As well as selling greeting cards and doing custom cartoon portrait cards, did you know I also do custom illustration prints that make great personalised gifts? You may already have seen some of the cartoon portrait prints I do, but enjoy doing other custom illustration too.
I was approached recently by someone who had seen this drawing of Tower Bridge that I did a while ago. She want a collection of specific landmarks and places in the same style to put in some new frames she and her husband had bought, including the Tower Bridge illustration.
Here’s what I came up with. She chose the subject of each custom illustration print and let me know what size they each needed to be to fit her frames.
Each of those places was special to her and her husband in one way or another so now every time they look at their prints they’re reminded of the memories associated with each illustration.
I loved doing completely different illustrations to my usual for this order – I do enjoy doing the cartoon portraits, but it’s nice to have a change as well 🙂
A custom illustration of a place or topic that is special to the person you’re giving it to would make a really great personalised gift that you know they’ll love. And I’m happy to adapt to a variety of different styles to suit your tastes, from the detailed monochrome drawings above to my usual cartoonish style, or perhaps something in-between.
Here’s an example of a custom cartoon family portrait I did earlier this year for a wonderfully loyal customer – this would be ideal as a Christmas or birthday gift for parents or grandparents. If you’re interested in the process behind this particular portrait then I wrote about it here: My custom cartoon portrait process.
So if there’s anything particular you have in mind then please feel free to get in touch. My cartoon portraits are all available to order in my shop, but if you’d like something more customised or even completely different, like the landmark illustrations, then I’m always happy to quote based on the time it will take to complete.
There is so much to choose from when it comes to children’s presents, but sometimes it can be hard to find original gifts for kids. I thought I’d dig around a bit to find some fun and unique ideas to really make them smile… Continue reading Original Gifts for Kids
Getting a homemade gift can be a lot more special than something that has been bought. You know that the person who gave it to you has definitely put some time, thought and effort into it. And even a shop bought present can be personalised with the addition of a DIY touch, like giving a handmade bookmark with a book. I think that during the pandemic we’ve all come to appreciate things like this a bit more than before!
Of course making your own gifts can get out of hand. I remember watching Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas one year hoping for inspiration… unfortunately making the Christmas baubles involved going on a glass blowing course and quite a few of the other ideas were just as expensive!
So I’ve compiled a list of some easy and rather more financially accessible homemade gift ideas for you to try your hand at. You might still need to do a little bit of shopping for supplies, but overall it should work out cheaper. And there’s a range of skill levels to choose from so you should definitely find something you can impress with even if you’re a novice at this 😁
Just click on any heading below to go to the instructions for that homemade gift.
These are much easier to make than ordinary candles. The wax is designed to be poured into a container so all you need to do is melt it and add a wick. You can use different types of containers to suit the recipient. Try cute floral teacups, empty jars and tins or even a mug. You can scent or colour the candles if you like, but they’re fine plain too if you want to keep it as simple as possible.
One thing to bear in mind… Don’t melt the wax in a pan that you’re going to use again for cooking. Use an old one (your own or from a charity shop/car boot sale) or buy a cheap new one that you can use exclusively for making candles.
I received something similar from a friend a while back and I love it. These instructions are very easy to follow and the result looks really professional. If you don’t want to use leather you could use faux leather or suede, or even thick felt. You could make it even more special by personalising the cover in some way, such as embroidering an initial, painting/drawing a design on it or, if you’re lucky enough to own a pyrography kit or Cricut machine, you could use it to do something particularly fancy 🤩.
This blog post has a whole lot of different ideas for edible gift ideas which you can make at home, as well as all sorts of ways to present them beautifully. Edible gifts are great, as everyone loves a treat and as they’ll get eaten up you can keep giving them over and over!
These beaded bookmarks are incredibly simple to make and make a great accompaniment when you’re giving a book or book voucher as a gift. The type of cord and beads you use can make the bookmark look very different. Plastic beads and bright colours are great for kids or use more sophisticated glass beads for adults.
