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I did my first ever vacation reward information for vacationers a couple of years in the past, which used to be a laugh to assemble. Readers appeared to benefit from the more than a few pieces, and I used to be satisfied to percentage one of the merchandise that accompanied me at the highway. This 12 months, I sought after to do one thing somewhat other.
For starters, my lifestyles is somewhat other – one thing all of you realize. In consequence, my very own presents to friends and family aren’t souvenirs from far-away puts, however a laugh issues I’ve came upon. I sought after to percentage a few of them right here, particularly as many are small companies like myself.
This 12 months, I’d love to percentage two classes of presents: artists and makers from my new house of Ottawa and a few from past, and books I like or discovered impactful in my very own lifestyles.
I deliberate to put up the e-book information and the artwork/presents information in the similar put up, however there are too many tips and it were given fairly unruly. So I can put up the e-book information within the coming week, and beneath are my tips for artwork, jewellery, and extra.
I’m hoping you’ll to find one thing you prefer in them!
Artwork, good looks, and jewellery presents for 2022
Now that I are living in Ottawa, it used to be a laugh to get to grasp a few of these nice other people and I’m excited to percentage them with you, too. The pieces beneath are from artists that I’ve both supported by way of buying merchandise myself, or native pieces I beloved that didn’t paintings with my many immune/different restrictions.
Floral Polymer Clay Earrings
The skill in the back of Island Meadow Clay is Rylan, who runs the store along with her husband Alex. She makes the jewellery, he packs the orders, they usually each display up at native flea markets with a sales space to blow their own horns their stunning earrings and necklaces.
The industry started as an epidemic interest, however took off at the same time as the rustic reopened. I’ve bought those for myself (see beneath), as presents, and had an earring pair commissioned in particular for a pal in accordance with the colors she loves.
Those are fabricated from light-weight polymer clay, so even the bigger earrings aren’t going to drag down in your earlobes. That is a very powerful factor for me, since I have already got numerous head ache. Those will even make for a superb present for other people with migraine complications or different prerequisites that impact the cranial nerves. And, for individuals who merely love handmade jewellery.
As a result of I’ve bought from them probably the most, they’re on the most sensible of the checklist—and rightfully so! I like their merchandise, and their heat as a pair too.
Additional information:
The place to shop for: the Island Meadow Clay website online
Transport to: Canada and the US
Practice them on: Instagram
Embroidered middle maps
I met the beautiful couple in the back of Sadie and June when at a flea marketplace in Ottawa, and liked their a laugh choices as a traveler with numerous puts I omit deeply. They promote hand-embroidered maps for 900 places (and counting), both as stand-alone “I like this position” taste, or connecting hearts, the place there’s a thread connecting two puts. Additionally they do customized maps, in case your favorite locations aren’t on be offering at this time.
The couple, whose names are in reality Steve and Kendall, are a cross-border couple—one thing fairly commonplace right here within the cities that border america! She’s from New Jersey and he’s from Ottawa, however they met in Florida. Very talked-about any time I’ve observed their sales space round the town, they seize the nostalgia of leaving items of ourselves in puts we beloved.
Says Kendall, “Our hand-embroidered middle maps have been born out of this love and our trust that love is aware of no borders. The idea that: I started embroidering via paper antique map prints that intended one thing particular to me and Steve.”
The couple have a put up about how they went from being ‘flat broke’ in 2014 to construction a full-time industry round their stitching abilities. Once I met Kendall on the marketplace, she discussed that because the industry picked up she used to be suffering to get orders finished … till she taught Steve methods to stitch, and that helped get the maps finished a lot sooner. Now they’re each running on their widespread maps, and including towns all the time.
Additional information:
The place to shop for: the Sadie and June website online
Transport to: Canada and the US, in addition to Europe
Practice them on: Instagram
Preserved resin flower jewellery
Any other native seller that I used to be taken by way of is Floral Sweeties. I stopped up getting my mum’s birthday reward from them, stunning earrings that I knew she’d experience.
