Hi there my friends! Hope you all are enjoying the weekend. In celebration of my 100th post and the holiday season I’ve decided to showcase a few small companies that make the conscious consumer happy. While Target may have its purpose it’s got nothing on the small business owner handcrafting each of their own products. It is so important as consumers to support businesses who care about the environment, their workers (should they have any), and their customers. When we take it upon ourselves to buy from people who care more about quality and less about quick dollar quantity we make it possible for those entities to grow and vice versa. Many business owners spend countless hours pouring their love, sweat, souls, tears, and minds into all they create and build. Wrap up your last-minute holiday shopping with meaningful, one of a kind gifts made by hands rooted in the heart.

Teal Marie Design

Teal of Teal Marie Design is a high-end wood artist hailing from the small wonder of Delaware. Teal’s hands and heart have been rooted in creative endeavors for quite some time but within the last couple years her pursuits shifted using wood as her medium. Teal uses a variety of wood and much is recycled from her local area. Teal’s work ranges from large-scale wall pieces, to cutting boards, air plant hangers, mid-century modern side tables, cafe’ tables and even homemade, non-toxic deodorants. Teal leaves no stone unturned and her work has even been featured on Tree House Masters! Visit Teal’s website as linked above and/or find her on Instagram @tealmarie.design

Bear Earth Herbals

Bear Earth Herbals is a family owned and operated business rooted in Northern Michigan and dedicated to the environment whole heartedly. Sierra, of Bear Earth Herbals, had originally founded an eco-friendly cleaning company before becoming a certified herbalist and founding BEH. It is not easy to find a company that I align with 100% but Bear Earth Herbals does that and more. Their philosophy:

“We believe in and support Organic agriculture, and choose Organic and Fair Trade ingredients whenever possible.  Many of the herbs we use in our products we sustainably wild harvest from the pristine forests, fields and streams of Northern Michigan.  Some of our herbs are grown in our own gardens, and some we buy from other small farms and growers in our area, always using chemical free practices.  We research the companies that we choose to support, verify that the claims they make are valid, and confirm they are using only sustainable methods.  The importance of the quality and freshness of the herbs we use cannot be underestimated.  The energy with which plants are grown and harvested, and the environment from which they come, greatly affects their properties and benefits. ”

Visit Bear Earth Herbals website linked above to read more about what they do and don’t forget to grab a stocking stuffer or herbal gift set while you’re there, you will be happy you did! Also visit/follow them on Instagram @bearearthherbals

Gothic Mountain Jewelers

Gothic Mountain Jewelers is run by two self-taught silversmiths out of the backcountry of western Colorado. Kristi and Alex of Gothic Mountain Jewelers are true grit, high alpine artists. Not only are their unique pieces made by their own two hands, they also ski 4 miles during the winter season (to the nearest post office) in order to ship your packages! That is a whole lot of dedication, love, and passion. Each one of their pieces reflects the essence of southwestern Colorado and will steal your heart just like the state has. Give yourself or your loved ones a piece of the place you love so dearly by shopping the link above but do so before December 18 to ensure you receive it in time for the holidays. You can also follow along with Gothic Mountain Jewelers on Instagram @gothicmtnjewelers

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It’s always great to shop and support companies and artists local to your area as well! Mix it up a little and visit galleries hosting local, up and coming artwork, stop by the ma and pa shop you always pass by or volunteer with your local soup kitchen or animal shelter. And if you are shopping with larger businesses do some extra research be sure they are committed to the greater whole, cruelty free, fair trade and non-toxic at the very least. We set the standard for the world we wish to live in.

Wishing you much joy this season and always! Thank you for joining me here and do let me know if you visit the shops above ♥

P.s. All of the photos used for this post were sourced from the companies websites I’ve linked above and are not my own .