THE LOCAL ARTISAN GUIDE'S CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR THE HOME

The holidays are upon us once again and The Local Artisan Guide’s yearly gift recommendations are here to make shopping for you and your loved ones easy to find artisanal, well thought out gifts from small local brands.

We like to write four blogs for the holidays when it comes to gifting. Our first blog is for home decor as home decor is a great gift for friends, family, co-workers and even yourself. We will follow up with separate blogs for him, her and children/pets.

As always we focus on smaller, more local artisanal brands for our gift guide. Home decor is an especially pleasurable topic to recommend as gifts because it involves so many crafts and skillsets. We have made recommendations in multiple categories in all price ranges with brands that also offer their wares on their online shops which can be found by clicking the link in the captions.

CITY OF SCENTS - ASPEN ROOM MIST

City of Scents is a fragrance brand founded in NYC by friends Sebastien Courty and Rose Swarbrick. They decided to start the brand as both are avid travelers and wanted to recreate scents that are inspired by the places around the world that left olfactory impressions on them. For the holidays we recommend the wintery Aspen Room Mist.

This bright, wintery fragrance will fill your home with the essence of Aspen, replete with its perfect green pines, powdery slopes, clear skies and well-heeled socialites.

The crisp scent of Fir needle brings the outdoors in, while vetiver references the earthiness of Aspen’s alpine woodland, balancing this elevated blend.  The traditional holiday fragrance, Myrrh, adds a complex spiciness and the essence of campfire provides a woody base, evoking the deep satisfaction that comes after an energetic day shushing off-piste.

Finally, anise infuses this bright and festive home fragrance with a top note that represents the elegance of this majestic mountain retreat and lends this incense an invigorating, and inviting, finish.

THE CITIZENRY - TORRES LEATHER STORAGE OTTOMAN

The Citizenry is one of the largest brands in the US that focuses solely on artisan home decor products. None of their products are created in factories but in small studios and ateliers from artisans around the world and in the United States all complying with Fair Trade regulations. We love the Torres Leather Storage Ottoman. This ottoman is handcrafted with vegetable-tanned cow leather ethically sourced from Alcanena, Portugal, a small town known as “The Land of Leather.” All made start-to-finish in a fair trade environment. This ottoman is ideal as it not only acts as an ottoman but can also be a coffee or side table and it also includes storage. This ottoman is perfect for parents with young children to make sure they are around furniture that won’t harm them and can also store their toys or any other items you need stored away.

PARACHUTE - FLANNEL SHEETS

Parachute was founded in 2014 by Ariel Kaye who wanted to provide high quality and affordable home goods that are easy to shop for. We love the Flannel Sheets that make sleeping through winter not only warm and toasty but very stylish. The Flannel Sheet set included one fitted sheet, one flat sheet and one set of standard pillowcases. The set comes in Thyme (as seen above) and Bone. The sheets are offered in Full, Queen, King and Cal King (comes with King size pillows) sizes. Made in Portugal the sheets are made of 100% cotton flannel that are brushed and cozy warm.

CLIC - JOHN DERIAN PICTURE BOOK

Highly curated Clic is a store that specializes in finding special pieces for your home from around the world to help you put your design fingerprint on your home and design style. One of the most important elements in designing your home are your books and library. Your books and your library express your passions and your interests. A beautiful coffee table book is not only aesthetically pleasing but can also offer eye candy for you and your guests. We picked the John Derian Picture Book from home decor designer John Derian who is world renowned for elevating the decoupage technique into fine art. Over the past 25 years, the brand has expanded greatly to include home and general design gifts and products. The book illustrates John Derian’s design inspiration and makes for a spectacular gift.

GLOBAL TABLE - VENEZIA CARAFE

Global Table is the go to store in SoHo for all things tabletop. They have been selling tabletop drinkware, ceramics, cutlery, plates, cups, home decor and more for decades. One of the products they offer is this beautiful colorful Venezia Carafe. Designed in Italy by Federico de Majo, this faceted carafe has grip hold dents for easy holding and pouring. The colored glass carafes and tumblers in the Venezia collection are created by the typical Venetian technique of blowing incandescent paste inside a special diamond-shaped mould. Measurements: 3.7" diameter x 8.7" h. with 41 oz volume. The carafe is offered in Amethyst (as seen above), Sky Blue, Amber, Clear and Cobalt Blue.

