Gift Ideas from Indie Utah Businesses: Glitter Ransom

While our holiday experience this year might look like a chapter out of a dystopian novel, we can all fi nd common ground in our venture to make this year’s holiday season as normal as possible. Still, our heart’s genuine desire to practice the love language of gift-giving remains unaffected by these tumultuous times. As we search for the perfect item for that perfect someone, we want to do so safely and invest our precious coin into people—not corporations. Here are seven local creatives and their products that say “I didn’t forget you amid the chaos” in a perfectly handmade way.

Hopefully this isn’t news to you, but we should all be wearing face masks. Thankfully, local artist Dominique LaJeunesse has designed a colorful and audacious collection of these protective barriers through her Glitter Ransom brand. Adorned with all manner of pop culture icons, sly cult references and parodic send-ups, Glitter Ransom products embody a love of all things cheesy and wonderful. “I love really kitsch things mixed with pop culture,” says LaJeunesse. “It goes back to my admiration of Liberace, John Waters, nostalgic action movies and icons.”

In addition to the obvious benefit of providing easy-access masks to the public, LaJeunesse embarked on her mask-making in hopes that her glamorous flair would provide a balm for Utahns. “I’m very into creative expression with clothing and accessories, and I knew others out there would enjoy something a little less basic and boring,” she says. “It’s been such an amazing experience to make someone’s day and just to make them feel better about all the BS we have to deal with. It’s like a security blanket for your face.”

With over a decade under her belt, though, Glitter Ransom’s masks are a recent addition to her portfolio. Other wares include her popular holiday ornaments, jewelry, magnets, mirrors and pretty much anything and everything else. “You name it—I’ve slapped glitter and jewels on it,” says LaJeunesse. So whether you need a face mask featuring Lionel Richie or Rick Astley, flashy ornaments with the likes of Larry David or Arnold Schwarzenegger or a Twin Peaks–patterned stocking, Glitter Ransom is your one-stop shop.

LaJeunesse hopes, one day, to turn Glitter Ransom into her full-time gig, but until then, she’ll keep plowing away. “For now, I’m just having a fun—albeit sometimes chaotic—time creating things for people to enjoy,” she says. Find more of LaJeunesse’s work with Glitter Ransom, as well as a link to her current product availability, on Instagram @glitterransom. –Audrey Lockie