5 Favorite Handmade Gift Shops

Reader Contribution by Jessica Kellner
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When the holidays roll around, it can be tempting to toss our usual standards out the window and buy whatever’s cheap and convenient. But this time of year is one of the most important for retailers—which means exercising your “dollar as your vote” at this time of year is particularly effective. Rather than buying inexpensive, mass-produced items made with questionable materials and manufacturing practices, try choosing handmade gifts made by artisans in the United States. A wide array of Etsy shops offer affordable and beautifully crafted items for just about anyone on your list. Here are a few of my favorite shops. 

  

1. Oh, Little Rabbit

One of my long-time favorite Etsy shops, Oh, Little Rabbit offers tea towels, cloth bags, onesies and more, all created and screenprinted at the owners’ Albany, Oregon, home. I was lucky to visit their home for an upcoming Mother Earth Living profile, and the couple is incredibly nice and hardworking. They make all their own designs, and they’ve grown their business from a closet-in-an-apartment operation to now offering pieces in retail outlets nationwide. Check out their superfun Christmas tea towel designs—perfect for a holiday hostess or a housewarming gift.

2. Hill Country Woodcraft

Hill Country Woodcraft offers wooden toys handcrafted by a Texas family out of sustainable hardwoods. Dedicated to supporting local business and customer service, the HC Woodcraft family purchases its non-wood materials in Central Texas and guarantees each product they sell. Their adorable wood (finished with tung oil), leather and yarn stick horses sell for a very reasonable $40, and they also offer adorable customized wood blocks, stacking rings, bowling sets, tractors, animals, cars and rattles. 

3. Elucx

Elucx (Eco & Luxury) is a brand dedicated to handcrafted and luxurious skin and body-care products. Made by a crafter and mom in Montreal, the line features certified organic ingredients, reusable packaging and is 100 percent free of chemicals. Considering their handcrafted nature and gorgeous, high-end packaging, Elucx products are priced fairly—the Spa Gift Set (with pink clay facial mask, lavender and vanilla body scrub, milk bath soak and four lip balms) makes a great stocking stuffer at $41.


 
 

4. FreshyFig

Vintage jewelry makes for a beautiful, thoughtful and unique gift, but it can be hard to come by high-quality pieces for a decent price. Luckily, Etsy shop FreshyFig offers a slew (432 items as of right now) of beautiful, reworked vintage pieces at excellent prices. The Portland, Oregon-based shop owner refreshes old lockets and adds water-resistant coatings to make them highly durable. Her offerings range from delicate filigree to whimsical animals—unique accessories for affordable prices (nearly all around $30 or less).

5. Maggie’s Microgreens

Give your loved ones the gift of gardening—and fresh food—with these superadorable microgreen indoor growing kits from Maggie’s Microgreens. New Mexico-based Maggie Briggs found gardening a challenge when she moved to the high desert mountains of New Mexico, but then she discovered microgreens, which are easy to grow inside and delicious to eat any time of year. Her kits include six of her best-selling organic microgreen seeds with detailed growing instructions for $18, or get a vintage growing vessel with seeds, rocks and instructions for around $10.

  • Published on Dec 6, 2013
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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