6 – A License To Celebrate
If you need a gift for a word-nerd, vinophile, old car nut or a salvaged
materials fan, check out the wall hangings and sculptures made with vintage license plates and old wine barrels by Sonoma County artists Richard Flatto and Laura Davies through their company, License2spell. The
embossed license plates impart a wonderful reflective quality to these
art pieces. Plus, it's fun to discern the origin of the license plates
included in each piece — just like when you were a kid during a
holiday road trip. Perfect for a man cave, wine bar or vacation
home, license plate artwork by Flatto and Davies can be purchased
at Santa Rosa's Made Local Marketplace or on the couple's etsy site,
license2spell.etsy.com. Shown: Shalom sign, $90.
7 - Hand-woven Bags
with Style…and Purpose
Hauling groceries, sports gear and other miscellaneous stuff to and from our homes each day is bad
enough; doing it with grimy canvas totes is a fashion faux paus. Petaluma's catstudio adds
class to all that schlepping with its line of colorful, handwoven Riviera bags. In various
sizes and designs, Riviera bags are made of cotton-jute and hand-woven on special looms
with hand-stitched edges. Better still, through a collaboration between catstudio and the
nonprofit Sabala, each Riviera bag you purchase helps economically challenged women
learn traditional tribal crafts while generating an income. Find Rivera bags and other catstudio products at catstudio.com and at upscale retailers around the North Bay.
Shown: Red Multi XL Riviera Bag, $86.
8 – Time for Tea
Tea is a rare anytime, anywhere, anyhow beverage,
which makes it a perfect gift for everyone. San Rafael's
Weavers Coffee & Tea — weaverscoffee.com — offers a fine
selection of bagged and loose leaf teas and herbal tisanes that tickle all five senses. Arrive at your next
holiday brunch with a mason jar filled with hand rolled Jasmine Pearl tea ($22.95 for 4 oz bag), a perfect complement to latkes and prosciutto. Or warm your body and lift your spirit with a cup of spicy
Rooibus Mandarin ($6.95 for 4 oz bag), après-ski. Weavers also offers corporate solutions, so keep them
in mind for client gifts and beverage service at holiday events.
9 – Warm &
Glowing Candles
Versatile, mood-enhancing and always welcome, candle light adds
elegance to holiday events and serenity to post-holiday recovery activities. This year, brighten your home with votives, tapers and sculpted
candles handcrafted from locally-sourced, sustainable beeswax and botanical dyes. One reliable source
is Sonoma County resident Carrie Redfern, whose selection of tree, flower and Buddha candles are
available at the MadeLocal marketplace in downtown Santa Rosa (madelocalmarketplace.com).
Shown: Buddha, $11.50 and Chrysanthemum, $8.50.
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FLOURISH • WINTER 2013
