
As part of my gift guide series this year, I wanted to dedicate one to the small independent businesses dotted around Salisbury... I moved here at the beginning of the year and even now I'm still discovering small local businesses that I hadn't heard of up until now. With Christmas mode in full swing in the city, I wanted to share some independents to check out when Christmas shopping...
The Local Salisbury Business Gift Guide
Etica Boutique
Captive Worlds
Sister's Wardrobe
A newer addition to Salisbury, Sister's Wardrobe is a preloved clothing shop that only sell items that are in good condition. The items are all higher ticket pieces but at a far better price than you'd pay for them new, including those still with tags! In case you weren't aware, you can actually sell your pieces in the store and receive 50% of the profit. From All Saints to Lucy & Yak, they stock a wide range of different brands, but by the very nature of the shop, all pieces are one off and the stock is always changing. It's worth noting they are closed on a Sunday too.
Casa Fina
Blueberry Den
Looking to make more sustainable purchases this year? Look no further than Blueberry Den. They're located on Winchester Street and are a plastic free shop that sell sustainable, local and ethical products. From plastic free beauty products (such as soaps and bath salts) to kitchen bits (like coconut wood cutlery) there's something for every eco-concious relative or friend.
Mhoho and Co

As part of my gift guide series this year, I wanted to dedicate one to the small independent businesses dotted around Salisbury... I moved here at the beginning of the year and even now I'm still discovering small local businesses that I hadn't heard of up until now. With Christmas mode in full swing in the city, I wanted to share some independents to check out when Christmas shopping...
The Local Salisbury Business Gift Guide
Etica Boutique
Captive Worlds
Sister's Wardrobe
A newer addition to Salisbury, Sister's Wardrobe is a preloved clothing shop that only sell items that are in good condition. The items are all higher ticket pieces but at a far better price than you'd pay for them new, including those still with tags! In case you weren't aware, you can actually sell your pieces in the store and receive 50% of the profit. From All Saints to Lucy & Yak, they stock a wide range of different brands, but by the very nature of the shop, all pieces are one off and the stock is always changing. It's worth noting they are closed on a Sunday too.
Casa Fina
Blueberry Den
Looking to make more sustainable purchases this year? Look no further than Blueberry Den. They're located on Winchester Street and are a plastic free shop that sell sustainable, local and ethical products. From plastic free beauty products (such as soaps and bath salts) to kitchen bits (like coconut wood cutlery) there's something for every eco-concious relative or friend.
Mhoho and Co


Custom Pet Portraits*
Have you ever seen Murph looking so put together? The Mr&MrsPaw canvases are really easy to order (you just choose your outfit and send off a photo of your pet) and within a few weeks, you have a custom pet portrait arriving at your door. The artists did a great job of drawing Murphy - just look at that resemblance! (You also get to request amendments to the artwork if it's not quite right, but this one of Murphy was perfect the first time!)
Where's Dog Name? Book
We actually have a copy of this book personalised with Murphy's name and cartoon, and it's such a fab gift idea. It's essentially a Where's Wally book, just with a little cartoon of your dog to spot, rather than Wally. My Mum received it as a gift a couple of Christmases ago and we've had many attempts at spotting him.
Chew This Journal
Who remembers the Wreck This Journals back in the Tumblr days? Well, this is a spin-off to complete with your dog and it looks like brilliant fun. The publishers describe it as a 'memory keeper and activity tracker' and it consists of over 100 activities.
Dog Air Fresheners
Anyone who knows me in person will know about my current air freshener (it's Phil Mitchell from Eastenders) but how cute would a personalised dog one be? Whilst they're a little pricier than your standard Halfords jobby, as a gift these are ideal! With Freshenify there is also a choice of 9 different scents as well as unscented if that's more your thing.
Dog On Socks
Custom Pet Portraits*
Have you ever seen Murph looking so put together? The Mr&MrsPaw canvases are really easy to order (you just choose your outfit and send off a photo of your pet) and within a few weeks, you have a custom pet portrait arriving at your door. The artists did a great job of drawing Murphy - just look at that resemblance! (You also get to request amendments to the artwork if it's not quite right, but this one of Murphy was perfect the first time!)
