2023 Holiday Handmade Local Gift Guide: 33 Gifts by Arkansas Artists and Makers

There’s nothing more special than a handmade gift. At Bang-Up Betty, we’re focused on finding and supporting Arkansas artisans and artists who make art and gifts we truly love. Our jewelry and gift store in downtown North Little Rock showcases unique, unusual and excellent Arkansas-made items that you can bet will bring a surprised smile to your loved ones’ faces this holiday season. Not only is every piece of jewelry (and there are hundreds) made here in Arkansas by us, our storefront is stocked with art, pottery, candles, and more by artists all across the state of Arkansas. Here are 33 of our favorite local Arkansas gifts that you can find at Bang-Up Betty:

These little ceramic vase faces by Hot Springs ceramicist Carla Churchwell are perfect for holding your favorite flowers and come in all colors, sizes and expressions.

Bentonville watercolorist Joseph Buchanan painted these Christmas cards especially for our shop.

Maumelle-based artist Sherry J. Williamson’s handmade ornaments incorporate her paintings with gorgeous glass beads.

Sometimes gorgeously simple isn’t as simple as it seems. These monogram initial necklaces are each made in our studio at Bang-Up Betty from hand-cast bronze and fired in a kiln. Each piece is uniquely handmade. The chain is an elegant paper-clip style chain that’s 14k gold-filled, so it’s hypoallergenic. Chains are 18 inches long, but if you’d prefer a longer necklace you can add an extender here.

Russellville multimedia artist BabyCreep turned her art into wearable, giftable keychains and we’ve got some right here at the shop.

Hot Springs ceramicist Carla Churchwell’s bold use of color and illustration make for perfect pottery gifts, and everyone needs a spoon rest in their kitchen.

Springdale artist Sigrid Lorfing’s gorgeous, colorful paintings are available as prints at Bang-Up Betty.

With the total solar eclipse coming up quick (April 2024!), our Solar Eclipse necklace makes a timely gift. The sterling silver moon swings back and forth over the bronze sun. Find the Solar Eclipse Necklace by Bang-Up Betty in store or online here.

Maumelle-based artist Clever + Tidy makes these perfect little floral Arkansas keychains that we carry at Bang-Up Betty.

Little Rock print maker Bri Peterson created an entire zodiac collection of insect-themed prints for each astrological sign, and we’ve got them all at Bang-Up Betty.

North Little Rock candle maker Dogtown Scents is known for her incredible-smelling candles, and she’s brought us a small batch of wintery candles complete with Arkansas crystals in them.

Bang-Up Betty is known for our snarky sticker collection, and you can find tons of water-bottle-safe options in store or online here. They make great stocking stuffers!

Little Rock artist Kasten Searles created this amazing coloring book featuring the many drag queens of the south, and we’ve got it in store at Bang-Up Betty.

Hot Springs ceramicist Carla Churchwell does it again! We absolutely love her handmade mugs that come in gorgeous colors and prints. Find them in store at Bang-Up Betty.

If you love Russellville artist BabyCreep’s ceramics, you’ll love her printed tea towels that’ll add a pop of color and creep to your kitchen. Find them in store at Bang-Up Betty.

Bang-Up Betty has been stamping custom mantra cuffs longer than anybody in town and offering hilarious and inspirational phrases as well as custom options. Find them online here or in store at Bang-Up Betty.

We love Sherwood-based artist Ashlee Nobel’s (Lee Lee Arts + Design) mystical illustrations and they fly off the shelves here!

Keep Arkansas proud with these handmade ornaments by Fayetteville artist Pyrogenic Arts. Find them in store at Bang-Up Betty.

Maumelle-based Sherry J. Williamson made these clever “Merry Dissentmas” cards as a nod to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and we’ve got them in store at Bang-Up Betty.

If you love Bentonville artist Joseph Buchanan’s watercolor holiday cards, you’ll love his Arkansas matted prints, including scenes of War Eagle Mill, the Old Mill, Argenta and more. They’re available in store at Bang-Up Betty.

Hot Springs artist Carla Churchwell’s ornaments are just as creative as the rest of her pottery! Find her one-of-a-kind ornaments in store at Bang-Up Betty.

Bang-Up Betty’s newest handmade artisan jewelry collection, the Anatomy Collection, is all about the human body and medicine. Check out the entire collection online here or in store. This jewelry would make a great gift for the doctors, nurses and med students in your life.

