handmade holiday gift guide // leather, canvas, and stone

here are so many amazing makers out there killing it in their small, handmade businesses, so I wanted to feature a few of my favorite things from some of those makers.  I've been really loving the natural textures of leather, stone, and canvas lately and I'm constantly impressed with how many incredible products are being made by independent artisans.   I've got quite a few small business owners and makers in my instagram feed and it's been fun to see how busy they are this time of year.  I know that this season can really be make or break for small businesses so giving them my business is important to me.  Quite a few of the artists featured in this gift guide are also local to Tacoma or the PNW, which is another thing I love.  Putting my money right back into my community is a great way to support my local art scene, small businesses, and economy.

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Natural stone jewelry is fast becoming my favorite thing to adorn myself with.   I was never much of  a jewelry girl, but now that I've discovered what kind of jewelry I love, I'm definitely becoming more of a jewelry hoarder.  Growing up I was always fascinated with turquoise jewelry and I remember road trips through the southwest spent ogling all the amazing jewelry made by native artists at roadside markets.  

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Can we talk for a sec about how amazing that tablet sleeve is?  Holy cow. One photo can't really show how awesome it is, so make sure to click through on that one to get a better look.  In the past I used to get faux leather products because they were cheaper, but I always found that they fell apart pretty quickly.  I've made a shift to investing in higher quality leather goods because they're built to last and the craftsmanship is so much higher, especially when you're buying from makers who are devoted to crafting an incredible product.  

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I've got tons of little canvas totes that I use for picking up our CSA from the farmer's market, but none of them are nice enough to carry around as a daily bag.  All of these bags meld form and function perfectly and I love how you can tell they were crafted by artists.  From the hand printed textiles, to the design, the attention to detail is apparent.  I've been coveting a Year Round Co. bag for probably two years now (2 + 3), and they just keep getting better!  They are located here in Tacoma and it feels like such a treat to have such an amazing company located right here in my town!

(top photo via black anchor workshop)