Holiday Gift Guide: 10 best bets at the One of a Kind Show

By Renée Suen | November 26, 2010

By Renée Suen | 11/26/2010

The annual arts and crafts show is back. Running now through next week, the one-stop holiday-gift-buying shop features the works of 800 artisans (and complimentary daycare service). Here, 10 items that will help you cross names off your shopping list.

Take a look at them in our slide show >>

SHOW CAPTION

RETURN TO ARTICLE

Twin sisters Cayla and Rayelle Hache are on a mission to solve the world’s insecurities one eco-friendly felt doll at a time. Made from recycled plastic bottles, each character comes with a flaw and a storybook explaining how wonderful its imperfection is. *Usus, booth V-35.*

Montrealer Corine Serruya’s vintage line of hair accessories is already found at Holt Renfrew and Fashion Crimes, but her latest headpiece forgoes the delicate ostrich feathers, silks and hand-knit flowers for leather piping and piano wire. This architecturally inspired number is a guaranteed head turner. *Ophelie Hats, booth O-59,* *opheliehats.com.*

Scarborough’s Debbie Woo uses exotic papers and trims to handcraft stunning cards. Available from Nov. 25 to 29. *Woo Designs Inc., booth O-19, handmademodernart.com.*

Montreal-based Basma Osama is probably one of the show’s best-known artisans. Her refined porcelain tableware pieces—prized for their minimalist silhouettes and attractive organic forms—have been gaining popularity. *Ceramik B,* *booth P-03*, *ceramikb.com.*

Toronto designer Sarra Tang’s hand-backpack is great for the urban traveller who’s got everything but a killer bag. Made from a water- and soil-repellent oilcloth, the bag has an oiled leather base and milled leather shoulder straps. Available in black and grey-black. *Hoi Bo, booth S-19,* *hoibo.com.*

Richard Morin and Claude Choiniere are the craftsmen behind these tealight candle holders. The Montreal-based company sandblasts glass to create these contemporary wall-mounted installations. *Morin Choiniere, booth I-20,* *morinchoiniere.com.*

Fluf owners Nathalie Butterfield and Terra Kushner may be known for their pillows, but we’re loving their line of reversible shopping bags. Made from a sustainable, chemical-free blend of hemp and organic cotton, the bags are screen-printed in Toronto with water-based, biodegradable dyes. *Fluf, booth S-20,* *fluf-design.com.*

OCAD grad Erin Tracy is attracting worldwide attention for her excellence in craftsmanship and innovative use of materials. Case in point: the edgy hand-sculpted concrete pave ring bejewelled by a Swarovski crystal set in sterling silver. Soften the look with a pair of sparkly eternity bands. *Erin Tracy Designs, booth K-45,* *erintracydesigns.com.*

Anne Sophie Falconer’s whimsical accessories, like these hand-stitched stockings, are great for children or the child within. Made in Toronto using felt so thick that they’re able to stand without support—just the thing for homes without a fireplace. *Lumière, booth Z-03,* *lumierekids.ca.*

John Black, a 24-year-old from Moncton, creates stylish cutting boards pieced together from 40 types of wood from around the world. As unique as fingerprints, the boards are beautiful and practical: wood cutting boards are said to harbour fewer bacteria than plastic versions and can prolong the life of your knives. *JJ’s Wood Creations, booth X-08,* *jjswoodcreations.ca.*

One of a Kind Show and Sale, Nov. 25 to Dec. 5. $6.50–$12. Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, 100 Princes’ Blvd., oneofakindshow.com.

Holiday Gift Guide: 10 best bets at the One of a Kind Show

The Latest

This Toronto couple built a $550,000 laneway house as a place to retire. In the meantime, they’re renting it out for $3,200 a month

Every new title coming to Netflix Canada in February

“Customers seem to forget that we’re human beings”: A grocery store cashier on working during the current wave

Mark Hlady is making remote get-togethers more fun

Fifteen mesmerizing photos that reveal the lives of Torontonians in the 1960s and ’70s

Inside Pasta Forever, a new takeout counter and Italian pantry that started as a side hustle