A Christmas gift guide - day four, men

Ok, so socks are NOT a very original gift idea. A pair and a spare though? That's a brilliant idea. Makes you wonder why they're not all sold in threes!

Buy here

It appears we now live in a world where To Instagram is now a verb. If you know someone who's a fan of the dreamy, retro style shots (is there anyone who isn't?!) then this makes a great gift.

Buy here

Love the look of a mounted animal head on your wall but want a humane alternative? Look no further. We have Bucky the deer on our wall at home and it's always a conversation piece (not to mention a great place to hang some Christmas baubles!).

Buy here

A classic messenger bag for those on the go. This one's also on sale, quick!

Buy here

Some may say that scented candles are a teensy bit girly (not us!) but this one smells of bourbon and brown sugar. To be precise, Double Oaked Bourbon and Salted Brown Sugar Caramel. Very manly. 

Buy here (US only I'm afraid)

This one isn't particularly cheap but Etsy is an amazing source of mens watches, old and new. The tricky part is buying gifts without getting distracted by all the vintage fabric for sale....

Buy here

A Christmas gift guide - day three, magazines

Magazines for me are a real luxury and I don't think there's anything better than an unread magazine and an hour to yourself (that's a mother of two small children talking!). I've been given subscriptions as a present before and it was the gift that kept giving - quite literally, every month. You can get subscriptions to most of these but even one issue would make an amazing present. 

Apartamento

Wrap

Frankie

Another

Lula

Oh Comely

Selvedge

A Christmas gift guide - day two, children

Since having children, Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning. There's slightly fewer festive cocktails and slightly more noise.... but shopping for presents is lots more fun!

These lovely hand printed blocks are made from environmentally friendly rubber wood. There are masses of different faces and patterns to make so this might buy you an hour or two of peace while you get the turkey on. 

Buy here

For those cosmopolitan children who've grown up drinking babyccinos! Their very own coffee machine so they can host their own coffee mornings. 

Buy here

Teeny weeny cherry red DMs - possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen! For all those mini punks out there. 

Buy here

Some great stocking fillers, albeit noisy ones. 

Buy here

This set of t shirts might be a bit summery but they're brilliant for confusing the grandparents over the course of Christmas day...

Buy here

This pillow case is so perfect for those that can't sleep without their precious bear. 

Buy here

A Christmas Gift Guide - day one, cosmetics.

Remember when Christmas smellies meant a Body Shop basket with Dewberry scented bath salts? Well those days are long gone. We're now obsessing over luxe, grown up skincare and make up with extravagant packaging. 

This is my absolute favourite product at the moment and it's amazing value for money. It feels divine and makes my skin look smoother. All for under a tenner!

Buy here

These Chantecaille palettes are not cheap but HELLO? Wild horses! Coral Reefs! What's more, a percentage of the proceeds from each one go to specific conservation charities. So not only are you looking gorgeous but you're helping to save the planet. What's not to love.

Buy here (Elephants, sharks, horses) or you can buy the full range here (US only)

Giving soap at Christmas time is a given really but this one is so delicious you'll want to keep it.

Buy here

Tromborg is a brand new Danish make up and skincare line which uses organic essential oils and plant extracts. I love the sound of a Recover Mist, could be an essential for after the Christmas party….

Buy here

This is my favourite and most Christmassy set from Butter London. It includes The Full Monty which is worth it for the name alone.

Buy here

Presents for Isla

There was a bit of excitement at Gather HQ last week as we both became aunties again! Isla Lily finally made her appearance last Friday - is there a better reason than a new baby to get crafting? No.

I made a pair of rain clouds for the nursery (at the request of the new mama - I made similar for my first son) to hang over the cot.

Sandra made this adorable bear (she's a pretty mean knitter, I'm in awe - my knitting skills extend to squares or rectangles in garter stitch...). You can find the pattern in this book.

Both the clouds and the teddy were made over a long period of time - grabbing a few minutes here and there in order to finish in time. They'll be off to their new owner shortly where I'm sure they'll be cherished! There's something so lovely about making baby gifts and there are endless patterns and ideas out there and on pinterest to inspire (which is lucky as I've got three more baby gifts to make before the year is out. Maybe it's time I improved my knitting...!)

A few me-made presents

Seeing as it's coming round to 'that' time of year again (I can't quite bring myself to say the big C word...) I thought I'd get cracking early with some little me-made pressies for some of the little people in my family!

You can't get simpler and easier than some pretty name bunting for nurseries or bedrooms and this is a great way of using up some of those larger scraps of fabric. All you need is some triangles of fabric - I double sided mine but you can easily use just one piece and cut out with pinking shears. I cut the letters out from felt and stuck down with fabric glue. So easy! If you wanted something a bit more detailed you could appliqué the letters on to the flags.

The recipients have obviously not yet seen these so here is just a sneaky peek!

I decided to make some bags to present them in as well as I've been wanting to try out some transfer paper that I bought a while ago. I'm starting to see a lot of these calico bags in the shops now with initials or pictures printed on and so whipped up my own version for a fraction of the cost. I used Lesley Riley Transfer Artist Paper which is brilliant and can be used for printing on to lots of different surfaces, not just fabrics. Again, these bags were very quick and easy to make but add an extra touch which makes the whole present look really special.

Sandra's also been crafting and has made a tote bag from the Cath Kidston 'Sew' book as a present for a certain someone - we won't mention who just in case she's reading!

So, the Christmas crafting has begun! Are you making any of your presents this year? Or is all your sewing time devoted to yourself?!

All we want for Christmas...

With Christmas only 5 days away (5!), we thought it high-time for a roundup of what's on our wish lists this year. Of course it really is FAR too late to be ordering any of these goodies in time for the big day but anybody who really needed to know what to buy us has obviously already got piles of fabulous gifts wrapped and ready. Ahem.

Send a photo of your abode to Holly's Houses and she'll make a rubber address stamp from a beautifully drawn illustration of your home. A reason (if one is needed) to get back into letter writing again.

A blue bike! A BLUE bike! Is any rationale needed? The beautiful Birdie from Bobbin Bicycles.

Customisable necklace from Return to Me. You get the necklace and yarn and it's up to you to design and make your own. How fab is that?!

Gorgeous screen printed bag from Bookhou on Etsy. A good way to carry the knitting around methinks.

Silhouette Cross Stitch kit from What Delilah Did. A nice little project to keep your hands busy while watching The Muppet Christmas Carol for the umpteenth time...

So, that's it. We're off to frantically panic buy the last (first?) of our Christmas presents and eat our body weight in mince pies. We got a busy time up ahead with lots of things planned for gather in the new year, so keep coming back here to find out what's going on and/or follow us on twitter @gatherkits. Merry Christmas!