Crafty Gifts for the Super Stylish by Miso Funky ...

Today's gift inspiration comes from the crafty world of Miso Funky. Founded in 2005 by Claire Brown, a Glasgow-based, and self-styled "professional needle-slinger and word-wrangler." Miso Funky brings fine stitching products to the world; the off-beat homewares and accessories are the perfect way to add humour and warmth to the modern home. Gift products available include: framed wall art, tea towels, coasters, magnets, cross stitch and tapestry kits. My pick of the collection is a fabulous selection of super cool samplers, bright cushion kits, and even some stylish ways to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. See what you think ... 

Featured gifts: In Case of Emergency, and Make Tea Not War Samplers, £30; both are also available as stitch your own cross stitch sampler kits, £15; Kiss and Hug Needlepoint Kits, small £55, large £75; Curious Alphabet Needlepoint Kits, £52; Union Jack Corgi Cross Stitch Kit, £18; and Queen Elizabeth Cushion Kit, £45.

To see or purchase any of the gifts featured today (and many more) please visit the Miso Funky website.

Time for Tea: Greeting Cards and Gifts for a Great British Institution ...

For a little while now I've been collecting together some greeting card and gift products that are deeply entwined with a number of trends; you'll spot union jacks, London scenes and Diamond Jubilee themes. The common factor however that brings them all together for today's post is the great British institution that is tea time. So grab a cuppa, sit back, and have a look at the card and gift goodies; starting with some beautifully illustrated, fine bone china mugs from Sophie Allport. Designs are Diamond Jubilee and London; £8.50 each from the Sophie Allport website.  

Next up, why not grab yourself your very own personalised tea set. These cool, contemporary teapots, and cup and saucer sets are from Aston's of London. Featuring on trend union jacks and bunting; each one can be personalised with two lines of text (before and after the heart motif). Teapot retails at £26, and cup and saucer, £16; both can be seen and purchased at the Aston's of London website. 

Now it's all very well having tea, but what about the biscuits? Well you could treat yourself or a friend to a tin of beautifully decorated Queen's Diamond Jubilee biscuits from artisan bakery Biscuit Village. The collection contains 13 vanilla-based, perfectly iced biscuits (bunting, stamps, postcards, and crowns) for £29.99. Order your tin from the Biscuit Village website. 

The British tea time theme isn't restricted to the world of gifts, as our last few images prove. Fresh from Sabah Designs are some beautiful greeting cards with delicate, hand-drawn illustrations in soft, pastel colours. The Georgie Porgie collection has twenty designs celebrating the good old British summer, including these fab cupcake and vintage teacup designs ... perfect for a great British tea party! To see more please visit the Sabah Designs website.

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Olympic Games Souvenir Gifts from That Company Called If ...

Here in the UK the momentum for this year's Olympics seems to be steadily increasing since we passed the '100 days to go' checkpoint a few days ago (currently the countdown is at 92 days). Now I'm not an expert on the games, but I did get a package from the lovely folks at That Company Called If, with a few of their official Olympic gift goodies, so at the very least I can share the pictures with you, and give you an idea of some of the souvenir gifts out there. That Company Called If has a wonderful selection of book-themed gifts and gadgets, so it's no surprise that today's mini gifts are a selection of bookmarks that celebrate the big event. The collection includes: historic metal bookmarks that look back to the last London-hosted Olympic Games in 1948; we've also got 3D lenticular bookmarks featuring mascots, Mandeville and Wenlock; and last but not least sets of mini magnetic bookmarks with various London, Team GB and mascot motifs.  

Featured souvenir Olympic gifts: historic metal bookmark, £6.00; 3D lenticular and mini magnetic bookmarks, £3.00. To find out about any of these items and many more Olympic Games-themed gifts please take a look at the That Company Called If website.

New Greeting Card Designs from Lorna Siviter ...

For today's post we've got a special sneak peek at some new greeting cards from Designer Lorna Siviter. These are 'hot off the press' having just been completed, so I'm very happy to be able to share them with you here. The range was created for Lorna's new partners, Art House Licensing, who will be offering the cards for license. There are currently six greeting cards in the range with an additional eight designs planned. The greeting cards use bold colours, graphics and arrangements, which give them a quirky, retro feel. The well chosen words and cartoon style speech bubbles help reinforce the cards message, while keeping them contemporary. Take a look ...

To find out more about Lorna Siviter please visit her website. Alternatively you can also learn more about Lorna and this new range of greeting cards from the Art House Licensing website.

Celebrating the Jubilee, the Olympics & All Things British ...