TEA DEALERS - HAND HAMMERED COPPER TEAPOT

Founded in 2015 by Shin Won Yoon and Stefen Ramirez, Tea Dealers is a NYC-based tea company. Focused on sourcing premium teas from small farmers in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and India, they offer pure, authentic varieties found no where else. Along with their teas is their incredible collection of teapots that make for truly memorable gifts. It’s quite an extravagant gift however we fell in love with the Hand Hammered Copper teapot that we feel will become a family heirloom. Made in Niigata, Japan by Studio Gyokusendo the teapot is described as “Crafted with a timeless, elegant design this teapot efficiently retains high temperatures, perfect for dark or old teas. The general rule of practice for teapots is that the higher the quality of the tea, the smaller the brewing vessel to create a concentrated taste through shorter steepings and thoroughly enjoy each successive brewing.  This teapot features a built-in strainer so you can put the tea directly in and allow it to expand and fully release its magnificent taste. The textured body showcases delicate hammer marks and a rustic handle adorned in bamboo. As it is used regularly, the teapot will develop a one-of-a-kind patina, giving it a unique charm. The natural patina is not painted on but created through a traditional process with raw copper.” Dimensions are 13x8x9cm, 200ml.

JOHN ROBSHAW TEXTILES - ELEPHANT TAPESTRY

Textile designer John Robshaw who is a favorite in the Interior Design world started out as a fine artist before he started his career in textiles. Besides offering textiles on his online shop, retailers around the world and his store in Connecticut, John offers art on his site as art will always be his first love. He believes strongly that all interiors are only better when they include art that you love. One of the images we love is the “Elephant Tapestry”. This fabulous tapestry was hand painted by an artist in Jaipur who also paints John’s hand painted pillows each season. True pieces of art, this tapestry is also part of a foursome of images that include besides the elephant a camel, horse and tiger which are sold individually or as a bundle, grab them quick as these are a limited quantity item. They are easy to hang unframed with the loops, or you can frame them for more of a formal look. Each tapestry is 22" x 26" and hand painted in India.

PLANTSHED - FICUS LYRATA

Plantshed has been a family owned and operated floral and botanical community since the 1950’s that combine a brick-and-mortar boutique plant and flower shop with a quaint cafe experience. We love Plantshed because we feel there is no better gift to make a room feel alive as giving a plant. We especially love the Ficus Lyrata tree, more commonly known as Fiddle Leaf Fig. The Ficus lyrata is a fashionable houseplant with sculptural and broad foliage, that makes a statement in any room with bright sunlight. The Ficus Lyrata is a broadleaf evergreen with large, violin-shaped foliage. As houseplants, Ficus Lyrata typically grows 2-10 feet tall and rarely produce fruit. Requiring bright, filtered sunlight, large specimens perform especially well in corner windows, ensuring light hits all the leaves. One of the most widely used plants by professional interior designers, the Ficus Lyrata adds drama and style to any space. Plantshed also offers a variety of beautiful pots that will make the ficus an even more stylish addition to your home.

CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY - HUMAN PACK

Cards Against Humanity is a card game invented by a group of friends who made the first version to play at a New Year’s Eve party. You put the cards together to make ridiculous jokes. If you are giving a gift for someone’s home or a hostess gift for a holiday party, a card game for entertainment is a wonderful idea, especially when it’s going to make you all laugh your asses off. We recommend the “Human Pack”. For Black Friday 2019, they taught a computer to write Cards Against Humanity cards and then made their human writers battle it for their jobs. Wow! Here's the pack the humans wrote which has 30 beautiful cards about the human condition straight from the hearts of our human writers. Goes well with the A.I. Pack, which was written by the computer. They also donate a bunch of money to charities so its a win/win when you buy from Cards Against Humanity.

