For this month's Gold Book, I wrote about some fun gifts that you can find locally.
Here's the round-up!
If you’re like
me, the Christmas stocking is sometimes a holiday afterthought that doesn’t
occur until after the bulk of the gifts have been purchased and ribbons tied.
This leads to grabbing a few small trinkets here and there and then raiding the
fruit basket on Christmas Eve, hoping to find a grape fruit and an orange or
two to round the stocking out. And yet, the stocking is a delightful tradition
that can be a holiday highlight if you plan it right. This year, I’m trying to
do better.
Below are a half-dozen
small pleasures to tuck into a stocking for someone special in your life. Each
of these tiny treasures can be found locally—the purchase of some support local
artists and craftsmen directly, while others will help local businesses thrive.
1. Merry and Bright
Davenport
artist Mary Talbert sews, quilts, and collages items into unique accessories
for home and self. Her background in graphic design lends to her unique
combinations of bright colors and patterns in her work. A small, coiled,
handmade fabric bowl ($15) is a perfect vessel for tiny items such as jewelry.
Crafted from a collage of vintage and new cotton prints, wrapped around rope
and zigzag stitched, these petite, colorful bowls can be easily tucked into a
stocking. Contact Ms. Talbert through lilsqueeks.com or look for lil
squeeks on Facebook. Her work can also be found at the Quad Cities Food Hub and
she’ll have a booth at Handmade City, which is on
December 13th from 2–7 p.m. at the Freight House in Davenport.
2. Pampering Products
I love the
TokyoMilk collection of lush lotions and fragrant candles for not only the richness
of the product, but also for the handsome packaging. Both shea butter hand
cremes (Tainted Love – Dark Vanilla Bean is my favorite, $23) and deeply
scented soy wax candles (the mint and basil leaf is enchanting, $12), as well
as TokyoMilk lip elixirs ($8) and perfumes ($37), are available at Abernathy’s,
a delightfully quirky boutique full of unique clothing, handmade jewelry, and
other curious accoutrements. (Abernathy’s is located at 315 E. 2nd
Street, Davenport.)
3. Sparkle and Shine
Ann Hartley is a
metal smith and jewelry designer whose expert and artful craftsmanship makes me
swoon. For a stocking stuffer with some significance, consider a ring made of
untreated rose cut yellow sapphire set in a hammer textured bezel in solid 18k
yellow gold ($575). Another beautiful piece currently available at Hartley
Studios is a pair of sparkly Moissanite earrings
($272). You’ll find a wide variety of tasteful, handcrafted pendants,
necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets at her Etsy shop.
4. Good Cheer
I love poking
around Mint Green and Adventure Orange in the Village of East Davenport and think
the collective of women who stock the store are absolutely brilliant. This
season, I’ve got my eye on Anne Brown’s hand letter-pressed greeting cards.
They are clever, stylish, and sold in sets of six ($15). Also adorable are the
local collage blocks, which are intricate pieces of art that highlight local
Quad City places on a decorative block ($8). Artist Shizzy Powell carefully
creates these tiny gems by hand and they’re just the right size for a stocking.
(2208 East 11th Street, Davenport)
5. The Most Wonderful Time
Coffee lovers
will appreciate finding a package of Redband Coffee stuffed into their stocking.
A pound of coffee is available for you to grab from the counter and ranges in
price from $17–$22. If the stocking you’re filling is on the small side, ask
for a half-pound instead and the barista will fill a crisp foil bag on the spot.
All Redband coffee is fresh and roasted on site and packed into a shiny, heat-sealed
bag. Swing by one of Redband’s two Davenport locations to pick up this local
stocking stuffer. (And treat yourself to a latte while you’re there—you won’t
be disappointed). (329 E. 4th Street or 110 W. 13th
Street, Davenport)
6. Socks for the Sock
Open
the door to SIS International Shop and you’ll soon realize you’ve landed in
stocking-stuffer (and fair-trade) heaven. The colorful shop has lots to choose
from (jewelry, trinkets, mittens, ornaments, and more), but something that
stood out on a recent visit was the bright and warm Solmate Socks ($20).
Perfect for men and women alike, these socks are knit (in the US) from recycled
cotton yarn, the production of which decreases the amount of cotton waste sent
to landfills, and the amount of water, pesticides, and herbicides used to grow
new cotton fibers. Plus, there’s another bonus to shopping at SIS. According to
Becke Dawson, SIS owner, if
everyone would purchase just one fair trade item as a gift during the holidays,
the world would change overnight. (108 E. 2nd Street, Davenport)
Paula Sands invited me to come on the show and share all of these great finds yesterday. Check out the segment here!
