Hi friends! Today we have a lovely post from author Beth Yarnall! If you’re like me, and still have gifts that need to be bought, these are excellent gifts that you can feel good about for various reasons. Yay!
(And note – all the pictured items, I’ve linked to the product pages as well for your convenience. They’ll all open in a new window. :))
Literary Gifts That Give
On my blog every year during the holiday season I post about gifts that do more than show the recipient how much you care, they give back to society in some way. They might be made in the USA, creating and maintaining jobs here at home. Or they might be made from recycled, reused, renewable, or repurposed materials. A portion of the proceeds might be donated to a charitable organization or carry the Fair Trade Certified label, meaning they help producers in developing countries to earn a fair wage from the products they make and promotes environmental sustainability.
I’ve chosen a special selection of products for you today on A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet that have a literary bent and would make great gifts for any reader.
Featuring iconic and often out of print book covers, Out of Print has a wide variety of products from t-shirts, to notepads, to phone covers made from the book covers of classic, cherished reads. They work with artists, authors, and publishers to license the images for their products (no copyright infringement!). For every product Out of Print sells, one book is donated to a community in need through Books For Africa. This Pride and Prejudice tote bag is one of my favorite gifts and it’s made right here in the USA in Brooklyn, NY. Triple the gift giving goodness! (Out of Print mission statement link)
For the gentleman, these cuff links from Uncommon Goods are made from text found in vintage books. The text is reprinted onto archival paper to preserve color and quality, and sealed under glossy, waterproof resin. The hardware is crafted from recycled silver. Each piece is hand made by Betsy and Stephen Carr in Asheville, NC and would make a smart gift for the man in your life. Uncommon Goods features many gifts made from recycled, repurposed, reused, and renewable materials. Most of the products they feature are handmade right here in America. And at check out you can add a one dollar donation to one of four charities such as City of Harvest, RAINN, American Forests and Women for Women .org. Giving multiplied! (Uncommon Goods mission statement)
To help raise awareness that books continue to be challenged and banned here in the United States, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom designed bracelets featuring the covers of frequently challenged books. The adult size bracelet features The Color Purple, Go Ask Alice, To Kill a Mockingbird, Annie on my Mind, Howl, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The child size bracelet features Annie on my Mind, To Kill a Mockingbird, King & King, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Blubber, and Captain Underpants. A portion of the sales of these bracelets designed by American jewelry designer, Carolyn Forsman, go to support the Freedom to Read Foundation.
If you’re like me you have a lot of books. Purchase these bookends from the American company Present Time through Gifts That Give and a portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to the charity you choose. That’s right, you choose the charity. Gifts That Give features many products from cosmetics to stationary to table wear and entertaining and everything in between. One dollar out of every five you spend goes to the charity of your choice such as St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and The Red Cross to name a few. Gifts that Give.
Gift giving is joy that can be multiplied and spread to help others. I hope I’ve helped give you some ideas for that hard to buy for person on your list (or yourself!) this holiday season. Happy holidays and luck to you in the new year.
Beth Yarnall writes mysteries, suspense and the occasional hilarious blog post. Her debut romantic suspense novel, Rush, is available in paperback and ebook. Beth lives in Southern California with her husband, their two sons, and their rescue dog where she is hard at work on her next novel. For more about Beth Yarnall and her books please visit her website.
Disclaimer: Although the gifts and charitable information in this post are presented in good faith and believed to be correct, neither Limecello nor I make any representations or warranties as to the completeness or accuracy of the information or the business practices of the mentioned charities. Thank you.