Such a simple thing, right? WRONG. So wrong. Perhaps one of the most difficult things to do is to give a great and thoughtful gift. Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve been told I’m pretty darn good at it. There’s really nothing better than seeing a person open your gift and truly love it (without any hint of faking it). It’s so cheesy, but it just feels good. Like really and genuinely good to know that you could put a true smile on someone’s face and that they would actually use and love the things you chose for them.

I’ve decided to spill some of my secrets and build you my own series of gift guides according to the personality and style of that special lady you intend to surprise. Each guide will have a variety of price points and a mixture of small batch crafts with easy big box fillers. I’ll admit, a lot of them will probably have an Atlanta bias (gotta support my locals), but I’m sure whatever city you are in you can find comparable local artisans to help fill those gaps. Above everything else though, I always follow one basic principle:

Get her/him something you know she/he will love, but doesn’t have (or know about) yet.