Tag: gifts

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Support Small Businesses

Support Small Businesses

There are so many great reasons to support small businesses. Even more so during these challenging times of the coronavirus and lockdowns! During the first lockdown earlier this year, I was so impressed with the ingenuity of local small businesses. So many of them came up with unique ways to keep going despite having to close their doors to the public. Some shops started websites for the first time, some restaurants started pop up outdoor takeaways and most seemed to offer some kind of discount or benefit to the stars working in our NHS.

That’s one of the great things about small businesses, they can pivot more easily and be quicker to adapt to a changing environment. But that doesn’t mean they don’t suffer at times like these, and they will need our support to keep going.

We often associated shopping small with local brick and mortar stores. But even during these times of mostly online shopping you can still support small businesses. Here are some reasons why supporting small businesses is a great idea, as well as plenty of ideas on exactly how you can do this.

Reasons to shop small

Even from a purely selfish point of view, shopping small has a lot of benefits!

  • Small businesses are run by actual people rather than boards and shareholders who are removed from the customers. This usually means that they understand and care more about their customers and that profit isn’t the only consideration.
  • Customer service is usually better and more personal – an algorithm can only do so much in terms of helping you find the right product for your needs.
  • Small businesses generally offer more diversity and supply more unique products or services than big companies.
  • Independent businesses can be more adaptable and so can respond to situations and customer needs more easily. A big chain store can’t customise any of their offerings for you, but small businesses are usually happy to.
  • Shopping small is also usually better for the environment, especially if you shop local too. Small businesses are more likely to source their materials locally. They also create on a small scale, rather than mass producing via factories or sweat shops.
  • Supporting small businesses encourages the generation of more innovative ideas and unique products.
  • Small businesses generally have more character than large ones and a more interesting back story.
  • The profits made by small businesses are more likely to go back to their local communities, as the owners spend their money locally, rather than being invested off shore or supporting fat cats’ lifestyles.

How to support small businesses

Supporting the small business movement is good for everyone and there are plenty of different ways you can do this.

  • When you have the choice, choose to spend your money at small independent shops rather than chains or giant stores. It’s not always possible to do this all the time, and you don’t necessarily need to (it’s not inherently wrong to shop with a big company!) But make the effort to think more about where you’re spending your money.
  • During lockdown try not to automatically go straight to the giants of online shopping. Check whether your local shops that are closed have websites you could shop from, or shop for gifts at online marketplaces like Etsy or Folksy that are made up of small businesses and solopreneurs.

And spending isn’t the only way to support small businesses…

  • Spread the word on social media (use the hashtag #shopsmall). Tell others about terrific small businesses you’ve found, show yourself shopping with independent retailers or post pics of the fabulous products you’ve bought from a small business.
  • Small Business Saturday 5th December 2020When small businesses you follow post on social media you can help too. Share their post, like it, tag a friend or comment on it.
  • Write reviews for small businesses when you’ve shopped with them – on Google, Trustpilot, Etsy, Folksy or wherever you can.
  • Support Small Business Saturday – this is taking place on 5th December 2020 in the UK. It’s a grassroots, non-commercial campaign which aims to showcase small business success and encourage everyone to shop local and support small businesses in their area. They also have a search facility to find small businesses in your area.

Looking forward to hearing how you support small businesses and seeing your hashtags on social media!

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Shopping for Personalised Gifts on Etsy

Although we’re in lockdown during prime holiday shopping time this year, online marketplaces like Etsy make shopping for thoughtful personalised gifts easy. And 2020 is a year that we really do want to show our favourite people how terrific we think they are, so ordinary gifts are not going to cut it!

While there are plenty of options for shopping online, I love Etsy because you can always find something that’s a bit different from the usual. There are so many opportunities for personalising or customising gifts so that they’re perfectly suited to that particular person you’re buying for. There’s nothing better than seeing someone’s face when you’ve surprised them with the most thoughtful gift ever!

I’ve chosen some Etsy items that I think would make perfect personalised gifts to inspire you with your Christmas shopping. If you’d like more ideas you can take a look at Etsy’s own Personalised Gifts Guide too. And just so you know, I’ve used affiliate links throughout this post. This means that if you click on one of the links and buy I may get a little commission for sending you there. It won’t cost you anything extra though, and I’ve only chosen gifts that I’d be happy to give myself.

