Mint

Some good ones from some of our favorites (with the holidays on the mind)!

+ Fun and colorful geometric wrapping paper from Forma via Oh So Beautiful Paper

+ These prints from Swallowfield would make the perfect gift! We especially like the one pictured above, via Bloesem

+ Ink + Wit’s wood cards are so unique, and we really like the gold envelopes!

+ Silly Buddy’s dog bow ties via Design Sponge

+ Ship & Shape is a beautifully curated shop and has a variety of gifts for the holidays (or yourself!) via Wit & Delight

+ We love the classic cases JCrew is carrying for the iPhone, along with the handsome DODOcase for the iPad

+LOCAL STUFF: 2nd Friday Artwalk in Chapel Hill // Prime Cut at The Fish Market Gallery // Object to Image at Trough This Lens // Luis France at The Stone Center // Phil Cook & His Feet Saturday at Local 506 // The annual UNC Student Print Sale is today (Friday) from 11am til 9pm on the 3rd floor of Hanes Art Center!

Have a good weekend!

One of our favorite sponsors Felt & Wire has some really great gifts for everyone on your list this year. They also have a large selection of cards and tags that would put the perfect finishing touch on any gift! Here are some of our favorites for the holidays, and be sure to check out their entire shop!

1. Heart Cushion Cover / 2. Holiday Music Card / 3. Yellow Candle Holder / 4. Kids Letterpress Color-in Clock / 5. Recycled Canvas Bucket / 6. A Year in Caps 2012 Calendar / 7. Fern Art Print / 8. Italian Grapes Journal / 9. Letterpress Holiday Cards (set of 6)

Thanks F&W! Sponsors help make Mint possible, and I am so grateful for their support. If you’re interested in advertising on Mint, please get in touch by emailing ellie at mintdesignblog dot com, and I’ll be happy to give you all the details.

The 3rd issue of Wrap is out, just in time to cover all the Christmas presents you’re buying. If you’re unfamiliar with Wrap, it’s a new magazine focused on contemporary illustrators, so you can read interviews and features, then flip over the page, disassemble the magazine, and re-purpose it as wrapping paper. Visit their shop for the full Christmas collection.

Illustrators: Donna Wilson, Josephin Ritschel, Andrew Groves, Iker Spozio, Ruth Munro, and Lesley Barnes

Some things we are coveting this week:

+ Pippa Small’s ethically traded collection at Terrain.

+ These constellation calendars by little bright studio via Unruly Things

+ Erika Lawlor Schmidt’s collages via Design for Mankind

+ This apple galette recipe from La Tartine Gourmande, above

+ Turner Pocock’s Owlet Wallpaper via Design Sponge

+ A very cozy looking Rennweg Scarf from Anthropologie

+ LOCAL STUFF: First Friday Gallery Walk in Raleigh // Durham Storefront Project // Holiday Open House at Marbles Kids Museum’s Corner Store // Raleigh Winterfest on Saturday

 Have a good weekend!

Sara Söderberg is a Swedish ceramicist living in Los Angeles and the artist behind Terttulla Ceramics. Naming her business after her two grandmothers (Terttu and Ulla), Söderberg creates pieces that she hopes will last many lifetimes. “The intent is that each piece will last you a life time, and then be picked up in a thrift store and last another life time. It is an answer to our throw-away culture that pays less and less attention to quality and integrity, and more and more attention to quantity and consumerism.”

Each one of her designs “is thrown or built, trimmed, sanded, and glazed by hand,” so you know you are getting a beautiful, durable piece that will stand lots of use. Söderberg is offering free shipping on all of her pieces from now until Christmas!

Our notecards make terrific stocking stuffers, if we do say so ourselves! As an added bonus, get 20% off your order of Hello Tenfold holiday cards (Joy/Warmest Wishes/Season’s Greetings/Peace), this week only, using the code HOLIDAY20.

This gift guide is all about giving back in style! A portion of the sale on each of these items benefits charity, so you can feel good about spending your money on this Black Friday, and have a story to share along with each holiday gift.

1. Papier-mâché animals, made in Haiti and benefiting Aid to Artisans
2. Buy one pair of sunglasses and TOMS will help give sight to a person in need through their One for One program
3. With each sale of a FIGS tie (cashmere scarf tie shown here), one school uniform is purchased for an underprivileged child
4. Etsy seller Sieben Morgen will donate 20% of the sale of each crane stamp to Kindernothilfe, a charity fund which supports children in need all over the world
5. These bird ornaments are made in El Salvador and help support Aid to Artisans
6. This bamboo bread basket is hand-woven in black and natural by the artisans of Phontong Handicrafts in Laos
7. With each sale of a FIGS tie (summer wool bow ties shown here), one school uniform is purchased for an underprivileged child
8. For each pair sold, Warby Parker donates a pair of  glasses to someone in need
9. These painted house ornaments are made in El Salvador and help support Aid to Artisans
10. Designer Christine Valenti donates a portion of all sales, including this leather pouch, to charity
11. This magazine basket is handwoven by artisans in the Philippines through Community Crafts Association of the Philippines, an organization committed to the development and empowerment of artisans.
12. Laszlito Kovacs print, for sale on The Working Proof, a company which seeks to promote art and social responsibility, and gives 15% of the sale of each print to a charity of the artist’s choice
13. Buy one pair of shoes and TOMS will donate a pair to a person in need through their One for One program
14. These Russian doll cards are made using wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and are sold to benefit Amnesty International

Of course, it’s always a great idea to donate directly to these and other charities! You can learn more about choosing a charitable organization on Re-Nest, and you can also check out last year’s guide, “Gifts that Keep on Giving” for more charitable ideas.