Floral Sweeties is the brainchild of Hannah, a registered nurse who has expanded right into a botanical facet hustle. The jewellery she sells is made with hand picked wild and lawn plant life from Ottawa which might be dried, preserved, after which embedded in resin to create each and every piece. (She additionally sells clay items the place recent flowers is imprinted in clay to supply plaster aid artwork the usage of herbal pigment, however the ones are fairly heavy to send and I’m that specialize in her jewellery).
Their earrings, like Island Meadow Clay, are most commonly very light-weight—easiest for somebody who has complications.
Additional information:
The place to shop for: the Floral Sweeties website online
Transport to: Canada and Global (together with USA)
Practice them on: Instagram
Hand-drawn maps of meals
Sure, sure—I’ve incorporated my very own maps on this information as neatly. I, too, am an area Ottawa industry finally. And one with a thrilling building: my meals map of Canada is after all whole!
As with the opposite maps on this sequence, the Canada map is designed by way of me and inked by way of Ella Frances Sanders, a bestselling writer whose new e-book could also be within the books information that can be revealed in a while.
Additional information:
Prison Nomads readers can take 10% off with the code HOLIDAY22 till December 24, 2022.
The place to shop for: the Prison Nomads artwork store website online
Transport to: International
Practice me on: Instagram
Plantable playing cards that transform wildflowers
Any other a laugh reward this is considerate, AND does no longer create waste: quirky playing cards embedded with seeds, that you’ll then plant and nourish through the years.
Seeded Reminiscences used to be constructed by way of MaryAnn and Jose, a husband and spouse crew who felt greeting playing cards have been each pricey, and wasteful. So that they determined to make paper and playing cards the usage of 100% recycled subject material which might be embedded with plenty of wildflower seeds. So the cardboard you purchased will also be planted, rising a lawn of recollections and person who creates no tangible waste.
Playing cards are to be had in English, French, and Spanish.
Additional information:
The place to shop for: the Seeded Reminiscences website online
Transport to: Canada handiest. For my many American readers, you’ll to find seeded playing cards at Adorable Root as a substitute.
Practice them on: Instagram
Cute fruit earrings
I fell in love with adorable grapefruit earrings a couple of years in the past, and feature worn them so often that they fell aside.
Within the hunt to seek out new alternative earrings, I discovered a couple of retail outlets on Etsy that provide them, in case you wish to have a couple for yourselves—or any person else!—too.
LOOK HOW CUTE THEY ARE:
They too are light-weight, and an excessively a laugh addition to any outfit.
The place to shop for:
The Scrappy Cat (USA)
Ellie Endure (Canada)
Brlogarka (UK and EU)
Porcelain and ceramic jewellery
Larra & Break of day began Flourish Stoneware in October 2018, on what they name “not anything greater than a dream to create.”
Each and every in their items takes a mean of 25 hours to create, because it comes to sketching, imprinting the clay, drying it out, after which firing it within the kiln sooner than glazing thereafter.
The items are in my opinion crafted with plenty of fabrics like porcelain, speckled clay, black clay, plenty of glazes and overglazes (like gold lustre and Mom of Pearl overglaze).
The result’s a number of stunning, distinctive jewellery that stuck my eye at an area marketplace.
Additional information:
The place to shop for: the Flourish Stonewear website online
Transport to: Canada, USA, and Global. (Transport out of doors N. The usa is pricey, regardless that)
Practice them on: Instagram
Knitted cacti
With a challenge to carry greenery to “each and every suffering plant father or mother”, Kelsea’s whimsical knitted cacti stuck my eye at an area flea marketplace. The industry took place when Kelsea knitted her sister some cacti for Christmas, after seeing how her sister couldn’t stay vegetation alive.
Taking inspiration from actual vegetation, Kelsea in moderation crafts knit cacti and succulents in plenty of sizes, colors, and shapes. She additionally tries to make use of sustainable fabrics for different portions of her merchandise: upcycled packaging, sustainable yarn and stuffing, plus reusing cardboard throughout the pot to cause them to lighter weight for delivery.
The corporate is absolutely family-supported, together with the construct for the presentations on the marketplace stall I met her at.
I purchased myself a mini cacti (regardless that I’m having cactus feel sorry about that I didn’t get a bigger one), and idea it’s your decision one too.
