GHW Cozy Gift Guide

Wood All Good creates beautiful handmade wood and resin jewelry for special occasions.

The shop features a wide array of stunning jewelry and functional home decor; including necklaces, rings, bracelets, magnetic knife holders, and trays.

What we purchased: We bought an "Aurora Borealis" resin necklace as a Christmas gift for a dear one in 2021.

The workmanship is flawless and the colors are vibrant. It was even more beautiful IRL than in the picture, and she absolutely loved it!

Ever Blooming Original makes door wreaths and holiday decor.

What we purchased: We bought a 17-inch (medium) fall-themed "Autumn Berry" grapevine wreath.

I really can't say enough about the wreath we received. It looks and feels like a high-quality item: this is not a Joanne's bargain wreath by any stretch! It is well-made, and you can tell that the maker takes time to place each element. You can choose from three wreath sizes and dozens of bow color options, and the bow is on a convenient ribbon loop for easy hanging.

What I really love though is that this wreath looks great even after spending two months outside last year, and sitting in the garage for another 10 months. It is back up on our door this year, looking as bright and shiny as ever.

One Wintry Night makes handmade stoneware & terra cotta garden irrigation pots.

What we purchased: We bought a set of beautiful pasta bowls from One Wintry Night last year as a gift for my nephew and his girlfriend, and it was seriously one of the most difficult gifts I've ever had to give away. I wanted to keep them! 

The bowls were skillfully and carefully made. The grape leaf embossing was clear and sharp, and the glazes felt natural and organic to the piece. More than bowls, these were works of art.

Silver Wishes designs and makes artisan fine silver jewelry with natural, botanical, and animal themes.

What we purchased: Mr B bought me a beautiful "Listen to the Moon" bracelet, featuring a detailed original carving of a rabbit resting under a crescent moon. It's absolutely lovely.

This is one shop I go back to again and again. (Shhh.... We may be purchasing a few more things from this shop for Christmas this year!) Kristan's work is magical; radiating warmth, strength, and wonder - heirlooms in the making. Giving a gift from her store sends a message to the receiver about how you see them and how much they mean to you.

Rody+Rory makes cutting boards, flower presses, wooden toys, and personalized acrylic ornaments.

What we purchased: We bought a hardwood botanical press with a fern laser-etched onto the front. I’ve always loved pressed flowers as a way to preserve a moment, and they make for challenging art studies, too.

My little press is well-made, and designed for hiking, with a handy leather strap, brass buckle, and loops for a backpack or belt. I can think of a lot of happy campers in my life who would love a beautiful flower press like this.

The Barefoot Store makes whimsical, functional bird houses, and bird and squirrel feeders; many in the form of porch swings and Adirondack chairs. The perfect gift for your porch-sitting friends!

What we purchased: My BFF Cheryl and I used to spend hours talking on her front porch when our kids were young, so I recently bought her an adorable porch swing bird feeder as a birthday gift. Total hit!

The bird feeder arrived quickly, and the craftsmanship was quite impressive, especially for a simple bird-feeder.

Originals by Eva makes all kinds of plush, faux fur hats, and specializes in Santa Hats.

What we purchased: We bought a luxurious red Santa hat, trimmed with black-tipped white faux fur for Mr B. Now he's working on the beard to go with it!

His hat well-made, and comfortable to wear - and he looks great, too!

JoMo Sews offers natural and recycled fabric baby, child, adult clothing; including capes, and seasonal hats.

What we purchased: I got a Christmas Pixie Hat to go along with Mr B's Santa hat, and I love it! It makes me feel so festive! Speaking as a former seamstress, my hat is extremely well, carefully lined, and very comfortable to wear.

Wasabottle makes glassware, lamps, candles holders, and planters from repurposed bottles.

What we purchased: We finally broke down and bought a set of eight 12-ounce glasses that all sorta match! They are made from aqua-tinted clear wine bottles, and we love them.

We ordered glasses from Wasabottle twice, and both times, the glasses took quite some time to arrive; however, they were totally worth the wait! (The wait time is clearly indicated when you order, so it wasn't a surprise to us.)

These wine-bottle glasses are studier than traditional drinking glasses, and have held up well to both dishwashing and the occasional topple onto our vinyl floors.

Most importantly though, the rims are smooth and the glasses themselves are comfortable to hold and drink from. (I have small hands, and often find holding larger drinking glasses awkward.) The glasses are generally all the same color, but they do have slight variations, which makes them all the more charming in our book.

Saffron & Sage Designs sells all kinds of funny, mildly provocative t-shirts, and also custom engraved wallets.

What we purchased: We gave Emmy a sweet little minimalist wallet with a custom engraved message taken from a handwritten note. I was surprised and impressed with how this wallet turned out; every nuance of my handwriting showed through.

Made To Love VA makes custom pressed flower jewelry, and also does bridal bouquet preservation.

What we purchased: We bought our 20-something daughter a pair of amazing handmade hoop earrings with a thin resin layer of real pressed flowers. Not only were they beautiful, but the workmanship was precise and deft, with clear attention to form, color, and texture.

More recently, Made to Love VA has gone in a slightly different direction, and now fulfills all orders as custom work. However, I didn't want to leave them out of our Etsy gift ideas. I simply appreciated their art too much to bypass. If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind gift, bridal gift, or floral memorial, take some time to check them out.

Nuovo Design makes unique and tasteful designer ukulele and guitar straps.

What we purchased: We bought a Woodland guitar strap (with vegan leather). It is well made and comfortable, and I love the whimsy of the foxes, squirrels, and deer in the forest scene. The strap came extremely well packaged, with a little matching bag that held a tie string and end pin.

If there is a string player on your list, this is a great place to find a little something for them, with lots of styles and colors from which to choose.

Little e Pottery makes handmade pottery and clay jewelry.

What we purchased: We gave one of our daughters a beautiful earring bowl from Little e Pottery. It is a simple clay bowl with small holes pierced all the way around the rim, for hanging threader earrings and hoops. She was so pleased with it, and appreciates it as functional art as well: it has a job to do.

All of the pottery in the Little e Pottery shop is made by hand; either on the wheel, or using hand building techniques such as slab building or extruding, or a combination. The glazes are eye-catching, and colors seem to lean toward organic shades; beiges, browns, blues, and greens. Every time I visit the shop, I find something new to love.