HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
A guide to the local makers and artists we feature in store, along with staff recommends, to help you shop local this holiday season!
Meet Our Artists and Makers
Cards and Stickers
Cards and Stickers
JOcelyn Catterson
Jocelyn Catterson is a multi-disciplinary artist and environmental educator based out of Del Norte. Her work focuses on the intersection of art, science, community, and advocacy. Visit her website and her Instagram to see more!
@artofjocelyncatterson
Trina Council
Trina Council is an artist that creates handmade items and original artwork. She loves art, sustainability, and holds the belief that the best gifts are made lovingly by hand. Trina upcycles materials and uses a mix of painting, sewing, and ink.​ Find more of her art on Instagram! @council_tree_house
Cindy Cometto
Cindy Cometto has spent her entire life in Colorado, and now calls the San Luis Valley her home and her heart.
The star-blanketed sky, the sunsets and sunrises guide her day, while the Rio Grande River guides her journey. She finds that painting guides her soul, and feels inspired by the San Luis Valley in all its beauty. She is part of the San Luis Colorado Art Coop. Find out more at their website!
Heart & LUngs Ranch
Heart and Lungs Ranch is the creative home of artist Lares Feliciano, an interdisciplinary artist and cultural worker based in the San Luis Valley. She uses animation, installation, and collage to create worlds where marginalized experiences are front and center and all of time exists at once. Her art is whimsical and rich. Find out more at her website and on her Instagram! @lareslovesyou
Heart & Lungs Ranch
The Witty Ladybug
Evelyn Sprouse Rowe
Jordan Whitney
The Sigatree
Nancy Harris is a mixed media artist from Alamosa who uses paper, paint, and found objects to create her original abstract collages that are colorful, complex, and playful. The collage process is an opportunity to work and experiment with both traditional and nontraditional media. She enjoys the challenge of solving the puzzle of the right arrangement of colors, textures, and composition. Visit her website to learn more!
Nancy Harris
Joe & Jeanne Horvath
Joe & Jeanne Horvath (formerly of Yellow Hawk Visions) are a Monte Vista couple who work together to create greeting cards from their original paintings and photographs. Joe works primarily in oil, while Jeanne uses watercolors; both are avid photographers. You can sign up for their free monthly art zine (Images from Nature) by sending your full name and email address to mandala.day@gmail.com
The Witty Ladybug
The Witty Ladybug is owned and operated by Sarah Householder, a disabled artist residing in Alamosa. She wants to share hope and humor among the darkness, whatever that darkness may be. She sells stickers, greeting cards, art prints, and ceramics. You can order from her website, and find out more about her on Instagram and Facebook!
@thewittyladybug
Prizmajik Artistry
Prizmajik Artistry, owned and operated by Nikki Kaminski, bloomed from the many colors and ecologies of the landscape Nikki observed in her many years of travel. Created in Alamosa, her art renders the connection of the individual soul with the soul of the world. You can see more of her art at her Etsy store and on her Instagram. @prizmajik
Mary Kimber
Mary Kimber is a watercolorist, living in Taos, NM. Mary grew up in Montana and has loved the outdoors ever since. From 2014 to 2022, Mary lived above the SLV in Forbes Park, in the home she and her husband built "Fort Kimber". Mary shows her work in Taos at Indigo Market, in LaVeta at the Parkside Gallery, and participates in local art markets in southern CO and northern NM.
David Montgomery grew up in the American West and has been creating art in the San Luis Valley for more than fifty years. He is enamored of our magical landscapes and shares the magic through his artwork.
He has been part of juried shows and you can see his work on display in Creede. Check out his website and Instagram for more information! @davidmontgomerypainter
David Montgomery
Jamie Blount
Mary Josephine Gosniak
La Puente
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Paws For Inspiration
Paws for Inspiration, art by Julie Reisinger, creates art inspired by furry friends! Julie has lived in the San Luis Valley since 2019, and owns/operates a dog training & pet care business. Her art works are inspired by her pets and her furry clients at SLV Pet Care. Each work is unique, reflects the personality of the pet (sometimes their owners as well!), and is fun - the most important part! Find out more at her website!
Regis Scott
Regis Scott draws upon her surroundings and life experiences to create unique and inspirational pieces of art. Her mediums of choice are acrylic, encaustic, and oil. Raised in Santa Fe and New Orleans, she lives permanently in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Regis’s work can be found year-round at Fort Garland Museum, Magpie Gallery in Taos, and the Parkside Gallery in La Veta. See more of her work on Instagram! @regissscott504
wearables
Find a selection of scarves, purses, and jewelry throughout the store!
PErla Kopeloff
Perla Kopeloff was born and educated in Buenos Aires, Argentina and is a weaver, spinner, and dyer of wool and silk. She immigrated to the US in 1980 and became an avid papermaker and mixed media fiber artist. Her inspiration comes from the magnificent skies around her home and studio in the Colorado Southwest.
Find her art on Instagram @perlakopeloff!
She's also the artist of the month for December and will have a reception on December 6th!
