Alternative Christmas Gift Ideas *Ad

It's that time of year again where we start thing about the C word... and with that in mind, I thought I'd share a few gift ideas with you that aren't your standard socks or pyjamas!

For the Foodies

Getting gifts for those that are lovers of good food and wine, doesn't mean you always have to get them food itself. Have you thought of gifting them things to accompany their food and that aren't just practical but an enjoyment to use and treasure?

The 6 o'clock club - Wine coaster from Katie Cardew is a perfect gift for the wine connoisseurs and red wine loves alike. I love the style of Katie Cardew's art and I'm sure that those who are also a fan of the 6 o'clock club will also appreciate it too. They can sip away after a long day and rest assure they won't mark the table with their coaster championing their drink choice!

As I've mentioned, buying for food lovers doesn't always have to been food itself so why not opt for beautiful crockery? This Puglia Bowl from Sous Chef* is handmade in Italy and a beautiful addition for anyone who loves cooking and entertaining. Who said that cook ware had to be boring and practical when they can be pretty and practical? Serve figs drizzled in honey, a gorgeous salad or scoops of gelato; this bowl is a beautiful home ware gift and a lovely nod to the Italian Mediterranean. 

Scrunchies and Stationary*

Writing paper and scrunchies are my new favourite thing to gift people! Hair up in a pretty scrunchie and pens down on inspiring writing paper will always help to motivate people and get them off to a productive day. 

 I recently teamed up for an Instagram Live with Prints by Natasha Cole to showcase my writing paper and found that lots of her scrunchies paired perfectly with my paper! Take this Suede Effect Beige Scrunchie this pairs perfectly with the Flock To Feather* paper from my shop and would make a lovely gift to a friend over the festive season.

Another perfect pairing is the Leopard Print Hair Scrunchie and The Myla* paper for those who love some leopard in their life. 

And my personal favourite is this set of 2 scrunchies and The Countryside Walk*. 

People on the Go- Sanitizing and Stationary

Another gift idea I have is for people on the go! The wanderlust is a great paper for those who travel and the perfect pairing to accompany it is a personalised hand sanitizer to keep them safe on their travels. 

I recently discovered Little Letters LDN who make gorgeous personalised pieces that are not only practical but pretty too! I fell in love with these Personalised Hand Sanitiser Holders and feel they are a perfect gift in to accessorise your sanitizer and look chic on a handbag.

Presents for the Pooches

A family member that should definitely not be overlooked this Christmas is your doggo! My recommendation for pet gifts is Environmutt -home to environmentally friendly pet treats and accessories. 

I recently picked up a Dog Gift Set for Olive and Harry which they both LOVED. Not only were the treats inside natural and good for the doggos, the tug toy is also fashioned from recyclable tshirt yarn. The gift set we opted for contained sprats,  tripe, tug toy,  ball and poo bags- all of which will definitely be put to good use! Olive particularly loved the tug toy!

The gift of words

Heading back to the paper theme, have you thought of sending a letter to a loved one rather than a card this year? 

A heart felt letter to a long distance loved one catching up and reflecting on the year can be a really lovely way to show you care without costing the earth. Equally, the recipient doesn't necessarily need to be a long distance relative. Happy mail out of the blue can be an unexpected joy to someone you care about that could make their day! 

To keep with the festive theme, I'm releasing some Christmas papers in the shop very soon so keep your eyes peeled on the Par Avion Paper* shop for their release very soon!

So those are just a few of my gift ideas for Christmas this year that are a slightly different to you usual. Admittedly there are a lot of paper based ones in there!

Have you got any gifting alternatives to recommend?

*Ad I was kindly gifted the Sous Chef bowl in exchange for a review. ?I have also advertised my own brand Par Avion Paper Co in this post. 

Par Avion Paper and Pen Palling

Some of you may have noticed that I’ve been a bit quiet on my usual Instagram of late. Others may have read my previous post on gifting during a pandemic and noticed something too…Well today I’m going to go into full depth about my latest passion project- Par Avion Paper. 

For those of you that don’t know, I’ve been an avid letter writer for the past two and a half years, writing to my pen pal Rachel who lives in Malta! Before that I had been known to write to my both my nanny’s, especially when I lived abroad and even as young as 8 I was writing to my friends in Essex when I’d moved up to Cambridgeshire. Letter writing has always been on and off throughout my life and it’s something I really enjoy and since the pandemic I’ve taken on a few more pen pals so I’m now writing on a weekly basis.



The only thing I wasn’t mad on? The writing paper! I’ve found designs I like very few and far between, either being aimed at children or just in general being very twee designs. Paperchase has produced some paper I’ve enjoyed over the years and the awesome OxMailStudios also does some fabulous designs but I wanted more! I took to my laptop and started playing around designing me own and before I knew it, I’d produced over ten designs from my head. I showed them to my husband and his first reaction was “why don’t you sell these?” I sat on this idea for a little while. Would anyone really want to buy my paper designs? Finally I thought sod it, I can put them out there and if people enjoy them that’s great but if not? Well I’ve got a bunch of designs that I enjoy and will definitely use. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that! 

The next step was setting up a shop and for me, Etsy was a no brainer. Yes they do take fees for listing but they also sort out your postage and I feel it’s a website that fits well with shopping small and supporting small creatives. Initially I started selling digital downloads of the papers, thinking this would be an easy and manageable idea for me but I soon realised I was yearning to actually make the papers come to life and so I began printing. That’s when the paper really took off and I haven’t really looked back since! 

