With the holidays upon us, many of us have turned our thoughts to gift giving. Buying gifts for those you love can some times be a challenge. Often times we want to get the “perfect” or find “just” the right thing. We place high expectations on ourselves and sometimes those expectations can really muddle up the holiday season.

I am here to offer a potential solution. Have you ever thought of giving the person you love a vintage or antique item? These are gifts that are one of a kind. They are not mass produced by a big corporation. Sometimes, these items are handmade. If you have been spending any amount of time on this blog – you know that I have a weakness for handmade items.

So with that – here are some vintage or antique items that make great gifts.

Baskets

Vintage and antique baskets are always a great find. I usually look for baskets that are handmade or oak splint or an unusual shape. So the basket itself can be beautiful but the added benefit is that you can fill the basket with goodies. Think along the lines of lotions and soaps, baked goods, art supplies, small toys, and more. Vintage and antique baskets make great gifts because most people can use the basket. It can store mail, keys, crafts, magazines, remote controls, toys, towels etc.

I found THIS ash splint basket on Etsy and thought it was stunning!

Stoneware or Ironstone

Stoneware pots and ironstone pieces are endlessly useful. Buying a piece of stoneware that is 100 years old is also truly meaningful. It’s not as if these pieces can be easily replaced. Again, you can fill the vessel with a variety of items. For example, you can buy an ironstone pitcher as a gift and fill it with fresh flowers when you give it to someone. Another example, you can fill these little J Sainsbury Pots with candies. I wrote a post about collecting old English Advertising Containers, such as these J Sainsbury Pots HERE.

Blue Rover Vintage has a great selection of stoneware and ironstone.

Framed Art and Mirrors

Antique and vintage framed art is an area of the industry that I think is under valued. Meaning, you can find art at really great pieces. Often the frames in of themselves are works of art. I don’t mind if the frames are a little worn – to me – it adds character and shows authenticity.

Antique and vintage mirrors will have a patina that only time can provide. This 1860 mirror, shown in the photo above, was salvaged from a building in N.Y., and is currently used in our front entryway.

The photo above shows old maps that have been matted and framed.

THIS vintage painting from France is a great deal at less than $75. (This painting definitely won’t last long)

Cutting Boards

Cutting boards or bread boards are also another great gift idea. There are some truly unique cutting boards available. The round cutting board shown in the photo above is from England.

There are some stunning bread boards from France. The Bull’s Manor, a store on Etsy, has a fabulous collection of old cutting boards.

My personal philosophy is that you can never have too many cutting boards. Again, you can give great food items with the cutting board. Think along of the lines of some gourmet crackers, cheese, a bottle of olive oil or even a fresh crusty loaf of bread. In my mind, large cutting boards and charcuterie go hand in hand.

Summary

I hope this gave you some ideas for the Holiday season. If you have some ideas on what to give the people you care about, then I find that stress levels during the Holidays tend to be lower.