I started making things out of clay because I love giving people gifts. I have always loved gifting handmade things to people, and the smile on someone's face when they open something that was clearly made by hand, for them, is still the part I look forward to most. Almost everything I make ends up being bought as a present, so this is my honest guide to gifts for stationery lovers, coworkers and students, written by the person who makes them.
The question I get most is not about clay at all. It is: what do I get for this particular person? So here is how I actually think about it, sorted by who you are buying for, with the real prices in front of you so you are not guessing.
What everything costs, at a glance
Prices are in Canadian dollars, and the range varies depending on the product specimen. Custom orders are priced depending on the complexity of the request and design.
- $15 Back Pack Duck Phone Hipper, Cute Sleeping Bunny Hipper
- $20 Baby Angel Phone Hipper, worry stones, Milk Carton Keychain, bunny boyfriend and girlfriend keychains
- $25 Hot Chocolate Bunny Desk Buddy, Cloud Keychain, Sugar Whiskers Cat Keychain, Study Buddy Cat Keychain, Sugar and Cupcake bunny keychains
- $30 Cute Angel Desk Buddy, in two designs
- $35 Puppy and Birdie Spinner, Duck Cookie Spinner, Tulip Trinket Dish
- $40 ButterBun Bear Pen Holder, Teddy Bear Pencil Holders in Blossom and Mochi
Gifts for stationery lovers: the person who owns eleven pens
You know the one. Owns eleven pens and has opinions about all of them. They have already built a little world on their desk, so your job is not to start a new category, only to add one nice object to it.
This is who I would spend a bit more on, $35 to $40, because they will look at it every working day. A pen holder does the most work: the ButterBun Bear Pen Holder is $40 and holds the pens they were already keeping in a mug. The rest of the pen holders sit there too, including the Teddy Bear Pencil Holders in Blossom and Mochi at the same price. Desk buddies run a little less, at $25 to $30.
A quiet tip: stationery people tend to be tidy people. A trinket dish for paper clips, rings, or the earrings they take off at 3pm often lands better than another pen-adjacent thing. If they keep a photo propped against the monitor, the mini photo holders do a similar quiet job.
Gift ideas for coworkers: secret santa, farewells and thank yous
Secret santa, a farewell, a thank you, a congratulations on the new job. This is where people get stuck, because it has to be thoughtful without being too much, and often you are buying for someone you do not actually know very well.
My rule is simple: buy for their desk, not their body or their home. Nothing scented, nothing they have to wear, nothing that assumes a size or a taste in candles. A small object that lives next to their monitor is the safest thoughtful thing there is.
On price, $20 to $35 works. Under $20 can read like an afterthought unless it is genuinely charming, and much over $40 can make someone feel they owe you something. Most office exchanges cap at $25, and there is a proper choice at that number: the keychains are $20 to $25, the phone hippers start at $15, and the worry stones are $20. For a farewell I usually pick the Tulip Trinket Dish at $35, because it is the sort of thing that gets packed and taken to the next desk.
If a few of you are going in together, one slightly better piece beats several small ones, because there is a single thing to hand over. A $35 or $40 spinner or pen holder splits neatly between three or four people.
Personal without being too personal: pick the thing they have already told the office about. The cat. The bunny mug. The fact that they drink hot chocolate in July, which is more or less what the $25 Hot Chocolate Bunny Desk Buddy is for. That is the difference between a gift that says "I drew your name" and one that says "I listen."
Gifts for students: dorm desks, exam season and graduation
Dorm desks are small and everything gets moved twice a year, so I lean small, sturdy and portable. This is also the group where $15 to $30 is plenty.
For everyday, the Study Buddy Cat Keychain is $25 and clips to a backpack, and the phone hippers at $15 to $20 are the kind of small thing that stays on a laptop lid for years. For exam season, worry stones at $20 are what I send most often. Something to hold during a hard week is not a small gift.
For graduation, or for someone who has just moved away from home, I would go up to a desk buddy at $25 to $30. The Cute Angel Desk Buddies are $30, and one is a pair named Lumi and Luna with science and math themes, which suits a student desk almost too neatly. To be clear about those: they are desk companions for a student or an older child who keeps things on a shelf, not toys for a small child. On a first real desk, one thing that is theirs and only theirs matters more than you would think.
How to give a handmade gift well
- Give yourself time. In-stock pieces ship within 3 days. Custom takes 1 to 3 weeks, because the clay needs 2 to 5 days to air dry before I can paint and seal it. That is not a warning, just the timeline: if you are thinking about December in November, you are fine. Custom pieces are final sale, so we settle the details together first. Send me your idea through the contact page.
- If you see it and love it, that is your sign. I usually make only one of each piece, and there is no back room. Almost everything in the shop is one of a kind, so the thing you are looking at now may not be there next week.
- Buying for several people is cheaper than it looks. Shipping is free over $75 CAD in Canada and $75 USD in the US, which three $25 pieces will clear.
- These are keepsakes, not toys. They are not food safe, and they are not suitable for young children or pets.
What to say in the card
Say who made it and where. "Made by hand in Ontario, out of cold porcelain clay, and painted by the person who made it" does more than any wrapping. Cold porcelain is a homemade air-dry clay, cornstarch and glue with a little vinegar and oil, left to dry for days and then hand-painted and sealed. People like knowing that.
Then one line of care, gently: keep it dry, out of direct sun, dusted rather than washed. The full version is in how to care for your handmade clay pieces if you want to tuck the link in. People treat a thing better when they know it was slow to make.
Then say the real sentence. Not "hope you like it," but why you picked this particular one for them. That is the part they keep, long after they have forgotten what it cost.
Questions people ask me before they buy a gift
How far in advance should I order?
If the piece is in stock, it leaves here within 3 days, so about a week of lead time is comfortable for most of Canada and the US. If you want something made to order, give me 1 to 3 weeks, because the clay needs 2 to 5 days to air dry before it can be painted and sealed. For December, message me in November and neither of us has to panic.
Can you make something custom?
Yes. I take commissions and I work from your idea, whether that is a pet, a hobby, or an inside joke only two people will understand. Tell me what you are picturing through the contact page and we agree the details before I start. Custom pieces are final sale, which is exactly why we talk it through properly first.
Where do you ship from, and what does shipping cost?
I make everything myself in Ontario, Canada, and I ship across Canada and to the US. Shipping is free on orders over $75 CAD in Canada and over $75 USD in the US, which is worth knowing if you are buying for two or three people at once. There is a little more about me and how I work here.
What should I expect to spend?
Most pieces sit between $15 and $40 CAD. Phone hippers start at $15, keychains and worry stones run $20 to $25, desk buddies are $25 to $30, and pen holders, spinners and trinket dishes are $35 to $40. I would rather tell you that plainly than make you click through six pages to work it out.
Is this a good secret santa or group gift?
It works for both. Most secret santa exchanges cap at $25, and there is a genuine choice at $25 and under here, so you are not scraping the bottom of a bin to stay in budget. If several of you are chipping in, one $35 or $40 piece usually feels better than a handful of little ones, because there is a single thing to hand over.
Will I get the exact piece in the photo?
Yes, and that is rather the point. I usually make only one of each design, so the piece in the listing photo is the piece that comes to you. It also means that once a listing sells I may never make that one again in quite the same colours, because it is all painted by hand.
Are these safe for children or pets?
They are keepsakes rather than toys. They are not food safe, and they are not suitable for young children or pets, so please treat them as desk and shelf pieces. The angel designs suit a student or an older child who keeps things on a desk, not a small child who would put them in their mouth.