Mum on a mission to make it socially acceptable to gift preloved presents
At a time when we are making an assertive effort to care for the planet and are carefully watching our pennies, shopping secondhand is understandably growing at an epic rate. So, why is gifting something preloved seemingly not the ‘done thing’?
Tammy Ryan is a mother and blogger of kids’ parties at icecreamandjelly.com. Having been made redundant, while on maternity leave, from her Head of Marketing role, Tammy decided to view this as an opportunity to focus her creativity and her energy into writing; providing parents with inspiration and practical advice for throwing parties for their kids.
Ice cream and jelly features many blog posts with ideas to make parties more friendly to the planet. Following on from this, Tammy has now set out to help make gifting quality, second hand items the norm, with the recent launch of Preloved Presents; a select and impactful, range of wrapping paper and gift tags that aim to make it easier and more acceptable to gift pre-owned presents, to be loved again and again. The wrapping paper and the gift tag make it clear that the gift is preloved and highlights the benefits of this, so there are no surprises, no awkward conversations and everyone feels good about the gift.
The Preloved Presents wrapping paper has been created by ice cream and jelly in collaboration with PlanetWrapIt. The wrapping paper is recycled and recyclable and every purchase goes towards planting more trees. What's more, the gift tags are made with seed paper, which can be planted in the garden or in a pot, so you can watch the flowers grow over time; a thoughtful gift that keeps on giving.
PlanetWrapIt is a family-owned business based in Nottinghamshire, started by Rachael Brailsford and her partner Neil during lockdown. Rachael had been wrapping presents with recycled brown parcel paper and was fed up with a lack of plastic free, eco-friendly options that were festive and fun for her young kids to open on Christmas Day. This is where the idea for Planetwrapit was born.
It was important to them to create a product that gave back to the planet more than it took so they bought a printer and created a wrapping paper that had an environmental benefit; predominantly to plant more trees than was needed for the paper. Post lockdown, PlanetWrapIt has become Rachael’s sole responsibility, while also being a full time mum. The business now has an ever-growing range of recycled and recyclable kraft wrapping paper and more. Most importantly, in 2022 PlanetwrapIt managed to plant over 700 trees with a commitment to increase this in 2023.
Tammy came across PlanetWrapIt when researching eco-friendly gift wrap options for a blog post and the brand were of course her first choice when looking for a partner to collaborate with on this project. Rachel and Tammy have really enjoyed working together on this, with the mutual respect and understanding of setting up a side hustle alongside the huge commitments of being a full time mum.
When you gift a preloved present, there are so many upsides; for you, the recipient and the planet! Gifting secondhand means caring for our planet, by preserving our natural resources, eliminating packaging and reducing what ends up in landfill. It also means less strain on your wallet, which couldn’t come at a better time, and often results in you supporting a small local business or charity, depending on where you might buy the gift. In addition to this, it is likely that the recipient will receive a gift that is of a higher quality and value than if they had been purchased something new. So, everyone wins.
If you would like to sign up to hear more top tips and fun ideas for kids’ parties from icecreamandjelly.com, then subscribe to the newsletter and you will receive a 20% discount on your first Preloved Presents purchase! Let’s get gifting thoughtfully selected, quality, presents that can be loved again and again.
