While video games, cell phones and electronics have become major distractions for kids these days, Sprig Toys sets out to make battery-free, paint-free, eco-friendly toys that are “kid powered.” For kids 3 to 6, we’d opt for the Soarin’ Sea Plan for good old fashioned imaginative play.
Sprig Toys: sprigtoys.com
Where to buy: Playfair Toys, 6395 Gunpark Dr., Unit H, Boulder
A rustic piece of jewelry doesn’t need to be doughty, countrified or anything less than fabulous. The Woods proves it. Started by two sisters, The Woods pieces suggest a Queen of the Mountain luxury, using both natural elements like wood, leather, ivory and even antler with old mine cut/Victorian diamonds. And this Colorado product is hitting it big: From Taylor Swift to Kate Beckinsale, The Woods is decking the lobes, wrists and necks of celebutantes and mountain girls with ridiculous, creative gorgeousness.
The Woods: thewoodsfinejewelry.com
Where to buy: Bloom, 2353 E. 3rd Ave., Denver
Items such as candle holders, coasters and frames are always good gifts for your not-close-enough-to-personalize list: your neighbor, your clients, your husband’s cousin who’s visiting from Toledo. Charles Mason’s Boulder-based Stonegifts are handcrafted locally and have a very nice Colorado look (can you get more Colorado-ish than rocks?). We love the candle wall sconces and the natura coasters. $19.95 and $6.96
Stonegifts: stonegifts.com
Wino Birdhouses
Oddly, two of our favorite activities are birding and drinking wine. So, we were pleased to come across these clever wine-cork birdhouses as well as their holiday-themed wine cork reindeer. Each birdhouse, made by an Erie couple, uses 40 to 90 corks and is handcrafted. From a bistro to a bungalow (or a church of sauvignon blanc), these corked creations are worthy of limb and branch.
Bear’s Birdhouses: shop.creationsincork.com
Where to buy: Colorado Consignment, 502 Briggs St., Erie
For whiskey drinkers, opening a new bottle of that liquid gold is always a special moment. And surely, Santa just can’t deny the happiness that a good bottle can bring. Stranahan’s is not just a good bottle, it’s a Colorado-made, small-batch, distinctive-tasting whiskey made with pure mountain water and mountain barley.
Stranahan’s: stranahans.com
Where to buy: Your local liquor store