With Christmas just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about those unique and special gifts for your loved ones. As an indie fibre business owner, you won’t be surprised to know I have a special place in my heart for shopping small.
Small businesses offer a wide variety of truly unique and handcrafted products that you won’t find anywhere else, plus, by shopping small, you’re being amazing and supporting your local community of hardworking artists.
This 2023 gift guide features fab Christmas gifts from 8 lovely small businesses. Whether you’re looking for a cute print to brighten someone’s wall, a self-care gift set or some fab stationery, I’ve got your covered.
Like me, these small businesses are a part of the Studio Cotton Clubhouse, an intimate community of small business owners sharing advice and getting invaluable help from Studio Cotton’s founder Aime Cox.
I’m an unapologetic fangirl (I’ve improved my business so much with her help) and recommend that any small business owner join us and follow Aime on Instagram for some excellent guidance and weekly Q&As on her Stories.
I’ll stop gushing now. Let’s begin this merry snowball fight and introduce my curated list of 8 unique Christmas gifts from small businesses:
1) The cutest plant print by Imogen Partridge
Hailing from the South East of England, Imogen Partridge is the artist behind this adorable Maranta Leuconeura (Prayer Plant) watercolour illustration. Imogen specialises in creating bespoke hand crafted pieces that will be treasured for years to come using ink and watercolour to bring places and stories to life.
As a plant lover myself (and someone who has sadly killed a couple of prayer plants in the past), I am already sneakily adding this to my Husband Christmas gift list – to make him gently nudge him in the right direction.
Get Imogen’s Maranta Watercolour print for £30
Browse her custom illustrations and workshops
Follow @Imogen.Partridge on Instagram
2) This adorable cat print from Skudaboo
How cute is this Siamese cat print by Skudaboo? This giclée printed wall art comes in a range of sizes and you can order it framed or unframed – the perfect gift for the deserving cat lover in your life (also, feel free to send a copy my way…)
Based in Bristol, UK, Katie founded Skudaboo to showcase amazing artists and help us create lovely, dreamy rooms that perfectly match our individuality and personal interior style. Her eclectic home accessories and prints collections are carefully curated and range from the minimalist, to Scandi or mid-Century modern.
Get your paws on an A3 size Siamese Cat illustration for £24
3) This funny Christmas card for the grump in your life
My inner goth is loving this grumpy Christmas card by Jess A Little Creative. This is the perfect card to send the Scrooge in your life or to shout out how you personally feel about the Holidays! I’d be the very glad recipient of some “Bah Humbug” Christmas vibes.
With a background in Graphic Design, Jess is based in Cheltenham and designs and illustrates a wide range of greeting cards to help us connect with the ones we love. Her style is highly unique and influenced by pattern, colour and shape, as well as a wish for genuine human connection (her other illustrations are very colourful, promise!)
Get Jess’s Bah Humbug card for £1.45 or choose your own multicard pack
Follow @JessALittleCreative on Instagram
4) Pencils That Get To The Point for the discerning stationery addict
Any true stationery addict will swoon over Blue Stiggy‘s eco-conscious range from Lincolnshire. Michaela Bere makes the most gorgeous hand-stitched notebooks and journals, and I confess I got grabby fingers when I saw this set of 4 pencils that just inspire me to start writing away all day.
Michaela is a fellow sustainability fiend. She works hard to ensure her products have minimal impact on the planet and her packaging follows the same eco-friendly ethos. Her notebooks are adorable, too. Buy me everything!
Shop this set of four Pencils That Get To The Point from £9
Browse Michaela’s range of personalised stationery
Follow @BlueStiggy on Instagram
5) A luxury skin pampering set from Wild Rising
Show that special lady in your life some love with Wild Rising‘s vegan and all-natural luxury skincare set. I say lady, but basically anyone who is serious about their skin’s health and loves pampering is the perfect recipient of these Wild Rising goodies.
This set comes with a brightening skin oil, plus an organic cream cleanser and a rose water toner to leave your face glowing with health. Yes, please.
Danielle Cooke believes in the tremendous healing power of plants for the mind, body and skin. Based in Devon, UK, she founded Wild Rising to help other people enjoy the best natural ingredients for their skin, all the while being kind to the planet (and has the accreditation for it, too).
Find this Skincare Lovers set for £70, worth £89
Explore more of Danielle’s amazing body care range
Follow @Wild_Rising on Instagram
6) Rock Paper Swan’s aesthetic and gentle self-care reminder
This recycled acrylic pin badge by Rock Paper Swan is the perfect gift for those in need of a gentle reminder to stop comparing ourselves to others. We all struggle with the occasional Imposter Syndrome or think we should be more productive, am I right?
This retro style badge pin is an invitation for self-care and would make a lovely stocking filler. I hope my husband reads this post and gets the drift.
Rock Paper Swan is the creation of Amy Collins, who lives in Kent and designs cards and gifts with messages of encouragement, sympathy and loss. In her own words, it’s for the big days, the bad days and the in-between days.
Besides helping us with sentiments we might have trouble expressing, Amy’s products come in plastic-free packaging and the pins are local-made using 100% recycled plastic, which might otherwise end in landfill.
Buy this thoughtful badge pin for £8 or get it with the really lovely self-kindness bundle for £15
See all of Amy’s range on her website
Follow @RockPaperSwan on Instagram
7) Seven Chakras Crystal Gift Set for those on a spiritual journey
Rock and Realm‘s gift box is ideal for that person in your life who is keen on elevating their spiritual practice. It comes with a selection of ethically sourced crystal tumblestones, each attuned to a specific chakra, a wand, a Californian sage bundle and a detailed written guide to Chakra Crystal Benefits. As a Reiki practitioner and Yoga enthusiast, this speaks to me.
Laura is in Norfolk and founded Rock and Realm to bring spiritual wellbeing products and rituals to everyone. Her aim is to help us tap into our authentic self and elevate our happiness. With one tree planted per order and eco-packaging, you’ll be sure to do just that.
Buy this Seven Chakras crystal gift set for £35
Find Laura’s other spiritual wellbeing items
Follow @RockandRealm on Instagram
8) For the colour-addicted knitter, try this neon rainbow sock blank
If I’m going to support small businesses, I’m going to have to be very cheeky and include myself in this guide… I believe crafting with wool is calming and healing and I’d love to be a part of your journey in this season of jolly. During the season when daylight is scarcer, I’m recommending this neon rainbow sock black to brighten your knitting or crocheting.
This sock blank comes ready-to-knit (simply unravel one of the sides and begin your project), or feel free to unravel it all and give it a good soak to get rid of the knitted kinks. I just love watching the colours progress and turn into a completely different thing as I knit this sock blank into another project – a shawl, a jumper, so many choices.
If you don’t know me yet, hi! I’m Leonor, founder of Eleanor Shadow. My aim is to help everyone fall deeply in love with their knitting, crocheting, spinning and felting – what better way to do it than with carefully hand dyed yarns and fibres? I believe crafting improves mental health, so I recommend you get your knit on and start a new project this Christmas 2023!
Shop this neon rainbow sock blank
Browse all the recently-created woolly lovelies
Follow @Eleanor.Shadow (that’s me!) on Instagram
So there you have it, my recommendations from the best small businesses to make this 2023 Christmas your most popular ever among friends and family. I hope I’ve inspired you to shop small this festive season with these 8 lovely, independently-created and thoughtful creations. Have a lovely, jolly and happy Christmas!
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