Struggling for gift ideas and want to shop handmade this Christmas but don’t know where to look? Why not check out our fabulous Artists’ Tuck Shop Handmade Christmas Gift Guide for which we’ve compiled together a list of some of our favourite UK-based artists, designers and traders so you can shop small, shop local and shop handmade this Christmas!
This Guide is all about putting the spotlight on local makers we admire – many of which we haven’t had an opportunity to work with (yet!). If you want to check out more of the artists we have worked with and what Artists’ Tuck Shop have stocked for this Christmas, then head to our online store! Remember when you buy one of out artist-led products, 70% of the sale goes directly to the makers and we invest 10% from our end into our art commission fund! This enables us to keep commissioning artists to make more products for us!
We’ve not been endorsed by any of the makers mentioned below and have done this entirely to spread support to local makers and promote the idea of shopping handmade this Christmas. We had a lot of fun putting this guide together and researching the work of each artist and designer mentioned below and hope you enjoy getting to know some of them! We’ve split our Artists’ Tuck Shop Handmade Christmas Gift Guide into 6 Christmas gift categories and picked 5 makers for each. We’ve also highlighted a personal favourite product from each. Also, don’t miss our Custom Gift Ideas near the bottom of the page for some extra special, customisable gifts to add a more personal touch to your Christmas shopping.
| CERAMIC gift ideas |
Claire Henry ceramics
Claire Henry is a small-batch production potter working from her studio in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland. Originally from western Canada, she received her BFA from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2008, focusing on ceramic form and design.
Her work can be found in private collections across the UK, South Korea, Europe and North America. Focusing on durability, function and form, the online shop is updated 3-4 times a year – shipping everywhere in the UK.
Her next shop update will be 10th December!
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Claire Henry’s handbuilt vases
Clod & Pebble
Christopher Viviani is the maker behind Clod & Pebble.
His wooden and ceramic ware are a step away from the mundane and lifeless mass produced ware and is a celebration of individuality and uniqueness.
Trained as a Sculptor and inspired by nature, bushcraft and food, Christopher constantly thinks about how the right piece of kitchenware can change your relationship with food and increase your pleasure of eating.
Whether it’s a mug that fits your hand perfectly, a favoured bowl to eat your morning cereal from, or something for your home, you can find something here that helps you stand out every day.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Clod & Pebble’s Huggable Mugs!
foxed
‘foxed’ is a one woman maker of things, using wild and commercial clays to hand build unique items for your home & garden.
She spends her days collecting clay, making ceramics by hand building the pieces and everything associated with running a small independent business. She doesn’t own a wheel and most likely never will. She gathers small amounts of ‘wild clay’ from the surrounding forests, hills and rivers in Scotland, always from beautiful locations. It’s processed in the studio at the farmhouse on the hill, mainly during the summer when it’s warm and good for drying large buckets of gathered clay, removing the large stones and organic material in preparation for use. The process is labour intensive to prepare, dry, wedge and ready the materials to be suitable enough to work with. When you buy ‘foxed’ work you know that you’re buying something unique and quite special, never mass produced and only made in small batches.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
foxed Lace Patterned Faux Tea Light Holder
KJA Studio
Kirsty Jay Anderson AKA KJA Studio, graduated from Grays School of Art in Aberdeen and the last ten years of making textiles has helped to inform her new direction into ceramics.
While attending classes in Edinburgh and self study over the last few years, Kirsty’s transition from cloth to clay has been challenging, exciting and ever changing. Clay will be a lifetime of learning and one that she loves to engage with every day.
Her ceramics are inspired by nature and the path it leaves behind on the landscape. The vessels themselves are simple shapes taken from Kirsty’s interest in the aesthetics of past objects – milk churns, chemistry beakers and enamel wear. These shapes will continue to inform each other as she grows and develops her practice.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
KJA Studio’s Utensil Holder!
Wild Gorse Pottery
Wild Gorse Pottery was founded in 2019 by Jen Smith. Jen’s work is rooted in craftsmanship, where skill can turn a common, inexpensive material into a valued and cherished object. She strives to make glazes and pots which are both durable and enjoyable to use first and foremost. Considerations of surface and colour come after and are often influenced by ancient pottery, worn and weathered surfaces, and muted colours of the ground and sea.
Wild Gorse has a physical shop on Pollokshaws Road in Glasgow so be sure to pop by for a look. There’s loads of great products but a personal fave would have to be these wee spoon rests!
