When you buy a handmade gift from a small, woman owned business you are supporting someone’s dream. During my journey as a maker and small business owner over the past year-and-a-half, I have had the absolute pleasure of connecting with talented and delightful women, many of whom are still working their full-time day jobs and/or raising children while pursuing their own passions.
Here, I’ve curated a list of special gift ideas for your consideration. Read on and prepare to be inspired and awed by each of these women — and the love, blood, sweat and tears that have gone into their chosen areas of craft.
Owner and fiber artist Julia Martin creates gorgeous wall hangings made of wool yarn and dyes that she mixes herself. Each one of her beautiful pieces hangs from a wooden dowel or Oregon Sequoia branch. I connected with Julia when we were both featured artists at West Elm’s pop up this Fall. Though we were featured on different weekends, Julia messaged me when she saw me on West Elm’s Instagram feed. Since then, we’ve messaged and followed one another regularly. She is SO TALENTED.
Julia is self-taught in her craft and uses nature as her main source of inspiration. She is passionate about animal welfare and 10% of each sale goes towards finding a cure for Canine cancer. Find Julia on Instagram @CopperandSageDesign where you can follow her, connect to her Etsy shop and/or send her a direct message regarding a custom order.
I am planning my Copper + Sage Design custom order and can’t wait to hang her beautiful art in my home.
I have known the woman behind Detox by Design for more than 15 years. I first met Megan Mikkelsen when we were wee graduate students at Portland State University. Since then, we’ve both embarked on our respective careers. Over the past few years, Megan has spun her passion for healthy and toxic free living into a business, Detox by Design.
Visit Megan’s website where you can sign up for her weekly newsletter and search for toxin free product recommendations. Megan represents a beauty line called Crunchi, which is toxin free, organic, and seriously awesome. I am a big fan of Crunchi’s foundation, blushes, highlighters, lip glosses… need I go on? The products smell wonderful and are some of the best quality I have ever used. Most importantly, they are completely safe, which is a difficult quality to find in beauty products. Megan also offers a vibrant Facebook Community and toxin free living consultations, which you can find on her website by clicking here.
I have learned so much from Megan and am grateful that I have a less toxic lifestyle because of her. If you’re looking for a unique gift for an eco-conscious friend or family member, head over to Detox by Design.
I couldn’t write a gift guide without plugging my own business, could I? For those of you who may not know me, I’m Cassie Buckroyd and I design and make all the pieces you see from HolderIndustries. My favorite material to work with is brass, but I also tinker in silver, gemstones and beaded jewelry. I use both prefabricated metal charms and pieces that I cut and hammer with my own two hands. Most of my creating happens in my home in Portland, Oregon or in my little mountain workshop in Rhododendron. I am mostly obsessed with making jewelry, but also dabble in snagging up vintage jewelry and home , which you can find in my Etsy shop.
You can find HolderIndustries on Etsy, in a few retailers in Portland and the Willamette Valley, as well as at some holiday markets in the coming weeks. Click here for a complete list!
Rachel Delmotte is the () artist behind Suffragette Studio in Portland, Oregon. Rachel designs fun and beautiful cards, love notes and posters with messages in support of empowering all women. I have personally snagged up a few of her posters and several cards that I have given to friends and coworkers. Rachel is serious about advancing and supporting women and donates 20% of her proceeds to local nonprofits that do the same.
To say I am obsessed with ceramics would be an understatement. I simply cannot get enough of it and stalk, err, follow, many local artists on Instagram and have curated several pieces for my home. I am especially fond of April McNamara and her artful pieces at Wandering Clay Studio. Her pottery features both bold geometric designs, as well as simple and classic. Her pottery is available in many forms –planters, vases, mugs, bowls, plates, serving platters, and more. You can find April’s art on her website and follow her on Instagram. She takes custom orders too!
I connected with Virginia, of Woman and Wolf, at my very first jewelry show at Apolloni Vineyards in September of 2018 and got to see her again almost a year later at Wayward Winds Lavender Farm this past July. Virginia creates lovely skin care products using sustainably harvested ingredients sourced in Oregon, some from her own garden. A true believer in the power of plants, she creates her own recipes and decided that if she can grow and make her own food, she can do the same with her skin care products. Virginia has created a line of essential products that everyone should have on hand.
I have personally used her cleansing bars (heavenly), Rough Patch Restorative Rose Balm and Public Remedy CBD Oil on a roll. I keep her Happy Place essential oil on a roll and You Got This spray at work for those moments I need to take a deep, calming breath of something that smells delicious. And that’s quite often, these days. 😀
Shop Virginia’s delightful line at womanandwolf.co
Erica Zabudsky, the woman behind Z Candles Studio, has a passion for creating comfortable cozy spaces and believes that candles are an important element in creating that environment. Her hand poured candles contain 100% soy wax derived from domestic soybeans and come in modern amber glass jars. Z Candles are safe to burn, as there are no chemicals released into the air and the candle wicks are made from natural cotton and do not contain lead or zinc.
I have long been a fan of Z Candles and have several scents for my home and that I’ve given as gifts. My favorite scents include Citrus Boost, Oakmoss + Amber, Grapefruit, and Aloe + Green Tea. There are several gift combinations and options available and Erica is constantly coming up with new fragrances that I can’t wait to try. On my most recent visit to the Z Candles website, I noticed she is now carrying soaps! Submitting order in 3, 2, 1…
In addition to their website, Z Candles can be found in several Portland area retailers. For a complete list, click here.
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