Indie Biz Digital Gift Guide 2023
It was lovely to see the newsletter about all the amazing gift guides writers have put together on blogs, as I’ve been working away collating my own hopefully unique offering. I wrote my first guide of this type last year, when the postal tumult was going on, as a way to try and help indie businesses like mine who were heavily impacted by the situation. With my thinking cap firmly placed on my head and pulled down over my ears, because blimey the cold, I compiled an impromptu digital gift guide featuring indie biz folk and figured I’d make it an annual event to help those last minute shoppers out there!
We've all been there, busy working our way through autumn only to look up five minutes later to discover that Christmas has suddenly sprinted it's merry way towards us and we've got to do a fair amount of present shopping sharpish. Now you may think digital gifts like vouchers and PDFs etc can feel a little impersonal, but if they're from fab indie makers not only are you supporting small biz you could be introducing your loved ones to their fave new makers. So welcome everyone to the Indie Biz Digital Gift Guide 2023….
Irregular Thoughts
A selection of wonderful witty downloadable prints available from Irregular Thoughts
The fabulous Irregular Thoughts makes an array of great products with witty and subtly sweary messages using binary and morse code. Her Etsy shop is open until 18th Dec and has some great downloadable wall art available including custom binary code prints where you can pic your own text, just download, warm up your printer and you’ve got yourself a wonderful and unique present ready to go!
Ambroidering
A selection of amazing digital PDF patterns available from Ambroidering
If you have a crafty loved one with their own mega materials bank or who loves nothing more than an excuse to get more beautiful beads and bits, then PDF patterns are a great gift option. Ambroidering has quite the glorious array of patterns themed around anatomy in their shop and ready for instant download. The patterns are stunningly detailed in both the finished piece that you create and the instructions themselves, which include not only the pattern but links to video guides, step by step photos and supplier lists for materials. I mean who doesn’t need a sequined skull in their life?!
Arati Devasher
A book designer and illustrator, Arati creates colourful artwork inspired by nature: florals, food and furry creatures! I don’t know about you, but that covers quite a few gifting sweet spots so there’s bound to be something wonderful in her shop that would be perfect for your loved one to get with their voucher! Vouchers are emailed to you and can be either spent online or can be used in person at an event or at their studio in Ruislip, London HA4.
Albion
Another one for stitchy lovelies here! ALBION is a fab needlepoint design collective "all hailing from the British Isles. Our goal is to promote and inspire the colourful, calming and sublime craft of needlepoint, bringing it to a wider audience" and luckily for you and fans of all things stitch there are quite a few of the talented designers who offer digital gift vouchers! Just click on the designers below to be taken straight to their voucher pages.
From left to right - ThreadBear Kits, Emily Peacock and The Makers Marks
From left to right - Thread and Mercury, Ann's Orchard, Hannah Bass Needlepoint
Hello Dodo
Time for a bit of joyful dopamine dressing with the fab designs and top notch punnage from the wonderful Hello Dodo. Established in 2011 their beautiful business has grown from strength to strength providing fun and vibrant attire for colour lovers everywhere. They have gift vouchers available to email direct to the lucky recipient or that you can print off and put in a lovely card. Vouchers are a great option if you’re unsure of someone’s size, or you just want to give them the treat of looking through all the lovely stuff they could get with them!
Mulled Wineosaur Sweatshirt by Hello Dodo
A selection of wonderfully punny wares you can get from Hello Dodo
Loadofolbobbins
Okay this is where I insert myself into the proceedings, as awkward as I may I feel typing this, I figure it would be even weirder if I didn’t include myself, as I do indeed do digital gift vouchers. The vouchers are available in lots of different amounts and will be sent via e-mail ready for you to print off or forward on to the lucky recipients! They can be used as full or part payment and there is no expiry date, so if you should happen upon it down the back of the sofa one day I will still honour it. Here's a little taster of what is available in my shop....
Chloë Haywood LONDON
Chloë Haywood LONDON has an incredible shop full of vibrant and inspired makes that not only look fabulous, but are kind to the planet too as they're made from repurposed materials! Gift cards are available starting at £5 and come beautifully gift wrapped in a box, but equally a copy can be emailed to you to avoid postal delays, all you have to do is send a quick email letting them know. Another rather fantabulous thing Chloë has is an ongoing callout called ‘I Want Your Woolies!’ where you can send her your cast offs and she’ll pay you in vouchers to spend with her, perfect for those inevitable declutters in the New Year!
Beautiful repurposed delights by Chloë Haywood LONDON
Hatchling Makes
The lovely Hatchling Makes creates wildlife themed pins and stationary from her own fab illustrations inspired by endangered and unusual animals, 10% from every order is also donated to wildlife conservation. There’s lots of lovely things your loved one can get with the gift vouchers available, everything from washi tape and eco friendly stickers to bookmarks!
Lovely wildlife wares by Hatchling Makes
I hope my small offering to the vast array of glorious gift guides out there has opened your eyes to a potential new avenue for any gift shopping you may have yet to do, even if you are a last minute shopper you can still shop small and support a wonderful array of unique and talented makers and indie businesses. I don’t know if you’re anything like me but I know that sometimes gifts you’ve already given to someone can kind of blur together in a bit of a haze, so by shopping with new and gloriously unique makers the odds of buying something someone’s already got narrow significantly! It’s not just makers that offer gift vouchers, there are lots of lovely indie bricks and mortar shops that do as well, another great way to help keep our high streets full of these wonderful places. At least two I know of are the fab Happydashery in Leighton Buzzard and Masato Jones in Leeds. If you’ve already got makers or indie shops in mind that you’d love to shop with, but are worried you’ve missed their postal deadlines, it’s definitely worth checking out to see if they offer digital gifts like vouchers too!
Are you a maker or store who offer great digital gifts? Or know some that does? Add their details in the comments, share as many lovely indie businesses as you can folks!!