Shop Small UK Guide – Christmas 2021

We are officially less than two weeks away from Christmas now and DAMN it’s starting to feel real! I’m just about finished now with most of my Christmas presents in the run up to the big day, but in some cases I’ve been and still am in need of some inspiration. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve really struggling this year to find the perfect gifts for Dane, my friends and especially my mom! My dad has been the easiest person to buy for this year, which makes a change. 😛

Alongside my Christmas present woes, I always enjoy writing and sharing gift guides with you all and this year is no exception. Last year I wrote about independent businesses in the UK that you should buy from and I wanted to do that again this year. The past twenty-one months has been hard for everyone, especially independent businesses, whether or not they existed before or after COVID began. This doesn’t just apply to the UK, but I’ve seen a lot of small businesses struggle lately, and in worse cases close down due to not being able to make enough sales to keep going.

I really want to continue to do my bit in helping these businesses as much as I can. Not only do I hope it helps you gain some new gift ideas, but I also hope it introduces you to some businesses you may not have heard of before and decide to shop with going into the New Year!

I still love a lot of the small businesses I mentioned last year, so I will link that post here! I won’t be mentioning businesses again that I spoke of last year, just so it’s fair on other businesses mentioned here.

Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this blog post today! I’ll be mentioning stores last dates to order for Christmas too.

Image taken from SplashJaguarCo

SplashJaguarCo – Kawaii home and stationary items inspired by Animal Crossing. Rugs handmade in West Midlands, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – 2nd Class 18th December and 1st Class 21st December. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

If there is one thing people have been really loving towards the end of the year, it’s been Animal Crossing! With the new update and Happy Home Paradise launching at the start of November, Animal Crossing fans have gone mad even more than ever. If you know someone who loves Animal Crossing, as well as stationary you should definitely check out SplashJaguarCo! Not going to lie the Cookie washi tape pictured above is on my Christmas list and I really hope I get it this year. I plan to use it to decorate my diary for 2022 and more. There are various characters to choose from to have on washi tape including Maple, Marshal, Tangy, Roald, Stitches and more! A roll or two of these cute little washi tapes would make perfect gifts for any Animal Crossing fan of any age or gender, whether it be for Secret Santa, a stocking filler and more.

Image taken from BeaconCandlesUK

BeaconCandlesUK – Scented candles for Gamers, Readers and Film Fanatics handmade in Manchester, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – The store will be closing on Sunday 19th December. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

BeaconCandlesUK is a brand I’ve known about for as long as I can remember now and have always wanted to order from. I can’t remember how but I discovered them through their Lavender Town candle that is clearly inspired by the town in Pokemon. Not only does it sound amazing, but it looks really cool with the Cubone skull and bone on the top of the candle too. Alongside Pokemon candles you can also get some inspired by Final Fantasy, Animal Crossing, Lord of the Rings and more! The scents sound delicious and I’m sure these would make great gifts for any candle lovers out there! I’m contemplating buying some of these for friends this year for Christmas. I feel like candles make amazing gifts for people and it’s one of those where even if you aren’t sure what smells someone will like, if you bought a Pokemon fan one of the Pokemon candles, they would be so thankful!

Image taken from PokieMinx

PokieMinx – Terrariums and vanity desk gifts inspired by Pokémon & The Moomins. Handmade in South Yorkshire, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – Unfortunately orders for Christmas have now ended. This being said the store IS still open with items being sent 1st Class tracked and signed so they arrived within 1-2 business day. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I couldn’t not share PokieMinx and her adorable creations! These would make perfect gifts for any Pokemon or The Moomins fan out there, especially if they’re like myself and have started to work from home part time. A terrarium with their favourite Pokemon inside sitting on their desk could really brighten their day. Or maybe a mirror? The Cubone one shown about is gorgeous and I can’t stop looking at it whenever I venture over to PokieMinx’s website whenever I take a look at it. Anything from PokieMinx’s store would make amazing and personal gifts for any Pokemon or The Moomins fans, especially as everything is handmade by Kimmy! There are also enamel pin/earring stands too so if you know someone who has started to get into collecting pins or earrings, these would make amazing gifts too.

