5 Ways to Find a Gift They’ll Treasure this Christmas
Buying the perfect present for that special someone is becoming increasingly difficult. Most people have the latest gadgets they want and nothing says “I didn’t put much thought into it” more than upgrading a loved ones perfectly good technology with this quarter’s model.
How about something thoughtful they’ll fall in love with? Something that is handmade and unique. Something they’ll own because they don’t want anyone else to own it. Something they want to show their loved ones because it is a part of who they are. Something that’s taken an artist a lifetime of practice to create. Art is a gift that will be treasured long past Christmas.
But art is so personal. How can you possibly choose the right piece? To help you discover the artwork they’ll fall in love with, follow one of our tried and tested methods. To prove it works I’m going to use each method to find a gift for someone who is notoriously difficult to buy for – my brother.
NAME: Edd AGE: 33 PASSIONATE ABOUT: Star Wars (and anything else popular in the 80s/90s), DJing, dance music, vinyl records, cars WALLS: Recently moved into an apartment. The walls are eggshell green. Still quite empty. FAVOURITE COLOUR: red FAVOURITE ART STYLES: Pop, Street
Method 1: Choose a subject they’re passionate about
My brother is obsessed with Star Wars. He still collects the original action figures much to his wife’s dismay. Let’s use the search bar on the Bluethumb homepage and simply type in ‘Star Wars’ and hit enter.
Results: 4 great gifts
Who knew there’s such great Star Wars inspired art on Bluethumb! My brother would like any of these, but would love Jason Moad’s photorealistic painting of an original Boba Fett action figure. Growing up with Edd (see our Star Wars toy dominated childhood below), even I know Boba Fett is one of the rarest and most prized possessions of any Star Wars figure collector.
Method 2: Search their favourite colour or a complementary colour for their walls
Edd is a fast car kind of guy, so it’s no surprise his favourite colour is red. Our new search feature takes you straight to the art you’re looking for. You can refine your search further by collection, medium, price and size.
Lucky for me, Edd’s favourite colour also complements his apartment’s eggshell green walls. By using the complementary colour wheel below, you can find art that looks ideal with your loved one’s colour schemes. Complementary colours are located opposite each other.
Results: 3 great gifts (although there are so many I stopped looking after 5 minutes)
I can’t go wrong with any of these, but think my brother would love David Simmon’s Redhead as he’s a big fan of Pop art.
Method 3: Get a second opinion from the pros
A second opinion from someone who knows you’re loved one is always a good idea, but not always possible. On our Curations page you can see the art the professionals love. Buy with confidence knowing your choice is the same as industry insiders.
Results: 3 great gifts (just from the Eclectic Pop Art curation)
80s nostalgia. Street art. Pop art. Buying a present for my brother has never seemed so easy. I can’t choose between these 3 as he would love them all. Thanks for your help Janni!
Method 4: Be inspired by our Gift Centre
Head over to our Gift Centre and find loads of great ideas handpicked by the Bluethumb team.
Results: 4 great gifts
You probably know my brother quite well by now, but I’ll explain my choices in order: 1. Cars, obviously; 2. A complementary colour and just cool; 3. Raving dinosaur woman would look great next to his DJ gear; 4. Pop art, red and South Park reference.
Method 5: Give the gift of choice
Some people look down on gift vouchers as if they are thoughtless gifts. This can be true, but not necessarily. If I decide to give my brother a Bluethumb Gift Voucher, I’ll personalise it using the message feature, explaining why I’m giving the gift of art: “Dear Edd, I wanted to give you something thoughtful you’d love and treasure forever this Christmas. I know you’ve just moved into your new apartment so need something awesome to put on the wall. Check out the Pop art curations page on Bluethumb. I’m sure you’ll find the perfect art there. Jason Moad’s Boba Fett painting is right up your street too.”
Tip: Choose something they’ll treasure all year round. The painting of a cat in a Santa costume is super cute, but will only function as a Christmas decoration a couple of weeks a year… unless they’re crazy!
So I’ve found heaps of thoughtful gifts for my notoriously difficult-to-buy-for brother. I’ve surprised myself, though – by finding something I know he’ll treasure forever. I wasn’t sure when I started writing this if I’d buy one of the artworks I discovered. But when you find the perfect gift the rush is incredible. I’m ridiculously excited about Edd opening it and in the unlikely event he’s reading this… SURPRISE!
No Disintegrations by Jason Moad was actually one of the first I found (often the way when you put time into these things). There are so many reasons this is perfect and Edd isn’t usually someone I’d dare buy art. A joint birthday (his birthday’s mid-December so he’s used to this), Christmas, housewarming and decent wedding gift (he got a bottle of champagne), he deserves something special this year! I’m imagining this in his new home office hanging above his most treasured Star Wars memorabilia.
In the unlikely event he doesn’t love it, Bluethumb offer a very generous free returns guarantee.
Support local industry and give a one-of-a-kind, handmade gift your loved ones will treasure for years to come. Make sure you get your Christmas orders in by the first week of December to allow time for shipping.
