Gifts Under $30

Why do I love gifts under $30?  Easy…They’re little, they’re cute, and they’re almost always cuddly!

This time of year, customers are in search of a special something for a friend or co-worker.  When they ask for help, they seem kind of embarrassed when they say their budget is around $30.  What’s wrong with $30?!  Absolutely nothing!  Gifts aren’t about the money you spend, they are about the effort, thought and attention that goes into choosing the perfect gift.  You get that.  We get that.  Our designers get that too. They work really hard this time of year to craft beautiful, handmade, special gifts for under $30.

Here are some of my absolute favourite under $30 picks this year:

$9 – Soap Scum, “Soap for dirty people”.  These stocking stuffers are an absolute steal!  We can barely keep up with the demand for these sassy soaps with amazing scents so hurry in before they are all sold out!

$13 – Bennie and Olive Coinpurses.  The images on these vinyl coin purses are of dioramas that depict Alberta wildlife.  Cheeky Canadiana at its best!

$20 – Loot hand silk-screened leather earrings.  These earrings are totally recycled, super light and come in amazing colours!

$20 – Fish on Fridays Political Finger Puppets.  In a town like Ottawa, need I say more?

$22 – Pottery by Helen.  This beautiful pottery makes a lovely gift that will be well-loved for years to come.

$24 – Anna Zygowski Mittlets.  Everybody needs these soft, gorgeous mittlets, for hands free loooove in the winter!

Thanks for reading!  Don’t forget to come by the store on Wednesday, December 9th for the Dalhousie Shopping Night!  The party goes from 6 – 9 and there will be treats and a 10% discount on EVERYTHING in the store!

♥ Bridget.

Pottery by Helen

Call me biased, but the new pottery we got in last week is my absolute fave pick!  Some of you, but not all, know that each Pottery by Helen piece is beautifully hand crafted by my mommy!!  Yes, the woman who gave birth to me, raised me and put up with my incessant nagging for more crayons, popsicle sticks and pompoms made each and every gorgeous piece you see here!

Mom is an amazing potter.  She has been working on a wheel almost full-time for the last 8 years and I absolutely love her style.  She hand throws all of her pieces and creates all of the handles, imprints, cutouts and details by hand.

She is an absolute purist: she makes all of her own glazes and uses only non-toxic components.  She uses all kinds of different clays, but my favorite is the speckled cream one that you can see in the photos.  Her glazes are yummy cotton candy colours: pinks, blues, and yellows.

As I write this blog post at my window, I am drinking out of one of her white speckled mugs.  The cup nests perfectly in my hand.

Thanks Mom.  So happy to have you at Workshop!

♥ Bridget

Pottery by Helen with birdies