The souvenir tea towel has always been a classic gift to celebrate big events, such as the upcoming Diamond Jubilee and Olympic Games. On occasion however these tea towels aren't the most glamorous way to accessorise your kitchen. I was therefore delighted to see this year's summer events inspiring some super stylish, modern tea towel designs. From three fabulous companies these designs celebrate not just the events themselves but a whole heap of British themes ...

First images are '2012' and 'Jubilee' tea towels by Swedish Graphic Designer, Maria Holmer Dahlgren, for Formation. Bold designs in bright colours, they will make a splendid addition to any kitchen. Made in the UK, the tea towels are 100% linen union and 100% cotton respectively. Available to see and purchase on the Caroline McGrath website these special edition tea towels are £12 each.

To celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, Sophie Allport has created this adorable commemorative tea towel. The screen printed design features Sophie's delicate illustrations of crowns, flags, bunting, and the central theme of the Queen's carriage, flanked by horses and soldiers. Retailing at £5.00 the Jubilee tea towel is available to purchase from the Sophie Allport website.

The last British-inspired products are from designer tea towel specialists To Dry For. 'Time to Brew Up', celebrates the brilliant institution of the British tea time; while 'Made in England' (shown in teal, but also available in pink) is a bright design with stamp-inspired perforation and a heap of regal crowns. Cool and contemporary, these are tea towels with an artistic touch. Priced £10.50 and £9.95 respectively both are available to see and purchase from the To Dry For website. 

Perfectly Pretty Gift Wrap & Tape from Nancy & Betty ...

For part two of the Nancy & Betty double bill, we've got some great images from the collection of gift wrap and printed sticky tapes. You'll recognise some of the retro themes of air mail, old-fashioned typewriters and mix tapes from this morning's blog post; as well as a new addition ... the 'practically perfect in every way' sticky tape. Nancy & Betty gift wrap is a high quality 100gsm recycled paper, printed with vegetable based inks. Gift tape measures 2.5cm wide and is a generous 66m long. With Nancy & Betty gift wrap and gift tape you can ensure every present you wrap looks simply spiffing!

Featured items: Air mail Gift Wrap, £7.95 (for five sheets); Typewriter Gift Wrap, £7.95 (for five sheets); Mix Tape Sticky Tape, £5.95; and Practically Perfect Sticky Tape, £5.95. To find out more about any of these items, please visit the Nancy & Betty website.

Greeting Cards and Stationery from Nancy & Betty ...

We're starting the week here at Card & Gift Blog with a double bill of handmade stationery and paper goods from the fantastic Nancy & Betty. First, this morning, is a collection of greeting cards and notebooks with a stylish retro feel. This afternoon I'll be back again with a selection of gift wrap and sticky tape that will make your gifts the most desirable in the land.

The Nancy & Betty collection has a wide selection of stationery for all occasions. The British Box Set (shown above) is a set of 8  luxury cards with matching envelopes; presented in a Kraft-base box and tied with twine - a gorgeous gift idea for stationery fans. The next images are individual greeting cards, each with a bold, stylish image - everything from classic typewriters to a celebration of air mail. Last but not least are two brilliant notebooks in retro Polaroid and typewriter designs.

Featured Stationery Gifts: British Box Set (8 luxury cards and envelopes), £12.95; Typewriter, Mix Tape, Lamps, You Rule, and Air Mail greeting cards, £2.55 each; Polaroid and Typewriter Notebooks, £3.95 each. To see more or purchase any of the items featured today please visit the Nancy & Betty website.

Don't forget to check back this afternoon for another dose of Nancy & Betty!

Great Gifts for Kids from Bombdesign ...

Today's gift inspiration is a unique set of design-led products from the kids collection of Bombdesign. Based in Berlin, Bombdesign has been specialising in furniture and product design since 2002. The first images are from their super cute combination of toy and cushion. In a selection of animals (bunny, puppy and lamb shown) these quirky pillows are a soft, adorable, huggable gift. The next set of gifts are a small selection from Bombdesign's mobile collection. The DIY 'colour-in' mobiles are perfect for the creative child, with clouds and birds to colour-in and doodle on. The final mobiles are fairytale-inspired, with designs of Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood in cool, black silhouettes.  

Featured gifts: Animal Pillows, $58; DIY 'colour-in' mobiles (available in three sizes), prices starting from $12.50; and Fairy Tale Mobiles, $59. Prices are taken from Bombdesign's online SupermarketHQ shop. To purchase directly, and find out more please visit the Bombdesign website.