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)

Back to my Roots

Literally! I've finally decided, after almost 2 years of being a redhead (and a brief period of crazy colored hair), to return to my natural dark brown. It feels good. I'm glad that now my hair can grow out without having to do my roots every two months. I still might cut it, but I think maybe my desire for change is satiated for the time being...

bracelet & necklaces/courtesy of jewelmint :: sheer top/courtesy of ruche :: tee/scrapbook

I came across these gorgeous laser-cut wood necklaces the other day from Miju And You and fell in love. I'm really digging a Navajo print/southwest vibe right now and these necklaces are absolutely perfect. The colors and patterns are so graphic and striking with the texture of the wood. I think one of these would look awesome with a cute denim dress, v-neck t-shirt, or a rustic plaid top. They also have really cute laser-cut feather necklaces and arrow rings which are gorgeous as well. I love finding amazing and unique etsy shops!

put a ring on it

In my last post I wore my Grandma's high school ring from 1943, and it got me thinking about vintage rings. I found Erica Weiner's shop looking for Herkimer Diamond rings, and discovered that she has a bunch of really incredible vintage rings. Vintage rings are far and away my favorite ones, I just love the sense of artistry that jewelers used to have. There are some rings nowadays that will catch my eye, but vintage rings will always be my favorite.

I have a ring almost identical to this first diamond ring. It was my great great aunt/grandmother's (we're not sure who it belonged to), and it's one of my favorite rings. I like that they build up the silver decoratively around the stone. I absolutely loathe the boring solitaire diamond rings that are ubiquitous these days. Like... a blank band with the stone awkwardly sticking out into space? I don't get it. It makes my eyes hurt. Haha. I suppose someone could see these vintage rings as being tacky and gaudy, but hey, I know what I like! Erica Weiner has the most gorgeous collection of these vintage rings, I was thrilled to find her site! (click through the photo to check out the ring at her shop!)

The reason I stumbled across her site in the first place was because I was searching for Herkimer Diamond rings. On my family's cross country RV trip in 2007, we stopped for a night in Herkimer, New York, where Herkimer Diamonds are mined. A Herkimer Diamond is really just a quartz stone, but I love them nonetheless (plus, it's cheaper to have a thing for Herkimer diamonds than the real ones). You can go to Herkimer and mine them yourself at this little place that gives you a hammer and a sack and lets you crack away at rocks in the quarry looking for your own "diamonds." It's one of my favorite memories from that trip.

Erica's shop also has amazing bracelets, necklaces, and earrings which are worth taking a look at. I love how unique the jewelry is. They have a shop in New York City at 173 Elizabeth Street, if any of you are New Yorkers and interested in checking it out!

Chameleon

I work on a military base, so the comments on my outfits are always really funny, considering I'm saturated in a uniform environment. Yesterday I was Zooey Deschanel, today I was Boy George.

Also, I think fall is definitely here now. I smelled it in the air.

I am too sleepy to say anything else. Behold: Boy George.

hat/target : blazer/thrift : tank/diy : shorts/thrift : leggings/F21 : booties/minnetonka

Okay, so a long time ago I won a giveaway from The Clothes Horse. Way back in June. Long story short, it's taken a long time to work it into an outfit, for various reasons which are too complicated to mention. She gave away three jewelry items from Eryn Brinie, and I got one! This great necklace!