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Wild Gorse Pottery’s Cobalt Brushwork Spoon Rest
| homewares & lifestyle gifts |
camban studio
Camban Studio by Fiona Hall loves the slow made, hand crafted, explorative and creatively meaningful processes involved in textile making, and wants to encourage others to appreciate the many benefits of craft, connection and textile skill.
Everything Fiona makes starts with an exploration of her local environment. Learning about the ecology and discovering a sense of place.
She loves translating the landscapes, colours, textures and shapes into contemporary print designs, enabling you to take the unique beauty of that place to you.
Whenever possible, Fiona sources and uses dead stock and the finest offcuts from the best Scottish textile producers.
Taking their finest quality sustainable cashmere and wool, and along with beautiful silks, cottons and linens, she applies her prints to create a unique and precious range of textile products that are small batch produced in limited quantities right here in Scotland!
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Camban Studio’s Limited Edition Bloom Cushion
east end press
East End Press are an independent design and print studio based in the East End of Glasgow creating colourful and sustainable homeware and stationery.
They design colourful decorative objects for your home, and work with crafts people all over the world to create beautiful made objects using traditional crafts and processes. They love colour and pattern, and make unique party and Christmas decorations to add some style to any occasion. East End Press are inspired by folk art, traditional crafts and children’s book illustrations.
Their work has always been inspired by the traditional crafts and folk art of other cultures so it was a natural progression, and a dream come true, to work with printers and crafts people all over the world. All products sold by East End Press are hand printed, hand painted or hand dyed- skilled human hands made these products individually with craftsmanship and care. East End Press believe in treating and paying everyone who works with them fairly, and have personally visited all their manufacturing partners. To create their paper products they work with fair trade SEDEX certified printers in Jaipur. This means everyone involved in the supply chain is paid a fair wage and treated fairly and safely. They only use recycled paper in both their products and their packaging, and everything is printed with non toxic water based inks.
All of East End Press’ products are designed in Scotland, where they work from a studio in the east end of Glasgow.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
East End Press’ Tropical Bird Garland
mirrl
The product now known as Mirrl has been in development for fifteen years – trialled, manufactured and provided to clients by founding partner Simon Harlow purely by word of mouth, through his company Simon Harlow Design & Build Ltd.
Mirrl’s origins are in Japan. Co-founder Simon Harlow lived and worked there over fifteen years ago and during the trip came across heirloom objects decorated with an exquisite pattern. He began to look into the origins of the decorative style and discovered it was made using an increasingly rare six hundred year old technique called Tsugaru Nuri.
Having seen what the Japanese laquer artists could achieve, he started to try out different techniques back home using resin and colour. After considerable experimentation he created the surface pattern which is now called Mirrl.
Their new mySplash collection offers exuberant and joyful homewares and tableware in an affordable and postable format. mySplash is the latest nutritious instalment from their ongoing collaborative relationship with the fabulous Adam Nathaniel Furman.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Mirrl’s Double & Triple Swirl Coasters
no comply
No Comply is a celebration of skateboarding and its unique community. Consisting of a wee team of two — Cat & Andy, craft from their workshop inside an old barn, nestled in the beautiful Perthshire countryside.
The pieces No Comply make are made from broken, disused skateboards donated from skaters across Scotland. By the time they get their hands on them, the boards have already generated memories and enjoyment on the street or in the park. On some pieces, you will see evidence of this as No Comply incorporate the scratches and smudged graphics into the design. Their aim is to ensure the boards generate more memories and enjoyment in a whole new form. As each piece is handmade and the colour of the dyed ply varies from skateboard to skateboard, their range varies frequently. This means each piece is unique and there may be only a limited availability of colour combinations – once it’s gone, it’s gone! So don’t forget to check back regularly to see what new treats No Comply have available!
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
No Comply’s Pressed Skateboard & Pippy Oak Chopping Board
rekha maker
Rekha Maker is a design business which focuses on the casting process. They use a liquid ‘eco-concrete’ called Jesmonite and pour these into handmade moulds to create striking architectural homewares in small batches. Rekha is a full-time Architect, and started the Rekha Maker business during lockdown last year; many of the designs were already in her head, she just hadn’t devoted the time yet to test them.