Where's Dog Name? Book
We actually have a copy of this book personalised with Murphy's name and cartoon, and it's such a fab gift idea. It's essentially a Where's Wally book, just with a little cartoon of your dog to spot, rather than Wally. My Mum received it as a gift a couple of Christmases ago and we've had many attempts at spotting him.
Chew This Journal
Who remembers the Wreck This Journals back in the Tumblr days? Well, this is a spin-off to complete with your dog and it looks like brilliant fun. The publishers describe it as a 'memory keeper and activity tracker' and it consists of over 100 activities.
Dog Air Fresheners
Anyone who knows me in person will know about my current air freshener (it's Phil Mitchell from Eastenders) but how cute would a personalised dog one be? Whilst they're a little pricier than your standard Halfords jobby, as a gift these are ideal! With Freshenify there is also a choice of 9 different scents as well as unscented if that's more your thing.
Dog On Socks
Jewellery
Toiletries
Candles
Can you beat a new, cosy candle? I think not. Anything that makes a room smell delicious is a win in my books, so obviously I had to include candles in this gift guide. I was sent this Rituals* one a while ago and it's really nice, it smells just like a spa. Other favourite shops for candles include: Yankee Candle (obviously), Homesense and Anthropologie. I'm not sure what else there is to say about candles other than they smell great, add a nice touch of warmth to a room and Mums love a candle...Jewellery
Toiletries
Candles
Can you beat a new, cosy candle? I think not. Anything that makes a room smell delicious is a win in my books, so obviously I had to include candles in this gift guide. I was sent this Rituals* one a while ago and it's really nice, it smells just like a spa. Other favourite shops for candles include: Yankee Candle (obviously), Homesense and Anthropologie. I'm not sure what else there is to say about candles other than they smell great, add a nice touch of warmth to a room and Mums love a candle...
And there we have it, my Gift Guide For Her 2019! How are you doing on the Christmas shopping front, have you nearly finished? If you're looking for more sort of beauty gifting ideas, I'd highly recommend checking this gift guide by Kirsty!

And there we have it, my Gift Guide For Her 2019! How are you doing on the Christmas shopping front, have you nearly finished? If you're looking for more sort of beauty gifting ideas, I'd highly recommend checking this gift guide by Kirsty!
What is a gift guide without some sort of fragrance, hey?! This Sweet Spice and Sandalwood one from Bespoke London is really nice and comes in at under a tenner - what a deal! I'm not even going to begin to try and explain what this smells of, it's just a great masculine sorta smell. 10/10 for effort there, Becca!
And there we have it, a short but sweet - and more importantly thoughtful - gift guide for him! I'm going to be posting my gift guide for her tomorrow, so do keep your eyes peeled for that for even more gifting inspiration!
In the meantime, please do tell me what you've bought for people so far, I'm always on the hunt for new ideas! Slide in my DMs, comment on this post, send me an email, I don't mind - let's just have a chat!
What is a gift guide without some sort of fragrance, hey?! This Sweet Spice and Sandalwood one from Bespoke London is really nice and comes in at under a tenner - what a deal! I'm not even going to begin to try and explain what this smells of, it's just a great masculine sorta smell. 10/10 for effort there, Becca!
And there we have it, a short but sweet - and more importantly thoughtful - gift guide for him! I'm going to be posting my gift guide for her tomorrow, so do keep your eyes peeled for that for even more gifting inspiration!
In the meantime, please do tell me what you've bought for people so far, I'm always on the hunt for new ideas! Slide in my DMs, comment on this post, send me an email, I don't mind - let's just have a chat!
The easiest things to buy are by far Christmas related things, so it's unsurprising that three of the items in this guide are just that. How cute are these gingerbread man socks?! They're a nice little novelty gift and I'm going to make sure that my Dad opens them Christmas morning so he can wear them all day. I think they were literally a pound or two in a local shop. I'm tempted to give him the fairisle pyjamas* early and let him wear them on the lead up to Christmas, but that sort of defeats the point of a Christmas present doesn't it really. The bottoms are really soft and fleecy and I love the Christmassy fairisle print!
