Christmas gift guide
15 Stocking Filler Ideas for Every Budget, Handmade by UK Makers
Handmade stocking filler ideas from independent UK makers. You'll find dispatch times with every pick, and every price includes UK postage.
- 15 handmade picks
- 15 independent UK makers
- £4.50 and up, UK postage included
- Dispatch times shown with every pick
Introduction by Jo Coombs
A good stocking is full of small surprises.
I wanted every one of my picks to be something to cherish, well after the Christmas decorations start to come down.
I've picked 15 handmade ideas from our brilliant makers, all independent creators across the UK. That includes touching little extras under £5, and personalised pieces that will come out every Christmas. I've worked closely with each maker included to check they can keep up with orders and how quickly they can post them.
You'll find their dispatch times with every pick, and every price includes UK postage. Happy shopping!
Quick picks by budget
All prices include UK postage.Stocking fillers under £5
Stocking fillers for £10 and under
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Christmas earrings
Cindel's Crazy Crafts
From £5.00
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Chocolate Labrador in a Santa hat decoration
Blueagapanthus
£5.68
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Custom monogram ornament
Craft & Camera
£5.99
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Christmas gonk
Cozie Crafter
£6.00
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Knitted wire initial ornament
The Crafty Cow
£7.00
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Hand-knitted reindeer bootees
Mad Cow Knits
£7.00
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Teeny gingerbread house decoration
DinkyJ Designs
£7.50
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Cat and dog decorations
Cecilia Mary
£8.00
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Christmas pudding chocolate orange cover
CraftyPudgey
£8.00
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Engraved robin coaster
Fig & Acorn
£8.50
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Penguin crochet bauble
The Lilac Ladybird
£10.00
For the tree
Beautiful Christmas tree decorations
For the tree
Jo's pickTeeny gingerbread house decoration
"I love their quirky individuality!" Jo Coombs
For anyone who loves a properly handmade tree. DinkyJ Designs makes these teeny gingerbread houses from felt, hand-embroidering the white icing and finishing each one with beads and sequins, which takes about an hour. At 6 × 5 × 3 cm they slip easily into a stocking, then hang on the tree every year after. They come in pink, blue, lilac and white.
Dispatched within 2 to 3 days. Sold individually.
My favourite part is doing the white 'icing' embroidery and adding the bead embellishments.
For the tree
Penguin crochet bauble
A cheerful pick for children, or anyone who collects cute decorations. The Lilac Ladybird crochets each penguin to order in vegan acrylic yarn, with a red and white scarf and a little yellow beak, in about two hours. It arrives with twine attached, so it can go straight on the tree, and at around 14 cm tall it's easy to spot among the branches.
Made to order. Dispatched within 10 days.
My favourite part of making it is seeing the face come to life with the black and white colour changes.
£10.00 including UK postage
For the tree
Christmas gonk
For anyone who likes a festive handmade touch around the house. Cozie Crafter makes each hanging gonk by hand, which takes around two and a half hours, finishing with a carefully brushed and trimmed beard. Choose green, grey, purple, red or teal to suit someone's decorations. It's small enough to tuck into a stocking and cheerful enough to come out every Christmas.
Dispatched the next working day. Five colours.
Hands down, brushing out and trimming their beards so they're Christmas-ready.
£6.00 including UK postage
More like this
Personalised
Their name or initial, made to order
Personalised
Custom monogram ornament
Made for children who want their own decoration on the tree. Nicky at Craft-&-Camera assembles each ornament to order around your chosen initial, decorated with a Santa hat, holly and a little gnome, with a silver loop for hanging. It's about 2 inches across and comes in a choice of colours, with or without glitter. One for each child makes an easy family tradition.
Made to order in about 5 days. Last Christmas orders: 15 December.
They are personal to the person they are purchased for.
£5.99 including UK postage
Personalised
Knitted wire initial ornament
A personalised pick that doesn't have to come down with the tree. The Crafty Cow hand-knits soft cord over a steel wire core, then bends it into your chosen initial, which takes about 45 minutes. It's light but sturdy, so it can stay up long after Christmas. Choose the letter and colour when you order.
Made to order, usually within 24 hours, and dispatched within 3 days. Last Christmas orders: 18 December.
Grandparents and parents usually buy them and often use them all year long.
£7.00 including UK postage Only 1 left
Personalised
Jo's pickCustom name knitted wire wreath
"A beautiful keepsake to use every Christmas!" Jo Coombs
A keepsake for a child, a grandparent or a baby's first Christmas. Bespoke&wonder knits each little wreath, tops it with a yarn bow and shapes the name in fine gold wire in the centre, about an hour's work per piece. There are four colourways, from green glitter to white with a red bow. Hang it on the tree, or use it as a place setting on Christmas Day.
Dispatched in 3 working days. Last Christmas orders: 14 December.
Shaping the tiny gold wire for the personalised name.
£12.00 including UK postage
More like this
For grown-ups
Little treats to wear, use and eat
For grown-ups
Christmas earrings
For teenagers and grown-ups who like to wear their Christmas spirit. Cindel's Crazy Crafts makes these little earrings in four designs: Santa, a snowman, a gingerbread man and Rudolph, or you can buy the complete set. Each pair takes three to four hours from start to finish. A fun, small stocking filler that gets worn right through December.
Made to order. Dispatched in about 3 days. Four designs, or the complete set.
I think seeing how they turn out is the best part of making them.
