The CBC Arts holiday gift guide: 2019 edition
Shop unique items by Canadian artists we've covered
It's the most wonderful time of year: gift guide season! And this particular shopping list features unique items c/o Canadian artists we've covered right here.
- Read the 2022 CBC Arts Holiday Gift Guide
- Read the 2021 CBC Arts Holiday Gift Guide
- Read the 2020 CBC Arts Holiday Gift Guide
Handmade presents are always best...when the makers know what the sweet figgy pudding they're doing. Get browsing!
"No Name" scarf
For wearing and/or hanging.
"Chinook Skies" earrings
Indi City, $180
To call these 3.5 inch hoops a statement piece would be, well, an understatement. (They're hand-beaded by Calgary-based Cree/Métis designer Angel Aubichon.)
"Cordova" sneakers
Kari Kristensen x Six Hundred Four, $290
Inspired by Kristensen's linocut prints, these limited-edition leather kicks come in four colourways. (Feeling matchy-matchy? Complete the look with a T-shirt and enamel pin. It's $40 for the set.)
3D Retro Viewer
Paul Jackson, $45
VR? Whatever. Viewmaster still slams. (Click through drawings by Paul Jackson.)
Zodiac calendar
Your reading for 2020: expect happiness, prosperity...and 12 months of rad risographs.
Arcane Bullshit oracle deck
A tool for satirical guidance. (Its matching "velvety" pouch — emblazoned with a mystical golden fart — will cost you $10 extra.)
Chevron bowls
Annika Hoefs, $38
Find these speckled bowls through the Craft Ontario Shop. Hoefs stocks a variety of hand-made ceramics through her website, too, so keep an eye out for fresh items.
Tea towel
A hand-printed tea towel (depicting a ruthless squirrel snowball fight). Name a more classic hostess gift. I'll wait.
Stationery
Lisa LaRose, $12
To-do: buy all of the notepads in Lisa LaRose's Etsy shop.
"Ride the Wave" T-shirt
Tee Fergus, $30
For the VSCO girl on your list. (Scrunchie and puka shell choker not included.) Each top is hand-dyed and hand-printed by Toronto tattoo artist Tee Fergus.
"Milk Drop" hoodie
SOAP, $48
SOAP's T-shirt designs are all about queer Canadian nostalgia. (Hiding homo milk at the back of the fridge: a part of our heritage.)
"Alien Organism" all-over-print sweatshirt
A colourful Christmas sweater that you'll actually wear all year.
"Cloudy Feelings" embroidered patch
Kirsten Hatfield, $10
Every gift needs more flair. Throw in a patch (or five).
"Four Continents" skateboard set
Kent Monkman x Colonialism Skateboards, $400
After a successful collaboration in 2017, Monkman teamed up with this Regina skate shop for another series of artist skateboards. Good luck tracking down the entire collection, but it seems you can still find a few through Patel Gallery and Monkman's own website.
Nugs
Nugs, $10
What if the only place to buy Pokemon was a craft fair in the GTA? That's one way to think of Nugs — though you can catch these cute figurines on Etsy, too. Collect them all, from Swamp Dude to Business Elephant.
Little Me
Little Canada, $149 and up
Are the Nugs not cute enough for you? Is nothing on this entire planet cuter than impossibly adorable you?! If you're in Toronto, get this miniature museum to make you a teeny tiny self-portrait. You get a trademarked "Little Me" to keep (or gift), and they'll drop a copy into one of their dioramas.
Christmas tree ornaments
Margie Lucier, $29.40
Each hand-painted scene is as unique as a snowflake — appropriate considering how much she seems to dig winter. But just wait until you see Lucier's latest design. She's painting a CBC Arts logo that'll debut in December.
For more festive stories, check out the CBC Holiday Guide.
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