Gifts Made by Artists, 2024 Edition

24 items made by a human being. (Plus, 20% off paid subscriptions!)

There’s a pretty good chance you aren’t even seeing this right now because you’ve got so many Black Friday emails in your inbox. But if you’ve made it here, hello!!! 

Really quick, before I get into our gift guide, I wanted to let you know that I’m hosting an À La Carte holiday party at Tilda Wine Bar here in LA on Thursday, December 5th! All proceeds from the night will be donated to the National Network of Abortion Funds, so we’ll be partying for a good cause. The first 50 people to arrive will get a copy of my sold out print issue of À La Carte, so if you missed out and are in LA, now’s your chance! More details here—I hope to see you there!

Now, back to gifts. I probably don’t need to tell you that this has been a tough year for independent artists, designers, and retailers. It seems like another beloved neighborhood shop closes every other week around here, and a lot of creatives have been really struggling to get or maintain work. When those sweet, perfectly curated shops shut down, the talented artists who stock their shelves with handmade goods suffer too.

I don’t want to guilt trip you! I am 100% re-upping my favorite t-shirts and candles this weekend, too. But this Black Friday week, I’d love to share some of my favorite independent brands, makers, and artists and the lovely things they create that would make great gifts. Maybe you’ll be inspired to check to see what your own favorite artists are offering for the holidays, or you’ll convince your siblings to go in with you on something handmade for your mom, or you’ll just be introduced to someone’s work and follow along, moving forward. 

And if you’re an artist yourself who is making something giftable, drop the info in the comments! I’d love to see what you’re all up to this season, too.

Without further ado…

• Oversized Bow Clip, Chava Studio, $90 — Chava is a clothing brand in Mexico City founded by Olivia Villanti. Each of Chava’s carefully crafted pieces are made-to-order utilizing deadstock fabrics by expert seamstresses, a process so meticulous that the studio makes less than 20 pieces per week. Chava’s cupro bow clips are the perfect gift for someone with an appreciation for craft (and cute hair.)

• Italian Summer Jug, Laura Chautin, $120 — New York-based ceramicist Laura Chautin’s work reminds me of those bottles of olive oil with idyllic little landscapes on them. This jug is only 4.5’’ tall, so you can imagine how tiny the paintings are. They feel like little windows to places I’d like to vacation.

• Bust Cushion, Sarah Espeute, 184€ — You may be familiar with French artist Sarah Espeute’s work, especially the tablecloths and placemats she embroiders with tabletop items. I’m a big fan of Sarah’s—I shared a peek at her shirt curtain project a couple of weeks ago—and I love these hand stitched pillows in her shop.

• Perfume Gift Set, Universal Flowering, C$180 — Scents are tough to buy for someone, but scent sets make such fun gifts. This one includes vials of 12 different scents by Canadian perfumer Courtney Rafuse, PLUS a gift card for a full-size bottle of the recipient’s choosing. Rafuse’s artful descriptions for her scents are so enticing; Death of a Ladies Man is said to smell like “crystalline green, baroque pearl, violets on 35mm, a dream to keep you company, [and] tongue of gold.”

• Rhythm Glass Candy Jar, Youjung Choi, $200 — Doesn’t Youjung Choi’s work look like it’s made of tulle? It almost seems like it’s filled with smoke. I discovered her work via LA-based gallery Studio Kō, which curates and sells the works of traditional and contemporary Korean artists.

• “La Tranquilidad” Print, Shaskia Cuaspa, $95+ — Colombian artist Shaskia Cuaspa paints these hat-topped figures in the best color palettes—I’m so inspired by her use of color and find myself saving almost every one of her Instagram posts.

• Chicken Ornament, Esme Saleh, $90 — Esme Saleh’s hand painted taper candles can be found at both of my two favorite LA home stores, Nickey Kehoe and Pierce & Ward. And while I loveeee her candles, I really, really love this hand painted chicken ornament that she made exclusively for NK this season. It’s tied with a vintage velvet ribbon! Very À La Carte coded.

• Greeting Card Set, Kate Owen, £12 for set of 6 — Textile designer Kate Owen is known for her quilts, most of which are out of my price range, but I love these watercolor versions she’s printed as greeting cards! They’d be cute framed, too.

• Otis Bear, Blank Supply, $65 — Despite being a child-free woman in my mid-30s, I’ve almost bought myself an Otis Bear on more than one occasion. Each Otis is handmade with vintage textiles and stuffed with rice and lavender, which means he can be heated up and used as a heating pad or soothing weighted object. Blank Supply, a shop owned by designer Willa Blank, sells beautiful antiques and handmade clothing, too.

• Wonky Ware Ceramics, Claire Resnick, $20-$150 — I’m a big fan of ceramicist Clare Resnick’s work. Each of her pieces are completely unique from the next, so I’m linking to all of her available work. It’s all pretty affordable and would make the perfect gift for someone who doesn’t want to have the same stuff as everyone else.  

