! They are great quality and look really nice in your home. I love a classy touch of fandom. 😉

Pet Gift Ideas

This posts has a little bit for pets and their humans! All items are from Etsy so you can shop small this year. I think pet owners are pretty easy to shop for because there’s so many themed things out there. Do you buy gifts for your pets?

Just a heads up, this post contains affiliate links. This means if you use my link to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, and helps me continue to create free content for you! Thanks for supporting my blog in this way.

  1. Personalized mug. I love these mugs from Type League Press on Etsy. Did you know you can get your pet’s face on the mug?? There’s also regular mugs too.
  2. Handmade Collar. I met the owner of this shop at a local market I was in the past two years. He makes high quality dog collars in lots of fun prints!
  3. Handmade Bow Tie. I bought one of the Rifle Paper Co bow ties for Winston when he was a puppy and it’s super cute. I can also say it’s amazing quality because he made it his toy eventually LOL.
  4. Homemade Dog Treats. These looks so unique and fun. They’d be a festive gift for any pup!
  5. Welcome Mat. I’ve always wanted a pet themed welcome mat. I think they’re so cute and funny. This shop has a lot of other great ones.
  6. Cat Mom Keychain. I love personalized keychains, how about you?
  7. Dog Mom Sweatshirt. I think I’m going to get this sweatshirt for myself because it’s classy and cute. It’s also my favorite colors! They also have a cat version.
  8. Cat Coasters. This shop has a lot of lovely artwork and items. I thought these coasters were especially unique and would be a fun conversation starter when you have guests over.
  9. Cat Toys. These speak for themselves LOL. I think there’s a dog version out there too.
  10. Christmas Ornament. I have a sticker from this shop on my car and I just ordered this ornament for our tree!

Coffee Lover Gift Guide

I’m back with another themed gift guide! This one is for the coffee lovers – you either are one or you know one, right?

Just a heads up, this post contains affiliate links. This means if you use my link to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, and helps me continue to create free content for you! Thanks for supporting my blog in this way.

  1. Wooden Coffee Scoop. I purchased one of these for my husband as a gift a few years ago and we use it daily. It’s great quality and slides right on the top of a coffee bag to seal it! It’s handmade and ships from Canada pretty quickly. This would make a nice gift for someone alone or paired with coffee, and I love that it’s from a small business on Etsy.
  2. Milk Frother. This is hands down my favorite purchase of 2020. I didn’t know what I was missing before I started frothing my cream for my coffee! It’s quick and seriously makes it taste SO amazing. I use it with my dairy free creamer and my husband uses it with milk. Keep in mind you need to warm up dairy free creamer first so that it froths well.
  3. Yeti Mug. I have this Yeti mug in the new Ice Pink color and I am obsessed. It’s the perfect large cup of coffee and stays warm for hours. It comes with a lid you can use to lock in the heat even longer. We also have the copper color and love it too.
  4. Cozy Blanket. I feel like coffee drinkers just love cozy things so I included a beautiful throw from Target in this guide. It comes in a few colors and looks really nice!
  5. Enamel Pin. I love collecting enamel pins that show what I love. This coffee pin is cute and would be a sweet gift for a friend or stocking stuffer! It’s also from a small shop on Etsy.
  6. Keurig. This pink single serve Keurig is so stinkin cute and would be a great gift for someone who lives in an apartment or dorm! I always had a little Keurig in my dorm in college and would prep everything the night before so I could turn it on as soon as I rolled out of bed LOL. We of course have a big one in our kitchen now.
  7. NutPods Creamer. I LOVE NutPods creamer and am always trying to get my friends to try it! The holiday flavors would be such a fun gift with some coffee. They’re shelf safe so they’re easy to gift. I’m linking Amazon BUT I’m a brand ambassador so you can actually use my code KNEEDLESANDLIFE for 15% off your first order if you go through their website!

Hope you found a gift idea for the coffee lover in your life!

Toddler Toy Ideas

In this post I’m sharing some of the toys/books my 1.5 has been loving and uses with daily! She loves tv show characters the most so I shared some of her favorites. I think any of these would make a great gift!

Just a heads up, this post contains affiliate links. This means if you use my link to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, and helps me continue to create free content for you! Thanks for supporting my blog in this way.

  1. Blue’s Clue’s & You! Blue’s House Playset. I recently got this for Maddie just for fun because she’s obsessed with the show. She has been playing with this set nonstop. It comes with cute furniture, Josh, Blue and Magenta. It takes a little while to get out of the box and set up but it’s so worth it. It also folds up and stores itself.
  2. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Figure Set. Another show Maddie loves! I think these characters are really nice quality and she enjoys carrying them around and playing with them.
  3. Puppy Dog Pals Book Set. These are little mini books that are perfect for little hands. These were another recent purchase that have been a HIT. They also come in their own storage suitcase thing that she carries around. Another Puppy Dog Pals toy she loves is the Treehouse Play Set.
  4. Sesame Street Friends Books. I’m linking the Abby one which is our favorite but we have almost all of the ones they offer. These are cute books that tell about each character!
  5. Fisher Price Linkimals. I cannot say enough about the Linkimals. We’ve been adding to our collection over the past year and now have them all. These are hands down Maddie’s FAVORITE toys and I love listening to them sing and watching her enjoy them. My favorite are the moose and sloth but they’re all cute!
  6. Baby Shark Dancing DJ. If you’re kid loves baby shark, they’ll love this. It’s pretty big and sings all the songs. It also has a sensor that sees you dancing and will say things like “keep dancing,” etc. The best part is it has an off switch! 😉
  7. Foam Ball Pit. We got one of these for Maddie for Christmas and she was a bit too young. Now she gets in it herself and plays every day. This one comes with balls too.
  8. Mickey Bath Basketball Hoop. We love bath time and this little suction hoop is lots of fun! The balls don’t have holes so you don’t have to worry about water and mold getting in them.
  9. Canticos The Little Chickies. First of all, you have to watch Canticos on YouTube if you haven’t already! I love their videos more than anything else out there because they’re educational and not obnoxious. The animation is also beautiful. My husband loves them too! Maddie has one of these chickies and loves him. It sings a song in English and Spanish. We also LOVE their books!
  10. Melissa & Doug Wooden Coffee Maker. This one is for the wooden toy snobs LOL. But seriously, this coffee maker is so stinkin cute and also aesthetically pleasing! Maddie makes a pretty good cup of coffee with this hehe.

