Musique - "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey
It's almost the gift-giving season and as commercial as the holidays may have become, I personally really enjoy giving gifts—not because it's expected of me, but because I honestly enjoy picking out presents for people. With COVID-19 still raging, it's probably best to shop online instead of in-person, but it's also very important to shop small and support local businesses when you can. So, instead of Amazon, consider shopping from any of these fine Etsy shops. I put certain notations next to each shop that may be helpful in choosing the shops you wish to purchase from:
* = BIPOC-owned
+ = womxn-owned
~ = local to Washington state
Etsy Shops I've Personally Purchased From:
The owner, Stephanie Willhoughby, is one of the nicest, most responsive Etsy sellers I've ever interacted with. She answers all of your questions quickly and is super sweet. I bought my sister some Whipped Shower Icing for her birthday and she liked it so much she went back and purchased some of the travel sized versions to test out different fragrances, of which there are like a billion. Susan told me that Stephanie's Peppermint Twist is a dead ringer for Bath & Body Works' Twisted Peppermint. TAKE MY MONEY!!!!!! Indulgence Spa and Body's products are paraben- and phthalate-free, vegan, and cruelty-free. Stephanie's getting a LOT of orders these days, so there is a 2–3 week window for getting your order, which just means order early! It's worth the wait. You can also find Indulgence Spa and Body Products on Instagram.
Nick Alan Foote is a Tlingit artist living in Seattle, and he makes the most gorgeous cards and stickers I've ever seen. I ordered multiple sets of the cards pictured above at the start of quarantine to send love notes to my friends (and support the USPS by buying stamps) and I loooooved them!! He's also got a face mask and some wall art in his shop as well. Nick also has his own website, Instagram, and Facebook.
This shop is owned by the actress Kimberly J. Brown, as in Marnie from Halloweentown herself!!!! I'm a big fan of the Halloweentown-themed items in her shop and have had the Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated t-shirt for years and still love it so much!! The shop has its own Facebook page and Kimberly herself is on Instagram, where you can see adorable pictures of her and her boyfriend, Daniel, who played Kal in Halloweentown II, which is the most darling thing my Halloweentown-loving heart can possibly think of.
Shop-owner Jillian identifies as a swamp witch and makes her items out of her home in the Louisiana Bayou. She sells a lot of cute spell kits as well as other witchy ingredients, but I found her shop when I was looking for a dupe of Aveda's discontinued Blue Oil, which is good for headaches. Zella Moon Apothecary's version also includes Blue Chamomile and Peppermint, like the Aveda version did. Jillian puts Lapis Lazuli crystals in the roller ball version to help with correcting Third Eye Chakra imbalances, which can help lower stress, further helping eliminate headaches. I think it's been incredibly helpful so far for me personally. Jillian also included a sample of protective black salt and a handwritten note with my order, which I just love! Her shop has an Instagram with gorgeous photos of her ingredients.
I'm a sucker for gingerbread-scented lotion during the holidays and this Gingerbread Body Butter from Honey Butter Bath Co. is AMAZING. Shop-owner Allison makes sure her products responsibly sourced and cruelty-free, using organic ingredients when she can. The shop is taking longer to ship orders due to volume and COVID-related delays, so be sure to order early. If you order NOW, you could get your yummy scented body products by Thanksgiving! Allison also has a Shopify site, where she is offering 10% off body butters with the code AVOHONEY. You can also visit the Honey Butter Bath Co. on Instagram and Facebook.
This shop used to be called Sweet Tea Apothecary back in 2015 when I purchased a bottle of Dead Writers Perfume and the shop owner, J.T., was kind enough to meet me at a coffee shop on Capitol Hill instead of shipping my order to me. Immortal Perfumes is most widely known for Dead Writers, a delightful blend of heliotrope, vetiver, clove, vanilla, tobacco, and black tea. I am also partial to Madame Moustache, which smells of tobacco, Egyptian musk, fire, and vanilla. All of the different perfumes are inspired by and named for people and fictional characters with the most interesting stories. J.T. even has a fascinating history podcast called Storical. You can buy her perfumes through Etsy or her website. Be sure to check out her Instagram and Facebook as well. On a personal note, J.T. will be having surgery in December and closing her shop up for the month, so you'll need to order by midnight, December 1.
Lists of Other Etsy Shops:
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