Each and every time I get an order my heart soars with happiness. I literally do a happy little dance each time too and my most favourite thing is packaging up the orders. I may (ok always) add in some little extras as a surprise because who doesn’t love surprises!? It’s also lovely too see behind the scenes that people buy as gifts to their loved ones. 

So why letter write anyway? There are so many advantages to writing letters. You can re-read a letter but you can’t re-read a phone call! There’s also something quite special about receiving happy mail in the post and the anticipation of finding out the next instalment of your friend of family member’s life, dilemmas or news. Text messages are so instant too whereas letters take time and are thought through. Every word counts. It’s also a great way to connect with new people! There’s lots of Facebook groups to meet fellow pen pals and hashtags on Instagram such as #pepalswanted. I have 3 pen pals who live overseas and another 3 up and down the country and it’s interesting to read how other people live and have a completely different lifestyle to me. A lot of these people I’d never meet in real life and it’s a great privilege that they take the time out to write to me and also read my letters too. 

I’ve also found letters are a great way to communicate with elderly relatives; in particularly for me my Nan. She has Alzheimer’s and never remembers having a phone call. She also doesn’t live nearby so I can’t pop and see her as and when I want, especially with Covid too. I’ve found the letters have helped my Nan to remember things and she can re-read them as much as she likes. She never replies and I never expect her to but I like to think it’s a nice little surprise through her door every couple of weeks.



Another thing to consider is there’s also mental health benefits to letter writing. That’s right! Letter writing is good for you!! Studies have shown that it increases your resilience, reduces stress and can improve your mood. I personally find it therapeutic too. Sitting and putting pen to paper in a quiet environment is so relaxing and mindful as well as being a great escape from technology and glaring screens. It’s also a great fuel for my creativity, so much so I’ve gone on to design further papers and have some more ideas in the pipeline… 

So those are just a few things I’ve discovered from letter writing and through creating Par Avion Paper I’ve discovered so many wonderful and likeminded people, particularly on Instagram. The pen palling community is welcoming, kind and full of positivity! If you’re looking for a new hobby and/or want some beautiful paper designed by yours truly, definitely take a look at my shop.

Are you into letter writing?

Shopping Small & Indie Businesses I'm Supporting

This year I'm trying my hardest to shop and buy local and/or from independent shops rather than chains, especially as its been a tough year for many and I'd rather put my money into small businesses than large corporate chains. With that in mind, I thought I'd share some of the shops places I've recently purchased from. 

GobSnacked

If you're local to the Brampton/ Huntingdon area you should definitely buy some cookies from Gob Snacked! When they say they're not your basic batch they mean it because honestly these cookies are insanely good. For £10 you can get a box of 8 cookies in a range of flavours which can be delivered locally or for collection. Naturally Chris and I couldn't choose what to have so we went for every flavour and doubled up on one. So we had: Double Chocolate Chip, Triple Chocolate, Carrot Cake, Oatmeal and Raisin, Lime Coconut and White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Ginger and Milk Chocolate and Orange.

I think my favourite is a toss up between Lime Coconut and White Chocolate or Triple Chocolate. I've also never come across a lime coconut and white chocolate cookie or a carrot cake one either and they're both amazing flavour combinations. As for the sizes of cookie they are huuuge so you get plenty of cookie for your £10!

OxMail Studios and J Welton Illustration

I've been looking for some new stationary for writing to my penpal and had thought the market was pretty limited until I looked on Etsy and found a hella load of designs! I got a selection from each, first starting with Ox Mail Studios. The shop owner Jade hand creates these writing sheets on her ipad and is looking to create more snail mail products in the future so watch this space. I love Jade's style and cannot wait to put pen on this gorgeous paper and write away to my hearts content. 

I then bought some mystery misprints from J Welton Illustration. Buying this pack prevented these designs from becoming paper waste as well as giving me a mystery gift of assorted paper designs as they were prototypes and misprints from the letter sets. I love them and I'm pleased to have rescued them being wasted or thrown away! Based in Cambridge, Jame's prints are lovely and definitely worth checking out to pimp out your pen pal kit!

Little Bee Factory

Little Bee Factory is one of my favourite small businesses to shop at. Partly because its owned by one of my best friends! Lucy creates the most gorgeous personalised gifts. From clothing to water bottles, gin glasses and canvas totes, Lucy can design so many things to your request and her attention to detail is second to none. I've bought various pieces from her but my most recent purchase was this tote bag which I adore!

Panda and The Prince

Another gorgeous Etsy seller to check out is Amanda from Panda and The Prince. Her shop is full of hand drawn cards with witty slogans and puns that can also be customised. I picked up this awesome card for my upcoming wedding anniversary and yes...the treatments are customised...poor Chris!

Treasure Your Gifts

Treasure your gifts is an Etsy store that prides itself on not being massed produced and has an array of lovely personalised pieces. Again for our upcoming anniversary, I picked up this monogrammed scarf for Chris. It's our 7 year anniversary and the traditional gift is wool so this seemed kind of perfect! 

Dandelion Dreams with Charlotte- Body Shop

As you've probably guessed if you've read my previous posts, I love Body Shop. I also love that I can contribute to Charlotte's small business by buying my products through her and can get exclusive discounts and prizes through her group too! I've discovered some lovely products through Charlotte and can also have products delivered straight to my door. 

So those are just a few of the businesses I've been buying from of late and I'm chuffed to have purchased from people passionate about what they do, make and create rather than buying from a chain.

Where have you bought from that's independent of late?