Playful yummy bakes for modern home bakers
Baby Arc is a small, family run business that offers baby clothing, matching parent and child clothing and accessories. Find out how they got started, their passions for making unique baby clothes and the best inspirations for gifts for the whole family Visit Baby Arc …
Tamika runs Afro Puff Ltd and makes Afro-centric children’s clothing using a variety of African print fabrics. Learn about the inspiration behind Tamika’s designs, see tons of her brilliant products and read her passion for shopping small here. Check out Afro Puff Ltd on Instagram …
Birthdays seem to come round so fast, at least it always seems like they do. If you’re anything like us, it can seem daunting to come up with thoughtful and unique gift ideas each year that they’ll love. If this sounds familiar, our unique gift ideas to wish them a Happy Birthday should give you tons of great ideas. From foodie gifts to gardening and book lover gifts to jewellery and prints, there are plenty of present ideas to help you out.
There are so many great small businesses shown here, so if you see something you like, be sure to check out their whole shop too. So much creativity, you might even see something for yourself too!
All of these unique gift ideas to wish them a happy Birthday are created and sold by small independent businesses. Show them some love by shopping small and getting something truly memorable for their Birthday.
Looking for more unique gift ideas for special occasions? Click here to join our mailing list so you won’t miss out ever again.
Still looking for more ideas? Why not try my Indie Birthday gift ideas – for all the quirky, fun gals in your life or Cute Valentine’s gifts – ideas under £25
Valentine’s just has a way of sneaking up on you. It feels like no sooner have we celebrated New Year than its February 1st and eyes turn to Valentine’s Day. Be it celebrating love for that special someone or for all of the special besties …
New Year. New you. Christmas, as joyful as it can be, is over for another year and it’s time to look forward to everything that the new year will bring and happily say goodbye to that big to-do gift list that might have been hanging …
Meet Bity Booker, a folk musician and illustrator. Bity Booker art shop offers a unique art prints, illustrations and handmade gifts including paper mache magnets and brooches. Learn more about how lockdown inspired her to begin her shop, her opinions on gift giving and supporting small businesses, and more her unique creations.
Visit her Etsy shop here
How did you get into creating unique art prints, whimsical illustrations and paper mache artwork?
During lockdown I did not have any gigs to play and I was furloughed from my day job. So I have started illustrating a lot more and opened my little Art Shop on Etsy. It is something I always wanted to do but never had the time to.
Why do you think it’s important to support small businesses?
To foster creativity and love, we need a lot of both in this world.
What do you think makes a great gift?
Something that is bespoke, personal and has a great story to tell.
What are your top tips for finding the right gift for someone?
Getting the gift from a small business will tick all the boxes: unique, bespoke, personal and made with love!
What are your recommendations for favourite places to buy gifts?
I buy gifts on Etsy all the time. I love the care that people put into their creations, everything from the way is wrapped to a lovely handwritten note… to the object itself!
What is the best gift you have ever received?
I have recently received a hand-made candle which I love… it smells amazing and it was made by a lovely lady here in London. I like receiving things that are handmade and have a story!
Follow Bity and learn more about her shop and upcoming gigs on Instagram
One of the things I love most about Bity’ shop, is the originality, thoughtfulness and creativity that you can see in everything she makes. I have bought a few things from Bity now, one of my favs was a turtle paper mache fridge magnet, such a lovely thing to have at home. Something that is even lovelier knowing that it has been handmade with love by a small business owner, creating things that bring them joy which rubs off on the people that buy them. Give Bity Booker Art Shop a look.
Looking for gift ideas to complement the unique art prints in Bity’s shop, check out the chocolates and gift hampers available at Emma Bakes Elevate This
In need of some gift inspiration that are kind to you and the environment? Check out my Vegan Birthday Hamper – EmmaBakes gift ideas or Vegan self-care from Etsy. Taking care of yourself and our environment. Win, win.