Making everything herself, Rekha falls between the categories of both craftsperson and designer. Through the casting process, she aims to create high quality, unique pieces which can stand on their own as objects, even when they are not fulfilling their function. Rekha likes to focus on proportions and clean lines. If she could sum up the over-arching theme of her work it would be ‘sculptural architecture for the home’.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Rekha Makers’ MINIMAL Jesmonite Candle Holder
| illustration & print gifts |
Alex Weir
Alex Weir (aka Smex) is an artist and illustrator based in Glasgow. His practice explores ideas of community, connection and identity through painting, drawing and digital illustration – which is often then presented in large-scale interactive installations. Everyday and recognisable subject matters, in particular those from food culture, are always apparent, along with humorous imagery and playful storytelling.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Alex Weir’s Chip Shop Colouring Book
jennie bates
Jennie Bates is an artist from the South Side of Glasgow, working across different mediums creating illustrative murals and window displays, prints and 3D works. She specialises in screen printing, using paper cut-outs to make the layers which gives my prints a handmade and experimental feel. Jennie’s prints show familiar objects portrayed in unexpected ways, with a slightly surreal feel inspired by my love of collage. The objects float about on the paper and suggest the presence of people without actually portraying them.
Across all of her work – from screen prints to one-off dioramas, Jennie explores her interest in human innovation and enquiry. Whether portraying the mechanics of a bike or a musical instrument, or attempting to illustrate a myth or theory, a basic interest in people and how their minds work is the driving force behind what Jennie does.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Jennie Bates’ “Carril-bici” 2-colour Screen Printed T-Shirt
KFRBS
KFRBS is a Glasgow-based illustrator, muralist and animator.
Her artwork often takes on a humourous perspective as she tries to make light of her own misfortune. Based on her own life experiences, KFRBS ironically narrates both the beauty and autonomy of everyday life.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
KFRBS 2022 Calendar
POTluck zine
Potluck is a print and digital zine all about cooking, eating and sharing food.
Created and edited by Rhia Cook, a passionate home cook and textile design graduate with no prior experience in hospitality or running a magazine, Potluck creates a place for everyone to tell their own personal stories about food, and share in the joys that come along with it. The zine is a place to document the family recipes, obsess over personal fascinations, and share the little memories you associate with your favourite meals. Potluck provides a different way to read about food, one that’s people-focused, diverse and enjoyable.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
A Year’s Subscription to Pot Luck Zine
rachelle w designs
Rachelle is an illustrated homeware designer based in Edinburgh.
Drawing inspiration from things she loves such as her favourite foods and the vibrant city she lives in, she translates her designs into a range of colourful homeware. Her latest collection, “Homegrown” promotes fresh produce in a colourful design and most recently features an autumnal twist with assorted pumpkins and squashes.
All her work start of as either carefully hand drawn illustrations or with pieces of hand cut textured paper to create collages. Each piece is then scanned and tweaked slightly to carry the colour vibrancy through to the finished product.
Sourcing only good quality and responsibly sourced materials, the brand also seeks to keep the British manufacturing heritage alive.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Rachelle W Designs’ Pumpkin & Squash Tote Bag
| Jewellery gifts |
Dust Studio
Founded by artist and maker Ishbel Mackenzie, and based in Glasgow, Scotland, Dust Studio provides carefully designed, wearable objects that are made by hand.
Dust Studio pieces reflect a simple, sculptural aesthetic alongside a playfully bold use of colour. The lightweight nature of polymer clay makes for fun, tactile styles that are a joy to wear. Each piece is hand crafted with love and care, using hypoallergenic findings to create comfortable, effortless jewellery.
All jewellery is made to order and each piece is unique.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Dust Studio’s Wiggle Necklaces
Nmarra
NMARRA was established in 2017 by designer and long-time earring aficionado Jen Stewart. Intrigued by the possibilities of working with brass and developing drawings into wearable designs the experimentation began, and NMARRA came to life.
NMARRA strives to bring intrigue and interest to affordable accessories. Designs take inspiration from the rich visual language of the natural world, reflect structure in our built environments and play with forms inspired by folk art and 20th century design.
Made from warm brass, these statement pieces make a great gift for yourself or others. Get ready for a barrage of compliments as these irreverent earrings never go unnoticed!
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Nmarra’s Kela Earrings
RR Designs
RR Designs, established by jeweller Rachel Rogers in 2015, specialises in sterling silver collections with a focus on sculptural design. All pieces of RR Designs jewellery are carefully designed and handcrafted by Rachel in her Glasgow studio.
Working with sterling silver, she incorporates a range of traditional and contemporary silversmithing techniques to create unique collections.
