Handmade Holiday Gifts & Ideas (Your Etsy Gift Guide for the Holiday Season)

November 29, 2018

If you need ideas for handmade holiday gifts, then you’re to love this year’s Etsy gift guide! Not only is there something for everyone on your list, but I’ve also met and/or purchased from quite a few of these amazing crafters. So you can shop with confidence with any one of these creative small business owners.

I love buying handmade. Every since I discovered (and went a little crazy) buying prints from The Black Apple (ie. Emily Winfield Martin) on Etsy in the way way back I was hooked. It wasn’t long until I was selling art prints of my own (surprise!) followed by soap later on. In the midst of this, I also bought tons of jewelry and soap from other artisans.

I even bought handknit merino wool socks from an Etsy seller in Canada to keep my toes warm when I started selling my own soaps at my local farmers market. This in turn led to an entire new world of handmade artisans for me to fall in love with. So keeping with that theme of creating and buying handmade, here are some of my favorite handmade holiday gifts of the season – all from Etsy, of course.

Handmade Holiday Gifts

One of my favorite handmade holiday gifts to give – and receive! – is pottery. Not only is it beautiful, it’s also functional. Making it the perfect handmade gift for anyone on your holiday gift list. I feel incredibly fortunate to live in an area abundant in talented potters. Many of whom pass their gift forward either through teaching or internships. I recently met a new potter who I fell in love with on sight. (Well, her pottery. Although she is remarkable as well.)

I met Ingrid Chase earlier this month at our city’s biannual RIOT Rooster – a yearly indie craft fair. Not only is Ingrid local to my hometown, she’s also an art teacher. Her online shop, IMC Clay, is filled with unique, one-of-a-kind mugs, succulent planters, vases, ring dishes and even earrings! So there’s something for everyone on your list.

I’m especially fond of the texture and hand sculpted elements that Ingrid adds to each of her pieces. It not only makes her work unique (and recognizable) but it also makes each piece she produces its own little work of art.

My dear friend, Bambi, and I both purchased items from Ingrid this month, though selfishly as a treat for ourselves. Bambi bought a pair of one-of-a-kind (reversible!) earrings while I purchased what is my new favorite coffee mug. You can shop with Ingrid for your handmade holiday gifts (and self indulgences) on Etsy here.

Bright Life Skincare is another wonderful local artisan that I had the pleasure of shopping with during RIOT Rooster. Izzy Donahue sells a variety of natural skin care products in her Etsy shop. Her products include bath soaks, lip balms, sugar scrubs, muscle rubs and facial serums. While many of Izzy’s products are well suited for stocking stuffers, they also are perfect for creating a handmade holiday gift basket. For a holiday themed gift, consider gifting her peppermint foot soak.

I also purchased two lip scrub and lip balm duos from Unbound Elements at the same event to give as handmade holiday gifts this winter. Also local to the area, Lyndsey Dickerson is a talented artisan who crafts not only natural beauty products, but amazing jewelry as well. Her beard wax and mens fragrances make great handmade holiday gifts and ideas for him. While her hot chocolate lip balm is perfect for the kids’ stockings.

For handmade holiday gifts for her, I’m fond of Lyndsey’s coffee body scrub and butters. However, I also love her one-of-a-kind rings, earrings and necklaces.

Or consider this lovely essential oil gift box. This adorable wooden gift box includes a set of two essential oil blends of your choice, one diffuser necklace, description cards and two aromatherapy inhalers.

Lyndsey’s other half, Stuart Harrison, also has an Etsy shop called Splintered Thought. He handcrafts heart-shaped wooden jewelry boxes that are perfect for anyone planning to pop the question over the holidays.

Or, if you have a teenage daughter, consider these handcrafted unicorn fantasy stacking rings. These can be purchased as a group or individually depending on your budget.

I also love this more masculine skull ring for the guys. All of these rings are made by another local artisan, Piper Lane of Magpiper Metalworks. While she did not attend RIOT Rooster this year, I did meet her there the year prior. In addition to rings, Piper also sells earrings, bracelets and pendants.

I recently made a purchase from Hoops and Expectations for a birthday gift for my dear friend, Bambi. After staying with her during my separation, I learned some pretty nifty things about her that I didn’t know before. As it turns out she is completely kick ass at embroidery. She has a small trunk that she keeps on display in home. One night, we opened up that trunk, and I got to see inside. The trunk was filled with the most beautifully embroidered pillows. I expected her to tell me they were machine made, as the designs were so detailed and completely perfect. But no. Bambi had made them all herself!

While these days Bambi makes and sells her own seed bead jewelry, she used to sell embroidered pillows when she lived in Wisconsin. So knowing her love of David Bowie and her desire to find the time to embroider again, I bought her an awesome David Bowie embroidery kit for her birthday. However, if David Bowie isn’t your thing – or your friend’s – Hoops and Expectations sells other complete DIY embroidery kits for your fellow crafters. In her shop you find all kinds of fun kits from cacti to the Grinch! In fact, I’m thinking of trying out one of these amazing kits for myself in the New Year. You can browse all of the designs offered by Hoops and Expectations in her Etsy shop here.

If you’re looking for houseware related handmade holiday gifts, then be sure to check out Highland Ridge Rustics. Located in Tennessee, this shop offers hand cut metal Christmas tree ornaments, wall hooks, signs and other home decor and even products to organize your life. I bought a mail organizer from them around two years ago and absolutely loved it! However, lately I’ve been eyeing the line of handmade trivets they offer. These come in other shapes, including one the shape of Texas, and make a great gift for anyone who loves to cook or entertain.

And, of course, no soapmakers handmade holiday gift guide would be complete without soap! So here are a few of my favorite handmade artisan soaps of the season! Clockwise: Two-Pack of Holiday Soaps from Savory and Rose, Snow Covered Fir Tree Soap from The Village Soapsmith, The Night Before Christmas Soap from Owl Natural Soaps and Snowflake Christmas Soap from The Charming Frog. For more handmade holiday soap gifts, be sure to check out my full curated collection of artisan soaps on Etsy here.

More Handmade Holiday Gifts & Ideas

Didn’t quite find what you were looking for? Try one of these other Etsy gift guides for handmade holiday gifts.

Also be sure to check out this collection of pretty ways to wrap your gifts this holiday season!

For handmade holiday gifts and ideas, you can follow me on your favorite social media platforms. You can follow me on G+, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’ and Instagram. Alternately, you can also subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Handmade Holiday Gifts & Ideas (Your Etsy Gift Guide for the Holiday Season)

Handmade Holiday Gifts

More Handmade Holiday Gifts & Ideas

Rebecca D. Dillon

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