I tackled my Mother’s Day shopping this weekend and am feeling pretty proud of my gift ideas this year! In my search for the perfect gift, I found a bunch of fun ideas from UncommonGoods, and rounded up a few to help you find the perfect gift for Mom! A few of my favorites are the succulent wall planter — which would look so great on the porch, and the mobile foodie kit filled with spices (plus I’ve been eyeing those starburst sculptures for myself too!). Any good gift ideas for Mom you’d add to the list?
Next week I have a few fun DIY ideas for handmade holiday gifts — but in the meantime I thought I would share a few of my favorite DIY gifts from last year to get you in the crafting-mood! My favorite of these is the festive bottle stoppers, I gave them out as gifts last year and they were a hit — plus I still have a few hanging around that I plan on using for holiday entertaining! Do you have any plans for homemade gifts this year?
This year, instead of sharing a week of gift guides I decided to mix things up and think a little more local! All this week I’m sharing interviews with local Boston business owners to get their tips for holiday gift giving and entertaining. Today we’re talking with Sofi, the darling owner of Olives and Grace:
K: The holidays mean lots and lots of parties — I’d love to know your advice on what to bring as hostess gift for parties big and small?
OG: I believe the greatest gifts are those that can be shared. When heading to a party, I suggest bringing a gift box with an assortment of edible gifts that make great additions to a party. Some favorites are locally made Q’s nuts (try the Rosemary and Sea Salt.. perfect compliment to a cheese plate!), Morris Kitchen’s Ginger cocktail syrup (add a splash to a glass of Prosecco), and Lark Cookies of any flavor will be a hit. The Jam Stand has a delicious and unique Blackberry Jalapeño jam that I love, and we just got in a bacon popcorn which I can hardly keep on the shelves. When you show up with a well-executed foodie-box, you’ll be a treasured guest!
K: Any good gift ideas for the guys? I have a few tricky men on my list that are tough to buy for!
OG: Yes! The Mason Shaker and Shake, their cocktail recipe book, have been a huge hit this year for men’s gifts. Guys love a good drink, and now they can play around with muddling, shaking, and mixing up concoctions for at home cocktails.
K: You have lots of tasty treats in your store — which items to you recommend make it into our baskets for holiday entertaining?
OG: I get really excited when people buy the Kinfolk Table cookbook, it has about 400 pages of farm to table recipes, shared stories, family traditions, interviews and more. It is one of my favorite products I’ve ever had the pleasure of carrying in the store.
K: What gifts in your shop are you most excited to share with customers this holiday season? Any hot sellers we should be adding to our Christmas shopping lists?
OG: Tilly Doro jewelry — the designer uses various materials for her pieces, so in one bracelet you might have fabric, brass, and beads. I love all the textures and personalities in her work. Salt Cellars is a husband and wife run company that makes walnut serving boards, we love having them over for demos, and our customers have completely fallen for them. Neighborwoods coasters are another favorite of mine — they make map coasters that have the neighborhoods carved out in cedar. We carry various cities, and those make incredible gifts.
Thanks to Sofi for all of her great advice! Don’t forget to #shoplocal on this holiday season!
Ready for the last installment of Handmade Holidays? There is no sweeter gift than homemade treats!
Remember when I said thiswas the easiest DIY holiday present? I lied — it gets easier! Grab a package of Tollhouse chocolate chips from the grocery store and using the recipe on the back measure out all of the dry ingredients, layering them one by one in a mason jar. Next, write the recipe out on a pretty piece of paper and stick it on top of the jar, and finally, adorn the front with a personalized message and some ribbon (I printed my message out on Martha Stewart Avery Labels). How easy was that? Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Handmade Holidays Gift ideas here, here, here, and here!
Next up in the Handmade Holidays series is a set of glitter coated hangers, the perfect gift for a stylish friend!
In my opinion, you can’t go wrong when you coat something in glitter — am I right? I started this project with inexpensive wooden hangers, and painted them with a layer of mod podge. Quickly, before the glue dries, sprinkle glitter until you coat the wood. After this layer dries, go back over with another layer of mod podge to coat the hangers and seal in the glitter — you might need more than one coat depending on the thickness of your application. And there you have it, some sparkly gifts for your favorite clothes horse! (I love these so much that I might save one to hang my wedding dress on this Spring!)
Next up in the Handmade Holidays series has a little bit of glitz — a decorative candle holder with gold polka dots!
I love the idea of using this handmade holiday gift for a little hostess treat when you’re visiting friends for the holidays. To start I used a craft punch to cut out circles on a piece of thick cardstock, then taped the cardstock around the candle holder to create a stencil. From there, it’s as simple as filling in your polka dots with a metallic sharpie — you can add-on an extra layer of metallic marker after the first layer dries if you’d like the color to be a bit more opaque. Then pair it was a pretty scented candle and some fun matches (I love these ones!).
Next up in the Handmade Holidays series is one of the easiest DIYs ever — monogrammed mugs!
I found some plain white oversized latte mugs for this project; you also need sharpie markers, and some fun treats to fill the mugs with. Draw your design on the mug with your Sharpie marker, I practiced free-hand on a piece of paper a couple of times before I started to draw on the mug or you could use a stencil. After you’re happy with your design or lettering, pop the mug in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes to make set the ink. Then fill up the mug with some seasonal sweets — I chose peppermint ribbon candy– and tie it up with a ribbon, voila!
I think I’m finally finished with all of my Christmas shopping, but there’s always that one gift recipient that I’ll realize has slipped my mind just days before the holiday weekend. So, if you’re like me and need a few last-minute gift ideas, I’ve rounded up 20 festive finds that are on a budget — everything is under $25! The danger of putting these posts together? I’ve already done some shopping for myself: that polka-dot hat is mine!
I get so excited to find a new shop online that features fun, unique products (not that I need any more incentive to shop online, but still, it’s exciting). Delight.com has a great curation of distinctive products that would make really special gifts for a friend’s birthday, or an inspired wedding shower gift or maybe just for me for no reason at all! Here are some of my favorite picks from their site:
