Behind the Scenes at Christmas: How I Make Your Personalised Gifts
Christmas is the busiest and most heart-warming time in my little business, and I thought it would be lovely to take you behind the scenes to show you exactly how your personalised gifts are made during December.
If you’ve ever wondered what goes into each keyring or keepsake — especially at the most magical (and hectic!) time of year — here’s a peek into my real making process.
✨ A Cosy, Controlled Chaos
December always brings an amazing mix of personalised gifts — from sentimental keyrings to some of my best-selling Christmas designs. By mid-December, my workspace is full of aluminium blanks, letter stamps, organza bags, gift boxes and padded envelopes ready for posting.
Alongside running the workshop, I’m also juggling family life with my partner, three kids, three pet mice, two lizards and one snake — so the house is never quiet, but it’s always full of personality!
Step One: Preparing the Blanks
Depending on the design, I use a mixture of:
Pre-cut aluminium blanks
Shapes I cut myself from aluminium sheets using cutters and dies
Once the blanks are ready, they move on to the stamping and assembling process in my workshop.
Step Two: Hand-Stamping Your Message
Every single letter, number and symbol is stamped by hand — one strike at a time — using steel stamps and a hammer. No machines, no shortcuts.
It’s steady, focused work that gives each piece its own subtle character. Hand-stamping isn’t meant to be perfectly uniform, and that’s exactly what makes it so special.
Step Three: Tumbling & Polishing
Once the message is stamped, the pieces go into my polishing tumbler, which smooths edges, strengthens the metal, and gives the aluminium its beautiful shine.
This stage is crucial for durability and finish — and it means no hand-polishing is needed (which is a huge time-saver in December!).
Step Four: Assembly
After tumbling, each piece is assembled by hand:
Adding the split ring
Attaching any charms, discs or birthstones
Checking everything is secure and sitting properly
This part brings the whole design together, turning a stamped blank into a finished personalised gift.
Step Five: Packaging & Posting
Finally, each order is carefully packaged:
Placed into an organza bag or gift box (depending on the order)
Sealed inside a recycled, recyclable paper padded envelope
Address label applied
A thank you sticker added to the back
With the last posting dates approaching, many customers ask about ordering for Christmas, so I always work as efficiently as possible to keep everything moving quickly. There’s no gift-wrapping stage — I keep packaging simple, eco-friendly and focused on protection so everything arrives quickly and safely.
Orders are then dropped off or collected, ready to make someone’s Christmas that bit more special.
❤️ Thank You for Shopping Small This Christmas
Every order means the world to me — especially during the festive rush. Your support allows me to keep creating personalised gifts from home while navigating school runs, family life and a very busy workshop.
Thank you for choosing handmade, and for supporting a small business this Christmas.
Wishing you a warm and peaceful festive season,
Cassie x
✨ Ready to find your perfect personalised gift?
Take a look at the full collection here:
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