If you’re a regular reader of blogs or magazines or a YouTube fan you can’t have helped but see Christmas gift guides everywhere. But perhaps you’ve also messages like the above imploring you to shop locally. However, it’s not always easy to know where to start so today I am combining the two, showcasing some of my favourite Scottish makers and small businesses.
Ginger Pickle 
Ginger Pickle is a beautiful online store that brings together handmade gifts by British designers. Run by Jade Murray and based in Aberdeen, Jade’s own range of jewelery includes this adorable set of christmas pudding studs (£6). Psst… visit the Ginger Pickle blog here for a cheeky discount.
Hole In My Pocket 
Hole In My Pocket create cheeky, colourful pieces including stationery, prints, and these awesome hand painted Ship’s Crew Russian Dolls (£145). I also love the simple, eye-catching cards which will surely stand out on an overstuffed mantlepiece at Christmas (£3). Visit their website here.
Owl and Brew 
For the tea-drinker/Lionel Richie fan in your life, this tea-for-one set will give them a giggle as well as a brew (£39). Make sure you also check out the Christmas shop for some festive jewelery and the perfect Christmas card for your retro camera loving pal (i.e. me!).
Pop Culture Pencils 
Yeah you knew there was some stationery coming… Pop Culture Pencils do what they say on the tin, and notebooks too. The most difficult thing is choosing but since it’s Christmas, how about some Elf pencils (£3) SAAAANNNNTTAAA! Or for the Breaking Bad fan, the Walt Notebook (£6.50) is a no-brainer.
Rock the Custard 
Rock the Custard is described as “big dollops of printed goodness” and I couldn’t agree more! This print (£15) is perfect for anyone that needs reminding how much they rock your damn world and you can customise by pick1ng their favourite colour from a choice of 15. There are also plently of non-sweary ones for people more civilised than I!
Kabloom
This is such a great idea! Seedboms by Kabloom are packed with wildflower seeds and are launchable to enable some pretty sweet guerilla gardening. At £3.50 this Winter Wildflower Seedbom is the perfect stocking filler if you’re looking for something a bit different for the green thumb in your family.
Vivid Please 
I pugging love Vivid Please. Their pun-laden illustrations are bound to make you smile and they have a perfect mix of products as you can see here. From wooden brooches (£7.50) to cat iPhone covers (£15), I kinda want to live inside their Etsy page! And can someone please ask Santa to get me the Craft, Blogs and Rock N Roll Notebooks? I’ve been good! They also have a pretty awesome blog which you can visit here. Also pictured: Keepsake card (£4), Make & Do List (£6) and Pencil – similar in sets (from £3).
Zyzanna 
Of course, you’re going to need a bag to carry all your goodies in. I love this Waves Whale Song tote by Zyzanna (£10). Animal trends seem to go through phases – swallows, llamas, sloths, sharks – well I reckon the next one will be whales and Zyzanna has you covered. I also love the Shrinky Plastic Killer Whale Brooch. (Cats and pugs are the exception to this by the way, the love for them will never abate!).
So there are my top picks. Once you start looking you’ll be surprised at what amazing stuff you can find. It can be tricky to navigate Etsy at first but try using their ‘Shop Local‘ tool on the left hand menu on their homepage and I guarantee you’ll find some talented superstars near you.
If you’re in Edinburgh and prefer the offline approach I recommend checking out this blog post by Edinburgh Etiquette which includes some awesome independent stores like Hannah Zakari and The Red Door Gallery. Perfect.
Please leave links to your favourite artists, makers, crafters, small businesses and independent stores in the comments!
