Stocking Filler Ideas: Small Handmade Pieces Worth Unwrapping
Small handmade stocking fillers from our shop, grouped by who the stocking is for: her, the tea drinker, the bag carrier and the one who runs warm.
Stocking fillers (or stocking stuffers, if you're in the US) are where novelty sneaks into Christmas: the wind-up toy, the joke pen, the gadget that's in a drawer by New Year. The ideas below are small handmade pieces with an everyday job instead: crochet scrunchies, a woven coin wallet, a set of four coasters, a wooden honey dipper. They're grouped by who the stocking is for, and each comes with its size, who it suits and the one thing to know before you choose it.
Every piece here is from our own shop and handmade in Thailand, so read this as a shop's guide rather than a neutral roundup.
One useful, one pretty, one treat
A stocking looks generous when the shapes inside differ; more of the same just makes it look packed. Start from three slots:
- One useful thing: a coin wallet, a honey dipper or a set of coasters, the piece with a daily job.
- One pretty thing: a scrunchie or a crochet keychain, small enough to tuck into the gaps.
- One small treat of your own: a satsuma or a handful of sweets.
Fill the toe first with the firmest piece so the stocking holds its shape. Layer the softer things above it, then finish with something that peeks over the cuff, so there's a reason to reach in.
For her, or anyone who wears their hair up
Two small pieces for someone with a hair tie on her wrist and a bag on her shoulder.
Crochet scrunchies in two colour families
These scrunchies are hand crocheted into a ruffle around an elastic core, and they're made to be worn in the hair or on the wrist. They come in two colour families. Orange Shades runs through Spice, Pumpkin, Salmon, Apricot and Peach, while Red Tones covers Red, Imperial, Rose Red, Watermelon and Light Red. Two from one family look like a set; one from each mixes the two palettes.
Good for: your sister, your mum, a teenager. Orange Shades leans autumnal, and Red Tones suits someone who already wears a lot of red.
Bear in mind: the ruffle is the whole look, so either family makes a visible accessory. If she only wears plain ties that disappear into her hair, choose a different idea from this guide.
Crochet flower keychain
The crochet flower keychain is a flower crocheted by hand, 10 x 10 cm, and no two are alike. On a set of keys, it's easier to spot in a crowded bag than a bare keyring.
Good for: a friend or teenager with a new set of keys, or anyone who likes something hanging from their bag.
Bear in mind: 10 cm is big for a keyring. On a small bunch of keys it will be the largest thing there, and it's bulky in a coat pocket. If it isn't quite right, there are more small pieces among our keychains and bag accessories.
For the tea and toast person
Breakfast is a good place to look for stocking fillers: a piece that lives by the kettle has a reason to come out every morning.
SU THI MA wooden honey dipper
The SU THI MA honey dipper is natural wood with a grooved head, 20 cm (8 in) long with a head 5 cm wide, for honey on toast, on yogurt or in tea. Each one varies.
Good for: the person with a jar of honey next to the teapot, or the dad who claims he wants nothing this Christmas.
Bear in mind: at 20 cm it may poke out of a small stocking. Put it in last, standing upright, and let the end show above the cuff. A small jar of honey of your own makes the treat slot easy.
Woven coasters, one idea in two looks
A set of four coasters lies flat against the side of a stocking and takes up very little room.
PI MA IA coasters are round and handwoven, 10 cm (4 in) across, for mugs, cups and glasses. Lavila coasters have a black woven centre with a natural edge, measure 12 cm (5 in) across and 0.5 cm high, and wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Good for: PI MA IA suits a relaxed kitchen where nothing quite matches. Lavila suits someone who likes a sharper contrast on a pale table, or a first home that's short on coasters.
Bear in mind: PI MA IA coasters vary slightly in colour, size and weave, so the four won't be identical, and the listing doesn't name the material. Lavila's listing calls it natural woven fibre without saying which one. For other shapes and colours, browse all our coasters.
For the one who carries too much
Woven coin wallet
The woven coin wallet is natural water hyacinth, woven in small batches in Chiang Mai. At 10 x 10 cm and 2 cm deep, it gives loose coins somewhere to live instead of the bottom of a bag.
Good for: the friend whose bag swallows everything, or the one who still pays at the market in coins.
Bear in mind: the listing doesn't say how it closes. For someone who'd toss it loose into a bag, look at the product photos to see how it shuts before you decide.
For the one who runs warm
VA RA hand fan
The VA RA hand fan is a handmade fan in two sizes: Small, 20 cm (8 in), and Large, 22 cm (9 in). At Christmas it's for the overheated living room after lunch; by summer it lives in a beach bag.
Good for: the person who opens a window while everyone else reaches for a jumper.
Bear in mind: at 20 cm or more across, it's one of the wider pieces here. Slide it down the back of the stocking, and choose the Small for a narrow one. There are more shapes in our collection of hand fans.
More small handmade pieces
These eight pieces are a starting point. Our full collection of handmade stocking fillers has more small pieces than this guide covers, so you can build a whole stocking around one person. Buying for an office gift swap instead? Our Secret Santa gift ideas include picks for colleagues. For larger gifts and ideas on wrapping, see our wider guide to handmade Christmas gifts.
Stocking filler FAQs
What are good stocking fillers for adults?
For adults, aim for small things with an everyday use rather than novelty: a coin wallet, a set of coasters, a scrunchie, a honey dipper, a keychain with some character. Choose from one part of their day, such as the morning tea or the bag they carry everywhere, then add a treat they wouldn't buy themselves.
How many things should go in a stocking?
There's no fixed number. Three or four small pieces plus a treat is usually enough for an average stocking without it looking padded, while a big knitted one may want five or six. If it still looks thin, tuck tissue paper around the pieces rather than adding another trinket.
What do you put in the toe of a stocking?
Traditionally a satsuma, which fills the toe neatly and gives the stocking a firm base. A small coin wallet can take that spot instead and lasts longer than the fruit. If you tuck a few coins inside, check how it closes first. Whatever goes in the toe, make it the firmest thing in the stocking.
Is it stocking filler or stocking stuffer?
Both, and they mean the same thing: small gifts that go inside a Christmas stocking. Stocking filler is the usual term in the UK, and stocking stuffer is the American one. Use whichever your family says; every idea in this guide works under either name.
