The ULTIMATE Christmas Wishlist for Bloggers
I started my blog almost 6 years ago now, and blogging has become a bit of passion (aka obsession); way of life, the norm, and something that quite simply, I cannot imagine my life without in some shame or form. I have days where I love blogging and days where I absolutely hate it, but all things considered I wouldn’t change it for the world – through my blog I have made some amazing friends, met some fascinating and talented people and been blessed to have worked with some amazing brands. Through Facebook groups and support networks, I have also learned that bloggers are their own breed when it comes to their favourite things, and having participated in a number of blogger secret santas over the pat few years, it has become apparent that when buying gifts for a blogger there are a few categories of gifts with which you quite simply cannot go wrong.
Whilst we all have the tech and the essentials like laptops, cameras and phones, there are some smaller items which most bloggers would be chuffed to receive. If you’re a blogger and want to drop some not so subtle hints to your friends and family, or you are buying for the blogger in your life, you’ll find some inspiration below!
Organisation is Key
Despite it being 2018 and us living in a digital world, there are many bloggers like me who still find something incredibly satisfying about having a physical diary or planner to record our to do list, our achievements and our agenda for the next month or so. I love physically crossing something off when I have done it, seeing in visual form what lies in the weeks and months ahead, and keeping a physical record of my blog’s stats, posts to write, and a brain dump of thoughts that are overflowing from an already crowded brain.
I love the Dairy Diary because not only does it have loads of space for all my blog schedules, but includes inspiration for some fabulous home recipes too! They also have some extremely insta friendly designs like this gorgeous aqua leaf design below. It’s hard back and sturdy, meaning it an withstand a fair bit of being chucked around, and being A5 in size, it is big enough to provide the space I need whilst being small enough to pop into my handbag!
A Dream Pen
Cross Pens are normally really expensive, so are often more of a blogger’s dream pen than an actual reality. That said, Pen Heaven have some amazing deals on at the moment including these Chrome Colourway Cross Pens at HALF price making them a very affordable £27 each! Not only that they also come in this stunning gift box, making it even more exciting to reveal the stationery treat hiding inside.
Brain Dumps
Bloggers think a lot. Most of the time we think when we should be sleeping or when we are in the shower, but as a result, when we have a brainwave or sudden surge of inspiration we need to write it down somewhere where we can reflect back on it and process the thoughts at a later time.
These new Love Layla Notepads absolutely perfect and this I have no idea what I’m doing notepad perfectly sums out how I feel about my life most of the time. They also do some much ruder versions for those who like to be a little more free with their expletives, too rude to share on here but definitely worth checking out! 🙂 I also love the Gindependent Woman, I don’t work here, and List of People I want to Punch in the Face notepads – absolutely brilliant! We are massive fans of Love Layla here and I cannot recommend them enough if you are looking for a gift with a cheeky message which will really raise a smile.
For more of those random warblings and brain dumps, Pen Heaven have a beautiful range of Palmi Large Grained Leather Journals which are ideal to give as a gift, and can be embossed with initials or a message of up to two lines on the cover, should you wish to add the blogger’s brand name or name as a special addition. These leather journals are soft to the touch, high quality and again instagram friendly, and with a range of colours from Tan to Turqouise, Pastel Pink to Nordic Blue, you really will find something to suit every blogger.
I recently wrote “you know your a stationery addict when” and literally every single one of them applies to me!! I think a lot of bloggers fall into the same category, and as such, buying stationery as a gift is always likely to be a hit. I adore this Caran D’ache Pen from Pen Heaven which not only writes beautifully, but comes in a super stylish case in a stunning rose gold.
Brain Fuel
Bloggers in general, consume copious amounts of coffee, tea or other caffeinated drinks, usually to help us stay awake and complete all the stockpiling deadlines we have to submit by a particular date, or to provide us with enough energy to decline repeated requests for exposure, or chase outstanding payments. As a result, a good quality mug is an absolute must – we also love mugs with a bit of a difference (you only have to follow Brummy Mummy of Two to see that they can become quite the obsession!)
I completely fell in love with this Sass and Belle Flamingo Mug from The World Animal Protection Shop with it’s bright pink zig zag design and the neck of the bird making a fairly unique handle! With a purchase from here you are also supporting a great cause at the same time as drinking your coffee, so this one gets extra brownie points.
For the ultimate coffee lover, the Multi-ccino mug provides a visual aid for the exact milk measurement guidelines to make your perfect drink, however you like to have it! Whether you fancy an americano, a flat white or a simple cafe au lait, there will be no excuses for your other half not making it correctly with this one!
Finally, for a mug which makes a real statement and will sum up most parenting bloggers lives at least is this gorgeous metallic monochrome “Not a Morning Person” mug from Sass & Belle. At the moment with Neve still sleeping like a newborn and waking up at regular intervals during the night, as well as a busy blog and work schedule, it’s fair to say that there is no better mug to sum up how I feel when the alarm goes off first thing in the morning!
On the GoÂ
Bloggers tend to be on the go a LOT, meaning having the right kit is pretty essential too. Having made this mistake once before (clearly from having my phone in my hand FAR too often) a good quality phone case is not something that you can afford to ignore. With bloggers nearly always using their phones to capture live footage, social media updates and activities on the fly, it’s important that their phones will protected against drops, mishaps and, worst of all, children. Having recently invested in the new Apple iPhone X, the last thing I want to do is drop and smash a £1000 handset! These cases from Speck are ideal and available in a range of colours and designs, all of which have been drop tested from 10 feet to ensure that no matter the mishap, you will always have your phone protected. A bit of a trend here I know but I absolutely love this rose gold colour – it looks fab on my handset and ensures all corners of my device are protected (unlike some which leave edges exposed!)
Inspirational Quotes
Us bloggers love an inspirational quote or two, and framed prints from Arthaus are perfect for a blogger’s office space or bedroom. I absolutely love this writing themed Weapons of Mass Creation print, which would be a blogger’s home office dream, popped above the desk amongst the laptop and pots of stationery. With a choice of frames colours to suit your interiors and a range of sizes available, no matter how small your office space, there are prints to suit everyone’s style.
Plan Plan Plan
As a blogger, I sometimes feel like my whole life is one big plan, one agenda, one constant schedule of content, and although I like using the online plugins in wordpress to plan what goes out when, I also like to be able to visually see what lies in the week ahead. Sass & Belle have a range of organisation and planning aids which are not only practical but look great. This weekly desk planner can be used as and when you like (with no pre-printed dates), and when the week has gone by you can simply tear off the page and start all over again. Couple with a mini A5 notepad in this adorable watercolour bubble design, and you’ve got yourself the ideal starter pack of blogging essentials!
The Essential Kit
For those who have a bigger budget to spend, a high quality, lightweight laptop is a must have, as the last thing you need as a blogger is equipment which isn’t up to scratch. The Acer Aspire 3 15.6″ Laptop not only looks great, but is super lightweight making it ideal for blogging on the go. It has 6.5 hours of battery life and a huge 1TB Hard drive, meaning it can store over 310,000 hi-resolution images, and also be ideal for those blog back ups which simply HAVE to be done! The ASUS Aspire 3 is available from AO.com and retails at £279.
So there you have it, from stationery to phone cases, planners to prints – I hope this has provided some inspiration for the bloggers in your life, and if you’re a blogger yourself and have spotted something you like, why not tag your friends and family on my social channels as a not so subtle hint!!
*Disclaimer – this post contains press samples and review products which were received free of charge in return for inclusion in this guide. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own*
