I just love the hustle and bustle of makers markets at Christmas. I’ve already been to four in the past week to do some gift shopping and soak up the festive atmosphere. However, you don’t have to travel to a festive craft market in order to find a unique, handmade gift for your friends or family members.
If you’d rather get your shopping done from the comfort of your own home, browsing Etsy is the solution. Even though I bought quite a few goodies from the makers I saw ‘in person’ at the Christmas markets, I also discovered that most of them also have their own ‘shops’ on Etsy.
This means I can continue to support local makers, artists and authors even if I can’t physically get to a craft market they’re selling at this year. This week I’ve been browsing the Festive Season Hub on Etsy and revisiting all my saved ‘favourite’ shops to see what gorgeous gifts I can find.
Lovely Lydia
I saw Lovely Lydia in person last weekend at a Christmas market that she organises on the Suffolk coast and she really does live up to her name! We’d ordered some handmade napkins from her for our Christmas dining table, which had been custom-printed with our initials, so we picked those up and browsed all the gorgeous goodies on her stall.
All of Lovely Lydia’s creations are crafted from her hand-printed fabrics featuring her own motifs, from woodland and coastal designs to botanical prints and playful slogans. I covet them all and already have a mini zipper purse that I use all the time to carry make-up essentials in my bag. I highly recommend you check out her Etsy shop for handcrafted homewares and accessories.
Victoria Brock Books
Since my niece was born, I’ve been buying her a book each year from the collection by local author Victoria Brock, all beautifully illustrated and with such lovely uplifting stories. I also ask the author to sign each book I buy before she posts them to me and she’s always happy to oblige – so my niece has a signed collection!
I hopped on Etsy earlier this week and spotted that the author has launched another two new books in the series so I’m definitely adding those to my Etsy shopping list this month and will be wrapping one up for my niece this Christmas.
Crafty Cats Club
Another maker I chatted with at the weekend is Crafty Cats Club. As a cat-mum, I’ve been fan of their work for years and have many many pieces by them including foil artworks and my favourite cat paw enamel pin badge. So I grabbed another cat-themed item to add to my own collection on Sunday!
But it’s not all about cats. They handmake plenty of other fantastic gifts from jewellery and accessories to gleaming foiled star sign prints and pet portraits. You can browse them all on the Crafty Cats Club Etsy shop and get in touch with them for custom commissions to get something truly unique.#
Unruly Print
Having recently relaunched some vibrant new prints on their Etsy shop, Unruly Print is a local printmaker you need to check out for your festive shopping. I can be sure you’ll find an artwork that’s suitable for anyone you’re buying for – from kids to adults. In fact, it’s such a lovely idea to encourage children to start an art collection from a young age and choose their own favourites as they grow.
Not only do they have plenty of hand-cut, hand-inked and hand-printed original artworks at extra-low prices, but they also have a book to encourage creativity in others too. Unruly Print’s book ‘Create’ is somewhere between an activity book and a sketchbook, with prompts for creative tasks and space to doodle, draw and experiment with all the ideas: a gift I’d definitely recommend for children and arty adults for Christmas.
Lydia Miriam Design
For handmade, affordable jewellery look no further than Lydia Miriam Design. Her pieces are handmade from ethically sourced Tagua beads, which support artisans in Ecuador with a portion of profits donated back to the community.
I’ve previously bought her jewellery for my mum for Mother’s Day so I know just how beautiful her pieces are. The colours are so vibrant and you can choose from the designs she’s already created or can request a custom-made combination of your favourite hues – which is ideal for gifting to a friend or family member who loves fashion jewellery and bright colours.
Aspen Press
And finally, another local creative that I caught up with at the weekend is Aspen Press. It’s always a joy to see their fabulous letterpress pieces and I’ve collected quite a few over the years. We picked up some beautiful gift tags ready for Christmas as well as a Zine-making booklet that’s beautifully printed with a foil title on the cover.
Aspen Press is definitely the place to go for unique greeting cards, notelets and stationary so be sure to check them out on special occasions throughout the year including Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentines, birthdays and anniversaries.
I hope this round-up of my favourite makers with Etsy shops has inspired you to shop with small businesses and local makers this Christmas. I love the fact that buying from them keeps a creative business running as well as helping you to find something truly unique for the people you love this Christmas.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any Etsy makers that you particularly recommend or if you have a handmade item from Etsy that you love – I’d be so interested to learn about more fabulous makers!
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