Not on the High Street - The Perfect Place for Unique Gift Ideas

Around this time of year my mind turns to finding the perfect Christmas presents for my friends and family. I like to really think about what gift each individual would really love. I think the perfect present doesn't need to be expensive or lavish but it does need to be thoughtfully tailored to them. Saying that, it does take a lot of effort to pick gifts in this way but that's where Not on the High Street comes in! 

I found this site a few years ago while searching for items that could be personalised and have been a regular visitor ever since. One of my latest buys was for my best friend's birthday - a spice cooking kit containing all the ingredients to make a three-course meal delivered to her door every month! She's just moved into her first home so I thought she could treat us when we visit! One of my favourite gifts is a personalised picture we brought for my fiancés auntie’s wedding - whilst in Australia we simply emailed the seller a picture of her beautiful wedding venue and picked the frame. The seller then sketched the venue finishing it off with the bride and grooms names and wedding date - they loved it!

The founders of Not on the High Street, Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish, have been an inspiration to me after reading their joint book 'Build a Business from Your Kitchen Table'. They started their business in 2006 with the mission to find the most original items from the best creative small businesses and bring them together in one place. Not on the High Street was literally devised from their kitchen table which they say they still have in one of their meeting rooms! It is one of the UK's fastest growing e-commerce businesses and in just seven years they've gone from having 100 small businesses on board to thousands of creatives. Very inspirational!

The reason I love and use Not on the High Street so much is that it's a very easy way to buy perfect presents for any occasion. The website is beautifully designed to show off the latest products yet very easy to use with items grouped into home, fashion, pets, etc. with each group broken down into recipient, occasion, personality (love this!) and category such as experiences, hampers, ribbon and wrap and sweet treats.

The other reason I'm such a big fan of Not on the High Street is that by buying from them, I am supporting British independent businesses as everything comes directly from one of the creatives who make up their collection of sellers.

The one bad thing about Not on the High Street is that there are so many unique and gorgeous products to buy, it's easy to get carried away! But, with Christmas fast approaching at least I have an excuse to browse and buy, maybe throwing in a few things for myself!

I've picked out a small collection of items I adore from the newest arrivals on Not on the High Street...

Enjoy shopping! Jane x

Personalised Pet Bowl by ADRA - Beau is in need of a new bowl and this will suit him down to the ground!

Stamp Your Own Cookies Kit by STOMPSTAMPS - I love to give a little Christmas hamper filled with homemade goodies to family members and this year, they can be personalised! 

Personalised Child Story Book by LOSTMY.NAME - My nephew will be learning to read soon so this is the perfect Christmas present to help him along and bring the story to life. 

Personalised Tape Sequin or Snow Bauble by THE LETTEROOM - I think The Letteroom is my favourite seller having brought a number of personalised items from them before. These Christmas decorations really jumped out at me... I have to have them for their uniqueness and bright neon colours!