Once in a while, you should be able to say, “I made this #withmybarehands.” This is the motto of my friend and artisan Josiah, who has been crafting these unique planters or tealight holders using reclaimed wood straight from the Upper West Side of NYC. He is over at his Etsy shop Built With My Bare Hands.

Each piece has original wood grain detailing and its own character and coloring, so it is the perfect one-of-a-kind holiday (or any time of year) gift. Housewarming? Birthday? Late-holiday? Hostess? Pick out a few plants or tea lights, or plants and tea lights and make it a lovely bundled gift !

Josiah was kind enough to share one with me to see how I style it, so I headed to my favorite small business plant shop in Boston, niche boston, and picked out 3 lovely tropical plants wanting for a new home.

from niche boston: button fern// wandering jew // persian shield plant 

I even brought it to my Wellness Tray to add an organic feel, and some green (and lively color) to my wellness experience.

A note from the maker, Josiah: 

Every once in a while, you should be able to complete a sentence with the phrase, with my bare hands.” I spend my days in an advertising agency creating emotional experiences for people. It feels good building, creating, crafting something tangible and real. The brand encourages those moments when you experience that sense of accomplishment, when you know you did it yourself. Fist pump.

You can also find WMBH over on Instagram. If you’re also in a corner of the universe and believe in making things #withmybarehands (well, your bare hands) then use the hashtag and check out what other people are doing!

Built With My Bare Hands has 11 options remaining with different sizes and configurations available. For you, dear readers, use code “BLUEBOOTS” and get 15% off of your purchase.

Happy Holidays! 

More lovely features coming in the next couple of days, so I’ll be here to welcome you back as you’re hopefully enjoying the holidays with friends and family.