Local Artists and Makers for Christmas and a Giveaway

I love love LOVE giving unique gifts, things that people have not seen before and that are not widely available. I also delight in shopping locally, knowing that my money is going straight into the pocket of the artist rather than to a large multinational. I've put together some of my favourite things from local artists to help your Christmas shopping be that little bit more special.

I've talked about Lou Endicott a few times before (here and here). You might also recognise her gorgeous style in my logo and that of my food and wine blog, Champagne and Chips. Lou is an extraordinarily talented illustrator and has an Etsy store- One Two Carabou, where you can buy the cutest prints for your little people (or big people).

This is a lesson in why you should chat to your neighbours- one day I was returning from a Ted-walk when Damo was unloading multiple large boxes from the back of his car. I was in a nosy mood, so asked if he had a market stall. As it turns out, some of the loveliest candles I have ever smelt were being made right next door. Shadow Moon Creations make beautifully scented eco-friendly soy candles with some absolutely delicious scents. They are available from the Rose Street Market or via their online store. They even offer refills so you can reuse the lovely jars.

 

Sandra Reynolds is a wonderful local blogger and recipe developer. She is the woman behind the very successful blog $120 Food Challenge and in 2012 launched a cookbook of her delicious, affordable recipes. Sandra's life changed when she became unemployed and realised that after her rent and bills were paid she had about $120 per fortnight leftover from her unemployment benefits to buy food for herself and two children. To my UK readers that might sound like quite a bit but to put it in perspective, two litres of milk and a loaf of bread in a Tesco equivalent will set you back about $4-5 here. Sandra started posting her cheap and nutritious recipes on Facebook but got such a response that she started a blog. You can pick up a copy of her book for all the people in your life trying to get by on a budget (let's face it, that's probably most of the people you know...) from Booktopia.

Ellie from Saturday Lollipop makes the cutest jewellery around. Her beautiful pieces take you right back to childhood. I had the most fun doing last year's Christmas shopping on her website. Your loved one's face will light up with delight when they open their gift to find their favourite treat as a wearable miniature. She has a range of Christmas jewellery including plum puddings, or for something appropriate year-round, how about a jar of Nutella... oh yes! Ellie also offers custom pieces when she has time (she posted a KitchenAid pendant on her Facebook page and I got one made for a dear friend in duck egg blue- Squee!). You can purchase her lovely pieces from her website or on Hard to Find.

Dee is a wildly talented lady that blogs, is super crafty and is behind some of Melbourne's best handmade markets. She is about to launch her own online store, much like Etsy but with everything locally made! You can check out her blog and soon-to-be online store over at Wild About Melbourne. Meanwhile she is a crochet-gun and has her own little range of gorgeous crocheted coasters and place mats.

Now for the most exciting bit. I am running a little giveaway across both my blogs so you can win a little care package of some of my favourite things just in time for Christmas.

The first prize includes:

A signed copy of $120 Food Challenge

Lollipop jar necklace from Saturday Lollipop

'Backstroke Maiden' print from One Two Carabou

Champagne & Strawberries candle from Shadow Moon Creations

Set of 4 crocheted watermelon coasters from Wild About Melbourne

I also have a little runner-up prize of:

'I grow' print from One Two Carabou

To enter you simply have to follow me on two of my social media accounts- you have a choice of 

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook- Seeking Victory

Facebook- Champagne and Chips

AND

Leave a comment below telling my what your favourite Christmas treat is. Be creative, my favourite answer will will the prize. You can also enter over on Champagne and Chips (the comment system is a little more flexible).

Competition closes at 5pm Sunday 14th December. 

N x

The Colour in the Room {Qi Change- Lou Endicott}

Lou's life changed at 3am in a hotel room in Bangkok. It was the last night of a three month exploration of Europe, and jet lag was rearing its ugly head. Frustrated, she started thinking about what she would do with her life when she got home when an image from 'Lonely Planet' popped into her head. She began googling jobs, looking up the types of creatives required, visualising an office full of colour, a creative space, and researching the qualifications she would need to do this kind of work. "At seven o'clock in the morning I woke my partner, I said 'Wake up, wake up, I'm going to go and study!' and we jumped up and down on the bed, because he knew how sad I had been for so long."

Astonishing Little Locals

I love shopping locally. There is something special about the relationships you can build with your local butcher/baker/wine shop lady. Quite a few of Melbourne's (inner) suburbs have quite a villagy feel and are set up so that you can often do a good chunk of your buying locally. Oddly the internet can also help us shop locally; with websites like Etsy and the free marketing powers of social media there are opportunities for talented people to sell their wares without all the costs associated with a shopfront.

Shopping for gifts online is a wonderful thing. It saves so much time and energy and stress caused by traipsing around heaps of stores hoping for inspiration (I missed out on the shopping gene). I have already talked about my love for Hard to Find (here), especially when Christmas shopping. I had to wait until after Christmas to write this post about some little local Melbourne companies/people making truly beautiful things because some of my readers were on my Christmas gift list.

One Two Carabou 

The exquisitely talented and lovely Lou is a friend of mine. We met a few years ago working on a short play festival when we were both trying to pursue theatre. Since then she had an amazing overseas adventure during which she rediscovered herself and her passion for design, quit her full-time teaching job, enrolled in a design course and discovered an amazing talent for illustrations (all in about 18 months- that is one inspirational lady!). She has recently launched her Etsy Shop with some prints of her beautiful illustrations. All the little people in my life got one of these for Christmas and I had to get one for me too.