NYPL - PIZZA RAT ORNAMENT

The New York Public Library has a shop that helps fund the library and in the shop they curate an incredible selection of local artisans. We picked again another version of the legendary “Pizza Rat” who became a viral sensation a few years ago when he showed New Yorkers (and the world) his love of NYC pizza by dragging a whole slice through the NYC subway system. The Pizza Rat ornament is the holiday decoration that bonds New Yorkers together in the coldest and most disgruntled time of the year. It is the perfect gift to place on a Christmas tree, mantle, or keychain for fun. The cute subway rat features a cheesy pepperoni-topped pizza and is wearing an "I Love NY" turtleneck sweater. For the true New York lover and meme lord! It is made of Felt and knitted wool and measures 3"L x 2.25"W x 6"H. It’s the perfect gift to bring to a holiday party so your host can add to their tree.

So there are our holiday recommendations for home decor that you can give to your friends, family and most importantly, yourself! These small brands strive to create unique gift giving experiences while giving back to the community. All the recommendations can only make a home a beautiful, calming place to be while showing the essence of the homeowner.

By

Natalie Rivera






AFFORDABLE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING WITH ARTISANAL FOODS

When it comes to finding affordable ways to shop with artisans for the holidays one of the best ways to support artisans and give special unique gifts is through artisanal foods.

In every city and most small towns there are food markets and speciality food shops that carry small brands of delicacies that make great gifts on their own or in carefully curated gift baskets. On a recent trip to upstate NY, The Local Artisan Guide stopped in the small, charming town of Chatham, NY and took a nice leisurely stroll down their main street and looked into their local shops of small fashion brands, toy stores, wine and cheese shops, jewelry boutiques, gift shops, yarn, linen and a few more food stores, bakeries and much more to get ideas for holiday gift giving.

We are focusing on one shop in particular, Bimi’s Cheese Shop, which besides its moniker is so much more. Bimi’s provides quality, delicious cheeses from both near and far, however Bimi’s also has an in house bakery creating artisanal bread, beverages and gourmet grill cheese sandwiches (I had the sourdough blue cheese and drunken onion grill cheese sandwich which was mouth watering). The shop also sells a well curated assortment of other brands which includes; spices, olive oils, chocolates, jams, jellies, cookies, maple syrup and more. Most of these items are made locally usually by hand or through skills passed along for multiple generations. Some of the items are very traditional, such as a local maple syrup or more gourmet such as a jelly that has been elevated with exotic spices.

Separately these items make beautiful, affordable gifts. An artisanal chocolate from France made with ingredients from around the world with stunning packaging would make anyone happy to receive this holiday (or any day). To give multiple items in a small or large gift basket is even more special. Your food gifts would not only be unique, special and greatly appreciated but also help small makers around the world. I have to add that day trips driving to these smaller charming towns and speciality markets in the city are actually a pleasurable experience (where you will end up going home with your own carefully curated gift basket).

Whilst perusing Bimi’s Cheese Shop we highlighted a few items we felt would make great gifts on their own or make a spectacular gift basket. Click on the caption to follow the link to their websites to order or learn about their products and their stories. All offer shipping for the holidays with beautiful gift packaging for your holiday gifts.

We hope that we inspired you and your gift giving for the holidays in case you were having trouble coming up with unique and affordable gifts. Best is that we know you will be gifting yourself with these items far after the holidays are done.

Happy Shopping!

Natalie Rivera

THE LOCAL ARTISAN GUIDE'S TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE - DAY ELEVEN: FOOD

It’s the eleventh day of our Holiday Gift Guide and today we focus on a gift category that every loves and can use and that is food. Whether you are gifting a seasoned gourmand or a beginner, we have five artisanal food gifts that will help built any chef’s kitchen whilst making for unique, affordable and useful gifts.

SULLIVAN STREET TEA & SPICE COMPANY, “DOUBLE HAPPINESS FLOWERING TEA”, $26

Just one of Sullivan Street Tea & Spice Company’s hand-sewn Double Happiness flowering tea balls will brighten any pot. A long leaf green tea, which has been delicately hand-tied with chrysanthemum, amaranth and jasmine flowers, will unfurl into a beautiful floral display. Use a glass tea pot or small glass bowl for a perfect visual centerpiece. Steep one tea ball in 16 oz. of water at approximately 170 degrees. Each ball makes 2-3 cups. Nine tea balls are packaged in a beautiful recycled glass cork jar. Region: Yunnan, China.

