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Gift ideas

Gift ideas for readers and the people who love them: teachers, dog lovers, gothic fans and anyone who is hard to buy for. Practical lists of what people actually keep, with honest advice on what to skip and what to spend, and the prints that make a gift with a story in it.

This is fine dog meme art print in bold 1930s screen-print poster style: a smiling dog in a hat sits at a table with a yellow mug while flames fill the room. Shown framed in black, white or natural oak and unframed, with the style reference and behind-the-scenes shots.

12 October 2026

Secret Santa ideas under £20 that people actually keep

Secret Santa has one job: make someone laugh, and not cost the earth. Here is how to pick a present that will be kept, with ideas at three budgets and a way to get it there on time.

Espresso not depresso print: a cute espresso martini character with big sparkly anime eyes and three coffee beans on its foam, in front of a 70s rainbow arch in tangerine, coffee brown and caramel. Shown framed in black, white or natural oak and unframed, with behind-the-scenes shots.

12 October 2026

Stocking fillers for her and him that are not chocolate

A good stocking filler is small, a bit of a surprise, and not a third box of chocolates. Here are ideas for her and for him, including one that costs £7.99 and fits inside a card.

Personalised allotment plan print in blue-and-white technical lines: a blueprint of an allotment with numbered beds, a shed, water butt and compost heap, and a title block for the site name, plot number and owner.

12 October 2026

Gifts for gardeners who have everything

Gardeners buy their own trowels. The best gift for a gardener is something that belongs to the garden, not the shed. Here are ideas the person who has everything will still be pleased to open.

Wind in the Willows map print in soft watercolour with ink lettering: the river from Ratty's house past the weir to Toad Hall, with the Wild Wood dark on one bank and Badger's home hidden inside.

12 October 2026

Christmas gifts for grandparents who love stories

Grandparents have most things, and they do not want more clutter. What they like is a gift with a story in it, or one from the grandchildren that says someone remembered. Here are ideas for grandad and grandma.

Personalised ex libris bookplate print in engraved ink on cream: a border of stacked books, a reading lamp and a cup of tea, with Ex Libris above and a mum's name and a year set in the centre.

12 October 2026

Gifts for mum from her daughter that she will keep

The best gifts for mum are the ones that say you noticed. Here are ideas that say it, from a personalised bookplate print to a scene every daughter of Little Women will know.

Personalised dog memorial print in the style of Edwin Landseer: a gentle portrait of a dog at rest, with Lord Byron's epitaph, Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, and a line for the dog's name and years.

12 October 2026

What to give someone who has lost a pet

There is no right thing to say when a dog or cat has died. A small, thoughtful gift can say it for you. Here is what to give, and what to write.

Delulu is the solulu print in Y2K pastel style: fat white bubble letters with a pink outline on a dreamy pink, lilac and baby blue sky with fluffy clouds, rainbows, hearts and sparkles. Shown framed in black, white or natural oak and unframed, with behind-the-scenes shots.

12 October 2026

Christmas gifts for students that are not noodles

Students have a small room, a small budget and a lot of opinions. A good gift for them is cheap, funny and does not need storing. Here are ideas from £7.99.

Wuthering Heights quote print in romantic Victorian oil style: two lovers embrace on a stormy heather moor with a farmhouse on the ridge behind, the Emily Bronte quote whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same set across the sky. Shown framed in black, white or natural oak and unframed, with the style reference and behind-the-scenes shots.

12 October 2026

Couple gift ideas that are not flowers

Flowers are lovely and last a week. A better gift for a couple is something that goes on the wall and says something about them. Here are love stories from the shelf, and what to write.

Lord of the Rings inspired art print of the broken Gate of Minas Tirith before dawn, in the style of a Victorian Gothic wood engraving. A black rider in a crown surges out of the dark arch with a flaming sword, the only colour on the sheet, while a lone old man on a horse waits in his path. Shown framed in black, white and natural oak and unframed, A4 and A3, with the Chapter & Scene signature in the margin.

12 October 2026

Tolkien gifts for the reader who has everything

The reader who has all the books, the maps and the mugs is hard to buy for. What they do not have is a print of the scene they love, in a style they did not expect. Here are the options from the shop.

Personalised teacher thank-you print in the style of a coloured botanical engraving: one plant shown in four stages from seed to flower on cream, with Thank you for helping me grow and a line for the class name and year.

12 October 2026

Teacher gift ideas that are not another mug

Teachers get a lot of mugs. Here is what they actually keep, from a thoughtful note to a print for the classroom wall, at every budget.

Literary Dogs print in the style of a Victorian dog portrait: four vintage breed plates of Bull's-eye, Toto, Nana and Buck, each labelled with its dog's name, its book and author, on cream paper.

12 October 2026

Gifts for dog lovers who love books

If someone you know loves dogs and loves books, there is a whole shelf of literature written for them. Here are the famous dogs of fiction, a famous epitaph, and gift ideas to match.

Coraline inspired art print in black woodcut style: the Other Mother with black button eyes and red fingernails smiles over a roast chicken as Coraline, seen from behind, sits at the table. Shown framed in black, white or natural oak and unframed, with the style reference and behind-the-scenes shots.

5 October 2026

Boo basket ideas for book lovers

A boo basket is a little Halloween gift basket of treats for someone you love, the spooky cousin of an Easter basket. For a reader, the best ones are built around a book. Here is how I would fill one.

Secret Santa ideas under £20 that people actually keep

Stocking fillers for her and him that are not chocolate

Gifts for gardeners who have everything

Christmas gifts for grandparents who love stories

Gifts for mum from her daughter that she will keep

What to give someone who has lost a pet

Christmas gifts for students that are not noodles

Couple gift ideas that are not flowers

Tolkien gifts for the reader who has everything

Teacher gift ideas that are not another mug

Gifts for dog lovers who love books

Boo basket ideas for book lovers

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