THE ULTIMATE GIFT GUIDE FOR CREATIVE FRIENDS

Creative friends can often the trickiest to buy for, especially if you’re not the same kind of person yourself. 
Anything they want they can make themselves, their lifestyle is a mystery and frankly, what do they even do all day?

Have no fear because this year I’m here with a comprehensive guide to everything your creative pal could possibly want this year, all split into neat categories for your shopping pleasure.  

Lots of these suggestions are from small businesses too, because there’s nothing a creative person loves more than supporting the small biz economy.

And a quick little note before you go shopping - some of these links are affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I earn a small % of the sale. It doesn’t cost you any extra, but it’s a great way to support my time putting together this guide.

Let’s just get right into it shall we?

First category up is ORGANISATION

You want your friend to get the best head start in the new year right? There’s no better way than a planner or a calendar. Or both if you’re a reallyyy good friend. 

Check out this colourful planner by Oh Laura

You'll want some useful stickers to go with that

Get them organised for the rest of the year with this funky wall calendar by Once Upon A Tuesday. 

Help them keep all those creative bits and bobs safe with a tidy box from Hobbycraft

Who doesn't love a sparkly pink toolbox to keep the really tiny bits? - other colours available too!

Next category up is BOOKS

Wow, I could go on forever with ace book recommendations for the creative souls in your life. Here you’ll see just a handful of suggestions perfect for making art, appreciating art, finding time for art, and living the art life. All of these links are from the wonderful Bookshop.org, who are a online seller donating portions of sales to real life indie bookshops in the UK. Write that on the gift tags for extra best friend points. 

Playing To The Gallery by Grayson Perry

Out of Office by Fiona Fletcher Reid

Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists by Linda Nochlin

Art and Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland

Unravelling Womens Art by P L Henderson

Working Hard, Hardly Working by Grace Beverley

We Need To Talk About Money by Otegha Uwagba

The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel

Crafted With Pride by Daniel Fountain

Embroidering Her Truth by Clare Hunter

The third category on our list is HOME & OFFICE

With so many of our creative pals working from home either full time or part time, they deserve an office that inspires their soul. 
Here you’ll find a mix of handy to have as well as nice to have for that perfect home office set up. 

We LOVE storage.  Check out these colourful crates for the perfect solution to our hoarding tendencies.

These cute tins would be perfect for pens, tools, generally just brightening up the desk area.  You can't beat good storage.

The jazziest mirror for bouncing the light around the home studio

I love this nifty little desk organiser that spins to make everything feel extra fancy

USB fairy lights for that ultimate social media backdrop.

Work Apron by Lucy and Yak, because sometimes we want to feel fancy while we work

Last but not least: TREATS

Saved the best til last of course. This section is all about the fun bits your creative pal will get pure enjoyment from, as simple as that. 
Maybe they want to try something new that’s different from their usual thing? Maybe they need a break more than anything? Maybe they want to enjoy something fun with you?

Whatever you think they need, you’ll find a solution here. 

Has your friend dabbled in fibre arts? I tried my first ever knitted socks this year and surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as I'd thought. 
This sock kit by Wool and The Gang has everything you need, plus you can say you've ticked off a gifting classic: socks.

Let them look forward to the sun making a reappearance with a Cyanotype kit

Think they'll benefit from stabbing something lots of times? Try a punch needle kit

Keep them cosy in their creative pursuits with this Cosy Crafting jumper by Briony Machin.

Are they embracing working from home? There's a Sleepiest Designs t-shirt for that.

Remind them that they're your fav with some motivational stickers

Sliding in with one of my own - a marbling kit for the most productive and satsifying crafternoon ever

And to finish it all off - would you like that to be gift wrapped?

Get some funky paper to complete your shopping success.

Sophisticated Starry Night and Lush Forest Ferns by IllustraToni

Happy Shopping!

Rach x