Ask A Woman: Valentine’s Edition of the AAW Gift-Giving Guide
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Back with our regular gift-giving guide for the women in your life, this time for Valentine’s Day. Not much of a V-Day person? No worries, a simple card is always a sweet gesture, especially if you write a personal and genuine note inside. But if you’re still looking for something special for your lady, the gals at The Pretty Guinea Pig have curated a selection of fine items, in all different price points, for the season o’ love.
One Love Organics Winter Glow Gift Set – $159
One Love Organics is a skin care brand I recently discovered aaaaaand have lost my mind over. It’s run by a well-known beauty blogger, and the ingredients for all products are organic. This gift set, which promises to restore health and vigor to dry winter skin, is just one of many items available. Definitely a steep price, so if you prefer to spend less, this set of four body serums (read: richer moisturizer than regular lotion) made with essential oils is $100, and a great alternative (or buy just one for $39). Either of these sets would be good if your other half is complaining about having dry, itchy skin during the winter months. A decadent and thoughtful gift.
Darby Smart DIY 3 Month Subscription – $57
Darby Smart is a company that puts together boxes of supplies and instructions for Do-It-Yourself projects, and ships them to crafty folks. Jewelry-making projects, glass-etching projects–there are many options. The lucky recipient finds herself with all the items necessary to create one-of-a-kind pieces. You can gift a single project, or you can gift a subscription of varying length (3 months, 6 months), where your lady will receive a box each month. What a great gift for someone who is creative and loves working with her hands.
Lulu & Georgia Blooming Blossoms Vase – $40
This beautiful cherry blossom vase would make a classy and timeless gift alone, or you could use it to display the flowers you buy your wife on Valentine’s Day. We also like this winter branches vase–good for the rare gal who happens to adore winter.
GiGi New York Personalized Python-Embossed Leather Clutch – $135
Okay, granted, you can’t get this in time for Valentine’s Day because it’s customized, so it’s not relevant for this particular holiday. BUT, it’s such a great gift, I wanted to include it in case your lady has a birthday coming up in the next couple months. I picked this magenta shade because it’s Pantone’s Color of the Year, but it also comes in black, brown, and white. Get it embossed with her initials for a truly unique, personalized gift.
Anthropologie Batonnet Sparkle Drops – $28
I picked these earrings because they’re simple, elegant, and can be dressed up or down. Plus, that price tag is right on the mark for the budget-minded. For serious flash, these Smoky Amber Drops are quite stunning.
Wool/Cashmere Crewneck – $58.80 ($98) or Screenprint Cotton Sweater – $69
One’s going to be warm, one is not. But both are appropriate for Valentine’s Day. The sweater at left is a wool/cashmere blend, and is available in multiple patterns if you know the lady you’re buying for frowns at hearts. The sweater at right would be for the dog lover that leans a bit kitschy in their style. It’s a thin cotton weave though, so it might not see much action until the weather warms up.
zChocolate Romantic zBox of 12 – $54.08 (plus $20 shipping)
Yes, chocolates, but wait. These peg the spoil-o-meter. So you’re a traditionalist, and she’s a chocoholic: Chocolates from France. Why not? Perhaps because 12 chocolates are going to cost you a total of 75 bucks when all is said and done? But it’s supposed to be some of the world’s best chocolate! Kind of like the world’s best cup of coffee. Spoiling a girl with some stupid luxury every now and then can definitely make her heart go pitter-patter.
Dogeared Dream of Love Necklace – $52
This sweet little necklace is an easy one for many a girl to incorporate into her current jewelry lineup. Mixed metals are still popular, and the size of this pendant makes it perfect for layering with other pieces.
Pedestal Jewelry Holder – $45
Or perhaps she has enough jewelry, and she just needs something to store or display it with. This dish is made by pottery maker Tracy Shea. I’m a sucker for that design and shade of blue, but that’s the only color it’s offered in, so if your girl’s room is decorated in black and red? Best to skip this… and maybe buy her a whip.
Wine Pearls – $25
Is she a wine aficionado? A novice? Or does she just sometimes enjoy her happy juice? Well these nifty little stainless steel “pearls” will keep her whites chilled, and even bring a glass of red down to optimum temperature for full flavor enjoyment. They can also be used in cocktails and juices. You could pair these with a bottle of her favorite beverage.
Okay men, those are just a few picks from us. We want to know, what’s the best Valentine’s Day Gift you’ve ever given? Or are you and your sweetie just not into 2/14? Thanks for reading!
I went with a Sur la Table date night cooking class this year. I didn’t try to make it a surprise, because I needed her input to coordinate schedules, but the idea has been well-received all the same.
queue the “I hate valentines day because it’s just another excuse to buy cards and chocolate”
Queue the ‘queue the’ comments. Wait…
Quick question to the wine connoisseurs out there: do those wine pearls affect the taste of the wine at all? I think that’s a really neat idea, especially for my lovely lady who tends to drink wine veeeeery slowly, but I don’t want to do anything strange to the taste. I assume it should be fine b/c white wines are supposed to be chilled, but I just wanted to make sure.
No, the stainless steel will not affect the taste of the wine. Personally, I prefer to use wine buckets to chill the entire bottle… it’s just sexier… but those pearls will work well for a single glass of white.
As for a red, I wouldn’t use these myself. You’d have to remove them rather quickly lest you over-chill your Merlot like a heathen. If a wine cellar is not available to you, a wine fridge with adjustable zones is a good substitute. For those less serious wine drinkers, throw it in the fridge for 30 minutes and then let it sit out for another 10. This is very general and different reds serve best at different temperatures (not to mention the differences in fridge and house temperatures), but we’re shooting for a “good enough” 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thanks! Follow up question: for fancy dates, which drink ware is more appropriate, a plastic ‘I-got-this-free-at-a-bar-on-st-pattys’ mug or the wine bottle itself?
kidding.
maybe.
As long as you each get your own bottle…
Two notes on those, frequently you have to work with another couple and if you have a lot of cooking experience they tend to be quite basic.
Imo, the problem with things like wine pearls or scotch cubes is that they don’t cool uniformly. Ice cubes keep liquids at 0° C because they’re undergoing a phase transition. Solids like wine pearls start out cold but immediately start warming up. Sure, ice melts into water, but some water is necessary to bring out the aromas in a lot of harder liquors.
I’ve heard the best way to serve wine is to obey the 15-minute rule: white wines come out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving, while red wines go in for 15 minutes before serving.
Just wanted to take a minute and praise some excellent customer service. I ordered a Valentine’s gift from One Love Organics as mentioned above. Unfortunately, the package came damaged yesterday. One quick phone call to their customer service line and they rush shipped a replacement package to arrive by Thursday night. I spoke with Suzanne Leroux and she was kind, helpful and very efficient. Refreshing to get such great, personal service.