WHAT TO BUY THOSE WHO ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO BUY FOR.

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We've all been in that situation: you're struggling to think of a gift for someone - someone you know very well but who seems to have everything they want or need - and every time you ask them what they want for their birthday they respond with a reluctant "Oh.. I don't know.." and you're left with little to no hope of buying them something they'd actually like.

But there's no rule that says you have to buy them a physical gift, so why not give them a day out to remember? There are so many websites nowadays through which you can pay for an experience day for someone and gift it to them so that they can choose a date that's suitable for them. Some examples of the kinds of days on offer are spa days, an afternoon tea for two, driving experiences, cooking classes, brewery tours, chocolate tasting events - the list is almost endless! There's bound to be something out there that your loved one will enjoy. Recently, my family all banded together to get my dad a supercar driving day for his 50th, which he absolutely loved, and my brother and I got our parents an afternoon tea voucher for their Wedding Anniversary, which also went down a treat!

Below I've linked a few of my favourite sites for these kinds of experience days, so check them out if you're struggling to find the perfect gift for someone!

Virgin Experience Days

Prezzybox

Buy a Gift

Red Letter Days

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MY TOP 5 ONLINE SHOPS FOR BUYING INDEPENDENT ARTISTS' WORK.

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Ohh Deer

I've raved about Ohh Deer before on this blog and I ain't about to quit now! They sell a massive variety of products featuring work by a load of different artists including Gemma Correll and Andreas Lie (my faves), and they offer a 10% discount for all you thrifty students out there. The site will often have events like 'Free Delivery on orders over £10' or an increased student discount for a limited time too - you can't really go wrong shopping here.

Society6

At Society6, they sell an even wider range of products than Ohh Deer, although I find them to be at slightly higher prices. However, if you make your order during a free shipping or discount event, things become a lot more affordable. Being a larger company based in the US, international shipping is also required for us Brits, but in my experience it's well worth it. I ordered a wall tapestry from Society6 and it came much earlier than estimated, and the piece itself was gorgeous. 

Wraptious

I discovered this website on the back of a greeting card at the gift shop at Wollaton Hall, and when I went home to check it out, I was not disappointed. Based in the UK, Wraptious is a smaller company that sells more animal-centric products by incredibly talented artists. And what's more is that all UK orders qualify for free shipping(!) and for the rest of the world they offer incredibly affordable rates. 

U Studio

A small studio focussing more on greetings cards and gifts, they offer adorable products featuring clever designs and witty quotes. I actually noticed this shop whilst walking around Bristol, and I'm very glad I made a note of it as they also offer free shipping on all UK orders (woohoo!).

Redbubble

Possibly the most well-known of these five sites, Redbubble has over 400,000 independent artists contributing to a massive creative community. You can find pretty much anything on there, from a T-shirt of Pikachu dressed as Batman to a drama llama-themed iPhone case. What more could you possibly ask for?!

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MY TOP 5 FAVOURITE PLACES TO SHOP ONLINE.

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Amazon
Everyone knows about Amazon, so I'll keep this brief. They sell basically anything you can think of and prices are nearly always lower than on the high street. Oooh and Amazon Prime - it's a godsend! And, if you're a student, a Prime membership only costs half as much, plus you can grab yourself a 6-month free trial when you first sign up!

ASOS
It's just brilliant. It's my ultimate one-stop shop for buying clothes and accessories online. They offer so many different brands, and prices are actually really good when the end-of-season sales get going! Bonus tip: if you're a student, sign up with UniDays to get a 10% discount off of every order!

The Works
This store is seriously underrated in my opinion. They offer stationery, books, and craft supplies, and their prices are incredibly cheap. I very rarely venture to Hobbycraft anymore because I can get a lot of my craft stuff from The Works for a lot less money. The Works also has a Rewards Card scheme for collecting 5 points per £1 you spend, and they always have loads of online events going on, like Double or Triple Points and Free Delivery Weekends.

eBay
I've only just got round to using eBay for buying things, because I always thought it was for exclusively second-hand items, but you actually can buy things brand new (and sometimes they can be even cheaper than Amazon)! The added bonus of eBay is you can set up your own shop to sell your unwanted goods to make a bit of money on the side too.

Ohh Deer
This one's a bit of a wild card and more of a niche store, but if you're into cute stationery and adorable greetings cards, then this is the shop for you! Think Paperchase but slightly more adult. They also sell cushions, coasters, phone cases, T-shirts, etc. that are mostly designed by independent artists. Like The Works, each £1 you spend earns you 5 points, each point equating to 1p, which you can deduct from your next order. Ohh Deer also offers a 10% student discount through UniDays, so it's definitely worth checking out!

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