Valentine's Day Gift Guide (Under $30)
I always felt that Valentine’s Day was…kind of…an awkward holiday. For one, I am a bit of an extremist when it comes to love. I would always go way, WAY above the normal expectation when it came to showing my love for someone by buying them a gift. In the 7th grade, I bought my friend a brand new guitar with my own money. When I was in high school, I bought my boyfriend at the time an iPod for our anniversary. (Remember those things? It was the one that looked just like an iPhone without the phone part.) And after knowing my, now, husband for only 5 months, I also bought him a bass guitar. So basically, if you are in need of a guitar, I guess we should become friends because at some point, I’ll probably end up buying you one.
Not that these expensive acts of love weren’t appreciated, but it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to throw down a few $100 on someone, especially when (and here’s that real awkward part I was talking about) the relationship isn’t always defined. It’s a tricky thing, I’ll tell you! So I’ve learned that Valentine’s Day is a great day to show a little extra love to someone you care about. It’s a healthy thought to have. Yes, we should also show love to our neighbors every day. But Valentine’s Day is a perfect segue into practicing kinder and more generous habits.
I’ve put together a small list of items that are Ryne & Emery approved! They’re just a couple items that we wouldn’t mind receiving from the other for Valentine’s Day. And the best part, they’re all under $30. Obviously, I didn’t forget about my favorite Petunia. Otis has a list for all the pups out there too.
For Him
Urban Map Glass // $16.00
I first gave the Nashville etched map glass to Ryne on our wedding day. He freaking flipped, like I knew he would, and now has started a little collection with 7 other cities (RIP Chicago). He has a thing for cities and it’s always a fun thing when we have company over, he’ll let them choose which city they want to drink from. It’s kind of like the adult-version of when your parents asked what color cup you want to drink from, because we all knew that having the right color mattered so very, very much!
Pikuniku Video Game // $12.99
We’ve seen a little bit of buzz about this game. We’ve heard through the design community that this game’s aesthetics are very quirky and colorful. Since Ryne and I are both artists and graphic designers, we’re really interested in how it plays. And the best part is it’s relatively cheap compared to most video games. Take a look at the trailer to get a tasty of that quirkiness.
HyperChiller // $29.99
One thing that Ryne is really known for is his fondness of cold beverages. He usually never drinks water, and if he does, it needs to be carbonated. The whole thing is just one big eye roll to me, but big part of marriage is just dealing with the things you think are just plain silly. It’s kind of like the whole “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” notion. So when I stumbled on this fun invention, it had Ryne written all over it. It’s basically a way to make your drinks cold, quickly, while not watering down your beverages with ice. Fancy little thing, right? It works for all beverages you could think of: liquors, coffee, wine, etc.
VANS Snapback // $26.00
Ryne Norman and his hats. He always has to have something on that beautiful head of hair of his. (Another “eye roll notion” there). But boy does his also love his Vans. Fun Fact: Ryne ONLY wears Vans. He wears them to the lake, he wears them when he does yard work, he wheres them hiking up mountains, he wears them to work, Sam I Am. So combining two of his favorite fashion statements into one…it’s the perfect gift.
Minimal Playing Cards // $13.00
Lately, we’ve been really into playing cards among the many games we like to play together. These cards though have the exact minimal design to them that Ryne just goes crazy over. I can actually see him being so distracted by these cards that he wouldn’t even be paying attention to the game at hand.
For Her
Bee Collar Pin // $19.00
I’m not a huge jewelry person. I like very, very minimal bling on me. It’s all about subtle accents for me. But it’s not very often I stumble upon a piece of jewelry that I like, but the fact that it’s a COLLAR PIN! And it has honey bees on it?!? Very much my style.
Dessert Bowls (Set of 4) // $12.00
I just adore these tiny little dessert bowls. We’re about to renovate our kitchen and so much of my kitchen wear is plain jane white. Nothing wrong with white because it literally goes with everything. But we’re planning on having open shelving and I wanted to incorporate a couple splashes of color and these tiny little bowls do just the trick.
Snoop Dogg’s Cookbook // $24.95
I’m laughing so hard at this, in the best way possible. This is the quirky stuff that I love the MOST! Um…yes I want to make Snoop Dogg’s Rolls Royce Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. OBVIOUSLY! I really really really want this cookbook. Sorry Joanna Gaines. Your cookbook definitely poked at my attention, but Snoop’s steals it away. Oh my gosh, and the cover is made to look like it’s from your great grandma’s cookbook, but then there’s Snoop in the middle…guys, I’m just dying. If you buy this cookbook, please let me know, and then let’s become friends so we can bake some “platinum recipes from tha boss dogg’s kitchen” together. Just…dead. I’m so dead.
Eco-Friendly Dryer Balls // $9.59
I know this is kind of a lame gift, but I actually really want these. This has been the latest eco-friendly investment I’ve had my eye. I’m pretty sure I’ve put this in my Amazon shopping cart a couple times, but then realized I was buying one too many items and had to put one,…or five items back and this has never made to my front door.
For the Pup
Plush Squeaky Squirrels & Log // $14.35
Otis recently has discovered the squirrels hiding in our neighbors garage, who like to scurry along the wall to get to the nearby tree that Otis is very fond of peeing on. One morning, he even was so bold to chase the one squirrel who decided to get away on foot, into our neighbors yard. The little turd nugget. I know these poor squirrels won’t last long because Otis likes to tear all his toys limb from limb like some kind of psychopath, but they reminded me of another toy he used to have that involved a nest with three little red birds. If you’re curious to know what happened to those, you had see the short film I made on my “Otis” Instagram story highlights.
Dog Bowl Water Bottle // $15.00
Ryne’s mom actually bought one of these for Otis right before Christmas, and let me tell you, it is clutch! We’ve used it many times when we go on hikes and long rides in the car. Whoever designed this fancy gadget was brilliant. All you do is squeeze the bottle and the bowl fills up with water. Then, after the dog is done with the water, you don’t have to waste it and throw it out. It just goes back into the bottle. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!
All Natural Peanut Butter Dog Treats // $11.99
I’m pretty sure among all the treats that we’ve ever given Otis, his favorite has always been peanut butter. If I ever get my apple and peanut butter on for a dessert, Otis’s puppy dog eyes are so much larger than normal. So obviously I cave because, let’s be honest, he’s the cutest and I’m a sucker. But these treats don’t just have peanut butter in them, but they also have another one of Otis’s favorite treats, blueberries. AND they’re heart-shaped for Valentine’s day…com’on!
Bacon Scented Durable Ball // $9.99
I’m pretty sure we have 20 balls somewhere in, and around our house that all belong to Otis. Does he really need another ball? No. BUT this one is bacon-scented and fits perfectly in the “Chuck It” fetch thrower we have. He’s going to flip a lid over this thing!
