Winter in the Bay Area is nice - yes, it gets dark early, there's a bit of a chill in the air, and if you're lucky you might catch a light flurry of snow at the top of Mt. Tam on just the right day in January - but really, our winters are rather easy. I am originally from NYC, so I know true winter - bundled up in so many layers you can barely move, that singular delight of carefully stepping off a curb onto what you think is a stable layer of ice, only to find that it is, in fact, an ankle deep puddle of slush. While wearing ankle boots. Yeah...East Coast winters are no joke.  Here in Northern CA, we can layer sweaters, rock shorts and legwarmers at will, and still be cute on an evening out in December rather than bundling up in Sorrels and ear warmers. 

Here are a few of my favorite cool and cozy apparel and accessories from the 6th Annual SF Etsy Holiday Emporium, at historic Pier 35, November 24th & 25th. Enjoy! 

Jocelyn Nguyen's Nous Savon cashmere robes are so soft and cozy, they're like a hug from a baby goat. In addition to her sumptuous line of cashmere robes, scarves and blankets, she makes a cool line of minimalist jewelry as well.

RENNIE Goods are handmade by Roberta Rennie, an FIDM-trained designer. She creates her 100% cotton, Japanese selvedge denim and vegetable tanned leather bags, aprons and accessories while listening to true crime podcasts in her Pacifica, CA studio. 

Considering that Oakland-based artist Latisha Baker creates her signature Ear Cookies while listening to chanting Buddhist monks, it makes sense that her work has a distinct, meditative quality to it.  She creates her pieces in sets of 12, using a unique pyroetching/woodburning technique to achieve her designs.

An innovative, origami-like design from mother-daughter team Mini Bansal and Jannat Saxena,  the Sumsaara Essence purse opens flat and closes into a clutch purse! They come with a soft, lush cork fabric interior, imported from Portugal. Each purse is hand crafted, locally sourced and made with several vegan, eco-friendly and sustainable materials, hand finished with coconut oil. And what's best of all - a portion of every sale is donation to Save The Elephants charity.

Bodhi Swag, the brainchild of sisters Laura Kavanaugh and Nydia Cisneros, brings quality, never quantity, with each of their contemporary, resort, and athleisure collections. In addition to these headwraps, Bodhi Swag makes amazing cocoons, all designed and tailored in CA. 

I can't be the only one who is PSYCHED there will be vintage at the Emporium this year! One of our vintage curators is Neutral Ground, the brainchild of Alysha Cassis-Shaw. Alysha began her career at the house of Halston, and in the spring of 2017, her passion for craftsmanship, detail, and a vision to see vintage and pre-loved items reinterpreted gave birth to Neutral Ground. 

Social justice is always in fashion, and Fresh To Def is on the front line. These laser cut cherry wood post earrings say it all! Fresh to Def Collective is a social enterprise that empowers women + fems of color to step into their entrepreneurial spirit through social justice accessories and business coaching, based in Oakland CA.

AdelynSF Collection is based in San Francisco, designed to accentuate the natural curves of the female body, suitable for wearing all-year round. Adelyn strives to select high quality fabrics with stretch for comfort and body movement. All the pieces in their collection are designed and made in San Francisco.

Feeling like making something cozy for yourself? This pattern book from Cashmere Treats by Jessica Rose is the perfect guide to create something amazing - each book includes detailed, easy to follow instructions to create a scarves, hats, arm warmers, headbands and beanies. Not feeling so crafty? You can buy finished pieces from their line here.

Since 2009, artists from all over the world have participated in the Inktober drawing challenge.  Artists share an ink drawing each day during the month of October, based off a list of single word prompts. That's 31 drawings in 31 days!  

According to  its creator Mr. Jake Parker, anyone can participate in the Inktober challenge - you  just have to "pick up a pen and start drawing." The challenge helps every artist focus on improving their personal artistic abilities, and in doing so,  develop strong drawing habits. Anyone can see the Inktober illustrations by searching  hashtags like #inktober and #inktober2018 , which artists are asked to use to be a part of the challenge.

Artists! Are you curious yet? Just so you know, you do not have to use the official prompt list.  The Inktober prompt list is there to start you off,  but you can go wild!  We've seen people do 31 days of a whole specific themes such as 31 portraits, 31 Pumpkins, etc. Its really up to you to get as creative as you want.  Creator Parker also says its ok to  take it easy if you need to, "You can do it daily, or go the half-marathon route and post every other day, or just do the 5K and post once a week."  

So search the hashtags and discover some amazing artists to follow,  check out this year's posts, finish the rest of the month, take the challenge in 2019,  but most of all ... Lets See Some Likes! ​