I love handmade things. I just loving knowing that an item was created first in someone’s imagination and then crafted with their hands.  Sure, they’re more expensive, but you’re paying for the craftsmanship and quality, neither of which is generally found in mass-produced items.  This distinction is even more important to me when I’m giving a gift.  I want my gift to become an heirloom and be timeless, not something so trendy that it’s out of style minutes after it’s given or made so poorly my recipient is afraid to use it.

In the past I’ve scoured holiday faires for unique pieces, but as I get older and the good quality faires are harder to find, I’ve moved my treasure hunt online.  Recently I was asked to take a look at Red Clay and I instantly realized I was looking at some amazing and quality pieces of ceramics, textiles, and art prints – exactly what I needed.  I was impressed first by their beautiful website and then by their bold colors.   Their current theme is red, white, and blue and the pieces coordinate and look gorgeous together.  The don’t offer a lot of pieces and that’s because they’re unique and an exclusive collection. They have open design calls and then the designs are voted on by Red Clay visitors.  The top pieces get made!  How cool is that!

Who better to be the architect of this endeavor than you.

Red Clay provides you a studio in which pioneering designers can submit their most passionate designs to our community.  We paint you a sincere picture of the products’ design, function, source and production so that you can choose the products that best fit your standard of living.  The power of your votes determines Red Clay’s next exclusive collection.  By putting the power of design back in the hands of the people most passionate about design, we’re making the choice to conscientiously decorate the home indistinguishable, affordable and unapologetically gorgeous.

The manufacturing process is shared on the site through photos and text so you feel like you’re a part of the process, get a chance to see the made by artisans and craftspeople, and you know where your piece was created.  I was given a gift card to shop with so I took a tour of the site.  I love the way pieces are shown grouped together with other items for display options.  I also love that the prints look fabulous together and can be mixed and matched.  I do wish I could purchase s mismatched set of knapkins and perhaps they’ll offer that in the future, but for now they’re only available in matching sets of 4.

I was drawn to the white ceramic pieces immediately.  I’ve been collecting vintage McCoy pottery for years and they’re a nice creamy white from age.  The Red Clay company’s whites look crisp and bright which will be a nice change for me and will match my recently redecorated and updated bathroom beautifully.  Yes, I switched from gift giving mode to ME mode there for a second!  I couldn’t help myself! I can see that white vase on my counter!

I did settle on the medium-size vase in white and I’m still toying with keeping it, but my intention is to give it to my oh-so-stylish sister for Christmas.  She would LOVE it and she just has this simple, casual way of decorating that comes off effortlessly but looks so fabulous.  Envious?  Well a little.  But I know she’d love it….if only I’ll be able to let it go!

I love that my purchase is supporting artists here in the US.  I can’t wait to get the vase and should I decide to keep it I’ll share it with you.  If not, I’ll have to go visit it at my sisters.

Connect with Red Clay

• Website with links to their blog, shopping, design outreach, and more.
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Win a Red Clay Gift Certificate!

One very lucky ready will receive a $59 gift certificate to shop the Red Clay store.  Please wait for the Rafflecopter Widget to load fully to enter. This contest is only open a few days so don’t put off entering!

Please note:  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias – all opinions are my own. I received a $59 gift certificate with which to try their site and product with.

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About Connie

A mom and wife, Connie blogs about entertainment, going green, products, technology, DIY home remodeling and decore, and more.  Product reviews are her speciality and she's in the top 100 most popular authors at Epinions.com and she owns an online store for prince and princess dress-ups for girls, boy, tweens, teens, and women.  She also blogs about kids and parenting issues at Princess Time Toys Blog. She's an animal lover and lives in the Pacific Northwest near Seattle, WA. Find out more about Connie and all the bloggers here at MiscFinds4u on our About Us page.   If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

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