Several months ago I started following Bless this Mess Please on Instagram and fell in love with her. I usually don’t read food blogs (cooking is something I put minimal effort into) but I love Melissa’s Instagram feed and the glimpses into her small town, wanna-be farm life. I’d only been following her for a few days before I knew that we were kindred spirits and, if we didn’t live a 1,000 miles away from each other, probably would be good friends.
Anyway, I asked her if she would review my book on her blog and she kindly agreed. Then she offered an exchange. She’d review my book if I reviewed some of the Christmas things she has been making for her Etsy store. Sounded good to me!
Right before we left for Thanksgiving I got this in the mail.
My kids were really excited about it and promptly dumped the whole thing on the ground. Then they spent about a half hour trying to figure out how to get it together, and since I’d had no idea what it looked like when it arrived I didn’t know how it was suppose to go together. Luckily I looked it up in Melissa’s Etsy store and saw how it was suppose to go together. Now that we know how it goes together it doesn’t take us long to put it back together (thought it is still a fun challenge for the kiddos).
Melissa hand makes these and I was really impressed by the quality of the shapes and the beauty of the wood. The lightness of the wood surprised me because it looks like it should be heavier than it is, but I guess that is just how cedar wood is. I’ve seen these types of nativities before, but this one is one of the best I have ever seen! All the objects are laser cut and are just beautifully done. I like how they are darker on the edges so that when you stand them up they look really nice. If you collect nativities (or know someone who does) this would be an awesome one to add to your collection. I love the painted one she has as well.
She also sent me this beautiful nativity ornament. It is beautifully carved and I’m loving it immensely. She is really talented.
If you are looking for a good gift for family or friends, or just to add to your Christmas decorations, I’d recommend giving Melissa’s Etsy shop a look. If you want to give a meaningful and unique gift she has plenty of good ideas!
Thanks Melissa! And Merry Christmas!
