ONE / Uni-sex Suspenders / Studio Lana / $35
TWO / Dark Wash Denim Bow Tie / Preston & Olivia: New York / $50
THREE / Handmade Twig 4 Pack / Frick and Frack Scrap / $31
FOUR / 100% Natural Beard Tonic / Herbivore Botanicals / $13
FIVE / Phrenology of a Gentleman Poster / Maiden Voyage Clothing /$12
SIX / Bicycle Wine Rack / Oops Mark/ $34
Ever since I went to Japan, I’ve been obsessing over fabric wraps, in particular, for gift wrapping. There are so many different ways to gift wrap presents, but fabric wraps still seems to be one style that doesn’t get used anywhere near as much, which is a shame considering what an art form it can be! Using fabric to wrap your gifts is also a little friendlier for the environment, as they can be used again and again, or even kept to be used as scarfs or linen.
Painting tools – sponges, stamps, brushes etc
What You Do:
You can now wrap your gifts using your super awesome new fabric wrap! There are many great sites out there that can show you how to wrap gifts using material (check out Chewing the Cud) I used a pretty basic method of wrapping a simple box.
What do you think? Will you give gift wraps a try this festive season?
My best friend lives in my hometown with her little family, so I only get to see them when I visit a couple of times a year. I’m determined to be the cool ‘auntie’ who brings awesome presents when she visits, but it’s hard when you don’t get to see the little ones very often. I never know what to get them! But this year I think I’ve nailed it! I figure pretty much anything with sweets involved is going to be a winner with kids and although their mother is probably going to kill me for supplying them with this much sugar, at least it’s ultimately a useful gift…
1. LISTEN
So, this sounds pretty basic, but I know so many people who don’t do this. Listen to the people you care about; what do they like? What are their interests? And I don’t mean just around Christmas or birthdays, I mean all year round. If a loved one mentions that book they’ve been wanting to read or that hobby they’ve been wanting to get into, I open up the notebook app (or even a draft message) make a quick note in my phone. Something like “Tom - Carl Sagan book” and save it for later. The best thing about doing this is that it just looks like you are sending a text message so your target is none the wiser and you have a handy reminder for later.
Speaking of which…
2. Set Up Reminders
In your phone, on your computer, in your calendar. Put a reminder in for the most important people’s birthdays. Not just for the day itself, but a few weeks in advance. This way you will know that birthday is coming up and have ample time to plan what you want to buy for that special someone. Especially if you are like me and you do a lot of your shopping online, you will appreciate the extra time when there is a 2 week wait on shipping!
3. Use Online Searches
And I don’t mean Google; sites like Ebay and Amazon are a veritable treasure chest of items you’ve never even thought of! Whenever I am stuck for gift ideas I head over to Ebay and start searching topics that my recipient might enjoy. Try names of television programs, hobbies, favourite actors or even general items like ‘leather bag’ and see what comes up! I can’t count how many times this has saved me when I was out of inspiration!
No, you wont. You’ll forget and then when it comes time to buy her a gift you’ll be sitting there thinking ‘now what was that thing I saw back in June…?’ Bookmark that shit! And don’t let your bookmarks get lost in between links to funny pictures of cats… I have a ‘Buy’ Folder set up, with sub-folders for each of my family members/housemates/close friends. I save anything cool I see in these folders over the year, so when it approaches Christmas or Birthdays I can just open up the relevant folder and browse a ready made list of gift ideas. Just remember to name your bookmarks as what they actually are, (ie: ‘Owl Measuring cups from Anthropology’) instead of the default name so that if you come across a broken link when you come back, you can Google the item and try to find it elsewhere.
So there you have it. Nothing ground breaking or crazy, just some simple ideas that will hopefully help you get through this festive season.
OMG. My first DIY! I wanted to get the happy couple something special for their wedding gift as they are pretty important to me. They have lived together for a while now, so they certainly didn’t need any toasters or punch bowls, so I was on the hunt for something original. I had seen similar cartography sets around online, but most of them were selling for more than I wanted to spend. Then it dawned on me how easy it would be to make one myself, and how much more it would mean being handmade…