The first thing you’ll want to consider is their interests and how they like to spend their time. Even better – is there an inside joke or experience you’ve shared that could translate into a meaningful gift?
With Father’s Day upon us (June 21st), I think back on a banner year when my sister and I both scored by gifting my dad, a Vietnam veteran, a personalized framed photograph of the American flag waving gallantly beside the Washington Memorial and a framed collection of his badges of honor. Shortly after, she upstaged me with a custom t-shirt emblazoned with the name of his boyhood bike “gang” – “The Road Darts.”
For the stylemavens, I recently received a bottle of sugary-sweet Tokyo Milk perfume flavor #11 titled “Let Them Eat Cake” from my styling partner Shannon Dunne. Taking our shared infatuation with Marie Antoinette to the next level, she topped it off with a cheeky card featuring two 18th-century babes with the latest hair accessories (flowers, feathers and gold-dipped birds) flanked with the dialogue, “Trust me, totally hot.”
(both available locally at Edge of Urge)
Friend and local fashion designer Amanda deLeon recently had an un-birthday or in her words, a funeral to mourn the end of her twenties. Local event designer Sarah Jensen presented Amanda with a bouquet of flowers – that she painted black! I enlisted a few of her friends from Facebook to go in on a leather jacket she swooned over on our latest trip to high-end consignment shop Revolver in Raleigh. To see her love-at-first-sight moment with the racy red leather jacket, stay tuned.
Here’s a few tips for being a gift-giving goddess:
1) Listen. Pay attention when people mention something they’d love to have or do.
2) Don’t get caught up on things. One of the best gifts you can give is an experience.
3) Create a theme and go from there.
4) Make your gift extra special with handmade packaging. Have you ever tried making a bow from recycled magazines? They are the coolest.
5) Creativity doesn’t have to cost a thing. Gift a scarf you made or a necklace you’ve never worn but know they’ll love or a book you own that has special relevance to something going on in their life right now.
ENTER TO WIN
Speaking of gifts, how would you like to win a beautiful bracelet from aMuse Artisinal Finery? For a chance to win, email Jess firstname.lastname@example.org a photo of yourself in your favorite hat or headpiece.
A winner will be chosen by July 12th.