Image taken from ARTBOX

ARTBOX – Cute character goods from Japan and Korea. Based in Covent Garden London, UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at the time of writing this blog post. If you’re based in or around London, the Covent Garden store will be open on Christmas Eve from 11am until 4pm. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

I wanted to mention ARTBOX here as whilst it isn’t as independent as some Etsy sellers and independent stores might be online, it’s a great place to buy Japan and Korea based items, whether it be online or from their store in London. I’m yet to come to the day where I actually order something from them, which might be later today! 😛 ARTBOX would be a great place to get items for your friends and family who love Sanrio, Pusheen, Rilakkuma and BT21. There are all sorts of different items to buy from and at all price ranges so it’s perfect for anything and everything. Personally I’m toying with treating myself to the PomPomPurin plush shown above, which you can pose and dress up! How cute is that?!

Image taken from Stitchtothepast

Stitchtothepast -Video Games Cross Stitch, Patterns & Kits! Based in the UK.

Last date to order for Christmas – Not known at the time of writing this blog post. However, as Royal Mail are struggling at this time of year due to Christmas AND the new COVID variant, please bear in mind delays may occur. If you want to guarantee item(s) to arrive for Christmas order as soon as possible.

The final store I wanted to mention on today’s post is about Stitchtothepast, which is a store I discovered in the summer. If you’re a newbie to cross stitch, or a “pro” like me there is loads of choose from. Personally for gifts the cross stitch kits from their store would make great gifts for anyone, especially if they’re into Nintendo video games series such as Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Zelda, Kirby and more. I personally really love the look of the Animal Crossing Celeste cross stitch kit where she’s stargazing. It’s such a gorgeous design and one I would love to do and display in my house in the future. The kits are really good and come with a cross stitch guide, a wooden hoop, thread and a thread organiser, pattern, a needle and more. If you know someone who would like to get into cross stitch in 2022, one of the kits might make a great gift for them!

So, there we have it, my 2021 guide to small shops you should buy your Christmas gifts from this year! All UK based of course. 🙂

What do you guys think? I didn’t cover off as many stores and themes as I did last year, but I felt like last years post was so detailed, I couldn’t really improve on it as good this year. Please do check out last years guide too, those stores are still around and amazing to boot!

Honestly guys, I hope you enjoyed this post today as much as I enjoyed writing it. I watched Christmas movies whilst writing, as well as chilling with Dane in our office. It’s made a lovely change sitting at my desk to do blog work.

Are there any small shops in the UK that you feel I should know about? Make sure to let me know and I’ll take a look for next time and promote on my Instagram page before the big day. 🙂

Until next time, take care all and I hope you had a lovely weekend. 😀

Geeky Guys Christmas Gift Guide – Collaboration Post!

Hey everyone! I’m Sarah and I blog over at Raiin Monkey (and I suck at introductions, haha!). In celebration of the festive period and all things geeky, Natalee & I have planned a series of Christmas gift guides for our fellow geeks, one each for guys and for girls! I am so happy to be doing a collaboration with Nat because her blog is one of my absolute favourites! Today, I’m sharing some ideas on what you can get your geeky guy loved ones for Christmas, focusing on stocking fillers for those of you who might be on a budget. Head over to my blog to check out Nat’s awesome gift guide for geeky girls! I hope you all enjoy reading and that I give you lots of ideas & inspiration 😊

I’ve decided to share my wishlist in two separate parts, the first showing presents that are £10 or under each, and the second for those between £10-£20. I’ve also sourced everything from UK websites so that if you order after reading, your items will arrive in time for Christmas (plus it keeps down those pesky postage & packaging costs that we all hate!)

1UP 600ml Gaming Flask (link) This super cute 1UP water bottle fashioned after the Super Mario Brothers game franchise is on sale at only £1.99 when it was originally £6.99 and I thought that this was an absolute bargain not to be missed! It’s a really handy item to have, especially when you’re on a gaming streak and haven’t moved for hours, haha. Gotta stay hydrated!

Marvellous Mopeez Deadpool Plush (link) Who doesn’t love a cuddly plush!? Even if it’s just to display, these awesome collectible plush toys by Funko make a great stocking filler. Funko products are always made to a great quality, and I’ve had my eyes on a few Mopeez plushies myself for a while now. There’s lots of other characters available too if your geeky guy isn’t a big fan of Deadpool. Check out the Forbidden Planet website too because they have loads (see here).

Official Nintendo SNES Controller Poster (link) I just thought that this poster looked awesome and would also look really nice in a frame too! It’s only £3.99 so even on a budget, you should be able to find a cheap framed poster in a pound store… just remove whatever poster is inside and add this one instead. Voila! You have yourself a nice framed poster for your gamer loved ones! It looks great without a frame too to just display as wall art.

