NEW YORK — Gifts such as a candle and a bottle wine are perfect for the moment or the long-term. Some gifts are memorable keepsakes that can be passed on or cannot be re-gifted.
These gifts are not only fun and delightful, but they are also meant to be treasured for many years.
CUSTOM CLUTCH – Talia Hancock, a Newport, California designer, sells custom-made clutch handbags. These can be personalized with letters or colors. A clutch with her maiden and married names on one side might be a great choice for a bride-tobe. With a clutch featuring her school colors and the Greek letters, a new pledge to sorority might be a big hit with her sisters. You could also make a clutch with the names of your children. Hancock said, “The sky is the limit.” Hancock prefers to facilitate orders via the “text to place” option on her TALIA Instagram account, so that she can have a conversation with customers. Clutches cost $198 for one-side customization and $238 for two.
CUSTOM DENIM JACKET – Also available at Hancock’s TALIA, a custom denim coat. The jacket’s back is hand-painted. The jacket can be personalized with your name, date, initials or phrase. This will ensure that you are noticed. You can also customize the collar to make it stand out. Hancock said, “I don’t wear my clutch or my jackets without being stopped and asking where they came from.” Jackets are available in blue and black denim, starting at $198 (some designs may cost more).
Talia Hancock, a California designer and boutique owner, sells custom denim jackets.
PRESERVEDTEXTS: Are you a friend who has a fun text conversation that you would love to save? You may have a beloved one whose text messages you don’t want to delete. You can keep them forever in a book called Keepster. This company can accept messages from various apps like WhatsApp, iMessage and Hike and compile them into the format you choose.
PERSONALIZED PODCAST – If you would like an oral history from your loved one, visit Artifact. Many of the interviewers are “moonlighting reporters” and they will conduct an interview with you. Interviews focus on one “chapter” in a person’s childhood or teen years. The audio is then edited into a studio-quality 20-minute episode. For three episodes, the cost is $99 each or $119 for one episode. The finished product will be delivered within five working days after the recording.
PET PORTRAITS – The pandemic saw a rise in pet ownership. Sam and Jack are one of the companies that offer a way to remember or celebrate these loved ones. They will take a photograph of your pet and transform it into anything from a personalized pillow to an illustrated, framed portrait. They can also personalize smaller items like water bottles, mugs, and phone cases.
Sam and Jack create a custom portrait of their pet.
VIDEO MESSAGE – For someone who has everything, a unique gift could be a group message or tribute from Tribute.co. They can also send the invites or compile the videos. The maximum message length is not set, so messages could be several hours. Andrew Horn, the founder of Tribute.co, claims that customers have rented out theaters for their tributes. Prices depend on the package. If you edit your videos using Tribute.co’s editing platform, it will cost $29. Their concierge service will handle the outreach coordination and edit the video for you at $99. You can send it to them via a link or they can edit the video for $99. If you prefer a physical gift, $174 will get you a greeting card with a video screen and audio inside.
