Gift Ideas for Christmas
It’s that time of year when we start to think about buying gifts for friends and loved ones to place under the Christmas tree. Recent visitors to Highland Safaris will have noticed our seasonal range of gifts on display in our shop. We are delighted to stock an amazing array of artists and small companies from Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Find something for everyone on our shelves, be that grandma, grandad, uncle, auntie, cousins, friends, colleagues as well as younger members of the family. Choose from a range of ethically sourced and fair-traded items such as handmade soaps, handbags, hats and scarves, candles, diffusers, plush toys, rocks, gems, kitchen and home accessories, and greeting cards.
Highland Soap Co
A family-run natural soap and skincare company based in the highlands of Scotland. The Highland Soap Co head office and workshop are located at the base of Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain. The Highland landscape is an inspiration for the product ranges and natural and local ingredients are widely used.
The soaps are handmade in small batches using centuries-old traditions, this slow cold-pressing process means each soap takes around 4 weeks to cure. Hand-making the soaps means they know exactly what goes into each bar, as they put it there themselves! The soaps are vegan, apart from the few that use honey, and are raw, organic, natural and cruelty-free. They use sustainable and transparent suppliers, and these gifts are presented in recyclable packaging.
The range of soaps, hand sanitisers, bubble baths, shampoo and conditioner, hand creams and diffusers include scents such as Wild Scottish Strawberry, Highland Lavender, Scottish Bog Myrtle, Wild Nettle and Heather, Hebridean Seaweed, Whiskey and Honey, Rosemary and Wild Nettle, Highland Honey and Oats, Bog Myrtle and Lemon Balm, Wild Scottish Rose and Scottish Honeysuckle and Milk Thistle.
Tilnar Art - Alumin art collection
Tilnar Art is a collection of people, who for over 20 years have been presenting an ethical range of home accessories from Africa. Formed in 2005 by Tom Hawes who gave up his career as a London solicitor to form Tilnar Art. Tom wanted to showcase the many artists he met on his trips to Zimbabwe, from humble beginnings, Tilnar Art has gone from strength to strength, and in 2009 added Besmo and MO-HOme to its portfolio.
Today, Tilnar, which stands for This Is Life Not A Rehearsal, continues to expand and support disadvantaged producers of artwork. This year it launched its website and over 100 new products, including the Alumin H2O Collection.
The range at Highland Safari's gift shop includes copper water bottles, which have centuries-old properties of reducing bacteria in water, polished aluminium animals, and sculpted trinket boxes, bowls, animals, and home accessories.
Dora Designs.
Initially started by director Angela who noticed her parents' doors were always kept open with stacks of magazines and noticed a gap for doorstops with character, Dora Designs has blossomed for over 30 years. The doorstops, draught excluders, and keyrings are stocked in high street stores, as well as niche independent gift shops.
The range includes knitted Scottish animals, such as the famed Highland cow, border terrier, and the Scottie dog. The Highland Safaris gift shop stocks a good range. This year Dora Designs launched a website enabling customers to browse the full catalogue of products.
Dolly Hotdogs
Bringing a dash of the Devon countryside into your home, the Dolly Hotdogs range of home furnishings, textiles and giftware is sure to delight. The original designs are by Michelle Williter, whose passion for food and still-life illustrations drives Dolly Hotdogs. Choose from oven gloves, pillows, tea towels, still life prints, or coffee mugs emblazoned with Bees, fish, shellfish, vegetables, wildlife and sea life.
All of the products are ethically designed and environmentally friendly produced where possible. Packaging is recycled, and they have a zero-plastic policy. Choose from the range of homeware stocked in our gift shop or browse the full collection online.
Pachamama
This gorgeous range of bold colourful knitwear is super eye-catching and perfect for the Scottish winter weather. Pachamama co-founders David Child and Cathy Stirland, began trading goods from the Andean Mountains in South America in 1990. An original pioneer of the slow fashion movement, the company has remained focussed on fair and ethical trading and sourcing of products. Most products are hand knitted by village-based communities, who knit around their family life and farm work, the company is committed to providing all year-round income to these seasonal workers.
The range of 100% woollen hats, scarves and gloves are perfect for a winter essential or stocking filler gift. You will also find adorable children's hats, with animal designs stocked in our gift shop, perfect for keeping little heads warm. While we stock a good range in the gift shop, you can find the full range available online. The online range includes women’s outerwear, sweaters, hoodies, and cardigans, alongside childrenswear and menswear items, all 100% wool and ethically traded.
Living Nature
Living Nature has been designing eco-friendly toys since 1974 and is a family-owned business that designs their toys, here in Scotland. The toys are safely manufactured in the Far East, comply with all safety regulations, and are not made from any animal-derived products meaning they are vegan-friendly toys.
We stock a good range of the plush toys, making them an ideal gift to end an enjoyable day on safari, or as a cuddly and cute Christmas gift or stocking filler for young animal-loving children and relatives!
Meg Hawkins
Meg Hawkins is an award-winning British watercolour artist, established in 2015 and based in Shropshire, England. The family-run business started at the kitchen table and has grown to produce giftware, homeware and greeting cards that are inspired by animals from around the world and the countryside surroundings.
The Meg Hawkins range we stock includes aprons, tea towels, diffusers, candles and greetings cards. These would make the ideal gift for those who had a love of great design, cooking and wildlife.
Find everything you need in our gift shop or email us if you have any questions about our suppliers. shop@highlandsafaris.net
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