Holiday Gift Ideas | Gifts That Give Back

I had the pleasure of attending a holiday event at the beautiful Andaz Hotel and was pleasantly surprised to walk into an amazing event, The Andaz Holiday Bazaar, that celebrated local artists and up-and-coming talent, offers unique gifts for the holiday and raises money for an amazing cause. The custom-created items included home décor, one-of-a-kind artwork, jewelry, apparel, and more. The online bazaar is hosted by video shopping destination Joyus.com and all available gift ideas can be seen by heading to www.joyus.com/giftsthatgiveback. All proceeds from the sale of items go to Women for Women International (WfWI), a nonprofit organization that provides women in war-torn countries with economic opportunities to be positive catalysts for change. Check out a few of the items available for purchase and the artists behind them:

Flash Rosenberg

Flash Rosenberg is a “live-cartoonist” based in New York City who draws, photographs, writes and performs. Flash will be selling custom-created white and rose scarves that feature drawings celebrating the knowing smiles between women everywhere.

Michael Breach

Michael Breach, a self-proclaimed “espressoionist,” is a New York City based artist/barista with a unique talent of creating incredibly detailed portraits and designs in coffees. He has provided framed 8xl1 prints with a portrait of Jimi Hendricks made in latte foam.

Claw Money

Known as Claw Money, her graffiti alter ego, Claudia Gold combines her eye for fashion with her edgy graffiti style. If you’re in New York between mid-November and February, you can see her artwork proudly painted on the doors of Andaz 5th Avenue. Through the bazaar, she will be offering colorful, framed screen prints, as well as an Andaz-inspired tote bag, all featuring her signature claw icon.

Carter Kustera

Carter Kustera has shown in numerous galleries and museums nationally and internationally and was included in two Venice Biennales. Each work provided for the bazaar is based on African barbershop haircut signs, and Kustera puts his stamp on the signs by using the hairstyles of pop cultural icons.

Jason Laurits

Jason Laurits is a designer and the founder of graphic and silk-screening company, Paste. His approach to Paste has long been influenced by the trial and error that comes with silk-screening. Jason is offering his black and white poodle adorned rocks glasses that are sure to liven up one’s holiday entertaining.