I picked up the Festive Games set in Superdrug, and I'm going to be honest, I have absolutely no idea what the games entail... I'll find out on Christmas day and report back, but hopefully they're a good laugh.
My Dad always buys me new recipe books, so, this year, I thought I'd get one for him. It's a chicken recipe book, and yep, you guessed it, all of the recipes involve chicken. I've had a quick flick through it and some of the recipes sound DELICIOUS. On the topic of food, I bought this Christmas Spice Chutney as it seemed like such a 'Dad gift'. I personally don't like chutney, so don't have a lot else to say about this one other than it was £3 in Waitrose if you're wondering.
What would a gift guide be without chocolate and toiletries? I spotted these limited edition salted caramel Matchmakers and knew I had to get them, my Dad looooves salted caramel. The shower gel was just a huge Dove one I spotted in Superdrug and thought I'd pick it up. Nothing fancy about that one, just shower gel. (Can you tell I was struggling to think of gifts?)
Whilst I was scrolling on Amazon I found two other gifts that I thought were a little bit different. The first is a grow your own Bonsai tress kit... Yep, so random, but if successful I think they'll look really pretty. I like getting people gifts that involve something to actually do. So, when I also spotted the Lego Star Wars set, I immediately added it to my basket as another present/activity.
The easiest things to buy are by far Christmas related things, so it's unsurprising that three of the items in this guide are just that. How cute are these gingerbread man socks?! They're a nice little novelty gift and I'm going to make sure that my Dad opens them Christmas morning so he can wear them all day. I think they were literally a pound or two in a local shop. I'm tempted to give him the fairisle pyjamas* early and let him wear them on the lead up to Christmas, but that sort of defeats the point of a Christmas present doesn't it really. The bottoms are really soft and fleecy and I love the Christmassy fairisle print!
I picked up the Festive Games set in Superdrug, and I'm going to be honest, I have absolutely no idea what the games entail... I'll find out on Christmas day and report back, but hopefully they're a good laugh.
My Dad always buys me new recipe books, so, this year, I thought I'd get one for him. It's a chicken recipe book, and yep, you guessed it, all of the recipes involve chicken. I've had a quick flick through it and some of the recipes sound DELICIOUS. On the topic of food, I bought this Christmas Spice Chutney as it seemed like such a 'Dad gift'. I personally don't like chutney, so don't have a lot else to say about this one other than it was £3 in Waitrose if you're wondering.
What would a gift guide be without chocolate and toiletries? I spotted these limited edition salted caramel Matchmakers and knew I had to get them, my Dad looooves salted caramel. The shower gel was just a huge Dove one I spotted in Superdrug and thought I'd pick it up. Nothing fancy about that one, just shower gel. (Can you tell I was struggling to think of gifts?)
Whilst I was scrolling on Amazon I found two other gifts that I thought were a little bit different. The first is a grow your own Bonsai tress kit... Yep, so random, but if successful I think they'll look really pretty. I like getting people gifts that involve something to actually do. So, when I also spotted the Lego Star Wars set, I immediately added it to my basket as another present/activity.
It felt only right to start the month off with a gift guide, a stocking filler gift guide in fact. Being a student, as much as I'd love to add 17 Diptique candles to my basket, a Gucci belt and a Macbook pro to my basket, and checkout and be done with it, I unfortunately don't have the funds for that. Or even one Diptique candle when I come to think of it, but that's besides the point. Alas, my gift guides this year are all going to be very budget friendly (under £20) with products that are easily accessible... Sound good? Dive right in. (I have a gift guide for Mum's and one for Dad's coming very soon!)
What is a stocking filler gift guide without some toiletries? Of course, these can be whatever you fancy but I recently spotted this Zoella body cream on offer for a few quid in my local Superdrug and thought it would make a fab gift. On a similar theme, I think facemasks are always a really good gift as they're not necessarily something you go out of your way to try or purchase for yourself. I grabbed the L'Oreal Bright Mask as it claims to even tone and illuminate - two things I think that we could all do with a bit of.
