This weekend, I went to the One of a Kind Show in Toronto with my friend Amy. I hadn’t been in four years and it was great to go back and see some of my favourite vendors, as well as meet some new ones. It was really hard but I pared down this list to share my top 20 great Canadian artisans I met at the show this year.
The whole evening really put me into the holiday spirit too, with beautiful displays and winter scenes set up.
They even had some skaters demonstrating their skills on a plastic ice rink. I didn’t even know that existed!
Now, onto the list! If you’re looking for some unique and fun gift ideas, look at these fantastic Canadian artisans. There is something here for everyone on your holiday list!
Rover
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Before I had Whiskey, I didn’t really get the point of having dog clothing, but now that I have a small dog who gets cold easily, I can appreciate how much he needs the extra layers. And what better way to do it than with fun and stylish doggie wear.
Peacoats, collared shirts and bow tie collars – how cute! And just look at this pointed collar for a cat. I’ll definitely be checking out their shop for some gift ideas for my favorite pooch.
Cedar Mountain
Amy spotted this great booth with wooden postcards. She found several typewriter styles to piece together for some framed art in her office. They also had subway signs, a variety of wall art, as well as fun coasters and magnets.
Freshly Printed
Their shop is located in the Historic Distillery District, but I seemed to miss it when I was there last week for the Christmas Market. I’m glad I was able to catch them at the show and see their beautiful printed pillows, aprons and teatowels. The denim napkins were my favourite.
Although this lantern pillow was a close second. Perfect for a cottage or rustic setting!
POOK
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I was very excited to see the guys from Pook again so that I could replace the mittens that Shadow chewed up not long after I got them last time. They are seriously the coziest mittens you could ever own. They’ve since added to their line more hats, scarfs, socks, onesies and liners for your “wellies”!
Honey Pie Hives & Herbals
I’m a huge fan of all the Honey Pie products. I picked up a selection of their luxury lotion, lipbalm, beeswax candles and mint tea earlier this year at the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market – and they’ve been some of my favourite products ever since. The lotion and lipbalm are part of my nighttime routine.
Their super yummy beeswax soaps would be a great gift idea paired with some fluffy new towels.
Felt Factory
Based in Montreal, Quebec, Sabine Alpers brings her felted “fauxfauna” to life with wool, wire and resin. This cute (and animal-friendly) taxidermy would be a fun addition to a rustic themed nursery. I especially love the bunnies.
Jenna Rose
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Jenna’s structured buckets, hampers totes and infinity scarfs are on my wish list this year, along with the beautiful teatowels and pillows – I just love everything in her shop. Her designs are patterned by hand and then screen printed onto organic cotton, hemp and linen.
Just look at all the detail in her patterns. How cute would these pouches be filled with some sweet treats for a lovely gift?
Heyday Design
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Claire Madill of Heyday Designs takes everyday vessels like mason jars, and turns them into beautiful porcelain works of art.
They would look lovely as a vase for flowers, holding craft supplies like these pencil crayons or even on their own.
Kailey Hawthorn
I just adore the colours and patterns of these pillows. They’re fun and bright, and reminds me of what I consider to be one of the funnest places on earth – Meg Duerksen’s Craft House. These pillows would fit in perfectly there
I also spotted the same Tonic Living fabric that I used to recover our dining room chairs in a blue colour instead. All the pieces were made with thick, quality fabrics and great patterns. I could have taken home the whole lot.
Wine Planks
Anytime you can recycle old materials to be new again is a great thing, especially when they come out as fun and funky as these oak wine barrel and flatware coat racks.
They also have some lovely candleholders that use the natural curve of the wine barrels to create striking pieces. This would make a great table centrepiece with fresh greenery around it for the holidays.
L’Atelier du Presbytère
Stepping into this booth made me feel like I was going back in time. These handmade and vintage pieces are made from linen, hemp and cotton in Montreal.
Artech Studios
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Why recycle your bottles when you can turn them into beautiful glassware! The folks behind Artech do just that – taking beer bottles and liquor bottles and turning them into beautiful pieces that can be used for glasses, vases or on their own.
A set of these would make a great gift, or sneak one into your special guy’s stocking.
Nicole Tarasick
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Pay homage to the Great White North with graphic pillows showing Canadian iconography.
Botanical Art by Diane
My friend Alison has a set of these in her kitchen and I’ve always admired them. I was excited to get to meet the artist while I was at the show. She makes these elegant framed and pressed vegetables and botanical, which really make you look at your vegetables differently. These would make a lovely gift for any food lover or chef on your list.
Pietersma Tinworks
I met these guys a couple of years ago at the CNE and bought some adorable little tin stars for my mom to put on her Christmas tree. They also have the Victorian tinsel that I put on our tree this year – I love it!
These tin stamped luminaries would be perfect on a mantel for the holiday season.
Flakes Paperie
Start off 2014 with a new calender – especially one as lovely as this!
If I hadn’t already done my Christmas cards, I would have picked up some of these hand screen printed cards. They have even more great ones in the etsy shop.
Balsamea
Maxime from Balsamea creates beautiful balsam fir pillows that are wonderfully fragrant and calming. The pillows are filled with dried and grinded fir needles combines with shredded latex. The balsam fir used is harvested in an environmentally friendly way from a small town in the Quebec Appalachians.
The hand screen-printed cotton pillow covers are just as lovely as the scent. The little chickadees are my favourite.
With All My Art
Silver birch trees make me think of growing up at home and the ones we have in our area. This stain glass window perfectly captures the beauty of these trees.
The collection includes vases and glassware as well. My favourite feature – the shadows they cast on the wall. Eeiry and beautiful at the same time.
Marianne Chenard
Traditional ceramic maple syrup jugs take on a new twist when their upgraded with beautiful designs. A luxe gift for the pancake lover in your life.
Noelle Hamlyn
Noelle repurposes books from estate sales, charity drives, personal donations and book fairs to create framed art.
The combination of the spines and pages creates an interesting contrast. The perfect gift for your cousin the English literature professor, or as a fun addition to a literary-themed nursery.
Hope this inspires you for some gift ideas this holiday season! Happy Shopping!
such awesome links, thanks!
What a great post! I love the One of a Kind Show, so many great artists and I love the creativity of their spaces. I go every year and always leave feeling inspired and creative.