• Portal Wall Sconces, Dohm Ceramics, £90+ — English artist Blue Firth (great name) makes these twisted stoneware candleholders in two different sizes. Firth’s website says that she’s a witch, so these might actually be portals…

• Wood Carved Flower Plates, Cherche, $58 for set of 3 — I wasn’t going to include vintage on this list, but technically a purchase from Cherche supports artists because it is run by two of my talented friends of 20ish years, photographer Jackie Russo and floral designer Katelynn Bartiromo. They launched Cherche just this month and things flew out their doors, but there are still some wonderful giftable items left, like this set of three wooden plates. 

• Lucky Amulet, Tigra Tigra, $42 — These amulets are handmade using remnant fabrics and trims in Ahmedabad, India, which means that each one is one-of-a-kind. Tigra Tigra is a textile conservation project by Bailey Hunter focused on innovating the use of fabrics across home, apparel, and accessories.

• Wine Goblet, Ekua Ceramics, $75 — I love the color of these tiny 3’’x3’’ wine goblets by LA-based ceramic artist Sara Ekua Todd. I also think I might need to order a set of these oxblood mugs… They’re so good.

• Persephone Ashtray, Justine Menard, $220 — I’m sort of stunned by French artist Justine Menard’s ethereal glasswork. Each piece is mouth-blown and worked by hand, creating these fluid, water-like sculptures that are as useful as they are beautiful. I’d fill my ashtray with my favorite coffee-flavored candies. 

• The Pasta Club Holiday Box, Pasta Girlfriend x Bucatini, $125 — Bucatini is a tiny jewelbox of a store owned by my dear friends Victoria and Sofia and one of my favorite places in LA. This year, I collaborated with them to launch the Pasta Club Holiday Box: a curation of items perfect to gift your favorite person to share a bowl of pomodoro with. Inside you’ll find Martelli spaghetti and Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes, candles and matches, cocktail picks, and an exclusive Pasta Club hat. Plus, we designed a zine containing the recipes you’ll need to throw a perfect dinner party, from the first sip of a martini to that last bite of tiramisu. It all comes wrapped in paper designed by Florence-based marbling artist Ansuini & Co. and tied with a perfect red bow.

• Crochet Lumbar Pillow, Studio Sydney, $150 — I stumbled on artist Sydney Schilling’s work a while back on one of my favorite sites to peruse, Quail Store. I want every single one of her cushions, especially this one, which you can get customized.

• “Stockings”, Maggie Featherstone, $150 — Last Christmas I forwarded my mom a painting of Maggie Featherstone’s with a *hint hint* to get it for me for Christmas, and she did, and now it’s one of my favorite pieces of art in my home. She sells most of her original works for $150–$350, so consider this your warning to get a piece of hers while you can.

• Sol Palmita, Accidente Con Flores, 205€ — Accidente Con Flores is a Spanish creative studio that works with Mallorcan artisans to make art objects, clothing, and home goods. Their woven sun is made of palm leaves from the Levante mountains using a traditional weaving technique called “llata.” The perfect gift for your friend who loves Miró.

• Ceramic Platter, Eloise Rose, $120 — Eloise Rose is an English ceramicist with a background in the history of period drama and opera costuming, and her artworks are an homage to the centuries-old designs she’s studied. The rest of her pieces are worth looking at, too—you can definitely see how her work as a historian has shaped her art.

• Goblet Pin, Alexis Stiteler, $128 —Minnesota-based artist Alexis Stiteler partnered with metalsmith Ann Erickson to make these brass pins that are essentially wearable sculptures. They’re so pretty—I love this square pin and this flower hook, too.

• Rene Magrite Tapestry Cushion, Wiener Times, $535 — I came across these giant pillows on Oroboro Store, and through them found myself down the rabbit hole of Austrian textile artist duo Wiener Times. I think you just need to see their work for yourself.

• Wrangler Wine Cup, Danny D’s Mud Shop, $70 — Daniel Dooreck is a Los Angeles-based ceramicist with a new brick and mortar shop in East Hollywood. Started in Danny’s garage, Danny D’s Mud Shop is a treasure trove of playful, tongue-in-cheek ceramics, each thrown and painted by Daniel himself. I haven’t made it to the physical store yet, but I’ve had my eye on these wine cups for a minute now.

• Snail Knob, Hopie Stockman Hill, $62 — If you’ve been to Block Shop in LA you’ve met the brand’s mascot: a giant snail carved by Hopie Stockman Hill, then cast in brass to be used as the shop’s front door handle. I love the snail. And actually, so many people love the snail, the brand decided to make tiny versions for us to take home ourselves.

And of course, I’d be over the moon if you found yourself compelled to gift someone an annual subscription to this newsletter. This week annual subscriptions are 20% off, making them $40 instead of $50, so if you or a friend has been wanting to upgrade this is a great time to do so!

If you do gift an annual subscription to my newsletter this season, shoot me an email (hello@alilabelle.co) and I’ll send you a printable card that you can give to the recipient! Just send me your name and theirs and I’ll send it back to you to tie up with a bow.

I hope you’re able to relax this weekend and are not reading this from a massive line outside of a Best Buy. See you next week!

x

Ali

---

In case you missed it: