The best thing about gift-giving is treating someone to something they wouldn’t necessarily splurge on themselves. Making someone feel super special takes time and planning…. dangit if we’re not running short on both. Enter: the gift subscription!
The gift subscription is no longer a cheesy wine-of-the-month club, or fruit basket club. Nope. The Internet has made gift subscriptions seriously cool. You can take to the internet, find a totally niche gift subscription, and sign your friend up for a monthly gift to enjoy throughout 2014. Some gifts are monthly, some are quarterly. Either way it’s just enough time for your friend to forget that they have a sweet package coming in the mail.
You can make your friend a cute little card to let them know that their gift is on the way. Trust me, in January after they’ve long forgotten about your gift, they’ll receive it in the mail and be blown away.
One of my favorite discoveries this year has been Stitch Fix •• Stitch Fix is a mail order personal styling service. You fill out a detailed style profile and receive a box of five hand-picked pieces according to your style preferences. Buy them or send them back. It’s all up to you. I have had wonderful luck with this service. It’s really nice not to have to try on jeans in a dusty dressing room… that in itself makes this service awesome. Treat yo’ self and treat a friend to a Stitch Fix gift card! It’s rad.
Quarterly •• Subscribe and every three months you’ll receive an awesome curated gift. The gift curators are pretty cool. Think: Dooce, Food 52, Andrew Zimmerman, and the guys behind the LA restaurant Animal. It’s great! Totally unique.
I can’t seem to keep my nails looking right. I blame the fact that I do dishes 5 times a day. But I want to make sure my friends have their nail game on point. Scratch •• is the answer! Scratch is a Los Angeles based nail art company that provides subscribers with three sets of nail stickers each and every month. Best of all, each month of nail stickers are designed by a different artist. It’s the best way to make your nails looks super cute without leaving your house… and without having to wait for drying time. I love this nail option! I use them all the time. They’re incredibley easy to put on. I say this as a person who is generally terrible and careless with all things nail polish related. This is an excellent gift! Scratch Monthly Mani Box.
I love getting crafty but heck nooo I don’t want to go to the craft store. That’s immediately overwhelming. For The Makers •• is a monthly gift box with all of the little pieces necessary to put together a clever craft. Get the pieces. Follow the directions. Put it together! Feel accomplished. It’s like Lincoln Logs in the mail… but cooler. (Although Lincoln Logs in the mail would be pretty cool.)
You don’t want to be in my house the morning I realize I’m out of coffee. It’s really not a good look. Spare your friends the same disaster with Craft Coffee ••
Get out of the cocktail box with Julibox •• It’s a boozy subscription service that sends out a cocktail recipe, spirit, and mixer every month. At-home Happy Hour is just the best!
Turntable Kitchen is a lovely food and music blog . Lucky for us Matt and Kasey send their love of food and music to our doorsteps every month. The Turntable Kitchen’s Pairing’s Box •• includes a limited-edition 7″ vinyl single along with a digital download mix-tape, a few seasonally themed dried ingredients, and three recipes along with tasting notes. It’s dinner for you and a few friends with the perfect party music to match. This just feels right!
Salumi Society with Boccalone •• You know… just your monthly delivery of ‘salty pig parts’… except it’s not just salty pic party because Boccalone has a way with pork. Their lardo is my very favorite. Lardo… it’s exactly what it sounds like. Meat in the mailbox!
Olfactif •• I require a few luxuries in life: a good blazer and really classy perfume. I often like to press those same luxuries on my friends. Olfactif helps keep things classy in the perfume department. Each month they send three large samples of perfume along with information about the artist that created it. Pretty cool, right?
Vogue Magazine •• Sometimes there’s nothing more indulgent than sitting on the couch and flipping through a magazine. Let it be Vogue!
I hope your pre-holiday weekend is going well! I’m stepping into the kitchen to make Shells and Cheese. Recipe for you tomorrow (fingers crossed)!
Happy Sunday!