Moon Recyles
Moon Recycles, operated by Jessica Chacon and Liz Bozworth, creates earrings by upcycling bike tubes. Their designs are inspired by the moon, nature, bikes, and the divine feminine. They are locally owned and operated and are grateful for their community in the San Luis Valley. You can find their earrings in store, and also on their website! Be sure to check out their Instagram, too! @moonrecycles
Evelyn Sprouse Rowe
Evelyn Sprouse Rowe is a native and multimedia artist of the San Luis Valley residing in Alamosa. She likes showing acrylic florals and paintings of our valley, pet portraits, and handmade wearable art. Many of her works are reproduced as affordable card art as well as original handmade colorful abstracts, also, on cards.
the Sigatree​
A Colorado born, interdisciplinary artist, Macey Sigaty of The Sigatree, uses many different mediums with an aim to appreciate the ordinary manner of miracles, to see beauty in the banal, acknowledge absurdity, and dabble in whimsy. You can often find her at The Church Project in Monte Vista where she is using her hands to make real things and encouraging others to do the same. Find her work on Instagram! @whatonearthink @thesigatree
Cactus Hill Farm
Cactus Hill Farm, a family-run and long-established farm in La Jara, is home to Elena Miller-ter Kuile, a fiber artist who stocks some of her knit wear and knitting kits here in the store! You can learn more about her and her family farm, where they raise sheep and produce wool and meat, at their website.
Home Goods
Look for home goods like picture frames and dog treats! And, grab a little snack for yourself, too! Nealan says be sure to remember that chocolate is for people, and his snacks are just for dogs!​
Nealan's Snack Attack
Louisa Cheslock and Nealan run Nealan’s Snack Attack! Louisa is an SLV native and book & pet enthusiast. She started baking dog treats first for family and friends, who had plenty of dogs! Following Nealan’s adoption of her, Louisa expanded to creating and sharing treats that he loves! Find them on Instagram @nealansnacks and Facebook at NealanSnacks!
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Art 4 Smiles
Art 4 Smiles is run by SLV native Rachael Cheslock! She likes to try out a variety of crafting and art ideas! Her latest crafting binge is upcycling books headed for the dumpster. Be sure to browse the store carefully. What you think is a book on the gift shelf may really be a hidden storage box or safe, a purse, or a tissue box!!
Trina Council
Art 4 Smiles
Madeleine Ahlborn
Madeleine Ahlborn is owner and steward of The Church Project Community Art Center in Monte Vista. Ahlborn is a multi-disciplinary artist who has spent the last 10 years holding space for the abundant creative community. She is the host of the Creative Citizen, The Unexpected Artist podcast by The Alamosa Citizen. Find out more at The Church Project website, and at Instagram, @madeleine.r.ahlborn
Jamie Blount
Jamie Blount is an avid reader and started scrapbooking and creating cards and bookmarks inspired by what she reads.
You’re likely to find a bookmark or a card that reminds you of regency romance, dark academia, and all types of fantasy!
Journals and BookMarks
We have a large collection of journals and bookmarks, many of them produced by our local makers!
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Joni Franks
Joni Franks is a local, international award-winning author, artist, and poet. Known for her compelling narratives that challenge societal norms, Joni pens books about resilience, inspiration, overcoming adversity, equality, and conservation. She’ll be with us signing books on December 14th, from 11:00am - 2:00pm!​
Find out more at her website and on Instagram and Facebook @corkytails1
Friends of the Library
The Friends of the Library fundraises for the Alamosa Public Library! You may have seen the $1 book cart outside the store, but did you know that they make journals from old books? You can find them in our journaling section, and they make one-of-a-kind gifts!
Amanda Lay Hess
Amanda Lay Hess lives in the San Luis Valley and enjoys connecting with community and imagining, and acting, to build the world she wants to live in.
She uses creativity as a way to release stress end express herself. Find her watercolor bookmarks in the store!
Staff Recommends
Delilah
Delilah just loves this book lover’s box, the Writing Dice, and a memory game about classic books! There’s even a book review pad so the reader in your life can remember which books they loved, and why!
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If you have an artist in your life, we also have Art Dice, and some great books on sketching, like this Mindful Sketching book!
Louisa
Louisa loves to cook, and she recommends these great cookbooks: Dine in Palestine, Indian Cookery, and Bowful! Nealan can’t speak to any of the recipes, but he likes all the good smells that happen when Louisa cooks!
If you’re looking for whimsy, she also recommends the Little Women Cookbook, and teas inspired by Louisa May Alcott!
Jean
Jean has been spending quite a bit of time in the witchy section of the store these days! We have a wide variety of books on spell craft, tarot, and more!
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Also, our tarot cabinet is brimming with tarot decks and other items: pendulums, crystals, cleansing kits, and wonderful, pure beeswax altar candles from local business, Dancing Badger Bodyworks!
Special Orders
If you don’t find what you’re looking for in store, ask a bookseller about ordering the book for you! We can even ship directly to the recipient!
Please keep in mind that ordering books can take up to two weeks (sometimes longer) so ordering earlier is better!
For in-store pick-up orders, please order by December 14th for Christmas arrival. If you want to order something to be shipped, ordering through our website is the quickest way! Place orders by December 16th to ensure Christmas delivery!
Go to this link to place an order through our online commerce site: SHOP ONLINE