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15 more websites (including Etsy shops) that I can't personally recommend for buying holiday gifts, but would still like to promote

I'm sure I'm missing some, but these are ones that I have either heard great things about, bought from in-person, but can't speak to their online capabilities, or that I have been curious about. They are in no particular order. You can read my first "15 websites (including Etsy shops) that I can't personally recommend for buying holiday gifts, but would still like to promote".

I also wanted to, again, highlight my post "15 websites (including Etsy shops) that I can personally recommend for buying holiday gifts".

I was inspired to do this by We Ain’t Buying It, which is calling on people to stop shopping at Target, Home Depot, and Amazon between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday. You can read more about this boycott on their website (linked above) or in The Hill's article "‘We Ain’t Buying It’: These retailers are being targeted by holiday shopping boycott" by Alix Martichoux.

  1. Nancy Natow-Cassidy (an artist I personally know and love, and whose work I've bought, but never used her website!): My work is movement based, exploring color and shape as energy and vibration. Literally moved by nature, my paintings are created when gestures express themselves with pigment. I love being enveloped by a painting, standing so close to it your eyes see nothing but color.
  2. Gh0start.loot! (while I haven't bought her listed items, I comissioned something from her and it was EPIC): All the dice you find here are made by me from start to finish. This includes designing my own fonts, modeling and printing my own masters, making my own molds and of course pouring and finishing the dice! I put my whole heart into everything I create, and every product is a labor of love.
  3. The Werkroom (seen their stuff in person at C2E2 but been too shy to buy (think NSFW)!): Our artwork is entertaining, irreverent, tantalizing, and inclusive to all.
  4. cnfactory (Etsy shop--also, I bought from at C2E2 and I can personally speak to product quality): We always wanted to combine our design skills and our family’s love for Pop-Culture into something that we create on our own and share with others who love the same things we do. We taught ourselves how to screen print and combine our drawing skills to produce one of a kind limited edition artwork.
  5. Lauren Walsh (bought from at C2E2 and I can personally speak to product quality): Lauren Walsh is an Ennie Award Winning illustrator and character designer as well as the creator of Woubble, a cute little slime just trying his best.
  6. Megan Lara (bought from at C2E2 and I can personally speak to product quality): My biggest fixation is pop culture, so most of my work involves homages to various pop icons in an art nouveau-influenced style.
  7. Gug Underwater (I've coveted their stuff at art fairs, but never purchased because their pieces are just too out of my price range): Regarded as America’s foremost underwater ocean photographer, Gug has been making waves in the art scene for well over 20 years.
  8. Maliveth Illustration (bought from at C2E2 and I can personally speak to product quality): Victoria (Maliveth) is a coffee-fueled, Midwest-based fantasy artist with a love of cozy colors and tense scenes. She is inspired by art nouveau, storytelling, swords & magic.
  9. Vikki Claire (bought from at C2E2 and I can personally speak to product quality): I’m a Chicago based freelance artist who came from the College For Creative Studies in Detroit. I went to school for fine art and illustration, and since have weaved my way into the graphic design/entertainment art world. Colors, pop art, movies, comics, and fashion are all big interests of mine so that is where you will find my art!
  10. Helen Mask (bought from at C2E2 and I can personally speak to product quality): Her goal is to create work that can be used both commercially and personally, that has a strong sense of line, decorative details, and that can work on a variety of different products.
  11. Galactic Turnip (bought from at C2E2 and I can personally speak to product quality): Sarah Michele Szeszol (she/they), also known as GalacticTurnip, is a Chicago-based freelance comic artist and illustrator, known for fanart and original artwork exploring themes of neurodivergence, queerness, and magical realism.
  12. WindArrow3D (bought from at C2E2 and I can personally speak to product quality): We draw from a wide range of creative sources. Some of our products are our own design/invention for solving a specific problem. Others leverage the masterful creative abilities of others. Browse our wears and we're sure you'll find that we offer something for everyone!
  13. Sparkle! Designs (bought from at C2E2 and I can personally speak to product quality): Unique, handcrafted jewelry and gifts!
  14. A Sunny Disposish (okay, I forgot this one for the first post, I have bought from them online before, seen them at C2E2, and have loved the journal I bought from them): Jenny is a 1.5 generation Korean-American illustrator with over 10 years of freelance experience. She is passionate about Korean history and helping other diaspora Koreans navigate their cultural identity. Most of her time is spent traveling the country to sell her artwork at conventions. 
  15. Tea & Absinthe (bought from at C2E2 and I can personally speak to product quality): Staying up late to finish your cosplay? Drink buckets of caffeinated black tea. Sucked into a book for hours? Tea keeps me reading. Researching the obscure references in the MCU? Bubble tea to chew on your thoughts with. Doing a Bridgerton rewatch? Fancy cuppa by my side. So welcome to our world. Have a seat, have a cuppa. And tell us what tea goes with your cool weirdness!

(Prompt by me)

We Ain’t Buying It


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