To show your Mitten pride, there are many choices in hand-crafted holiday ornaments from Michigan artisans. Among them are:
- Beautiful pewter ornaments from Hastings Pewter in Hastings.
- Delicate ornaments made from real leaves coated with a liquid pottery glaze using a 19th-century technique by Pleasant Valley Pottery in Clio.
- Beautiful ceramic ornaments in the Celtic tradition by Touchstone Pottery of Dewitt.
- Brightly painted birds and animals from Cobane Studios in Lake Orion.glass ornaments of Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas
- Michigan-shaped ornaments in copper from Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula and in smooth and colorful glass by American Art & Glass of Davison.
Pleasant Valley Pottery is also represented in a collection of colorful pieces of hand-thrown pottery, including mugs, bowls, vases and jugs. The pieces are inspired by shards of 1840s ceramics that owner Tim Bennett found while excavating his ancestor's farm.
Other home décor items also are available, including decorative tiles, coasters and ornaments featuring the state seal and the Capitol building in Lansing. Store visitors also will find replica vintage travel glasses that were popular souvenirs in the 1950s, with matching linen dish towels for that person on your list who enjoys kitsch.
Looking for cool Michigan apparel? The Museum Store offers various sweatshirts and T-shirts with Michigan themes, including ones celebrating Michigan's state parks and trails. It also has Michigan Mittens of Clarkston adult and children's mittens that show both peninsulas on them.
The Museum Store's Michigan-made jewelry includes a nice selection of lockets from Love Smitten Designs in Charlevoix. The lockets feature small outlines of Michigan in different materials, and each one is unique.
For the reader on your list, the store carries several books on different topics related to Michigan history, including many on the state's role in the U.S. Civil War (which ties in to the museum's current special exhibit, Conceived in Liberty, that examines the end of the Civil War and its aftermath). A new children's book this year by Michigan-based writer and illustrator Annie Marie E. Chiaverilla called "Twelve Months of Michigan" makes a great gift for the little ones on your list. In addition, the store has a large selection of the Michigan Chillers series by Johnathan Rand for young readers.
For residents near Negaunee in the central Upper Peninsula, the Michigan Iron Industry Museum's store offers many gifts that focus on Upper Peninsula history. Some of the featured products at the MIIM Museum Store include the Michigan Mittens, the very popular U.P.-shaped cribbage board and several books on mining history, including "Michigan Gold and Silver Mining in the Upper Peninsula" by Daniel Fountain.
If online shopping is more your thing, the Archives of Michigan has you covered at www.michiganology.com.
Michigan trout stamp
Michiganology uses items from the Archives to create products that highlight the state's history, such as notecards with reprints of historic Michigan trout stamps, drink ware and high-quality, frame-able prints of beer labels from long-forgotten Michigan breweries and jigsaw puzzles and magnets that show iconic Michigan images. At Michiganology, you can take 10 percent off your entire order now through Dec. 31 using the code HOLIDAY when you check out.
All profits from sales support the programs and exhibits of the Michigan Historical Center, including the Michigan Historical Museum, the Michigan Iron Industry Museum and the Archives of Michigan.
The Michigan Historical Center is part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Its museum and archival programs help people discover, enjoy and find inspiration in their heritage. It includes the Michigan Historical Museum, 10 regional museums, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve, and the Archives of Michigan. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/michiganhistory.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.
Contact: Julie Kattreh, Museum Store, 517-373-1375