Rock That Holiday Gift Guide!
Rock That Gem
Shopping from the comfort of your home is the perfect cozy way to check off everyone on your list! With Christmas just around the corner, now is the time to order those gifts so they get to you right on time. Purchasing from small businesses warms everyone's hearts. The makers get to support their families, and you get to give gifts made with love to the people you love. It's a win-win!
I compiled this gift guide to give you some great ideas while also getting the chance to meet some of my favorite fellow makers. These creative shop owners are all so talented. It will be hard for you not to purchase a little something for yourself too!
Photo courtesy of Katie Armour
Ever since I found Katie Armour on Instagram I have been obsessed with her amazing wooden hair pins and combs. As a third-generation woodworker, Katie creates functional keepsakes made from sustainable materials to last a lifetime. I purchased this beautiful Sawtooth Comb in Walnut a few weeks ago at Knot & Bow's new retail store in Brooklyn. As a curly haired gal, this comb doubles as a sturdy hair pin. So much better than a boring hair tie!
Photo courtesy of Everyday is a Holiday
As long as we're talking about wood, these wood die-cuts created from hand-painted prints are almost good enough to eat! Jenny and Aaron of Everyday is a Holiday are a husband and wife team on the Jersey Shore who have been creating art together for nearly two decades. I absolutely love their vintage ad-inspired creations -- makes you feel like you're in a 1950's soda shop! This is the tasty Apple Pie a la Mode Jumbo Die Cut Plaque. Perfect for any kitchen! They also have some adorable ornaments for sale. Show that tree some vintage food love too!
As long as we're in the kitchen, Lily & Val's Keepsake Kitchen Diary is the perfect gift for the cook in your life! Valerie McKeehan is an amazing chalk artist -- if you have ever wanted to try your hand at chalk lettering, get your hands on a copy of her book The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering (I'm waiting until the holiday break to dig into mine!). The Keepsake Kitchen Diary features her lettering work in this wonderful heirloom keepsake. Fill it out with a few family recipes before gifting it!
Photo courtesy of Dirtsa Studio
All that cooking and baking is going to require some clean up! I first spotted these "Paper" Towels at last year's Renegade Holiday Craft Fair in NYC. Aren't they genius? These white lined, graph, yellow lined, and handwriting papers are all 100% cotton. Perfect for the teacher in your life! Dirtsa Studio is named after shop owner Becky's grandmother Astrid, an amateur painter who humorously signed her work "Dirtsa", her name backwards. So sweet to see Becky continuing that playful energy in her work!
Photo courtesy of Vegetabowls
All this food talk has made me completely hungry. You too? We're in luck! Melanie and Justin of Vegetabowls hand-make each and every one of these beautifully realistic bowls. My favorite is the Acorn Squash Bowl -- the colors are perfect and the matte finish mirrors the texture of the squash that inspired the piece. They also have a mug version of the acorn squash. What's cozier and tastier than squash in the winter?
Photo courtesy of If You Give a Girl a Saw
A beautiful bowl deserves a beautiful tray! Janine of If You Give a Girl a Saw (such a good business name, right?) is an amazing woodworker and awesome gal who combines various woods to create amazing designs. This Aztec Breakfast Tray covers all the things you want out of a gift -- cozy, functional, gorgeous, and made to last a lifetime. Breakfast never looked so good! Need a smaller gift to spread the love to several people? Check out her Tribal Wooden Coasters, perfect for stocking stuffers!
Photo courtesy of The Lovely Ave
On the theme of gifts that last a lifetime, fresh flowers can be sweet but they only last a week! Margie of The Lovely Ave fixes that problem in the most gorgeous way -- she creates handmade paper flowers from her shop in Utah. Each flower is even more beautiful than the next. Check out her Instagram to see all the kinds that she makes. Total eye candy! This is the Small Arrangement, where you choose the five custom flowers. Give a bunch to each of your friends for a gift that lasts!
Photo courtesy of Oh Boy! Handmade
I love the tradition of giving the ones you love a warm knitted garment to keep them bundled up during these cold winter months. Help them look stylish too with Oh Boy! Handmade's Nazca Hat -- this grey and aqua fair isle hat is perfect for guys or gals, and the pom-pom lends it a bit of fun. Want something even more playful? Check out shop owner Linsy's mouth-watering Watermelon Hat!
Photo courtesy of L. Delaney
Have a book-lover in your life? It can be hard to decide which book to get them -- will they have read it already? Is it a genre they enjoy? Are their shelves already stuffed to the max? Save yourself the guesswork and get them the Miniature Book Kit and Tutorial from L. Delaney, so they can make 120 teeny tiny books of their own! Dubbed "accessories for the well-appointed dollhouse", Lauren provides the images and instructions to create your very own mini antique books (they're only an inch big!). Find a dollhouse-sized bookshelf and you're all set. Gifts that involve a little bit of assembly make the end result even more fun. Once your loved one has their collection prepared you can gift them mini versions of their favorite books. I would have A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Bambi on mine!
I can't wait to hear which your favorite gift is from the list, let me know below! I have been lusting after that acorn squash bowl for years. And oh gosh, those cake and pie die-cuts are so perfect for a cool kitchen. Santa, I'm talking to you! :)