Christmas Gift Guide: Shop Small

For my final gift guide I just had to share some of the small businesses I’ve been loving lately. While this year has been pretty awful for everyone, I feel as though it’s actually been quite a good year for many small businesses. I’ve seen so many small/indie brands thriving through this difficult time and I definitely think the current situation has made a lot of people opt to shop small this year.

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I’ve tried to shop small as much as possible over the past few months – the majority of the Christmas presents I’m sending out are from small brands and there’s just something really lovely about receiving something you know someone has put their heart and soul into. So, without further ado, let me run though some of the small businesses I’ve been loving lately and think would be great places to shop this Christmas.

First up, this Disneyland Paris key ring from Alice Vitrum makes a really cute little stocking filler. Alice does lots of gorgeous Disney and Harry Potter-themed key rings, enamel pins and accessories, perfect for the person in your life who lives a bit of magic. Next, this cute chair print is from Cairn & Grace, an Etsy shop featuring some stunning cards and prints. There are so many fab print shops on Etsy it can be a bit overwhelming but I just love Cairn & Grace’s designs – they’re really affordable too.

For something personalised, I just had to include this adorable 5-minute pet portrait I got from JMS Illustrates. Although she’s currently sold out of pet portraits I couldn’t resist featuring this as just look how cute it is?! Her 5-min portraits are just £5 too which is a total steal – it’s worth keeping an eye on her store in case they come back in before Christmas. If not, she has lots of stickers, Christmas cards, prints and gift tags available too.

For fans of all things cute and kawaii, Katnipp Illustrations is a ridiculously cute Etsy shop with an endless amount of kawaii-themed stationery, from stickers to note pads, cards to mouse mats and everything in between. I picked up a couple of Christmas washi tapes from here and I can’t wait to use them when wrapping my presents! For the book lover in your life, I’m a little bit in love with this stunning corner book mark from Swedish Etsy shop thepenguinco. These paper bookmarks are beautifully made, cost just over £4 and look gorgeous resting on the corner of your favourite book. They’re available in lots of different designs but I just love this map print one!

I also had to include Papio Press in this guide – while the list pad and pin photographed are actually from their exclusive Paper Gang box, they have so many incredible items on their Etsy shop, including knitted hats, pins, stationery and more. Their designs are absolutely stunning and would make some beautiful gifts! Finally, I wanted to mention Em and the Terrazzo as I absolutely love the planters she makes and while her shop is currently closed to catch up on orders, fingers crossed it opens again before Christmas. If not, it’s definitely worth checking out if you fancy a treat in the new year!

Have you been shopping small this year? I’ve featured some more of my favourite bits from various Etsy shops below – happy shopping!