Today is small business Saturday, and while it’s really easy for both of us to shop small and local in our little towns, I realize it’s not always so simple for everyone else. We’ve lived in suburban areas before where it seems like there’s nothing but chain stores and restaurants, so I do understand the challenge. Of course we love Amazon and the convenience of two-day shipping right to our doors, but we also know that shopping local keeps our friends and families in business. Here are some of our favorite gift ideas, some are old favorites and some are new to our collection for this year.
In honor of small business Saturday, today I’ll start by sharing our favorite gift ideas from ETSY. ETSY is my favorite source for handmade and personalized items, which make the most wonderful, creative and thoughtful gifts.
These cute gingham monogrammed mugs would make a great gift for anyone. They have tons of colors, just fill with chocolates or add a gift card and your teachers, friends etc. will be thrilled.
| Monogrammed Mug |
I think these wine gift bags make a fun hostess gift or an easy gift for the entertainer you know. These are a great price for a cute small gift.
These headbands are so cute and seriously would solve that hair in the face problem, which drives me crazy especially when I exercise. They’re inexpensive and come in dozens of patterns (I also love their double twist style). Buy one for a girlfriend, one for yourself!
| Headband |
Men can be hard to shop for; my husband has a leather tray like this on his dresser and keeps all the “things” that would normally pile up–loose change, keys etc. This is a nice price for one like this, and is a great handmade gift for a hard-to-shop-for guy.
| Leather tray |
I also like these leather toiletry bags, these are stylish and won’t take up too much space in his bag (my husband’s priority is always to bring as little as possible with him when he travels, a concept completely lost on me). My son is also getting one of these this year, the time has come for him to travel with more style than a toothbrush in a ziploc bag, much as he doesn’t seem to agree.
| Dopp kit |
You can find unlimited jewelry ideas on ETSY, this initial necklace would be a keepsake gift for any mom.
I also love these dainty circle necklaces:
Also as far as stamps, if you have a special cook in your life, a “From The Kitchen Of” stamp is perfect for making cards to attach with homemade goodies at this time of year, a selection is HERE.
I order these monogrammed notepads for friends all the time. They are a great price and such a cute personalized gift. I always add an extra one for me when I order, they are perfect to jot a quick note to the teacher or enclose in a gift for a friend. The paper is very nice quality; I promise they don’t look homemade.
A house portrait is a lovely gift for anyone who lives in a “forever” home, or has a special one that they’d like to remember, like their childhood home (or Grandma’s house). ETSY has a large selection of artists who will take a picture of your house and turn it into a portrait.
| House watercolor |
Or, if you prefer, you can have someone do a traditional drawing.
I don’t see how you can go wrong with this black buffalo check weekender bag, it’s such a great basic carry-all and still stylish.
| Weekender Tote |
I love these foam cups (and all the other fun items in this store), these are perfect for easy holiday entertaining. Don’t forget to pick up some napkins while you are there too!
For your design obsessed friends, sisters etc. how about a pillow (or two) in a gorgeous fabric?
These matchboxes have long been a favorite of mine; pair them with a pretty scented candle and you have a perfect gift combination. They come in dozens of graphics and colors.
| Matchboxes |
Last but not least, this is one of my favorite ETSY stores. If you’re a fan of preppy chinoiserie style, you’ll love pretty much everything she carries. These melamine plates and platters are just darling!
And this gold tray would look great on a dresser or to serve drinks:
| Gold tray |
These monogrammed gift enclosures are a great gift idea, too:
| Gift enclosures |
Here is a bonus idea…we’ve used these cards in teacher gifts for the end of the year and teacher appreciation, but if you have small gifts to give to people like bus drivers, mail carriers, teachers, co-workers, your hairdresser etc. these are perfect to enclose with a Starbucks or coffee shop gift card. They’re only $2 and then you can download an unlimited number and customize them using photo editing software (we use PicMonkey).
A few others shops we would like to share that aren’t on ETSY but are still a small business. We’ve loved the signs and art by Lindsay Letters for years, if you follow Lindsay on social media you may know her daughter Eva suffered a traumatic brain injury early this Fall. Her art is lovely, and her Eva Love tribute collection would make a meaningful gift this year.
We are just wrapping up a jewelry giveaway from the talented Amelia Lawrence, read more in our Favorite Things post HERE. You can enter to win a piece of her unique and handmade jewelry from her site here.
Finally, this year I got a new holiday sign from Oh Sweet Skye–we love it and I’ll show it to you all this week in our Holiday Home Tour. Right now they are running a Black Friday Sale with Free Shipping and they have a collection of handmade signs ready to go so you can get on in time to enjoy for your holidays!
If you missed any of our gift guides, you can see them all below:
XO,
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