Personalised gifts

One of the easiest ways to make a gift more thoughtful is to personalise it. Whether it’s adding the recipient’s name or customising the present to reflect their likes (or dislikes 😝), it means you have to put a little thought into it and that’s what makes it so special. Here are some suggestions…

This personalised oak photo frame is a perfect present for parents, grandparents, your other half or your bestie.

Personalised Oak Photo Frame
Personalised Oak Photo Frame

Particularly if you’re not able to see much of each other right now (thanks coronavirus! 😠) having a photo framed with a message that says exactly what you feel is a great way to remind your favourite people that you’re still thinking of them. I love how elegant and simple this frame is and if you’re not the soppy type you can always add a funny message to make them chuckle whenever they read it!

This personalised barbecue tool set is another thoughtful gift I reckon could go down very well with a few members of my ‘braai’ obsessed family. I just need to decide who to give it to!

Customised BBQ Tool Set
Personalised BBQ Tool Set

The personalised bag to keep the tools in is a great addition to make it that much more special.
Another gift that I think would be particularly thoughtful one of these personalised stationery sets. Perfect for stationery addicts! Staying in touch has become so much more important during 2020. And having gorgeous notepapers like the ones below will inspire them to keep it up during 2021!

How gorgeous are these sets from MadebyEllis on Etsy?!

Personalised Hearts Writing Set
Personalised Hearts Writing Set

I can’t decide whether I’d be more excited to give these sets or received them! 😍
Here’s another idea that would make a very thoughtful gift for a teenager who loves their music.

Initialled Keyring Earphone Case Set
Personalised Keyring Earphone Case Set

Love a gift that’s both pretty and practical!
This next one’s great for one of those people who have found themselves doing a lot of baking during lockdown. Whether you’ve done Zoom bake-offs together or just seen their yummy creations on social media, this personalised baking set would make a fabulous gift.

This kid’s version is also great for those who’ve been helping their parents in the kitchen…

Personalised Kids Baking Set

I know I’d love to get this stunning personalised oak bookend with the pretty vase insert – it would make a great gift for any book lover. Another present that is both useful and gorgeous looking 😍. It’s so lovely I couldn’t decide which photo to use, so you’re getting both…

And finally, for the ultimate personalised gift you could order one of my custom cartoon family portraits – you can’t get much more unique than that and grandparents in particular will love it. You could even add a frame yourself (if you’re sure you know their taste) to make it even more special.

Custom Cartoon Family Portrait
Custom Cartoon Family Portrait

(I also do custom illustrations if you would like something especially bespoke.)
I hope this has given you some useful ideas. Finding perfect personalised gifts, even during lockdown, is a breeze on Etsy. Happy shopping!




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Easy Homemade Gift Ideas

edible homemade gift

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.

Container Candles

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.

Leather journal

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 🤩.

Edible homemade gifts

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!

homemade cupcakes gift
Photo by Meritt Thomas on Unsplash

Beaded bookmark

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…

beaded bookmarks
beaded bookmark

Bath bombs (and more)

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!

Painted terracotta pots

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!

Homemade gift hampers

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.

Tile coasters

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!

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Eco Friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas

eco friendly gift wrapping with newspaper

I decided to try and avoid buying wrapping paper as much as possible a while ago, as it seems awfully wasteful. As a result I’ve been investigating more eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas and, although I’m still learning, I thought you might like to hear about some of them.

Not everyone realises that the majority of wrapping paper isn’t recyclable. While plain paper is, most gift wrap has plastic coating, glitter and/or synthetic inks added which means it’s destined for landfill rather than recycling. As a very general rule if you crumple the paper up and it stays crumpled then it may be recyclable, but if not then it’s almost certainly got plastic in it.

The great thing about switching to more eco friendly gift wrapping is that it is also usually more economical, so even if you’re just a cheapskate it’s still worth it 😆

Reusing for more eco friendly gift wrapping

Reuse old gift wrapping

The most obvious way to do this is by reusing gift bags and the wrapping paper that gifts you receive come in. If the wrapping paper is a bit wrinkled, then an iron can sometimes help with this. If the paper is plain and a bit wrinkled, then you can also crumple it up really well then flatten it back out again for a lovely crinkled effect. Add some ribbon and a gift tag and you have something that looks like it came from a boutique!

Save up bits and pieces

You can create some really gorgeous gift wrapping by saving up odds and end to reuse. As well as you can reuse tissue paper from clothes and other package deliveries as well as newspaper. I’ve seen some truly gorgeous gift wrapping ideas on Pinterest using newspaper so decided to try it myself. Here’s my effort using scraps of ribbon and two sprigs of lavender, which I think looks quite acceptable:

eco friendly gift wrapping with newspaper
You can also make gift bags from newspaper using the instructions in this blog post.