Just make sure the cord you choose fits easily through the hole in each bead. When I made these I knotted the cord at the end instead of using a crimp. This means they’re even easier to make and you don’t need any special tools. Here’s are a couple I made and kept for myself…
Who doesn’t love bath bombs? They can be quite pricey when bought, but it’s relatively easy to make your own and you can choose your own fragrances, colours and other bits and pieces to add for decorative effect! You don’t need bath bomb moulds as a lot of instructions suggest. You can use any plastic moulds or silicone cupcake cases.
Depending on what size you make them you can put them in a large jar, a bag, a basket or a box to make a gorgeous gift.
Other bath products can also make lovely homemade gifts. I love these Tub Teas and you can buy heat sealable or drawstring tea bags to use very cheaply on eBay. Or how about these homemade bath salts? They look so pretty in the little bottles she’s used, but you could could use any jar or container with a secure lid to present them in.
If you’re on a roll, you could even make a range of different homemade bath products and present them in a gift hamper or basket for the ultimate pampering gift!
This has loads of ideas for different ways to paint plain terracotta pots. While I do love a terracotta pot, adding some spiffy painting does elevate them to a whole new level, without costing much at all. Add succulents, herbs or any other plants for an inexpensive gift that looks great!
If you want to give a thoughtful personalised gift but don’t have much in the way of crafty skills or you’re in a bit of a rush, gift hampers are a quick and easy homemade gift idea. They can be made up from favourite foods, pampering bath and body products, stationery or just about anything. If the person it’s for has a specific hobby or interest you could make up a hamper themed around that, e.g. reading, movies, knitting, etc.
A similar idea is to create gift kits, like these ‘Everything in a jar‘ ideas.
These tile coasters are really easy to make with tiles that you can pick up cheaply but they look amazing once decorated with designer scrapbook papers. Tie them together with a pretty ribbon and you’ve got a gorgeous home made gift to give.
I hope these have given you some good ideas for making your own homemade gifts. If you give any of them a go, tag me on social media so I can see your creations!
I love reading and I know I’m not alone, so this week I’ve compiled some gift ideas for book lovers. Whether you’re looking for a book related gift or just something to give alongside an actual book I’ve got you covered 😆
Just to let you know, some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and buy I’ll get a small commission. It won’t cost you anything though, just make a book lover happy 🙂
Giving an actual book
If you’re sure they’re not going to read it ahead of time and you know they want it, a real physical book is an obvious choice. Here are some ideas for making a book gift extra special.
This gift box includes a book from your chosen genre…
Or you could include a bookmark with the book – they come in a huge range of prices to suit your budget.
Alternative book gifts
One issue with giving an actual book is that even if you know exactly the type of books the recipient likes, and you know they haven’t read the one you have in mind yet, there’s no guarantee they won’t still read it before the big day. One particular member of my family has been notorious in the past for buying himself the exact thing you’ve got him a few days before his birthday…
So buying a paper book isn’t always practical for every book lover.
A large majority of people also now read on an ebook reader. I love my Kindle as it makes it easy to carry around hundreds of books at a time and I have a habit of reading more than one book at a time (never more than one fiction book at a time though – that would just be weird).
Of course if they don’t already have one and your budget stretches to it, then buying them a Kindle would be an amazing gift. But otherwise you could choose a specific Amazon Kindle Book and gift it to them or get them an Amazon gift card bookmark to choose their own ebook (or anything else from Amazon).
Other gift ideas for book lovers
These are some original ideas for when you don’t want to risk giving any kind of book but still want to give a book themed present.
How about one of these T-shirts?
Or these personalised map bookends are terrific too!
This rather cool book shaped smart light opens and closes for different effects.
Stocking filler gift ideas for book lovers
And finally, here are some small stocking filler gift ideas for book lovers…
You could also give one of the bookmarks suggested earlier as a stocking filler.
Or who doesn’t love a badge?
And of course this year face masks have appeared in all different styles!
And mugs are always a hit too.
