Quirky Gifts
Quirky gifts are unusual gifts - a gift that is a little interesting! Quirky gifts are different to novelty gifts and choosing one can be difficult depending on who you are buying it for. We've compiled a little list below to help out!
Origami Set
Origami is the art of paper folding. You start with a sheet of paper and, in theory at least, should end up with a fully finished sculpture. You achieve the end result through a series of folding and sculpting techniques. Some of us may be more used to napkin folding but origami, through the use of paper, allows for some amazing creations and it's a fun and rewarding activity. It's relaxing and at the end of the folding you have something you can keep or give as a beautiful and thoughtful gift.
The great thing about origami is that you can start with basic sculptures and then move on to magnificent and stunning complex designs. It's also something that can be enjoyed by anyone at any age.
How to begin?
Origami can be folded with all kinds of papers but the most common paper sheets used are thin square sheets.
They are available pre-cut and come in a variety of colours or you get a set which has everything you need to begin.
The next step is to pick a model/sculpture that you'd like to create. Some popular choices are :
Animals
Birds
Flowers
Stars
Airplanes
The book Origami 365 : Includes 365 Sheets of Origami Paper for A Year of Folding Fun by Taro Yaguchi is a paper folding craft kit. It's for both beginners and the more advanced and includes 365 lessons and pieces of paper.
The lessons include basic paper folding skills and how to make decorative projects. There are step by step instructions. With 365 sheets of paper and projects, this book will take you on a yearlong adventure of learning Origami.
We love this book here at Gift Fairy as the author developed a love for paper from his grandfather's job in a Japanese paper plant in Japan.
Sushi Maker
A sushi maker is not just a quirky gift but it's gift that the recipient can have plenty of fun with. Sushi is very popular at the minute-it's fresh, tasty and light. Perfect for Summer. The sushi kits are available to suit a wide range of budgets too. The Bambooworx Deluxe kit is available on amazon. This is such a sweet little kit and makes such a great gift as it has a natural look and feel to it.
The kit contains a rice spreader, two sushi rolling mats, five pairs of chopsticks and one rice paddle. They are all made from top pf the range bamboo and cotton string stitches hold the rolling mats together. It contains exactly what you need to get started so it's not overwhelming and it's very user friendly so perfect for beginners.
If you're buying the quirky gift for someone who knows how to make sushi already, then a good option for a gift is the Sushi Chef Kit. This is also available on Amazon. The kit contains a bamboo rolling mat, a recipe book, rice paddle and all the ingredients you need to feed 12 guests. So it's a great gift if you're having a dinner party too. The ingredients that are included are Japanese style short grain rice, powdered horseradish, rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, sushi vinegar, wasabi, pickled ginger and toasted seaweed (rolling your rice).
Beebombs
We are all spending more time outdoors lately so gifts for the garden are always a good choice. If looking for something a little different, try beebombs! Essentially they are a bag of native wildflower seedballs. The bags contain thousands of seeds from 18 native wildflower species. They come in a little pouch so you can be confident that the packaging used is sustainable.
What's the point of Beebombs and what do they do?
The point is to help bring bees back to our gardens. To do this, we can create a little colourful wildflower meadow area in our gardens. They also work in planters and pots. Some companies sell Wildflower Seedballs so these are also perfect for getting bees back into your garden.
The Sheep BaBa Box
This is a very good quirky gift from a company based in Galway, Ireland called The Sheep. It's a BaBa sound maker covered in real sheep wool and it's available in natural cream and black wool and you can check them out here.
The company also has other fun items such as models of Sheep. They are individually handcrafted and finished in their workshop in Galway.
Bloomingville Mango Wood Tray
This is a quirky gift but it's also a great gift for people who love to cook and love to host dinner parties.
The Mango Wood Tray from Bloomingville is a serving tray that is made from mango wood and has a beautiful carved decorative design giving it a nice rustic look. It's ideal for serving bread, pizza or a selection of cheeses. It has a string on it which allows you to hang it on the wall when not is use for a lovely decorative piece.
Hammock
There are a wide variety of hammocks available so selecting one will really depend on budget as some can be quite expensive but they make for an amazing quirky gift!
One option is the Extreme Lounging B Hammock. It comes with a durable stand. This is something to look out for when buying a hammock, some don't coe with a stand!
This one is easy to set up and is made from UV resistant materials making it ideal for the garden.
It's available in a selection of bright colours and is quilted for added comfort.
When the weather gets bad, you can fold it up and put it away. It's so lightweight that you can pack it up and bring it with you to the beach.
Ikea also has a range of hammocks available. They also have some that come with a stand. The hammock stand is easy to move on the Ikea on as it has a wheel on one side so you can tilt and roll it out of the way if you need too. You can keep books, magazines or other things in the small pouch on the side of the hammock too.