Whilst trawling the internet, I spotted the nude lipstick set on the Boohoo website and thought I'd buy it, just in case it ends up being incredible. They were really affordable and the shades looked really nice online. Obviously I haven't tried them, they're a gift, but if the recipient likes them I'll be sure to report back. Maybe I've just discovrered some hidden treasure. I know I'm definitely guilty of not replacing my beauty blender enough, so, I thought a new, fresh one would make a great stocking filler. I personally use the Real Techniques one and I love it. Corrr, imagine opening this on Christmas morning and then using it to apply your makeup for the big day, it's the little things hey.
I spotted the burgundy lace cami on Boohoo for £8 and couldn't not buy it for my sister. It's such a gorgeous colour and would look lovely tucked into black jeans on Christmas day itself, or any day of the year for that matter. If you know the person well enough, I think items of clothing make a really nice gift. I love me some new clothes. Jewellery is another go-to stocking filler and this year Jewellery Box have particulalry caught me eye. They have an entire sterling silver range and it's really affordable, yay! For example, this necklace* costs only £5.95 and the earrings* are £5.85, and they even come in little presentation boxes.
I think I'm going to group the last three items in this gift guide under the umbrella term of 'cosy'; candles, pyjamas and slippers. How incredible do those fluffy grey bottoms look? PSA: They're from Primark and only cost a fiver, and yes, they're just as soft in real life as they look on camera. Speaking of Primark, that's where the tartan slippers are from. They're £2.50 and the ideal stocking filler in my opinion. The candle pictured I bought in IKEA the other day and it's their Vinter 2018 candle. It smells delicious; like Christmas cookies and I love the jar it comes in.
It felt only right to start the month off with a gift guide, a stocking filler gift guide in fact. Being a student, as much as I'd love to add 17 Diptique candles to my basket, a Gucci belt and a Macbook pro to my basket, and checkout and be done with it, I unfortunately don't have the funds for that. Or even one Diptique candle when I come to think of it, but that's besides the point. Alas, my gift guides this year are all going to be very budget friendly (under £20) with products that are easily accessible... Sound good? Dive right in. (I have a gift guide for Mum's and one for Dad's coming very soon!)
What is a stocking filler gift guide without some toiletries? Of course, these can be whatever you fancy but I recently spotted this Zoella body cream on offer for a few quid in my local Superdrug and thought it would make a fab gift. On a similar theme, I think facemasks are always a really good gift as they're not necessarily something you go out of your way to try or purchase for yourself. I grabbed the L'Oreal Bright Mask as it claims to even tone and illuminate - two things I think that we could all do with a bit of.
Whilst trawling the internet, I spotted the nude lipstick set on the Boohoo website and thought I'd buy it, just in case it ends up being incredible. They were really affordable and the shades looked really nice online. Obviously I haven't tried them, they're a gift, but if the recipient likes them I'll be sure to report back. Maybe I've just discovrered some hidden treasure. I know I'm definitely guilty of not replacing my beauty blender enough, so, I thought a new, fresh one would make a great stocking filler. I personally use the Real Techniques one and I love it. Corrr, imagine opening this on Christmas morning and then using it to apply your makeup for the big day, it's the little things hey.
I spotted the burgundy lace cami on Boohoo for £8 and couldn't not buy it for my sister. It's such a gorgeous colour and would look lovely tucked into black jeans on Christmas day itself, or any day of the year for that matter. If you know the person well enough, I think items of clothing make a really nice gift. I love me some new clothes. Jewellery is another go-to stocking filler and this year Jewellery Box have particulalry caught me eye. They have an entire sterling silver range and it's really affordable, yay! For example, this necklace* costs only £5.95 and the earrings* are £5.85, and they even come in little presentation boxes.
I think I'm going to group the last three items in this gift guide under the umbrella term of 'cosy'; candles, pyjamas and slippers. How incredible do those fluffy grey bottoms look? PSA: They're from Primark and only cost a fiver, and yes, they're just as soft in real life as they look on camera. Speaking of Primark, that's where the tartan slippers are from. They're £2.50 and the ideal stocking filler in my opinion. The candle pictured I bought in IKEA the other day and it's their Vinter 2018 candle. It smells delicious; like Christmas cookies and I love the jar it comes in.





























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