I hope these ideas are helpful when shopping for the book lover in your life… or even if you just fancy treating yourself!
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it on social media so others can read it too.
This is a bit of a touchy topic… Is regifting OK or does it make you a horrible person? I’m not completely against the idea, but if you’re going to do it, it needs to be done right or there could be tears!
In a situation where you get identical gifts from different people, I definitely think it’s ok to regift one of them to someone who would appreciate it. There’s really no point you having two of the same thing (unless it’s bottles of wine!) And as you still have one of them, both recipients can still see you appreciating the gift they chose for you.
I have occasionally regifted in other situations, but I must admit I do feel a bit guilty about it. It was kind of the person to give me a gift and it feels slightly ungrateful to regift it. But if it’s something I really don’t want or need, then is it really so bad to give it to someone else who would like to have it? And presumably that person doesn’t know you very well (or doesn’t care) if they got you something you don’t like…
I guess it’s a matter of weighing up the pros and cons in each situation…
Pros of regifting
The gift will (hopefully) end up with someone who actually appreciates it.
You don’t need to find somewhere to store something you’ll never use.
It can help you declutter if you have a stash of unopened and unwanted gifts lying around.
It’s better than throwing it away (though perhaps you could donate it to a charity shop instead?)
It can save you some time and money (but this isn’t really a good enough reason on its own!)
Cons of regifting
It is a little bit deceitful as you’re unlikely to be honest with the original gift giver (and maybe not even with the new recipient).
It’s not going to be as personal as something you’ve chosen for that person yourself.
If the person who first gave it to you finds out, it’s going to be embarrassing at best, the end of a friendship at worst!
What’s OK to regift?
Are some things more acceptable to regift than others? I definitely think so.
I personally think it’s OK to regift books, booze and bath and beauty products. There are certain smells I really can’t stomach in a bath product but that another friend might love, so it makes sense to give it to that friend. I also think things for the home, like candles or glassware, are usually fine.
Things that I believe shouldn’t be regifted are handmade or personalised gifts, heirlooms or sentimental items. But you might think differently and I won’t judge you! 😁
Some tips
If you decide that it’s OK to regift, then here are some tips to help you avoid any embarrassment. They’re not really rules (you can obviously decide for yourself what’s OK and what’s not), just some guidelines to consider…
Never regift within the same circle of friends or family unless you’re going to be honest with both the original gift giver and the new recipient.
Only regift brand new items that are still in perfect condition – giving something that you’ve used is probably a step too far…
It’s probably also not very good form to give away handmade or personalised gifts.
Don’t regift something that was given to someone else in your household without permission.
Check the original box and packaging for any clues that it was originally gifted to you, e.g. any notes or cards inside the box, anything written inside the cover of a book, some of the original wrapping paper still attached with tape…
Perhaps put some extra effort into the gift wrapping and get an extra special greeting card to make up for the fact that you didn’t spend any money on the gift.
Make sure it is something that the new recipient really wants. Is it something you would have bought for that person if you didn’t have one available? Put some thought into it and don’t just give things away to any old person for the sake of it.
Alternatives
If regifting just doesn’t sit well with you, there are alternatives…
Keep it and use it only when the person who gave it to you is around.
Keep it and store it away somewhere.
Be particularly careless with it and hope it breaks!
If it’s something edible or drinkable that you don’t like, open it when other people are around so they can finish most of it.
Donate it to charity, homeless shelter or food bank.
Sell it. Though the only advantage of this over regifting is that the recipient won’t mind that you were originally given it as a gift.
Give it away but tell them it was originally a gift to you rather than packaging it up as though you bought it as a gift for them.
Give it back to the person who gave it to you. They’ll know you didn’t like it and won’t make the same mistake again. This alternative is only for the bravest!
Think about this: how would you feel if you were in the other person’s position? Would you be hurt or offended if someone regifted a gift you gave them? Or if you were the recipient of a regifted item, would you mind? If not then it’s probably OK for you to do it. But otherwise you might need to decide whether the guilt is worth it 😆