Speaking of anatomy, North Little Rock artist Chelsea Allen created these clever felted ornaments featuring body parts, mushrooms and more, available in store at Bang-Up Betty.

We love a pretty soap gift! These pride soaps by Maumelle-based Summit Valley Soap smell as good as they look. Find them online here or in store at Bang-Up Betty.

Bang-Up Betty is known for snarky pins, which make great stocking stuffers. You can shop lapel pins online here or in store.

North Little Rock wood artist Paul Milholland of Milwerk Modern makes the grooviest wooden sculptures of birds, cats, whales and more. We think this one would be a great gift for a hogs fan. Find it in store at Bang-Up Betty.

Bang-Up Betty loves to make custom stamped keychains if you have a special word of phrase you’d like to gift to someone, but we also have a ton of already stamped hilarious keychains in store. Find keychains online here.

Arkansas artist Chaotic Creative Co makes these cheerful packs of positivity postcards for folks who love to send hand-written notes. Find them in store at Bang-Up Betty or online here.

Local literature is the best literature! Bang-Up Betty carries a selection of locally written and printed books published by Et Alia Press.

Locally made artisan jewelry makes the perfect gift, and Bang-Up Betty delivers with hundreds of unique designs made by hand in Arkansas. Find these online here or in store.

Little Rock macrame artist Amy Darragh of Creative Cords makes the most beautiful, colorful macrame creations, including these rainbow wall hangings she made especially for us here at Bang-Up Betty.

We love a forest of tiny ceramic Christmas trees! Hot Springs ceramicist Carla Churchwell made a massive forest of these little guys for us so you can build your own tiny forest at home. Find them in store at Bang-Up Betty.

We bet you’ve got someone in your life who loves birds, and our Aviary Collection of bird-inspired artisan jewelry would be the sweetest gift for them! Find the Aviary Collection of bird jewelry online here or in store.

The Handmade Shop Local and Online Arkansas Gift Guide 2020

Every holiday season, I like to round up some of my current favorites in a little gift guide that highlights Arkansas artisans, artists and makers to help you shop small and shop local. Normally I’d show off new finds from craft shows or new things at our shop, but since I’m shopping online as much as possible this year to keep myself at home, I thought I’d focus on Arkansas made gifts you can have delivered straight to your door. From pottery to lapel pins, tea to trinkets, this guide has stocking stuffers and heartfelt gifts that will make this holiday season magical despite how strange this year is. Handmade gifts make the best gifts!

Every time I see potter Mariah Hatta share one of her adorable ceramic pigs, it makes me squeal with delight. Mariah creates unique pottery under the name House of Terriers, and right now she’s part of the Arkansas Art Center’s virtual Museum School Sale, so these little piggies can cry “wee wee wee” all the way home to your tree without you having to leave the house. Check out Mariah’s work here. This gift is also great for hog callers. Woo pig!

This year, my good friend Ashlee Nobel of Lee Lee Arts + Design collaborated with East Sixth Brewing Company and me to create a beer inspired by Bang-Up Betty, and we used Ashlee’s incredible cat skull art in the design for the beer we named Betty’s Ninth Life. This clever cat skull art print lives in my studio now, and you can get Ashlee’s beautiful art on everything from pillows to blankets to hoodies. Check out her new yoga collection for the yogis on your list! See Ashlee’s work here.

A couple of months ago, I released my Siren Collection of handmade bronze jewelry inspired by Greek Mythology. This jewelry is handmade in Arkansas by me, and I chose to feature the Artemis Moon Necklace with crossed arrows in this gift guide. The Artemis necklace is elegant, meaningful an mystical, much like the rest of the Siren Collection. See the whole collection of handmade Greek mythology jewelry here.

I’m absolutely OBSESSED with Abbi’s Teas and Things in Hillcrest, and I’m so proud of how she’s gone the extra mile to keep her business safe during the pandemic. You can find Abbi Siler at her outdoor tea stand Wednesdays and Saturdays, or you can shop her blends online. Right now I’m all about the Cherry Fig, but I also highly recommend the Banana Nut Roo, Turmeric Sunrise and Cherry Chamomile. Shop Abbi’s Teas online here.