Claire and Janet, at Fancytatcrafts specialise in upcycling gift ideas. They create new and beautiful gifts and homewares by upcycling pre-loved or neglected stuff. Learn more about this inspirational Kent based mother and daughter team of creative crafters, their growing small business and their sustainable …
White chocolate selection box I don’t know about you, but I often feel like no matter how productive I am, my to-do list keeps on growing that bit faster and often even though I have the best intentions to buy people really thoughtful gifts, sometimes …
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Reindeer Christmas chocolates ARE Christmas to me. Little bites of festive joy. Really, it seems a little meanspirited to eat them but goodness, they make the party table so jolly! Gorgeous double chocolate, velvety smooth truffles covered in even more chocolate and the cutest Rudolph red nose and eyes with pretzel antlers to add the final holiday flourish. Once you’ve made these I’m confident that they’ll become a permanent feature of your festive routine.
500g chocolate (I divide this between 300g of dark chocolate and 200g of milk chocolate)
200ml double cream
¼ tsp salt
3 tbsp freshly brewed strong coffee
½ tsp vanilla extract
300g chocolate (150g dark chocolate and 150g milk chocolate)
Edible red large sprinkles
Royal icing eyes
Approx 50g salted pretzels, broken into pieces
This will make about 30 truffles. Once made, they will keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge.
Make a cup of strongly brewed coffee and leave to one side to cool slightly.
Finely chop the chocolate. Add to a glass or metal bowl (something that is heat proof).
Add the double cream to the bowl. Place the bowl on top of a pan with gently simmering water on a low heat. This will melt the chocolate gently and is a good way to avoid the mixture getting too hot and splitting or burning. (A sad end to a promising food adventure).
Stir the chocolate and cream occasionally. If it looks like the bowl is getting too hot, lift it out of the saucepan and stir the mixture. Then return to the heat until the chocolate has completely melted into the cream. It will look luxuriously smooth and glossy. It should take about 10 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract, salt and coffee to the chocolate ganache and stir to combine.
Dampen a sheet of parchment paper, scrunch and remove excess water. Place the paper right on top of the ganache. This will help the mixture not to form a firm layer when refrigerated.
Place in the fridge and cool for about 1-2 hours.
Take the truffles out of the fridge and using a melon baller or teaspoon, take small amounts of the chilled ganache and gently roll into a ball and place on a lined baking sheet. (This is a bit messy, so keep a bowl of soapy water and towel nearby).
Put the truffles into the fridge to set a little. Approx. 10-15 minutes.
While this is happening, melt the chocolate for the coating. The easiest way to temper chocolate without a thermometer is to use the microwave. Break the chocolate into small chunks. Put about 2/3 of the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and melt the chocolate in short bursts. Every 30 secs check the mixture and stir occasionally.
When the chocolate has just melted, add in the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate and stir to combine until the chocolate pieces melt into the rest of the mixture. By doing this it will reduce the temperature of the chocolate and make it better to work with.
Prepare a sheet pan/or wire rack with some non-stick parchment paper on the top. Take the truffles out of the fridge.
One by one, balance a truffle on a fork and with your other hand spoon some of the melted chocolate over the truffle, ensuring that you cover the whole thing. Tap off the excess chocolate and place on the parchment paper. Repeat.
The chocolate dries very quickly, so do a few then add the red nose, eyes and pretzel antlers to each of the truffles to make the reindeers come to life.
Want more simple Christmas bake ideas? Try my Mince pie muffins or my Quality Street chocolate cupcakes – both incredibly festive and easy to make.
Looking for gift ideas this festive season? Try my Christmas gift box – give someone a cosy night in this festive season with our chocolate gift experience – everything to send someone some love this holiday.
Jungle Culture offers a range of unique eco-friendly alternatives to common household products to support sustainable living. Learn more about their philosophy on sustainable homeware and ethical sourcing as a zero waste brand, their relationships with local makers in Vietnam and their tips for thoughtful …