Paper and copper models play a fundamental part in her creative practise, providing a basis to explore the natural ductile and malleable qualities of the materials. The act of methodically exploring and manipulating simple shapes and forms results in beautiful organic sculptures that showcase the structural designs within nature and exploit the bespoke qualities in each individual piece of handcrafted jewellery.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
RR Design’s Petal Bar Studs
smith & gibb
Smith & Gibb is a jewellery business solely designed, made and managed by Rebecca E Devine (formerly Smith).
The name, Smith & Gibb, originated from her time at Duncan of Jordanstone Art School in Dundee, where part of her degree show collection was inspired by love letters sent between her Grandparents – Trevor Smith & Margaret Gibb.
Part of her graduate collection Rebecca used original handwriting and images of the pair together and apart over the period of 1943-1946, through very uncertain times during WWII.
Trevor Smith, Rebecca’s Grandfather, was a spitfire pilot and wrote almost everyday he was away to his sweetheart back home, Margaret. It was a truly emotional and inspiring project, that led way to Rebecca continuing her love of designing and making jewellery.
Although Rebecca no longer makes work with her Grandparents letters, she has always got them with her in Smith & Gibb. If anything has taught her from their beautiful letters, is the importance of communication and to hold your nearest and dearest close – and even more importantly to enjoy life!
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Smith & Gibb’s Circle Window Pendant – Enamel
Heather woof
Heather is a jewellery designer based in Edinburgh working with traditional techniques to create understated yet distinctive jewellery. She creates each piece in her Edinburgh studio with a focus on craftsmanship and detail.
A pared back aesthetic characterises her work. Clean lines and simple forms are balanced with a love of pattern and rhythm. Her inspiration is rooted in observations of the natural world, of shifting light and landscape. This is translated through drawing, abstraction and methodical making process. Her work explores restrained simplicity, a sense of unruly precision and balance of form.
Heather aims to create essential pieces that remain favourites for years to come.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Heather Woof’s Ripple Earrings
| Gifts for Plant Lovers |
another studio
Another Studio is a plant loving, conscientious, design company, founded on Aimee Furnival’s kitchen table in London, in 2009. Their inspiration comes from ephemera, architecture and the botanics. They’re enthusiastic about every product they create, especially if it plays with scale.
As well as producing their own collections, Another Studio have worked with museums, universities, galleries, publishers and creative brands to design bespoke retail and promotional products.
Another Studio’s latest mission is becoming an environmentally friendly company. So far they’ve been able to achieve carbon neutral deliveries for all their stockists’ orders and all their packaging is 100% biodegradable. They’ve also been composting all their organic studio waste, and recycling or reusing all the boxes and plastic that comes into their studio.
Now in 2021, Another Studio work from their own beautiful sun-lit, plant filled studio in Deptford. With a small but mighty enthusiastic team, all with a passion for plants.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Another Studio’s Plant Animal Decorations
brazen botany
Brazen Botany is a statement art collection by Irish designer Caroline Byrne. Their products are designed and carefully handcrafted in their London studio.
Brazen Botany became Caroline’s labour of love during lockdown 2020. Being stuck in her London flat paled in comparison to her previous life of a set designer, creating ad campaigns and window displays for luxury brands. Caroline wanted to bring that vibrancy and atmosphere into her own home, but all her previous attempts with plant parenting had ended in failure. This became a problem to solve as Caroline endeavoured to create something everlasting. She decided to put her skills, passion and artistic license to good use and create the magic of a tropical jungle inside her home. Caroline became playful with colours and textures and went beyond what exists in nature to create her own statement art houseplants, made of her favourite high quality materials!
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Brazen Botany’s Medium Pink Prayer Plant
glasgow plant mama
Glasgow Plant Mama turned her personal indoor plant jungle and crazy plant lady blog into a business following the first lockdown in 2020. Aimed at making houseplants easier to understand and more accessible she specialises primarily in easy-care air-purifying plants and offers a range of care classes & workshops! She also hosts a live Q&A on her Instagram every Friday night from 4pm where she gives advise on any planty problems you might be experiencing!
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Glasgow Plant Mama’s Holiday Jungle Box
Emily Siân Hart
Emily Siân Hart is a crocheter living and working from her plant-filled home studio in Glasgow. She designs and makes crocheted plants and colourful homeware and accessories.
She studied Fine Art Photography at The Glasgow School of Art and after graduating she began crocheting. She instantly loved the versatility of medium and was crocheting as often as she could. As a plant lover, she decided to combine these two interests and began making her crocheted cacti. After opening up her online shop, she expanded her product range to include other plant themed pieces – plant pots, plant hangers etc. She also makes a small selection of crocheted jewellery and other accessories.
