6 Tips For Gifting Vintage

March 18, 2020

More often lately I’ve been gifting items that I have found while out treasure hunting. I’m not going to lie. At first it seems a little strange giving someone a gift that you found at an estate sale for next to nothing. I mean let’s face it, you don’t want to seem cheap. But I’ve realized that if done in the right away, a second hand gift can actually feel really special and personal. So, if you are a little nervous about gifting something that you found while thrifting, here are some tips that I think might help.

1. KNOW THE PERSON YOU’RE GIVING TO

Obviously, this is probably the most important part of giving any kind of gift. I’m not a big risk taker when it comes to gift giving. I want to know for sure that the person is going to like what I buy them. I wouldn’t give someone a vintage item, which is most likely heavily used and a little beat up, unless I was at least 90 percent sure they were going to appreciate it.

2. COMBINE OLD & NEW

If a vintage item doesn’t feel special enough to gift by itself, consider combining it with something new. I’m a big fan of creating gift sets. You might take a thrifted wicker basket or a vintage tool caddy and fill it with a bunch of goodies that you know your friend will like. You can create a gift set around pretty much any item. The possibilities are endless when you start thinking about it!

3. INCLUDE PLANTS, FLOWERS & FOOD

Think about an antique vase filled with a bouquet of flowers, or a vintage olive bucket full of planted succulents. You could even take a vintage dough bowl (super popular right now) and fill it with fruits and veggies from your favorite organic farm. I can’t think of a better house warming gift than that!

4. CREATE A THEME FOR YOUR GIFT

This probably seems pretty obvious but if you are creating a gift set, or mixing an older item with something new, make sure the items make sense together.

5. MAKE A NICE PRESENTATION

It’s all about presentation. I think this applies to all gifting but it’s especially important when your giving something that is old or has been used. When I was looking for wrapping for a recent gift set I created, I stubbled across this 12 inch roll of mesh burlap at Michaels. I have to say I fell in love with it! I’m not a big fan of cellophane wrap so this was a really nice alternative. It was super easy to work with and I was happy with how it turned out. But whatever you use, make sure the presentation looks extra special.

6. INCLUDE A STYLED PHOTO OF THE ITEM YOU ARE GIVING

An artfully styled photo of your gift will take any guess work out for your recipient, and give them an idea of how to use or display the item you are giving. It doesn’t have to be a picture of your exact item. Just use google images to find a photo that shows the type of item you are giving in a beautiful setting. Print it out on nice paper and include it as a card with your gift. When possible, I actually do this for customers who have ordered something from my shop. I know when they get their item in the mail it’s covered in bubble wrap and packing peanuts. I think that including a styled photo of the item they ordered helps put a little magic back into the piece, before they get it set up and styled themselves.

I hope these ideas help in case you’ve ever been unsure about gifting something that you found while out thrifting. If you have any more tips or gifting ideas, feel free leave them in the comments so everyone can see. Thanks for reading!

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