I was going to make all my own gifts this Christmas, but with everything that has happened in 2020, shopping from small businesses is even more important than normal to help them survive the toughest year. So, I have chosen a mix of beautiful handmade gifts from small makers, some things from my collection and handmade food and drink hampers.
I love this beautiful landscape jewellery by Bristol jewellery maker Katie Johnston. I can’t remember where I first saw her work, but this year I have chosen one of her beautiful landscape circle necklaces for my mum who loves statement jewellery and loves to wear these colours too.
My dad is a big bird lover. I treated him to one of Wendy Calder’s beautiful ceramic bird feeders for his birthday, and for Christmas I have got him these lovely handmade British bird coasters by Lellibelle in a mix of his favourite birds – robin, pheasant, blue tit and long tailed tits.
Kids gifts are the hardest but this year I’m getting kits for my nieces and nephews from my collection – the lip balm making and beeswax wrap making kits. There is a great nature activity subscription box based in Bristol called Mud & Bloom. I’ve also ordered some of these beautiful handpainted wooden hedgehogs for my little girl and I love all the UK made gnomes by Bronte Gnomes and Ferrar Design make lovely sustainable linen toys for young kids too.
I don’t have much in my collection for men apart from books and beard balm, as a few male friends have already complained about. I’ll add more gifts for men next year, but if you’re looking for a really special gift for a guy, I love Hord. They make beautiful personalised/non personalised leather gifts like belts, hip flasks and journals. I got my husband a personalised leather bass guitar strap for his 40th birthday and the service, quality and packaging were all amazing!
For friends, neighbours and family, I’m creating hampers of goodies. I’ve bought wicker hampers from WBC in London and filled them with the wood wool I use in my orders. Inside them, everyone is getting homemade fruit liqueur (you can get lovely bottles from the Bottle Jar store), my winter ale chutney, some jam, homemade leaf shaped cinnamon biscuits, homemade pinecone firelighters, a Winter Solstice scented candle from my collection and some of my Gold Bee glass bottle matches.
Lastly, if you’re looking for lovely handprinted gift bags, my friend Beth has created a beautiful collection this year of bauble and tree designs. And another maker whose beautiful prints I stock, Designs by Sam Studio, has some stunning handprinted wrapping paper. And for cards, I am sending my plantable seed cards out but I also love Ruth Thorp’s Winter Trees & Winter Garden cards and Agnes of We Are Stardust’s cards too.
I’m always excited to discover new makers and small businesses, so if you have any favourites you have found this year, send me an email (naomi@thesetwohands.co.uk) to let me know so I can have a look at them. Thank you and have a lovely handmade Christmas!