She loves making fun, cheerful pieces to brighten up your home.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Emily’s Crochet Cactus with Hand Painted Pot
tass floral studio
Tass Floral Studio is a Glasgow based studio florist and cutting garden run by Sonia selling small batch floral wreaths and bouquets, whilst offering bespoke commissions and arrangements for weddings and events.
According to A Scots Dictionary of Nature by Amanda Thomson, Tass or Tas can mean: a small heap of earth or a cluster of flowers. A very fitting name for Sonia starting her own flower business from her own small heap of earth – small suburban garden in Glasgow!
Being a gardener and keen walker, both garden plants and those growing in the wild inspire Sonia’s work; meaning free flowing, meadowy shapes are her style.
She also loves having things on hand in the garden to cherry pick and add to her work. For Tass, she always tries to be as sustainable as possible; never using floral foam and always aiming to use local seasonal flowers as much as she can.
ARTISTS’ TUCK SHOP’S TOP PICK:
Tass Floral Studio’s XL Dried Flower Bouquet
| Custom Gift Ideas |
David mcdiarmid studio’s custom fruit & Veg Paintings
David is a Glasgow-based artist producing food-related artworks and homewares using a wide range of different materials and processes, and often working on various limited editions or collections at a time.
Inspired by facts, stories and myths associated with food history, David produces paintings, prints, ceramic wares & hand cast jesmonite homeware products from his ‘foodio‘ in Glasgow.
He also provides fabrication services. using his expertise in woodwork, mould-making & casting to produce exhibition / market display furniture for other makers.
Why not give the gift of one of David’s choose your own Fruit & Veg oil paintings this Christmas and get your family member or friend’s favourite fruit or veg captured by David on a small plywood board! Plus for every order, David is donating £5 to Locavore’s Good Food Fund which is used to support charities and organisations fighting local food poverty issues.
JUJU BOoks’ personalised photo album
Juju Books was founded in Glasgow in 2017 by bookbinder, illustrator and all-round paper enthusiast Gillian Stewart.
The studio takes on commissions of one-off bespoke projects, as well as short runs of up to 100 books, depending on the process and deadline. Using traditional and contemporary techniques, Gillian works with a variety of materials and processes to find the right fit for each project.
These bespoke photo albums are a wonderful way to hold special photographs, tickets and ephemera. Bound in a soft linen bookcloth that’s soft to the touch and hand finished in gold, using traditional bookbinding techniques. Available in two sizes – just under A5 landscape and just over A4 portrait.
30 leaves, interleved with acid-free tissue to protect your photographs. To be used with photo corners.
Personalisation available for up to three words/ names or initials in gold 24pt sans-serif typeface.
little letter studio
Combining hand-drawn illustrations with beautiful colours, Jo Martin’s timeless prints make the perfect gift for a new born baby or decoration for your child’s bedroom, playroom or nursery.
This fun nursery print features lots of animals and quirky details including a bear riding a bicycle, a bull and a bird!
Children will love to discover everything beginning with the letter B in their very own personalised art print.
All of their alphabet prints can be personalised with a child’s name, which creates a unique and timeless gift for new babies and young children!
logs studio’s logs large mirrors
Logs Studio is a one woman maker (plus 2 dogs!) producing handmade mirrors from her studio in Glasgow.
Logs Large mirrors are made to order and measure 75cm x 66cm
There are 5 design options that you can choose from but if you like a design but want different colours/takeaway/add something you can do that to!
3-4 weeks making time
Only Local delivery available or collection from Logs’ Glasgow based studio
studio mama’s personalised ceramic bunting
Studio Mama is a ceramics studio in Glasgow founded by the award-winning Artist Debbie Young. It began in response to the issues faced by creatives – namely high costs and a lack of support.
Studio Mama offers affordable kiln hire (without membership), workshops and expertise, plus sells a unique range of made in house ceramic wares.
Studio Mama’s personalised ceramic bunting can be made with your own bespoke message! Comes with 6 ceramic flags, with additional flags available for longer messages at an additional £5 each.
If you enjoyed this, then check out our other posts on the Artists’ Tuck Shop Blog!
For more ideas, remember that you can also shop Artists’ Tuck Shop’s very own range of specially commissioned, handmade artist-led products!
Artists' Tuck Shop 