Gift Focus - Nov/Dec 2019 (Issue 116)

37 HANDMADE Busy Bee Candles does everything the good old-fashioned way – by hand. Admittedly, with the volume of certain products, mechanical help is needed but it still has a human touch and that’s the way the company likes it! Take the wax melt Magik Beanz product for instance. More than a million of these melts are made every year but the super- strong wax mixtures are hand-blended using natural soy wax, are hand-poured onto specialist equipment and are then hand sorted and packed. A labour of love and it shows in the quality of the finished product. The same goes for the company’s Christmas wax melt selection boxes, which make for a beautiful gift box and with an RRP of just £10.99, a great Christmas gift for a home fragrance fan. T: +44 (0)1550 750 419 busybeecandles.co.uk Lovingly crafted A look into the creative world of handmade gifts Everything at Best Kept Secrets is handmade in the pretty market town of Morpeth in Northumberland. Before the labels are carefully applied by hand, the wax, fragrance and colour are mixed and hand-poured by the experts. Always created with care and attention to detail, every product is then quality checked and hand-finished with a touch of sparkle. Every one of the 30 different types of natural soap are made by hand using the cold process and contain a blend of hardworking ingredients to moisturise, balance and care for the skin. With no plastic packaging, these soaps are as kind to the environment as they are to bodies. T: +44 (0)1670 512 222 bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Welcome to the world of Abbeyhorn where artisans still use the traditional skills, handed down over generations that produce a range of natural gifts from ethically-sourced cow horn and stag antler. The Ankole Cow Horn is a by-product of the meat industry in Nigeria. This natural raw material is hugely versatile and easily softened and made malleable by heating, so it can be bent, shaped and moulded. It does not melt, so will not reform upon cooling and will stay in its new moulded shape. Since every horn is different in size, shape and colour, this makes every piece produced special. Abbeyhorn’s extensive traditional range of shoehorns, combs and spoons, along with a fabulous gentleman’s grooming collection is complemented by the unusual drinking vessels, which have been used on Game of Thrones and Vikings . This pre-historic plastic is a truly ecological material, making the products produced by Abbeyhorn much sought after. T: +44 (0)1524 782 387 abbeyhorn.co.uk  Alongside popular ranges of handmade ceramic jewellery, buttons and decorations, Stockwell Ceramics produces a wide variety of animal brooches. Choose from dogs, cats, birds, hedgehogs, squirrels and many more. Each brooch is individually hand cut, glazed and finished with sumptuous designs, many taken from The Warner Textile Archive as well as William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. These gift items are easily displayed, affordable and have proven to be one of Stockwell’s best-selling products. This company supplies museum shops, galleries and gift shops including the V&A Museum, Chatsworth House, Natural History Museum, York Art Gallery, Bodleian Libraries, William Morris Gallery, The National Trust and many more. Bespoke products are also available. T: +44 (0)1579 351 035 stockwellceramics.co.uk