Amazon Handmade Holiday Gift Guide
Travel has always been a major source of inspiration for everything design related in my life. That includes how I decorate my space, but in the past it’s even influenced my gift giving! Unfortunately, this year things were different and I — like many of you — had to hit pause on my travel plans. Thankfully I turned to the next best thing to find creative, worldly, and even handcrafted gifts for everyone in my life. This year I collaborated up with Amazon Handmade to hunt for beautiful and lovingly-made goods — all without having to leave my home.
You already know that Amazon is a go-to spot for finding everything you can think of. Now, with Amazon Handmade, it’s an incredible place to find clothing, jewelry, paper goods, home decor items, and kitchen goods, and more that have been vetted as authentically made by global artisans. For my gift giving this year I zeroed in on the last two of these categories.
For those who have been spending a lot of extra time in the kitchen these days (perfecting their bread recipes and such!) a stylish salt cellar is also a must. What I loved about this one is that it’s minimally designed so it can work seamlessly with any decor, and the cast concrete material gives it weight that makes it feel chef-worthy. This maple wood cutting board instantly caught my eye because of its natural striping and shape. I can just picture how perfect it would be with some cheese and charcuterie, so I’ll give this to another friend who loves to entertain! I could even pair it with this ginkgo leaf print tea towel for a sweet little hostess or housewarming gift. Of course for me no room is complete two important things: pops of color and wall decor. I think this bright yellow bud vase filled with some fresh herbs would make a sunny addition to any kitchen and this seagrass and leather African fan and this framed abstract print could help make it feel more eclectic and personalized — crucial to all Dab-approved spaces.
For decorating living rooms, or any part of the home that could a little extra warmth, a throw blanket instantly provides coziness. What drew me to this one in particular is that it’s made of recycled clothing! And of course I’m always a sucker for the color green. The same goes for this Hmong pillow: I have some of these in my home and everyone’s always asking about them, so I figured they’d make an ideal gift.
For another global accent, an African basket like this one, which is made of handwoven sisal and crafted by women artisans in Rwanda, could be used to hold odds and ends on a coffee table or side table. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a scented candle, and this soy wax one that smells like lavender and sage is the perfect way to add in some soothing aromatherapy vibes to any room.
Finally, I had to snatch up this set of three vintage-inspired mirrors. They’re petite so they’d look amazing in a small bathroom or above a shelf, but I also love the idea of using them as holiday decor, including adorning a Christmas tree! There are so many reasons that holiday shopping can be stressful — and this year that’s probably more true than ever — but knowing you can still shop thoughtfully from a selection of curated handmade goods with quality and authenticity you can count on hopefully makes it a little easier. After all, gift giving should be fun! And you’re supporting small businesses as well. But if you could use a few more ideas check out my complete Amazon Handmade gift guide. Happy Handmade hunting!