Ladies -- if you're looking for a gift that means just as much to the receiver as it does to the giver or maker, look no further.
Shop this list of women-owned businesses, artists, and makers to make this holiday extra special. As always, shop small, shop local, and shop with intention — enjoy!
ARTWORK
LA-based artist Michaela d'Artois is a multi-hyphenate. She left her hometown of Whistler, Canada for San Francisco, and has now settled in LA. She has worked as a freelance artist, content creator, model, marketing manager, creative director, and designer while still managing to make it to the farmers market every Sunday with her furry sidekick, Frida
d’Artois’ monochromatic style spans mediums and is inspired by the universal journey of finding one’s way. She creates drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photographs that are reflections on the human experience and aesthetically work in any environment. Her most recent series, Studies in Womxnhood, was born from her process of “studying the space I take up in this world. Removing all the other gazes to find my own.” When asked what women supporting women looks like to her, the artist responded with a list we can get behind: “Supporting female owned businesses. Paying full price for your friend's creations. Fighting for those who’ve been systematically wronged. And refraining from tearing other womxn down in public or private.” Shop her prints at her website or send her a DM for a custom piece.
Michelle Mosqueda is a Los Angeles based photographer and self proclaimed “full-time dreamer.” After growing up in Las Vegas and getting a degree in Fine Art, she began shooting weddings, editorial, and lifestyle. She honed her craft but ultimately decided to pick up and travel the world, hungry for expansion and experience. Her work is a visual symphony of color, texture, and perspective from all corners of the globe.
She is infamous for her breathtaking, wide landscapes, most notably her Cappadocia photographs. Mosqueda has “been visually curious all of my life—it has always been a distinct facet of who I am as a person, and as an artist.” In this time of isolation, now you can travel to Italy, Japan, and Turkey all through Mosqueda’s eyes. Purchase prints through her website in a variety of sizes. Shop her prints // Follow her
Court Lurie is one of the most dynamic and exciting artists on the Austin contemporary art scene. Though originally from Chicago, she now lives and works in East Austin and has been exhibiting nationally for over 15 years. On top of that, she is a trauma sensitive yin yoga instructor, Reiki Master, and spiritual guide who also offers workshops that encourage others to express their creativity through meditation, writing, and art making.
Her mind-body connection comes through in her vibrant and detailed art practice. Her abstractions feel like colorful chaos, but are so engaging it’s hard to look away. “When I allow the present moment to be my guide,” Lurie says, “I’m able to meander the uncharted path to explore it’s pure expression.” The work feels free, energizing, and is just downright beautiful. Lurie sells prints of her work, head to her website to shop and learn more.
APPAREL + JEWELRY
Aarica Nichole is one of the most beloved purveyors of vintage clothing & goods on Etsy. Based in Dallas, Nichole’s love of vintage combined with her entrepreneurial spirit allowed her to build her followership to 32k strong. She is known for solving the baggy-tuck-around-your-waistline issue by reworking vintage sweatshirts and tshirts by hand into “scrunchie tops.” Genius.
She has an effortlessness to her personal style that you can’t help but emulate, good news is her shop is a great place to start. She has been featured in Nylon, Texas Monthly, Man Repeller, and Lisa Says Gah. Check out the goods on IG or her Etsy shop. Shop her Etsy here // Follow her
Ana Eugenia is named after founder Annie Hinkes’ great grandmother who came to America from Norway. “Jewelry are heirlooms and we give them so much meaning” Hinkes reminds us. She grew up surrounded by native crafts and traditional folk art in New Mexico, spending most of her childhood making art objects. She later received her BFA in Metalsmithing from The University of Oregon and settled in Portland to run her business.
Hinkes’ jewelry evokes everything from the blue silver rivers of the Oregon Coast to rocks you might’ve collected and cherished as a child. There are perfect imperfections found in each piece and you can clearly see the artist's heart and hand at work. Hinkes says “growing up in New Mexico, there was a huge art influence: architecture, tile, rugs, food, religion– you were surrounded by art and history all the time.” You can feel these influences in the color palette, shape, and finish of her organic pieces. She also does custom orders if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for.
In Spanish, “la causa” means “the cause,” and founder Rebecca Grenell’s underlying mission is to make quality garments locally under ethical conditions. Having grown up in Los Angeles, Grenell’s designs redefine basics, blending romantic silhouettes with a contemporary twist, always influenced by effortless California style.