From £5.00 including UK postage Only 1 left
For grown-ups
Engraved robin coaster
By Fig & Acorn
For anyone who loves the robins that visit the garden in winter. Fig & Acorn engraves a robin onto each handmade wooden coaster, a new limited-edition design in the shop. It's a small, useful gift that sits beside a cup of tea right through the festive season and long after it. A good pick for a nature lover, a grandparent, or anyone who feeds the birds.
Limited-edition design.
£8.50 including UK postage
For grown-ups
Santa velvet scrunchie
For anyone heading to a Christmas party or a Christmas jumper day. Sarahs Craftery makes each scrunchie from red velvet trimmed with white faux fur, in batches of about ten. Parents and grandparents buy them for stockings, and grown-ups working in schools and nurseries wear them to get into the festive spirit. The fabric placement varies a little, so each one is slightly different.
Dispatched the next working day while stock lasts, with more being made. Not suitable for children aged 3 and under.
Best part is seeing them all come together at the end, and hearing from my buyers about how they're using them.
£4.50 including UK postage
For grown-ups
Christmas pudding chocolate orange cover
By CraftyPudgey
For teenagers and grown-ups with a sweet tooth. CraftyPudgey crochets each cover to look like a Christmas pudding, with a frilly edge, and the chocolate orange comes included. Each one takes 20 to 30 minutes to make. It arrives wrapped in cellophane and finished with a ribbon bow, so it can go straight into a stocking.
Chocolate orange included. Gift-wrapped in cellophane with a ribbon bow. Made in batches; allow up to 2 weeks for dispatch.
They are simple but elegant and I love the frilly edge.
More like this
For little ones
Soft, safe and made with care
For little ones
The Snowman Trio
A keepsake set for little ones who love imaginative play. twinkle_star pegdolls hand-paints three different snowmen onto beech wood peg dolls using non-toxic paints, and each set takes about a week to make. Teachers and early years settings use them for small world play, and grandparents often buy them as a keepsake. They make a sweet Christmas table decoration too.
Made to order. Dispatched in 7 to 10 days. For ages 3 and up; not for teething babies.
£21.00 including UK postage Only 1 left
For little ones
Jo's pickSanta's lost button
"Great for young nieces and nephews to keep the magic alive!" Jo Coombs
A little bit of Christmas Eve magic for families with young children. Jenny's Jewels makes each resin button by hand in small batches, about 30 minutes' work plus 12 hours to cure. Leave it by the tree or the fireplace on Christmas Eve, as the button Santa lost from his coat while delivering presents, and it becomes part of the story every year.
Dispatched within 7 days, and sooner once a batch is made.
I love making them and seeing the design come to life.
£4.50 including UK postage
For little ones
Hand-knitted reindeer bootees
For a new baby's first Christmas. Mad Cow Knits hand-knitted these reindeer bootees in baby double knit yarn over about four evenings, with every detail securely sewn on. They're newborn size, about 2.75 inches from heel to toe, and they post flat in an envelope. This is a one-off pair, so once they've gone, have a look at her other bootees in the shop.
One-off pair. Ships flat in an envelope. Last Christmas orders: 18 December.
I just love how cute and quirky they are.
£7.00 including UK postage Only 1 left
For pet lovers
For anyone who'd put the dog on the tree
For pet lovers
Chocolate Labrador in a Santa hat decoration
For Labrador lovers, especially anyone with a chocolate Lab of their own. Blueagapanthus makes each decoration to order from felt, embroidering the dog and its Santa hat, which takes 45 minutes to an hour. It's ready to hang on the tree the moment it's unwrapped, and it will come out every Christmas after.
Made to order and posted the next working day. Last Christmas orders: 11 December.
My dogs are very popular with dog lovers.
£5.68 including UK postage Only 1 left
For pet lovers
Cat and dog decorations
By Cecilia Mary
For cat and dog lovers, and anyone who'd like their stocking filler to do some good. Cecilia Mary makes these decorations from fabric set on log slices, each about 7.5 cm across, taking around 45 minutes apiece. Every penny goes to The Stroke Association, a charity close to her and her family's heart. Hang one on the tree, or give it to a friend with a much-loved pet.
Dispatched within a week. 100% of proceeds go to The Stroke Association.
Each piece takes about 45 minutes to create, a peaceful process I truly enjoy as ideas slowly come to life.
£8.00 including UK postage
About this guide
How we chose
Jo looked through hundreds of stocking fillers on Made By Mums, choosing some of her favourites to make up this guide. She left out anything without enough stock to go round and anything the maker couldn't send in good time. She picked one product per maker. Every pick was available when we published and is handmade by an independent UK maker. We chose them ourselves, and makers don't pay to be included.
Buying a handmade gift
Can I send it straight to the person?
Yes. At checkout, add their address as the delivery address and the maker will post it straight to them.
Will everything arrive together?
No. Each maker makes and posts their own items, so orders from different shops arrive separately, with postage per shop.
How do I get the personalisation right?
Double-check spellings and dates, fill in the personalisation box on the listing, and allow the extra making time shown on the listing.
Can I return a personalised gift?
Personalised and made-to-order items can only be returned if they're faulty or not as described. Most other items can be returned within 14 days of delivery for a refund.
Stocking filler questions
Small things that get used or kept: a tree decoration with their initial, a pair of festive earrings, a scrunchie, or a decoration of their dog. Personalised pieces work especially well, because they come out again every Christmas.
There's no set amount. Handmade stocking fillers on Made By Mums start under £5, and plenty of personalised pieces are £10 or under, with UK postage included. A few small things usually feel more fun to unwrap than one bigger one!
As early as you can, especially for anything personalised. Each maker sets their own dispatch times and last order dates, so check the listing before you order. Some makers stop taking Christmas orders in mid-December.