Homemade for the Holidays

This year, give your loved ones local, handcrafted gifts

By Cindy Klinger

Sunny Monitz’s truffles. Photo by Joseph Aczel

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates
Four years ago, when Sunny Monitz’s youngest daughter was in middle school, she decided to (finally) do something for herself. Like most women, Monitz loves chocolate, and she began experimenting with an old Kahlua truffle recipe she had. With her family’s support (they gladly sampled her many chocolate experimentations), she eventually created 13 truffle flavors and gave birth to her company, Sunny’s Chocolate Truffles & Other Sweets. Those “other” sweets are a to-die-for chocolate cheesecake cranberry bar and rich six-layer chocolate bar with nuts. In the beginning, Monitz says, “I started pounding the pavement,” literally opening a phone book and picking target venues to approach. She called upon places like hotels, restaurants, caterers, assisted living establishments and clubs to drum up business. Her efforts certainly paid off. Now, the holidays are her busiest time. Although she won’t reveal her technique, she will share her ingredients: just chocolate, egg yolk and fat, and some of the truffles contain alcohol, like Bacardi Rum or Raspberry French Chambord. Most months, Monitz donates 5 percent of her sales to a charity. To order, visit sunnyschocolates.com or call 770.565.4260.

Pass Me a Note
Although she recently moved to San Francisco, Atlantan Leigh Metcalf can’t seem to part with her 404 area code. She is good with change, however, especially when it comes to her handmade, simple cards. As the founder of Notes, Ink, she is constantly recreating, adding and varying the looks of her crafty card designs. Metcalf had been making them for years just for fun, inspired by her searches for the perfect cards to give loved ones, and in 2003, decided to try to turn her hobby into a profitable business. She now sells her cards at Beehive Co-op in Atlanta, Chickweeds in Norcross and Decatur’s Victory Vintage Home. Incorporating both fabric and screenprinting, Metcalf has two different lines: Screenprinted cards and Remnants cards. She has also developed cards exclusively for Nest, a nonprofit organization based out of St. Louis, which is dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries, and has partnered with the local RELICboutique, selling gift sets of cards and pins. And the note cards don’t just make a special gift for adults, but kids, too. Metcalf’s custom designs for little ones are truly precious and make unique presents. To order, visit notesink.com or call 404.308.9088.

A raku vase by Julie Keepers

Finders Keepers
Coronary nurse turned pottery instructor Julie Keepers says she loves everything about creating pottery, “from the feel of the clay in my hands to creating something new and different than I’ve ever done before,” she says. Ranging from elegant stoneware to whimsical piggy banks, her reasonably priced works are both functional and beautiful. Her one-of-a-kind raku (a Japanese method of firing pottery) pieces would make a thoughtful gift for any art lover. Keepers’ pottery can be found at Spruill Gallery in Dunwoody, Oglethorpe Gallery and Museum in Atlanta, her home and the many festivals and shows where she exhibits. If you’re intrigued about clay after buying one of Keepers’ ceramic designs, you can take one of her classes at Spruill Center for the Arts in Dunwoody, Kickwheel Pottery Supply in Atlanta or at her home in Covington. To order, visit emergeartmanagement.com or call 770.788.2886.

A Relic From the Past
The Web site of RELICboutique reads like the preamble to the Constitution: “We, the sisters behind RELICboutique, believe in turning something old into something new…that being raised in a large family on a teacher’s salary is a good thing–if you want to develop a brain that constantly uses its imagination…” Indeed, these two sisters, one of whom is Atlantan Shelley Yankus, use their imaginations. Growing up, their mom’s favorite saying was “waste not, want not,” which Shelley says is probably the reason the pair is so into reusing and recycling. Each original piece of recycled jewelry they create is made from or adorned with vintage buttons. Delicate and understated, the pieces come in a variety of shapes, styles and colors. In addition to the Web site, you can find the jewelry at Beehive Co-op in Atlanta, Cherry Pie in Vinings, Cranberry Corners in Dahlonega and the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center in Madison. To order, visit relicboutique.com or call 404.290.1172.

Spread the Bread
Sweet bread goes with the holidays like tinsel on a Christmas tree. If you’re too swamped, stressed or kitchen-phobic to make your own, try any of the delicious flavors from Breadwinner, created by a husband-wife-sister team. About a year ago, they sold their first batch of loaves at Buckhead’s Souper Jenny in an hour, and knew they were onto something. Although you can still find the baked-fresh-daily seasonal breads at Souper Jenny and Metro Fresh in the city, they can also be delivered straight to your home. Even with flavors like Frankly, My Dear, I Don’t Give a Cran, Party at my Place Pumpkin Bread and Better than a Bubble Bath Mocha Chocolate Chip, the taste is better than the clever names. Show up to a party with one of these amazingly moist breads and you just might hear your host say “Be Still My Beating Tart Lemon Blueberry Bread.” To order, visit getloafed.com or call 404.822.9889.