Grenell launched Lacausa in spring 2013 after learning from her parents, who started their own clothing line, Joshua Tree, in the 1960s, and working for a handful of local designers. Sustainability and responsibility are key, so fabrics are sourced and sewn with trusted partners with the highest standards in mind, and always under ethical conditions. From basics to sweatsuits to the perfect summer dress, lacausa has you covered. Shop their collection online and enjoy free shipping while you’re at it. Shop lacausa // Follow them on IG
HOME DECOR
Vintage lovers and ceramophilies, the Lam Label is where you belong. The brand’s founder and namesake, Lam, is based in Louisiana, although her love of vintage started long before she started the Lam Label. She began treasure hunting with her mother when she was young, waking up at sunrise to go estate sales. At first she was sleepy and annoyed, but she was quickly hooked.
This shop has some of the most unique home finds out there, think 80s, Art Deco, kitsch, and whimsy. This is where you buy something that makes people go, “woah, where did you get that!?” Lam has a section of her site where you can shop available pieces, but we suggest setting post notifications on IG to help you snag the good stuff. Shop here // Follow her on IG
Kate Matthews is a brilliant Brooklyn based artist and ceramicist who should be on your home decor radar. She’s been growing her following over quarantine, but you can thank us later when she officially blows up. Matthews’ ceramics have a distinct handmade aesthetic that’s sometimes painted with misshapen checkerboard or long black stripes. She makes everything from candlesticks, vases, bowls, ladle rests, plates, mugs, etc. She is branching out into cylindrical lamps with exposed edison bulbs that are somehow both adorable and chic. She sells her wares via IG but also takes commissions and is happy to strike up a convo about what you’re looking for. Send her a DM! Follow her on IG here
Tricia Beanum has vintage in her blood. “I grew up hunting for antique gems with my parents” she says, “my father was a painter and furniture restorer, and my mother was an antiques dealer at the Rose Bowl.” Being immersed in the vintage world from such a young age instilled in her a love of unique, one of a kind vintage pieces that make your heart skip a beat.
She started collecting and dealing vintage in LA out of her car to help support her son, but her eye for quality led to a cult following and the opening of her brick and mortar, Pop Up Home. Their product ranges in price, I doubt we’re all in the market for a $10k couch, but she has some incredible smaller pieces on her website looking for a new home. Beanum “loves finding the perfect peace that will set a room,” and she certainly delivers. Shop Pop Up Home // Follow her
SERVICES
Looking for hilarious, irreverent, financial advice? Then it’s time to start dumpster diving. Amanda Holden, founder of financial advice blog the Dumpster Dog, spent 6 years in the investment industry in San Francisco before she quit her job and to travel through the poor, developing countries of Latin America. Witnessing Latin American women at a consistent financial disadvantage enkindled her to move back to her hometown, Portland, Oregon, and create educational material for the demographic she cares most about: young women.
Her philosophy is that everyone has to learn this finance-y stuff eventually, there is no way around it, so she figures we might as well have some fun while we’re at it. “Talking about finance shouldn’t be so fucking terrible, but it is” Holden says, “I started a blog because I want to make it…not terrible.” She currently teaches long-term financial planning and investing through presentations and workshops, which are the perfect gift for those starting out on their financial journey. Head to her website to learn more. Dumpster Dog Blog // Follow her on IG
You have questions, and Bianca Valle has answers. Valle started coaching people around nutrition because everywhere she looked 1) nutritionists were too expensive 2) she wasn’t able to find the 1:1 support that she needed.Valle says “we eat three plus times a day, but we all feel so lost when it comes to fueling ourselves to get the best result: happiness.” After eight years of research, experimentation, and nutrition schooling, she now knows healthy eating is not a destination, but a journey. Her company, Nutrition by Bianca, offers two types of services: a one on one, hour long session over the phone where you’ll explore a new, healthy path to a better feeling you. Or, if you just have a few health questions, you can set up an appointment to call her nutrition hotline to speak for 15 minutes to a real human about your food concerns.
Her hotline is run on a donation basis because Valle believes that it is everyone’s birthright to know what to eat to not only fuel themselves, but also their dreams, without the exclusivity of wellness today. Gift someone you love a session with Valle, or set up a call with her hotline, to set them up for food-fueled success in 2021. Bianca’s Website // Follow her
Things are...difficult at the moment, in more ways than one. Twana Arnold, a certified health & wellness coach, entrepreneur, and author, wants to help. She is the creator of Brevive, a health & wellness company that offers transformational life coaching, healthy living, mind shift facilitation, life management, and transitional career move assistance. Arnold left corporate life when she realized the necessity of self care and authenticity.
She applied these concepts to her own life and encouraged her co-workers to do the same. Using proven methods, support and accountability, she assists her clients with creating a balanced and healthy life while achieving their dreams and aspirations. She has one question for you: are you ready to be transformed? Head to her website to book a virtual session, because no one says you have to go it alone. Book a session with Twana // Follow her
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