Handmade Holidays: Dam Fine Designs |

In this third post in my series on Handmade Holidays (read posts one and two), I was introduced to a little business called Dam Fine Designs. My friend Cherish connected me to her colleague who had been sharing around her mom’s Etsy site to help give it some visibility. I was struck by the beautiful, handmade scarves and lovely pillows – and then I got the details of how this small business came to be. I knew I had to write about this for my final post in this short series. I hope you enjoy it and get some great ideas for gifts for your loved ones.

The woman behind Dam Fine Designs is a Vietnamese refugee who came to the U.S. in 1979 at the age of 27. Since then, she dedicated her life to being a wife and mother of five daughters. Before escaping Vietnam, though, she was a social worker, and after the war (while still in Vietnam), she worked a number of odd jobs trying to support her family—selling baskets and cigarettes, for example. She was always creative and savvy—she sewed school uniforms for her kids. Recently, she began knitting scarves and her daughters finally convinced her to sell her wares online, under the store name Dam Fine Designs (her first name is Dam).

If you’re looking for a quality, beautiful scarf or pillow to give as gift this year (or as a treat for yourself) be sure to check out her site!