Top 5: Handmade & Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas

Whoa!  It’s already 12/12 and I haven’t shared my suggested gifts list!  These are some of my favorite eco-friendly and/or handmade items from small business owners and bloggers – because, as you know, I’m all about local, small business, and fair trade shopping.  Well, without further ado, may I present you with:

Borrowed Abode Top 5 Eco-Friendly and/or Handmade Gifts

1.  Gadanke Journals

The handmade journals from Gadanke are by far my favorite go-to gift for friends and family members, because there’s something for everyone – and they’re unlike any other journal I’ve ever seen.  Katie from Making This Home creates them from recycled and Italian papers, and includes clever little writing prompts that really inspire you to explore your thoughts.  And because they’re held together with metal rings, they’re totally expandable.

This December I’ve been taking a few moments here and there to record memories in our “Joy to the World” Christmas journal.  It’s perfect, because it’s compact size allows me to take it in my purse wherever we go.  I’m also stealing a few moments to write in my She journal, which I also love – especially now that I have little time for scrapbooking.

2.  Reusable Glass straws from Glass Dharma

The glass straws from Glass Dharma are a great eco-friendly solution for environmentally-friendly straw users!  I’ve got one, but I would love to have more!  They come in three sizes, from small to large, so that there’s something for every type of drink – even thick smoothies.  You can read more about how they’re created here, but in short – they’re specially made to resist breakage, and they won’t leach chemicals like plastic does.  And they’re made in the USA.  The shop also sells assorted cases for them, so you can keep your glass straw handy in your purse, without worrying about breakage!

3.  Handmade Jewelry

Why subject yourself to the holiday mall traffic for just another boring necklace from the jewelers, when Etsy and other sites are chock-full of beautiful, unique handmade pieces?  And what fabulous lady  wouldn’t prefer a beautiful handmade necklace?   I know this girl would.  In fact, I’ve been amassing a wish list on Etsy for some time now – and I’ve realized there is absolutely no reason not to shop at Etsy!   Here’s a peek at what I’ve had my eye on:

(1)  Sterling silver Hydrangea Cluster necklace from Patrick Irla on Etsy.   (2) Stamped silver Smiling Pit Bull pendant (a fundraiser for the Oakland Animal Shelter) from Lulu Bug Jewelry on Etsy.   (3) Falling Gold Orchid Necklace, with aquamarine Swarovski crystal, from In Style Boutique on Etsy.   (4) Sterling silver Star Bright necklace from Silver Moth Design on Etsy.    (5)  Sometimes simple is perfect:  Moonlit pearl necklace from Ellie Rose Designs on Etsy.    (6) Stamped silver Voyager necklace with compass rose from Lulu Bug Jewelry.  (I love the Walt Whitman quote on it!).   (7) Silver Calla Lily necklace with lavender crystal from Balance 9 on Etsy.  (8) Silver Mama Bird pendant with pearl accents from The Vintage Pearl (a shop featuring fabulous hand-stamped designs).

4.  Upcycled LP Notebooks from Just L

Remember when we raved about Just L, the mid-century modern furniture store we discovered during our fall road trip?  Well, they just got even cooler with their newest line of products:  Upcycled blank notebooks.  They select the most fabulous vintage LPs, book covers, bingo cards, paint-by-number paintings, and old Venture Magazine holographic covers, and have them turned into blank notebooks by a local book binder.  Isn’t that a great way to bring new life to an old work of art?

Although these guys are a small operation in New Hampshire, you can admire and purchase their wares on Facebook, even if you’re not a FB user.

The Venture Mag holographic notebooks are totally awesome, even more so in person than in the photos.  The vintage book blank books are from the 1900’s to the 1960’s, and are upcycled into notebooks while leaving the first 2-7 pages of the novel intact.  All notebooks are filled with 75 blank pages of recycled paper and are priced at $16.  Wouldn’t this be a great stocking-stuffer for the artist or sketcher or doodler (like me!)?

(1)  Two upcycled and classic LP blank notebooks.  (2)  A vintage Venture Magazine holographic cover makes for a totally spacey notebook.  (3) Two blank books with backs and fronts of repurposed Bingo cards.  (4) A close-up of another holographic Venture Magazine-turned-noteboo cover.  (5)  Three vintage books-turned-notebooks:  “500 Live Ideas for the Grade Teacher,”  “Seventy Times Seven,”  “First Steps in Acting.”  (6)  Two blank LP books:  a Peter, Paul and Mary album, and a Chicago album.  (7)  Three vintage fiction books-turned-notebooks:  “Puss in Boots,”  “Blacky,”  “Danny’s Secret.”  (8)  A peek at the inside of a vintage book-turned-blank book.

And don’t forget to hop over to Just L and check out all their other goodies, like the vintage desk calendars.

5.  Cross-Stitch Pieces and Kits from Slipcover Your Life Stitchery

In case you haven’t noticed, cross-stitch is totally cool again – and Erin from Slipcover Your Life has some seriously fun and unique pieces to deck your walls.  All of her designs in her Etsy shop are available as pdf patterns, stitchery kits, or fully-finished pieces – with prices ranging from $5 to $50, so there’s something for everyone, from the avid DIYer to the lazy decorator.  She also does custom orders – in fact, she’s working on one for me right now as part of my office redecorating plan.

One of Erin’s custom stitchery orders was spotted in the Apartment Therapy tour of Loving.Living.Small’s home office!  Clearly this is a great gift, guaranteed to leave your recipient in stitches.  🙂

So that’s it for my top 5.  What’s on yours?  Any small businesses or Etsians that I should know about?