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When I think of one-of-a-kind gifts, my mind wanders to things like boutiques, rare finds or artwork like sculptures and oil paintings. At any rate, I am convinced that one-of-a-kind is usually synonymous with expensive and generally not in my price range, so I am admittedly dismissive of products that claim to be just that. One-of-a-kind also congers up images of home craft projects, whose work is more labour intensive than fun and the final product not turning out exactly as I had hoped. (I recall a laborious photo album I put together for my mother that took up most of our usable living space for more than a month a few Christmases ago. I didn’t finish it and instead I bought cute picture boxes and threw everything in them).

The Cate and Levi Canadian handmade dog puppet I received for review is a delicious blend of affordability, adorability and sustainability. Cate and Levi construct all of their products from reclaimed wool, so although you have a general idea of what your sourced-close-to-home toy is going to look like, its uniqueness will only be unveiled once you open your postal box. The control freak in me thought I might not enjoy having someone else choose colours / textures / patterns for me, but once our little dog arrived, I realized that you could not go wrong with a Cate and Levi plaything; their sharp designs lend a funky beauty to any handmade creature they might dream up. And admittedly, they did do a better job than I could have done selecting matching fabrics. I love having something else that no one else has or will have. Cate and Levi offers a fun assortment of responsibly made toys including hand puppets, stuffed animals, zoo cubes and wall art in a range of whimsical creatures like penguins, giraffes, moose and parrots.

Cate and Levi’s dog hand puppet was unpacked one evening a few days ago; “Petey” and my daughter have been inseparable since. Petey eats with us (especially when Genevieve is having a hard time focusing on her meal), sleeps with us and goes on trips with us. Because Petey is a puppet, he folds easily and slips into a pocket without taking up too much room. Petey’s generous muzzle (where we have the end of our hand) lends itself to a comical range of doggy expressions; my daughter sometimes laughs so hard I have to put Petey down for a “nap” until she is able to regain her sanity and breath. We intend to adopt many more of Cate and Levi’s handmade toys.

Ten percent of Cate and Levi’s profits are donated to funds that help children in need.