Let me know your toddler’s favorite toy in the comments so I can check it out!

XO, Kalley

Maker Gift Guide

Looking for a holiday gift for a maker friend? I love giving my maker besties something special and it’s usually a skein of luxury yarn. I’ve put together some ideas that I think any knitter/crocheter would love!

Just a heads up, this post contains affiliate links. This means if you use my link to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, and helps me continue to create free content for you! Thanks for supporting my blog in this way.

  1. Maker hoodie and mug. Monica creates beautiful screen printed maker gear that is high quality. I have washed my mug many times in the dishwasher and it still looks brand new. I love sipping tea out of this mug and knitting.
  2. Needle/notion pouches. My friend Gina has a bunch of handmade bags and pouches in her shop and these are especially festive!
  3. Gina also dyes beautiful yarn. I have several of her colorways and they have all made beautiful hats and headbands!
  4. Stitch markers. I love the stitch markers Yesenia makes. They are delicate and beautiful and you can never have too many stitch markers!
  5. Knitting bag. It seems like most makers love Gilmore Girls and this would be a fun bag to gift one of them!
  6. Enamel pin. Pins are fun to collect and put on notion and WIP bags, as well as backpacks and other things. I have a few from this shop and love their beautiful knitting designs.

Comment and let me know if you’ve ever received a maker gift before!

Holiday Gift Guide – For Her

Hey ladies, you can send this one to your significant other! 😉

These are all things I have and love, or are on my wish list. Hope it helps!

Just a heads up this post contains affiliate links. This means if you purchase through my link I may receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you any extra but it helps me continue to create free content for you to enjoy. Thanks for supporting my blog!

This cozy blanket, Kindle Paperwhite, and AirPods are three of my favorite things. The blanket comes in a lot of colors but I love the basic cream and use it for a lot of pictures too!

Another cozy item is socks and I LOVE these Camp Socks from JCrew Factory. They’re usually on sale too!

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Holiday Gift Guide – For Him

Can you believe it’s the holiday season already?! I think I’m feeling extra jolly this year because we definitely need it, am I right? I polled my followers on Instagram and they said men are the hardest to buy for (to be fair, most of my followers are women lol), so I rounded up my 11 favorite items that I have given as gifts and have been a hit. I hope you find something that fits what you’re looking for!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through my link, I may receive a small commission. This does not cost you anything extra, but it helps me continue to be able to create free content for you on my blog. Thank you for your support!

You guys have most likely already seen my Maddie face mug from Type League Press but I have to mention it again because it’s just so good! You could give this mug to almost anyone in your family who loves your kid (or pet)! I’m also imagining a situation where you put your own face on it and give it to your boyfriend or girlfriend LOL. Make sure you check out this mug because it’s a huge hit.

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Healthy Pumpkin Hummus Recipe

Tis the season for all things pumpkin – even hummus! I love hummus, especially making my own. You know exactly what goes into it and there’s no weird preservatives. It’s also super cheap to make!

I recently made a chocolate hummus you can find in this post that is super yummy and not too sweet. This pumpkin hummus is also not sweet, but that’s how I like it. You’ll see that it has no refined sugar, just pure maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup lol) which is a healthier sugar substitute.

Enjoy!

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The Coffee Bean Pumpkin – Easy Knitting Pattern

Anyone else continuously adding more pumpkins to their house all season? I just added the fourth one to our tv cabinet and my husband said I was getting a bit extra LOL. Can’t stop, won’t stop!

The Coffee Bean Pumpkin is an easy knitting pattern named after the Coffee Bean Beanie patterns I have been designing this year. You can check them out here! The slip stitches create a little coffee bean looking stitch, hence the name.

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best selling items for markets

Hey Maker! If you’re a small business owner, you know how hard it is to decide what inventory to offer and what your customers will buy, especially at markets. You typically don’t take orders at a market, so you need to have actual items available for purchase. I usually do one or two markets during the holiday season and I am by no means an expert. So I polled my followers on Instagram who do markets and asked them for their best selling items! I have rounded up my favorite patterns/designers in each category to give you a list that I hope will be helpful as you prepare for another successful market season. You got this!

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of my links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Hats

Hats is the obvious first category, right?! I selected a few simple, gender neutral patterns that would be great sellers at markets. If you live somewhere cold, you will most likely sell a lot of hats in a variety of sizes.

The first is my own. The Lazy Day Beanie is a bulky weight design written in 8 sizes. It’s quick and great for the whole family. You can top with a pom pom or leave it plain! I almost always use Lion Brand Color Made Easy for this design!

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