Give the gift of Sacramento: Our holiday guide points the way to great local gifts

Holiday Gift Guide

It’s that wonderful time of year again. The time when the air is a little colder, the halls are decked with boughs of holly, and we’re all in search of that perfect gift for that perfect someone. We’ve been scouring the internet, the local shops, makers marts and the like to find you the best in Sacramento-based artisans. Giving you the chance to shop small, shop local and support local artists all in one beautifully wrapped package. It’s a literal gift that keeps on giving.

We’ve put together a list that brings you some of the best in locally created finery sure to bring magic to your holiday season.

Woodrowe Farguheson ~ Tsumnu Art

Making his home in Sacramento after being displaced after the Santa Rosa fires in 2017, award-winning artist Woodrowe Farguheson is finding the beauty, the pain, the love and the hurt in the world and turning it into paintings that give you the feeling as if you’re looking at the world through a stained glass window. Vibrant colors and detailed imagery provide something new to look at with each piece. Apropos for the holiday season Woodrowe also creates hand-painted Christmas tree ornaments in the same style as his large-scale pieces. Whether gifting the gift of art to that friend who has far too many blank walls, or creating new holiday traditions with hand-painted ornaments for the family, visit Tsumnu Art at tsumnuartwork.com to learn more.

Marie Nudi ~ Stubborn Bull Studios

Sacramento artisan Marie Nudi, owner and artist behind Stubborn Bull Studio, has been creating one-of-a-kind sterling silver pieces that combine the delicate nature of silver with the natural wildness of semi-precious stones and crystals. With jewelry trending less toward fancy showoff pieces and leaning more toward pieces that hold meaning, anything from this studio will be perfectly on point for those 2020 looks. You can find her work on Facebook or on Etsy.

Avery Write ~ Heroic

In a world laden with instant gratification, two-minute YouTube clips, and the ever-updating world of social media; it’s harder and harder to get younger folks into the idea of sitting down with a good book, especially one they might learn from. Local author and artist Avery Write has created a storyline perfect for both. Combining a fictional futuristic landscape where heroism is outlawed, and melding it together with a non-fiction lesson about how important it is to honoring the emotions within you, the story arc provides a page turning journey for folks ages 8-88. Find it wherever good books are sold.

Ebony London ~ Ear Art by Ebony London

When you’re putting together that perfect outfit, each piece has to be unique. The shoes, the purse, the accessories; but sometimes, finding those unique pieces can be difficult when the big box stores are the only place you can turn to. That’s why it’s easy to love Ear Art by Ebony London. Each piece is hand-painted, hand-cut and they are reversible. Which means when you buy one pair, you’re technically getting two. On top of that, London offers an amazing service called A Perfect Match: you send her a picture of the outfit, scarf, shoes, etc. you want her to match, and she will hand paint you a pair of earrings to accentuate the look! With so many possibilities, there will be something for everyone. Find her work at ebonylondon.com.

Classy Hippie Tea ~ Raw Yoga Studios

While clothes, shoes, and new iPhones certainly top someone’s wishlist, for many the greatest gift is the gift of health, wellness, and peace of mind. Which is why we are bringing this locally owned dynamic duo of businesses into the fold. Located off Broadway and 32nd, this multifunctioning space brings together a myriad of services intended to restore your mind, body and spirit. Leo Hickman, owner of Classy Hippie Tea, is a tea sommelier, skillfully trained to create blends to not only provide amazing taste, but to also assist in the internal wellness of the drinker, whether it’s curing the common cold, alleviating body aches, or finding time to drink in a moment of calm. While Leo helps you with internal wellness, Romel Antoine, yogi and co-owner of RAW Yoga Studios, will be there to help you with your external (and let’s face it, the internal) wellness with a yoga workout tailored to fit your fitness. Whether you’re looking for something slow and steady to ease you into it, or a sweat-your-life-out style power session, RAW Yoga Studios is dedicated to making all bodies feel welcome and comfortable; and as the only POC owned yoga studio with one of the most diverse training staffs in the city, that means a little bit more for so many of us. Go to www.classyhippieteaco.com for the tea and realauthenticwild.com for the yoga.

Veronika Kovats Sanchez

Latina artist Veronika Kovats Sanchez blends the beauty of her heritage into every piece she designs. Whether it’s in the subject of the art, or found as the inspiration for certain color selections, her modern style somehow feels antique. As though the images were painted long before any of us got here, and were left for us to find. With a certain touch of whimsy (mermaids also happen to make appearances in her work) blended in, and with a wide range of items you can get her art on (mugs, pillows, prints, etc) you could put together a whole set of pieces based on her work for that certain someone in your life. Find her at redbubble.com.

Sene Goss ~ Carbon Cake Skin Co.

Sacramento artist, singer, and now business owner, Sene Goss has been enriching the landscape of our creative community for years. Now she has made her foray into a new territory. With Carbon Cake Skin Co., Sene created an all vegan line of high-quality, natural soaps, lotions, creams and more with the purpose of making healthy skin care affordable to everyone. With a line of products to fit everyone’s needs, show folks you care about the skin they’re in with a gift from this amazing, handmade line of products. Sidenote: These products are the author’s favorites. Find Carbon Cake Skin Co. on myshopify.com.

This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Give the gift of Sacramento: Our holiday guide points the way to great local gifts."