oh hi it's NICE-ETC - The blog for Nice.Etsy.com - Vintage & Handmade by Caitlin Holcomb

The weather is starting to work harder towards winter's expectations! I was really enjoying this feeling of spring. I do love Chicago, but after the holidays I'm hardly a fan of cold weather. Chicago is much more enjoyable in the summer, as I'm sure most will agree. I often wonder as a child how I could stand to play out in the snow for so long. I was a master at snow fort construction and I loved the speed of a snow tube. There was so much fun to be had that a sniffling nose would always take a back seat to finding the perfect slice of ice for a fortress window. I wish I could fall under such a spell when I'm scraping off my windshield, pumping gas, or putting on snow boots instead of cute boots. ...Or how about a cup of cocoa that would appear whenever you come in from temperatures below 20 degrees?

I took some photos of a couple of Christmas gifts. You can click them for a better look..







My mom picked up this really cute kit from TJ Maxx! We have been known to find great things there but I wouldn't have guessed it to have come from there. (Thanks Mom, for leaving the tag on). It's by a brand called Blue Q who I guess make various bath and cosmetic products and owe a lot to the packaging..but really, how cute is this set? A kiss-lock sweing kit? I'm sold.



This was my first purchase from Alicia Paulson. I only found out about her this past September, quite on accident. If you aren't already familiar with her, she makes wonderful things and has a lovely blog. I bought a pair for both my mom and myself haha.





This is a vintage clock I got long ago. It needed not only to be rewired, but fixed, generally. My dad surprised me this year with it in working condition! And it's now battery operated which is great because it's not very heavy and so the cord would cause annoyance. I love it.