By Loose Lips Mag
@looselipsmag
What the fuck is a gift guide anyway? Who knows. But in the spirit of the holidays, we’ve rounded up ten local and woman-focused businesses that are deserving of your hard-earned cash. If you’re stumped on what to gift your feminist friends and family, surely, the gift you didn’t know you were searching for can be found here.
Shop local, support small businesses, and have yourself an ethical, mindful holiday.
Britt’s holiday picks
Maggie Boyd Ceramics
Funky, eclectic, raw, and really fucking cool. Maggie Boyd ceramics make a statement-they also make everyone really jealous. Where to buy: You can find her coveted work at various local markets like Friends With Benefits, or the annual Franklin Studios sale on Saturday, December 16th, or if you’re like me, and leaving the house ain’t yo thang, snag some goodies from her online Winter Shop.
Woodlot
“Rooted in tradition. Crafted with purity. Ignited through ritual. This is Woodlot.” Whether it’s a candle, a bundle of palo santo, their brand new skincare line or essential oils, any purchase from Woodlot is a wise (and ethical) one and will truly be the gift that keeps on giving. Where to buy: Find a Woodlot stockist close to you, or once again, if you like to shop without getting dressed or brushing your teeth, get your Woodlot haul online.
Bohème Goods
Vancouver is chock full of wonderful vintage and consignment shops, but (there’s a theme here), don’t you love the idea of vintage shopping online? You may recognize the Bohème Goods owner and founder Sarah Shabacon from her previous biz, IWEARTHEHEADDRESS-she switched gears to follow her passion for secondhand gems, and has been gracing our Instagram feeds with gorgeous finds every since. Where to buy: Order Bohème vintage clothing and home decor for your friends and fam online, and be quick: her stock moves fast.
Moment Meditation
2017 kicked our asses. The world is in a state of turmoil, Vancouver is in the throws of a housing and drug crisis, and life just keeps on going. For the stressed out and overworked pal in your life, give the gift of self-care. Where to buy: Browse Moment Meditation’s memberships and beautiful merchandise, and heck, get a meditation membership for yourself while you’re at it-we could all seriously take a fucking moment.
Tori Swanson prints
Swanson’s artwork and concept is my latest obsession and I let this be known to as many people as I can on the regular. Her work is a celebration of the female body and all of its divine femininity with beautiful figure sketches that would bring any room to life. Where to buy: Her online shop carries naked astrology prints, original sketches, canvas work, watercolours, and greeting cards. Or, gift yourself and book a 1:1 reading and portrait session with Swanson. Let’s be honest, having a nude sketch of yourself hanging in your 500 square foot apartment is awesome and also makes for great dinner party conversation.
Kristi’s holiday picks
LoLife fashion
Vancouver-based hand embroiderer Lauren Kemp (better known by her Instagram handle @lolifeshop) is just trying to keep one less thing from your local landfill by hand embroidering & re-purposing clothing one super soft vintage tee at a time. Her feminist-focused brand of embroidery includes custom work to second-hand tees emblazoned with phrases like “Not Your Babe,” “Property Of No One,” and my own personal favourite, the Loose Lips-specific “I Support Feminist Media.” Where to buy: Shop your ethical, feminist fashion at lolifeshop.com.
Alicia’s Carvalho’s paper goods for the self-employed
Everyone in Vancouver knows you’ll need a side-hustle if you want to afford an apartment in the city with some change left over for brunch. Designer Alicia Carvalho put her skills to work to create paper goods just for freelancers (like herself and so many others in the city). Gift her Getting Shit Done and Freelance Warrior notepads (tall 8.5 x 3.5, 50 sheets each) to your full-time freelance or part-time side-hustlin’ pals. Someone please buy me these so I don’t keep spending money on myself. Where to buy: Straight from the source, Alicia’s paper goods online store alicia-carvalho.com/shop/
Many Moons workbook by Modern Women
Charting the skies from January to June, the Many Moons workbook is a planner for the spiritual hustler, which imagines a world where witches, women, femmes, and weirdos make their dreams come true. The witchy workbook includes tarot spreads, ritual and spell workings, sex magick, upleveling kickbacks, meditation ideas, crystal and herbal suggestions for the different main phases of the moon, and astrology overviews for each month. I mean, this gift appeals to the moon child/journal-obsessed woman in me and if you drew my name for Secret Santa, you know what to do. Where to buy: From the Modern Women website or New Westminster’s Good Omen shop.
Ali Munn jewellery
Ali Munn creates handmade jewellery and art objects from her studio in the Dominion Building (that’s right – we’re neighbours, kind of). Her work reflects traditional craft processes as well as experimental techniques, and she creates sculptural pieces often with the addition of hand engraving as accents. My current crush is the Hand Offering Signet ring ($169 in sterling silver), and now that you know we’re both in the building, you can buy this from her office and then pop down to mine to deliver my Christmas present. Where to buy: I literally just told you, but you can find her online shop and many stockists here.
Flaura Apothecary’s Zen Sprays
Flaura Apothecary’s zen sprays are part of a collection of self-love products for both the body and the spirit. These all-natural, vegan sprays appeal to the skin and soul by nature of their holistic ingredients (rose, lavender, palo Santo) and address everything from dandruff to emotional stress to elevating your vibration. I’ve made these little bottles part of my daily ritual and couldn’t imagine starting my day without a little zen spray. Where to buy: Flaura Apothecary’s website and its many stockists around the Lower Mainland.
Kristi and Brittany are the co-founders and co-editors of Loose Lips Mag. Together, they’re building their feminist media empire and leaving the patriarchy, charcuterie boards, and empty bottles of wine in their wake.You can find them in Gastown sniffing out other women warriors or fuelling up at local coffee shops.