Official Nintendo Super Mario Badge Pack (link) I personally think these badge sets are brilliant! This Super Mario one from Blue Banana has 25% off at the moment, so you get five badges for just £2.99. They are so bright and colourful, and would look great on a jacket or a backpack. They come on an awesome-looking presentation card, which is nice and are small enough to pack into a stocking. Badge sets are another gift that cater for so many different interests because there’s so much variety available! Blue Banana are selling 20+ different badge sets at the moment, all for the same fabulous price.

Star Wars Episode VII Stormtrooper Pen & Case Set (link) Is your geeky loved one a sci-fi fan? If so, then this pen set would make a wonderful stocking filler for them! As the item description says, ‘May the force be with you (and your stationery collection)!’ haha. Everyone needs pens, and these stormtrooper ones come with a fancy case to store them, which makes them easy to carry about too.

Funko Pop! Vinyl Keyring: DBZ Goku (link) How cool is this little Goku from Dragon Ball Z!? I really love these Pocket Pop! keyrings; I have a Daryl Dixon one myself and I was really impressed with all the detail that went into such a small figure. Everyone loves a Pop vinyl figure, but not everyone has room spare to fill with boxes, so these tiny guys are the next best alternative!

Funko Mystery Mini Star Wars Blind Box (link) Here’s another gift for the lovers of science fiction! Everyone likes a surprise and unwrapping Christmas gifts are all the surprise you need, but imagine finding yet another surprise underneath all that shiny festive paper! That, in my opinion, would make anyone delighted, so why not look into getting a Mystery Mini blind box for your loved ones this year! Inside these Star Wars edition boxes, you can reveal one of 15 figures, and they are bobble heads too!!

Below is the second part to my geeky guys Christmas gift guide, intended for those of you who are still trying to budget but don’t necessarily want to get the smaller types of stocking fillers 😊

Mini Desktop Arcade Machine (link) This product seriously sounds so so fabulous! It’s a mini gaming machine that is portable, has a colour screen and is packed with 240 retro arcade games!! You could keep it on your desk at home or at work, and I am definitely very tempted to get one for myself! IWOOT are also offering free delivery for any items over £10 too, so you can save money to pick up some batteries for this perfect gift for your gamer friends & family.

Funko Pop! Vinyl Figure: Aquaman (link) Did your geeky loved one enjoy the recent Justice League movie? Is he a fan of DC comics in general? How about getting him a Pop Vinyl figure? I might be a little biased because I am a Pop! collector but I think they are super awesome and have such cool designs. I mean, just look at all the colour detailing on Aquaman’s armour! There are a variety of other Pop figures available at UK store, A1 Toys if you want to look for a character from another fandom 😊

I recently discovered a fantastic deal over on the My Geek Box UK website, 3 gifts for £20! The next three items that I’ve featured on my geeky gift guide are examples of the kinds of gifts that this special offer includes. Firstly, we have a multi-port USB hub (find here) that is designed to resemble a Super Nintendo controller, which I really like! It’s a very useful gift for anyone who’s a gamer or a tech geek. Another item includes this awesome novelty Batman egg cup and logo toast cutter. It’s a comical and handy present that most geeky guys will enjoy, unless they don’t like eggs! The last item I’ve picked out is a Star Wars Lightsaber Colour Changing mug! I LOVE these heat-reactive mugs, they are wonderful!

Official HBO Game of Thrones Diagonal Sigil T-Shirt (link) We’ve come to the last present idea on my geeky guys gift guide! Clothes are always a good present to get, especially if you know what your loved ones are into but aren’t sure exactly what kind of gifts they would enjoy. This t-shirt caught my eye because of how vibrant and eye-catching the sigil designs on the front are. I think they are brilliant and I love how HBO have even incorporated the different Stark, Targaryen and Lannister house words/mottos into the design too. Very cool and I’m sure any Game of Thrones fan will love this gift!

I hope that you’ve all enjoyed reading my gift guide and that it gave you some inspiration on what to buy for the geeky guys in your life this Christmas. This Saturday, me & Nat will have more geeky gift guides up so be sure to keep your eyes out for those 🙂 Don’t forget to head over to my blog to read Nat’s gift guide for geeky girls. Have a fabulous Christmas Time everybody! We’d love to hear all about what you think of the items we’ve included and also if you’ve bought any; please let us know your thoughts in the comments 😊

I just want to say a massive thank you to Sarah for agreeing to collab with me for Christmas! I was so excited to ask her, so the fact that she agreed to it made me so damn happy! We have another awesome Christmas gift guide coming up on our blogs on Saturday, so keep your eyes peeled for those!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having an awesome week so far.