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It can be a real challenge finding a gift that ticks all the right boxes – that’s why they call it ‘the art of gifting’ – but Ribbon and Wicker have got it down to a fine art. The hamper specialists aim to support artisans and independent businesses with a focus on sustainability, while keeping within your budget for a variety of tastes and occasions.
And to celebrate Phoebe’s seventh birthday, we were looking for a special gift that she would truly love, and discovered the Good Doggy Gift Box from Ribbon and Wicker.
Tied with twine for a rustic look, personalised with ‘Happy Birthday Phoebe’ on the inside of the box, the £30 hamper features four gorgeous gifts including toys, treats and grooming products.
“Each item has been carefully selected and crafted with our furry friends’ wellness in mind. Combining 100% natural ingredients, eco-friendly packaging and a passion for animals, these handmade items are sure to delight any dog and their owner!”
Inside the hamper is a shampoo bar, paw and nose balm, toy and treats, all from different indie businesses on a mission to product high quality eco-friendly products for pets.
The Mischievous Mutt’s dog shampoo bar comes from The Dartmoor Soap Co, which was a brand that was inspired by the founder’s baby’s delicate skin. They decided to ditch traditional bathing products and instead create a completely pure bar of soap from the most natural oils. Now they use their soap-making skills to create a range of beautifully scented, yet 100% natural soaps t0 replace your existing bathing products, dogs included.
The soap usually costs £4.75 and is so natural, both dogs and their owners could use it. The small batch soap uses a bespoke essential oil blend focused on repelling fleas and ticks whilst tackling the likes of the dreaded fox poo smell simultaneously. Coconut oil and shea butter offer soothing properties that can calm itchy skin, and 5p from every bar sold goes to support the Dartpoor Ponies Heritage Trust, too.
Next up in the box was a paw and nose beeswax balm from LilyBee Naturals. Based in Dorset, the small business specialises in natural handmade cold-process soaps and balms for human and hound. The paw and nose balm is £6.75 for 30g from their Etsy shop, and is made of only beeswax and sweet almont oil, with no chemicals or parabens.
The sustainable and eco-friendly salve is unfragranced, so ideal for dogs with sensitive skin, and as they are completely natural it won’t matter if a little bit gets licked away by accident.
LilyBee Naturals said: “Beeswax is used for the protective barrier it provides the skin from harmful effects from the environment, and it is an ancient and exciting practice that I am still learning. I currently source my beeswax and honey from beekeepers down the road but hope to have my own hives by next year. It also helps to reduce dryness by locking in moisture and is a traditional remedy used for thousands of years.
“This balm can be used safely on any animals as a protective and healing barrier. I use this balm on my hens if they have a cut on their legs etc! Can also be used on humans but you may want to buy two and keep them separate!”
Unicorn Sweet Boxes are best known for their human sweet hampers, but they also sell pawfume, dog treats and dog-themed gifts. The Ribbon and Wicker box contained a 50g pouch of treat bones, made with pumpkin, peanut butter and chickpea and yellow pea flour. The wheat free treats are super crunchy and come in big and small sizes, ideal for training or rewarding your dog – or even for decorating a homemade birthday cake.
The last gift in the Ribbon and Wicker Good Doggy Gift Box was definitely Phoebe’s favourite as she loves nothing more than a rope toy to tug with. This handmade heart-shaped tug toy comes from Party Mutts and is made from recycled cotton.
Usually £8.50 the eco-friendly tug toy features a chunky polyester core for thickness encased in recycled cotton making a great for a fun tug toy. The tested and certified yarn does not contain any harmful substances that are a danger to human health and environment, and a percentage of every sale goes to help dogs in need.
The gifts were all beautifully put together and wrapped by Ribbon and Wicker, who made sure each and every item passed their stringent tests. To qualify for a hamper, each and every brand must operate sustainably and be a UK indie or family-run business. Ribbon and Wicker make sure the businesses use high quality and natural ingredients to creamte artisan and handmade products that have been responsibly sourced, and packaged with sustainable, recyclable or reusable packaging.
Ribbon and Wicker added: “These objectives shape what we do every day. We work hard to source unique, quality products from suppliers who meet our criteria and share our ethos. We also reject throwaway culture, and seek to assist customers in finding ways of continuing to utilise the contents of our products long after the initial use.
“In addition, in each hamper we include a Ribbon & Wicker card (on recycled brown paper) which promotes recycling and reusing the items received in the hamper, reducing waste.”