I’d say it’s a happy coincidence that my favorite little gift shop in Little Rock also stocks lots of Arkansas made products, but Cindi Booth is too wonderful a curator of handmade goods to chalk it up to serendipity. Candles are like booze; they almost always make a great gift. And these locally made candles come in adorable vintage-style jars, so they look great in your home. You can shop TONS of incredible things on the Stifft Station Gifts website. Here is a link to the candles in many scents.

Funny and feminist enamel lapel pins and stickers make perfect stocking stuffers, coworker gifts, teacher gifts and angsty teenager (or angsty grown-up) gifts. My line of enamel pins is huge, so you’ll likely find something perfect for a funny, sassy person in your life. Shop Bang-Up Betty enamel pins and stickers here.

Speaking of great enamel lapel pins, Little Rock textile artist, poet and author Crystal Mercer released a collection of enamel pins this year that are phenomenal. Choose from “Black Glow Matters,” “An Arrest Is Not Enough,” her Duafe Pin or Normalizing Nipples pin, and be sure to check out the Kickstarter she just announced for her forthcoming book “From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair,” to be released by Et Alia Press. Check out Crystal’s work here.

And speaking of Et Alia Press, the bookworms on your list are bound to love something from this local “small press for big voices.” Be sure to check out “The Hospice Doctor’s Widow” by Jennifer O’Brien or “But First, Save 10” by Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez. I read Sarah-Catherine’s book a couple of months ago and I couldn’t recommend it enough for pointers on how to get your savings on track. Check out Et Alia press here.

I’ve been a fan of Tub Tonics for a long time. Andrea knows how to make a damn fine bath bomb. Like the skull bath bomb in the intro photo to this gift guide? Amazing! Andrea makes perfect little gift sets on her site too, so you can cross someone completely off your list in one place. Check out her soaps, bath bombs, gift sets and more here.

I’m in love with macrame by Creative Cords. Amy Darragh’s wall hangings, like the pink one in my intro photo to this gift guide, make my heart sing, but I’m extra in love with her adorable macrame Christmas ornaments she’s been sharing lately. Check out Creative Cords macrame here.

I’m always in awe of the way Erin Pierce of Organized Chaos Collection harvests beauty all around us in the form of Arkansas plants, insects, spider webs and other natural things and turns them into breathtaking art and jewelry. Erin takes pride in finding and pressing her own flowers to make these gorgeous sun catchers. See more of Erin’s work here.

Whether you want perfectly cute cookies for the holidays, need a great cookie mix to make your own, or are looking for recipes to make holiday desserts from scratch, Sarah DeClerk of Ann Potter Baking has you covered! She even has DIY cookie kits you can order online to decorate yourself, and she JUST released a cookbook! Check out Ann Potter Baking here.

This year, it’s more important than ever to shop small, and I hope this Arkansas gift guide helps you cross a few names off your list while getting those warm and fuzzies you get when you support an awesome small business you believe in. Happy (and safe!) holiday shopping!

Find Handmade Jewelry and Gifts in Arkansas for the Holidays

A glimpse inside the studio of artisan jewelry designer Bang-Up Betty, who will be stamping jewelry on location at two Little Rock boutiques in December.

Come watch me work this December, and shop local and handmade for the holidays!

Arkansas jewelry designer Stacey Bowers of Bang-Up Betty will be onsite with a huge selection of hilarious and sweet hand-stamped jewelry, enamel pins, koozies, stickers and more at two Little Rock boutiques in December. She'll also be stamping custom orders ONSITE! Pick your phrase, your metal, your charms and watch it happen before your eyes. Whether you need stocking stuffers or that perfect special something, she's got you covered. You could even get your whole gift list knocked out between Bang-Up Betty and the clever, quirky gifts at Moxy and the local art and delicious tea at Abbi’s Teas and Things!

Sunday, December 2

Moxy Modern Mercantile

1419 Main Street in Little Rock

11 am - 3 pm

Sunday, December 16

Abbi’s Teas and Things

2622 Kavanaugh Boulevard in Hillcrest, Little Rock

2 - 6 pm

December 7- 8

Fayetteville friends, catch Bang-Up Betty jewelry in Fayetteville, Arkansas, December 7-8 at the Nerd Prom and Winter Wonderland hosted by Cattywampus Co-op!

Find funny, sweet and feminist jewelry in our online shop or at one of the several shopping events held in Arkansas in December, where Bang-Up Betty will be stamping and making jewelry onsite so you can take it home with you right then and there.

Photography by Katie Childs.