Mothers are such special mentors, friends, and inspirations in our lives; it can often feel challenging to find a gift that reflects how much we care about and appreciate them. No matter what her passions and enjoyments may be, our hope is that this list steers you toward something that both shows your love for your Mom and and celebrates what she means to you…

Along with the usual excitement and traditional festivities we can look forward to on Memorial Day Weekend, there’s an additional bit of news we’d like to share! The Warren Collective, our new venture alongside Kelsey McQuown of Kelsey Grape, will be opening it’s doors in downtown Leland!

Well, here I am nearly in a puddle of tears thinking about how far we’ve come in just over a year of existing as Kristin Mackenzie Design. I know I say it a lot, but I just need to say it again - thank you. My business would not exist without you all and for that I really could not be more grateful.

While Mother’s Day is coming in just a few days, I figured that if there are any of you out there like me - you’ll still be searching for the perfect gift for your mom (or a friend, or a sister, or anyone special)! Here’s a round up of some of my favorite local product ideas I’ve found and loved -

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I wanted to share a few of our favorite local makers with you all! During these crazy times, it is more important than ever to support the small businesses and makers in our community. This holiday, I made a promise to myself to only buy gifts from small businesses so that the present will be more meaningful, both to the person who receives it and to the person who made it.

Here are some of my very favorite items from my very favorite shops. I hope you love them as much as I do!

With the holidays right around the corner, we’ve put together a list of our very favorite gifts to give this season. Here are our top fives from our shop:

I can’t believe it’s already time to launch our winter collection! This curated collection of products has been a labor of love over the last several months, and it feels so surreal to finally put it out into the universe. Although every single one of these pieces is near and dear to my heart, there are a few that are my standout favorites that I can’t wait for you guys to get your hands on.

I’m not going to try to sugar coat it… things are pretty shitty right now. It seems like no matter where you turn, the world is on fire (both figuratively, and literally). And outside of the pandemic, the election, the fires, and god-knows what else, my closest friends are all going through major life situations right now and altogether it seems like the world is just HEAVY.

One of my favorite products that we offer is our original stickers! These guys are super fun because they are SO durable, and are more than just your average circle sticker… The die-cut shape adds personality and really makes them pop.

One of my favorite new products now available in our shop is our hand painted leather key fobs! We worked with our mega-talented friend, Carter Wheelock over at Lmbr + Hide to craft these beauties out of vegetable-tanned leather and brass.

Remember back when we used to be able to make human contact without thinking twice about it?? Even though it was not even two weeks ago it’s starting to feel like a distant memory.

This “social distancing” and COVID-19 craziness has made me think back to happier times, and makes me appreciate the support of my beautiful community that much more. One of those happier times that immediately popped into mind was my big launch party back in December.

Oh my goodness—this calligraphy kit is so very special to me. Before I got into the stationery business, I really wanted to learn how to do calligraphy but it felt way too intimidating to take a class. After so many years of teaching myself watercolor calligraphy, I’ve now created the kit that I wish I had years ago! Now, I want to share the details of it to show you how special it really is.

Welcome to the Kristin MacKenzie Design world headquarters!!

This space is a total dream come true: It has lots of natural light which is great for painting, it is in the heart of my home town of Leland, Michigan so I can walk to work, and I get to share it with two other amazing creatives. Having a studio space outside of my home has been such a welcome upgrade… I worked out of my dark basement for far too long. But having other people to work alongside, and bounce ideas off of (and encourage me to wear pants on a daily basis) has been my very favorite part.

Holy moly can you believe that it’s the beginning of a new decade?? I can’t help but think about all the things that have changed in my life over the past 10 years; from completing architecture school, to moving states, to getting married, to having two babies… it’s been a whirlwind of changes that were completely life-altering.

It has been one of the craziest seasons of my life. As a mother of two young girls, a business owner, a wife, (and then starting this new business on top of it) it feels like I am always running full steam ahead. I rarely have a chance to catch my breath, let alone take a moment to sit and reflect on it all. But as we approach Thanksgiving, I am reminded to take a step back and reflect on everything I have to be grateful for.

Here are just a few things that stop me in my tracks, even on the busiest of days:

The question that I have been asked most frequently since announcing the start of this new business is, “Why would you leave something that is successful, especially if it’s something you’re good at?” The short answer? “Because I want more.” More freedom, more creativity, more opportunities to do the type of artwork that I love.