THE MEADOW, “HOME SET ESSENTIALS SALT KIT”, $75

Bitterman's Home Chef Essentials Salt Kit includes everything an aspiring or seasoned home chef needs to season to perfection. These salts are truly the foundation of good cooking, and will last you a full four seasons of cooking. You can use these salts everyday, they include:

Bitterman's Fleur de Sel is hand harvested from solar-evaporated salt ponds by skimming just the finest crystals from the surface. This Fleur de Sel is made in Guatemala from salt pans in an area famed for supplying the Mayan Empire at the height of its power. The salt has delicate crystals, luscious moisture, satisfying crunch, and a rich, balanced mineral taste. It's our go-to cooking, baking, brining and all-around finishing salt.

Biiterman’s Flake Salt is the snow of the sea, with a soft, crispy texture and a salinity so other-worldly it will transport any dish it touches. This salt loves spring and summer. Gently scatter the flakes on lightly dressed green salads, raw or freshly grilled vegetables, fish and other seafoods.

Bitterman's Sel Gris is a classic French gros sel (coarse salt) and makes an tremendous replacement for all coarse industrial kosher and sea salts. The culmination of two millennia of salt making experience on the exquisitely pristine coastal waters Île de Noirmoutier, this gros sel gris is truly historic. Use mostly for all-around cooking and finishing hearty foods, like steaks, roasts, beans, soups and stews. This salt has coarse, moist crystals with impeccable balance and surprising suppleness given their heft!

Himalayan Pink Salt is a pure, hand-mined salt found deep inside the pristine foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. This 250 million year old, Jurassic era pink sea salt is known for its healing properties and is used as an all-around cooking salt. Sprinkle generously on popcorn, use in brines and pickles, frying potato chips, French fries and fritters, or when making homemade baked goods.

Biiterman’s Grinding Salt is a course, mineral-rich sea salt from fresh seawater off the coast of New Zealand. This pantry staple is the ideal grinding salt for everyday cooking. Fill your salt mill and grind this over everything from sauteed vegetables to lean, gamey meats. If you're feeling bold, leave this salt whole and sprinkle over the bold and powerful foods, think tomahawk steak over a firepit in the heat of the summer with herbaceous roasted potatoes and a rich hunters sauce.

EATALY, “TRADITIONAL BALSAMIC VINEGAR OF MODENA DOP AGED 25+ YEARS GOLD 3.4 OZ” $169

The Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP Aged 25+ years Gold from Acetomodena is obtained from cooked grape must of selected Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes from the countryside of Modena. This extraordinary product is slowly aged for more than 25 years decanting and refilling six antique series of old barrels in various wood: cherry, mulberry, juniper, oak, ash, or chestnut. This product has a glossy, dark brown color and an intense full-body flavor.
Flavor: rich and full in taste, sweet and with impressive strength and persistent ending. Harmonious with a nice and balanced sweet bitterness.
Pairings: Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, steaks, fish, gelato and strawberries.
Ingredients: cooked grape must.
Amid the mists of the fascinating Modena countryside, icy in the winter months and very hot in the summer months, you will find the Società Agricola Aceto Modena - the Modena Vinegar Agricultural Company. The company has been producing the exquisite Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP for years, the truly excellent balsamic vinegar that most characterizes the traditions of the Emilia region of Italy. Hard work and dedication has led to the passing on of the traditional recipe for a condiment loved and appreciated worldwide. Available at Eataly.

MARIEBELLE, “16PC HOLIDAY CHOCOLATE GANACHE RED BOX” $54

Sixteen signature MarieBelle New York chocolate ganaches artfully arranged in an elegant box. Each ganache combines the finest single-origin chocolate with eclectic ingredients and artisanal techniques. A memorable gift for any occasion.

SPICES AND TEASE “THE MOROCCAN SET”, $16.95

Best Gift for Moroccan Culture Lover; The Spices and Tease set features their 5 best Moroccan Spices which include:

-Tajine Mix

-Cumin Mint mix

-Spicy Sausage:Merguez blend

-Ras El Hanout

-Couscous Mix

These foodie holiday gifts are so first rate you will end up gifting yourself for your kitchen. We recommend exploring these artisanal brands to fill up your kitchen supplies. They also make for tasty affordable and thoughtful holiday gifts that will be greatly appreciated.

By Natalie Rivera