What you Talkin’ ‘Bout, Mama?
Love Your Mama, a line of homemade body products like salt scrubs, lotions and butters, was developed by self-described “part wannabe hippie, part aspiring entrepreneur” Emilie Sennebogen. As a former film industry freelancer in L.A., she often had down time between jobs and had a hard time sitting still. “I ordered a bunch of natural raw ingredients, turned my kitchen into a workshop and started experimenting,” she says. “The minute I made oil and water combine, I was hooked.” Now living in Atlanta, Sonnebogen works on every last detail of her business, from mixing essential oils, shea butter and herbs to producing her own funky labels and handling the bookkeeping. “And I love every minute of it,” she says. You’ll appreciate her hard work when you rub some of her lotions or butters into your skin. Ingredients like devotion and passion help make her products different than most of the commercial ones on the market. Try one of her three limited edition holiday scents: pumpkin, cranberry and balsam, available in soy candles, body scrubs and gift basket combos. Mama’s products also can be found at Cherry Pie in Vinings and Atlanta’s Beehive Co-op. To order, visit loveyourmama.com or call 404.288.8447.

Notes, Ink cards

The Village People
If you want to give a gift that not only is handmade, but will make a difference in the lives of those who crafted it, visit Ten Thousand Villages in Sandy Springs (there is also an Atlanta store in Virginia Highland). The unique concept is a nonprofit, fair-trade retail store that offers customers quality home décor items, baskets, jewelry and musical instruments handcrafted by artisans in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The store is part of more than 100 across North America, all of which sell international handicrafts from more than 30 countries. The chain relies on a network of volunteers from the Atlanta and Sandy Springs community who invest their time and energy in joining the mission to improve the lives of artisans around the world. The artisans and farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America receive fair prices for their handcrafted products and crops as well as cash advances and prompt payments. Consistent orders and fair prices give artisans dignity and an opportunity to provide for their families while dreaming of the future. The income they earn helps pay for food, education, health care and housing.

RELICboutique jewelry

At Ten Thousand Villages, fair trade means…

• A fair price–artisans set the price for all of their products, covering labor, materials and a livelihood with dignity.
• Cash advances and prompt final payments–artisans receive up to 50 percent in cash advances when an order is placed, and payment in full when an order is shipped.
• Long-term relationships–artisans can plan for the future with consistent orders from year to year.
• Design assistance–artisans build on their traditional skills with trend and color information, new product suggestions and visits from buyers and designers.

Here are the stories of some the artists who sell their crafts at the Ten Thousand Villages in Sandy Springs:

Love Your Mama body care products

Lakshmi Devi, embroidery artisan in Ramsar, India
Lakshmi Devi, whose name means “goddess of wealth” in Hindi, lives and works in Ramsar, Rajasthan in India. Her nimble, experienced fingers embroider intricate designs into exquisite pillow covers and wall hangings. Embellished with tiny mirrors, the works of art will glisten in the candlelight of the holiday season.

Uddav Thapa, Himalayan calendar artisan, Kathmandu, Nepal
Recent civil unrest in Nepal makes steady work difficult to obtain. Uddav Thapa, however, finds a place of peace amid the turmoil with his work at Ten Thousand Villages artisan partner Wonder Products of Nepal. For more than eight years, he has created Himalayan bead calendars, earning a fair income for his work. Thapa says, “My job at Wonder Products, although modest, allows me to support my mother, my brother and myself.” He uses simple tools to transform locally available materials like wood and water-buffalo horn beads from Tibetan prayer rosaries into Ten Thousand Villages’ distinctive Himalayan bead calendar.

Breadwinner's Frankly, My Dear, I Don’t Give a Cran Bread

Juan Pinchow, ceramic nativities and ornaments artisan, Tumbaco, Ecuador
Juan Pinchow and his wife Tullea create charming ceramic nativities in Tumbaco, Ecuador. Through Ten Thousand Villages artisan partner Camari, the pair’s whimsical creations find their way to North America. To craft a nativity, Pinchow fills a plaster mold with liquid clay and allows it to dry. After pouring it  into a mold, he trims the rough form and then delicately adds the fine details, making each nativity piece one of a kind. Pinchow has worked as a potter for 13 years, learning his skills from the owner of his workshop. He finds hope and dignity through the fair income he earns creating ceramic figurines.

Kartick Pall, potter from Bangladesh
Using skills passed down from his father’s father, Kartick Pall transforms clay into vessels of beauty in Paul Para, Bangladesh. A potter by name (Pall means potter), Pall used to sell his household ceramics door to door. Now he is well-respected for his designs, which he exports through Dhaka Handicrafts. Pall and his employees have access to design assistance and skills training. “Because Ten Thousand Villages comes and visits,” says Pall, “it inspires us to do better work.” He is able to educate his children and provide them with better housing and clean water. In his words, “There is no end to my hopes.”

Ten Thousand Villages products

Nyembo Mbope, hammered copper artisan, Kinshasa, Congo
With a simple hammer and chisel, Nyembo Mbope transforms copper sheets from discarded transformers into distinctive copper star ornaments at his home workshop in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mbope made a good living creating embossed copper art when the D.R.C. was one of the world’s foremost copper producers. Then, a series of political crises shook the country, stopping commercial trade.  Despite a decline in demand and copper availability, Mbope continued his art, relying on recycled copper from transformers as his raw material. A recent order from Ten Thousand Villages reestablished a trade connection, providing work for him, his wife and five other men from his community. The copper star ornaments sold at Ten Thousand Villages represents opportunity for Congolese artisans. Ten Thousand Villages West Africa buyer Susan Shu says, “We have developed an exquisite product that preserves Congolese artistic traditions.”

Ten Thousand Villages
227 Sandy Springs Place
Atlanta, GA
tenthousandvillages.com, 404.303.1653