Canadian Gift Guide

I always used to think that I would like to own a traditional ‘gift shop’. A place that sells beautiful but somewhat unnecessary giftware. You know – novelty ice cube trays, pin-up girl magnets, handpainted business card holders. I’m not knocking that stuff to be honest, I get a squee of excitement every time I set foot into a gift store. That being said, you’ve probably noticed my blog is a little more focused on giftware that has a practical end use beyond being a nice version of something simple.

Today I’m kind of making an exception. I’d like to point you in the direction of Ecojot, a Canadian company that makes its 100% recycled paper products right here in Canada. And that includes basically every type of paper product you can imagine – agendas, notebooks, sketchbooks, cards, wrapping paper and more.

The cutesy designs are very much the artisan chic I was talking about last week, and while they’re mostly suited to the girls in your life, they also have a number of designer-chic options for those trendoid boys you know.

Having worked at an ad agency, I can see my former (predominantly male) coworkers salivating for the ‘woodgrain’ journal above, while the girls would be happier with one of the super cute and colourful designs.

Since we’ve talked about it before with the Kate & Birdie Paper Company, I will point you to Ecojot’s precious collection of gift wrap and greeting cards. These coordinating sets will make your gift be the first one to be opened (or the last one if they want to savour it), guaranteed, and are perfect whether you’re gifting a kid or an adult.

One final note? I love the cats & dogs collection from Ecojot. It’s an obvious item on your ‘Loves’ lists I suggested you make the other day, but pet paraphernalia is always a good idea, as long as it doesn’t scream ‘CRAZY CAT LADY’.

Ecojot has a pretty extensive ‘Where To Buy’ feature on their website, including several Canadian eTailers, so you can buy green Canadian products from Canadian businesses and cut down on shipping costs and environmental impact. That’s a win/win/win my friends.