Additional information:
The place to shop for: the Kelsea Knits website online
Transport to: Canada, USA, and Global.
Practice them on: Instagram
DIY candle, deodorant, and clay masks kits
Jessye, the founder and maker in the back of Make This Universe, began her DIY store in 2018, whilst getting very pissed off seeking to make her personal deodorant at house. She looked for a store the place must get a package to take action as a substitute, and got here up empty. Like me beginning my meals maps as a result of I couldn’t to find the product I used to be on the lookout for, Jessye kicked off her store to fill an opening available on the market.
Make the Universe provides DIY “trendy craft kits” for candles, deodorant, mask, and necklaces, in swish packaging that may be recycled. They permit for customizable merchandise to account for private sensitivities, with no need to do the whole lot from scratch.
Additional information:
The place to shop for: the Make the Universe website online
Transport to: Canada and USA
Practice them on: Instagram
Caffeine necklace in silver
Do your family members experience espresso up to I do? This chrome steel and silver plated necklace of the molecule for caffeine could also be up their alley, or yours. Chain period: 50cm. Nickel and lead loose
You’ll be able to purchase it right here.
Whimsical hen artwork
I’ve had the excitement of assembly the genius in the back of Birdstrips, Jess, in particular person in Montreal two times sooner than we each and every moved in other places. Her illustrations have grown an enormous following on Instagram because of their whimsical, relatable messaging.
In Jess’ phrases, the store accommodates “the existential misery of the flightless in the course of the eyes of the flighted.”
Under, two prints from her store: one among an acrylic portray of a rooster named Cheddar Cheese, who’s “escaped right into a box of dandelions and is having the time of her lifestyles”, and the second one, remedy “sooner than and after”—in vintage Birdstrips taste
Additional information:
The place to shop for: the Birdstrips Print Store (additionally mugs, tees, and extra!)
Transport to: International
Practice them on: Instagram
Birds + curse phrases
Those illustrations of birds that swear in inventive techniques are widespread far and wide the internet, with excellent reason why. As Twitter implodes and the sector feels love it’s doing the similar, the hen outrage by way of Aaron Reynolds says all that we’re bottling up inside of.
That doesn’t forestall other people from getting annoyed in regards to the cursing, however … did you are expecting anything from an organization referred to as Effin Birds?!
Additional information:
The place to shop for: Clothes, mugs, pins, and extra right here, plus an Effin’ Birds e-book and a more moderen French Effin’ Birds e-book, in addition to a 2023 Calendar too.
Transport to: International
Practice him on: Instagram
Pearl jewellery from Tahiti
My pal Celeste is not just a perfect commute author, but in addition runs an environmentally-friendly Tahitian pearl corporate, Kamoka, that clings to the strictest ranges of sustainable farming on the planet. Their pearls are from oysters grown within the nutrient-rich lagoon of Ahe Atoll, 300 miles northeast of Tahiti, with electrical energy equipped by way of sun and wind energy. And in case you wanted extra convincing about supporting their endeavor: a Nationwide Geographic find out about discovered that their farming strategies helped building up the realm’s fish inhabitants in recent times.
Certainly one of their merchandise I put on steadily: the Mana Bracelet. At $99, it’s an funding, however a sturdy and lovely one.
Celeste stated that this bracelet used to be first of all crafted for surfers. Now, it’s one among their highest dealers for lively individuals who need a stupendous pearl bracelet with out being worried about fragility. The adjustable band is created from kangaroo leather-based (the most powerful leather-based on the planet), and is a smart selection for the trendy wanderer and the lively fashionista alike.
Additionally they now be offering a brand new assortment, that includes Tahitian blacklip oyster shells and jewellery created from their very own sustainably produced mother-of-pearl. The earrings beneath are extra inexpensive than the pearls by myself, and are a stupendous reward for many who need one thing sustainable and other.
Additional information:
The place to shop for: The Mana Bracelet is to be had right here. The whole mother-of-pearl assortment is right here, with the earrings above right here.
Transport to: International
Practice them on: Instagram
The ones are my 2022 reward alternatives! I’m hoping you experience no less than a few of them. I’ll be following up with the books I feel are price a learn, in only some days.
-Jodi