However I will add that newspaper looks best with just the text. And these days it is quite difficult to find large sections of text without photographs so it’s more suited to a small gift. You also have to be careful what text is on there. Obituaries or bad politics can give the wrong message 😁. One tip I’ve come across is to use foreign newspapers, which seems like a good solution if you can find one.

And of course if you don’t have any newspaper lying around already then buying some only makes sense if you’re going to use the majority of it for something else…

Old boxes can also be decorated to create lovely gift boxes of all shapes and sizes. You can paint them, cover them with fabric or paper scraps (or newspaper), or if they’re pretty enough leave them as is and just cover any logos up with a sticker or gift tag.

You can even use old toilet roll tubes to make cute little gift boxes! Take a look at this video to see how…


Other things that are worth saving to decorate your gift wrapping with are ribbons, string, buttons and fabric. As well as being more eco-friendly you’ll be known for always wrapping gifts beautifully! I have a drawer with all sorts of little bits and pieces in that I’ve kept, including stuff like the twist ties on Christmas crackers and the ribbon and bells that come with Lindt bunnies.

eco friendly gift wrapping using brown paper
Photo by Lore Schodts on Unsplash

All these odds and ends would usually go in the bin, but this way they get used at least one more time before this happens. You might inspire the recipient to reuse them again too when they see your gorgeous gift wrapping! 😃

Use charity shop finds

You can also gather up gift wrapping supplies from charity shops. As well as reusing old stuff you’ll also be supporting the charity. They’re usually pretty inexpensive too. Look for sheet music, old maps or fabric for wrapping in. And any type of haberdashery, faux flowers/leaves and brooches are all great to decorate with. Some clothing that has seen better days could also be cut up and used if the fabric is pretty.

You can easily make a fabric gift bag by sewing a rectangle with one end open. Either sew a seam to thread ribbon or string through and gather,  add a button and loop to fold the top over, or just create ribbon handles.
Oxfam also often sells fair trade and sustainable gift wrapping options. If you don’t want to buy second hand it’s worth taking a look around there.

Other eco friendly gift wrapping ideas

You could use these pretty recycled sari shopping bags from Oxfam to wrap a gift and it can then be used by the recipient afterwards too.

If you are giving a scarf as part of a present, use it to wrap the rest of the gift in. There are loads of videos on YouTube to show you how to do this.

Another very eco-friendly idea is to use a Furoshiki cloth to wrap present in. You can read all about Furoshiki techniques for wrapping gifts here. You can use any square piece of fabric for this or buy one like this example on Etsy.

Furoshiki wrapping cloths from TabithaEveCo on Etsy
Furoshiki wrapping cloths from TabithaEveCo on Etsy

Furoshiki cloths originated in Japan. The tradition is for the recipient to return the Furoshiki cloth to the gift giver to be reused. However even if you don’t get it back they’re unlikely to throw out something so pretty!

Recyclable options

Use plain brown or white paper – it can be more easily recycled. It’s definitely preferable to buying decorative wrapping papers that are likely to end up in landfill. A brightly coloured ribbon and gift tag is enough to make it look pretty (see below), or use any other bits and pieces, such as buttons, string, dried leaves or flowers, to decorate with. You can also draw or stamp onto the paper to spruce it up if you like.

Wrapped gift with gift tag
Seed paper is another terrific eco friendly option which also looks very upmarket. The paper contains seeds in it and can be planted afterwards. You can even print on some of them with an inkjet printer, like these from LittleGreenPaperShop on Etsy:

eco friendly gift wrapping - plantable seed paper
Plantable seed paper from LittleGreenPaperShop on Etsy

Other considerations

Ribbon or string is a much more environmentally friendly way to secure your gift wrapping than using sellotape. However if you do need to use some tape then try paper washi-tape. It’s pretty as well as being easier to recycle.
Finally, it’s also worth considering the environment when it comes to cards. I tend to only give cards to extra special people on extra special occasions and I make sure that all the greeting cards I create are printed on FSC® certified card stock. This means the materials used to make the product have been ethically sourced from well-managed and sustainable forests.

What ideas to you have to make your gift wrapping more eco friendly? I’d love to see your ideas on social media so please tag me if you post something along these lines.