HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2025 - MADE IN ONTARIO

It's back! The 2025 edition is here! I have curated a list of 5 small businesses to shop from this year. All of these businesses handcraft their products. From festive tea towels, quirky purses, botanical paintings, natural skin care and eco friendly jewellery, please take a moment to check out these wonderful shops.

Kitchen Cat Textiles Tea Cozy

5 Small Businesses to Shop from this Holiday Season

KITCHEN CAT TEXTILES

Bumble Bee Oven Mitts and Tea Towel - Kitchen Cat Textiles

Kitchen Cat Textiles offers charming creations to elevate your kitchen aesthetic. From oven mitts to stylish towels and tea cosies.  The choice of exceptionally fun fabrics adds a whimsical touch to everyday cooking accessories, transforming them into not just practical items but also statement pieces.  For the cooks in your life who appreciate the marriage of functionality and flair!

Kitchen Cat Textiles

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VERVAIN 

Vervain Skin Care

T's journey with VERVAIN began in 2013 as a customer.  T was drawn to the clean, fresh, organic ingredients in these special formulas. And while enjoying her daily VERVAIN skincare routine, T  began to notice that it was shifting…into something more sacred.

Something far more than skincare was emerging through T's  relationship with VERVAIN.

T has since come to understand that she was opening to a conscious partnership with the plants in the products themselves. The more she opened to the partnership, the more the plants offered to her.

Shifting from “just” applying a cream to developing a sacred ritual with each VERVAIN product T's application has helped her to remember and honour who she really is. The plants want to share their guidance.  They long for us to remember the ancient wisdom they hold. They stand unwavering in their commitment to do life with us in partnership.

So now she extends the invitation to you - to experience VERVAIN’s sacred partnership with the plants, so you, too, feel supported as you reclaim who you are. 

Vervain

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The Treasure Box

The Treasure Box

Creativity has always been a part of Ursula's life. From an early age, Ursula loved exploring all kinds of crafts—crocheting, knitting, basic sewing, pottery, and even woodworking.

During the pandemic, Ursula sewed her first bag and was instantly hooked. What began as a pastime quickly became a passion for creating high-quality, one-of-a-kind bags, pouches, and wallets.

Ursula takes pride in supporting other Canadian small businesses by sourcing her materials locally and she is a proud vendor at Maker Market Collective, a local gift store in Port Credit.

Originally from Switzerland, Ursula has called Mississauga home since 1998, where she raised two wonderful adult children and ran a home daycare for 13 years. Alongside with her current work in the not-for-profit sector, she is excited to continue growing her small business—with plans to expand beyond local markets and stores in 2026.

The Treasure Box

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Absolem INK

Absolem Ink Nature Paintings

Catherine is a member mixed media artist who enjoys taking inspiration from nature, specifically the trails and conservation areas where she lives in Hamilton, Ontario.

Catherine has always had a creative soul and really started coming back into it in 2018 . Starting out as a strictly alcohol ink artist, she pivoted last year to include paintings of moody skies and flowers found during her nature walks. She also has an affinity for painting the night sky.

Quite often Catherine looks for ways to up cycle and reuse her supplies in an effort to reduce waste. One of her favourite things is to paint on is rough and raw wood slices, which have been taken from branches and trees that have fallen during wind storms.

She also reuses paint from larger pieces and supplies to make her ornament collection during the holiday season.  Nothing makes Catherine smile more than when somebody connects with a piece of her artwork. 

Absolem Ink

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Clay Tulips By C

Clay Tulips By C Fine Jewellery

Cheryl designs casual, earthy jewellery made of eco-friendly recycled silver. Using the medium silver metal clay, she creates jewellery that is meant to be worn and enjoyed every day. 

Her jewellery making began as a hobby when her youngest child started school full-time and turned into a small business in 2015.

Her designs are inspired by nature and created from natural elements and textures.  Her work features unique and individually crafted fine silver pendant necklaces, botanical earrings, gemstone bracelets and rings. ​

Clay Tulips by C

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Thank you to each of these small businesses for sharing their wonderful stories and products. 

When you are thinking of shopping this holiday season, think of supporting local!

Enjoy the Beauty of Nature!🌷
​Cheryl