Fill Those Stockings with Care

 

 

It's hard to believe that there's only a couple weeks left to 2013. Time seems to speed way up when we all have so much going on around the holidays, doesn't it? This is my tree this year. I really love how the soft needles droop and lift, its height and shape perfectly fitting into the corner.

Surprisingly, I planned ahead and have taken care of most of my gift list. Stocking stuffers, however, are treasures I like to find at the last minute – nice smelling soaps and lotions, lots of chocolate, sparkly trinkets and jewelry, warm slippers. If you still have a few stockings to fill or looking for a last minute gift, check out some of my favorite budget-friendly gifts below.

Happy holidays everyone – keep safe, happy and warm!

1. Thai Woven Textile Pillow $19 on sale
2. Anything Dot Towel $35 on sale
3. San Juan Marabella Fold-Over Clutch $49 on sale
4. Hand-Painted Moroccan Soap Dish $21
5. Small Cobra Stapler $39
6. Chilote House Shoes $59
7. Felt Standing Bird $9/each on sale, available in three colors
8. Batik Bone Salt Cellar and Spoon $12 on sale

Featured Artist - Allan Winkler

It is Allan Winkler's planet and the rest of us are just living on it. It's a whacked-out fun place to be and often quite rewarding. Whether you know him as the ubiquitous visual artist or as a percussive musician, if you live in Kansas City you probably know, or at least know of, Allan Winkler. Maybe you've seen his billboards in the Crossroads Arts District or his metal or paper cutouts in several local galleries and restaurants – once you see his iconic style, his signature images will be instantly recognizable.

Winkler, a seasoned graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, has worked in a purposefully simple, “naive” style to evoke, almost in a medieval way, renderings of human and animal character and emotion. These figures are animated and energized by jazzy patterns and energetic lines. Quirky and folksy, Winkler’s cartoon-like appeal can transcend media. He creates furniture, videos, and writes plays. Collages of shapes cut from cereal boxes, quilts, paintings, prints and pottery illustrates his love of material and craft.

The Loaded Trunk is offering his one-of-kind plates and bowls. These unique works of art are also functional serving ware. One series uses earthier tones and another series plays with a blue on white color scheme. Charming grinning faces peer out from the surfaces, characteristic of Winkler’s playful, emblematic  imagery. One unique example embraces a sophisticated abstract motif of patterned blue drops. Click here to see the entire collection.