2 experts, 5 ideas for sourcing thoughtful local gifts

Let’s take a crash course in Christmas gifts.

Lesson 1: Put down the credit card. We’re not saying you won’t need it. Just wait a hot minute.

Second, look away from your device and see the deceptive little phrase “place an order”.

Third, drop it all and hear from Julian Leaver and Sarah Kane, owners and chief planners of Julian Leaver Events, and two of Dallas’ most skilled professionals in the art of creating unforgettable experiences. They don’t just know about fabulous events; They are obsessed with carefulness and creativity in their gifts.

“We both love to give away,” says Kane. “I love the creativity of giving and Julian loves the spirit of giving.”

Here are five strategies from Team Fab Collab to not only find the perfect gift, but enjoy the whole process too.

Julian Leaver and Sarah Kane pose at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas.(Anja Schlein)

At close range

It doesn’t take a lot of money to make a gift memorable, just a radar for clues to the recipient’s inner “I want” that they unwittingly left behind on the way.

“We all have so much access, things are delivered to the door almost instantly,” says Kane. “You want people to feel that this person was really thinking of me at that moment, that it wasn’t an isolated incident.”

The couple recently gave a newly married couple a personalized doormat and a beautiful filled planter for their inauguration. “We were also excited about the idea of ​​the surprise situation,” says Leaver.

Kane gave her college-aged brother personalized styrofoam cups so he could entertain friends. Could embellish the office decor with some stylish cup holders too.

In the exercise what you preach section, Leaver scored points on Kane’s birthday. He knew his business partner had a crush on a pair of Loeffler Randall beauties whom they had seen at many of the weddings they coordinated. He also knew that she would never buy them for herself. “I bought her these shoes for her birthday. They are the most beautiful shoes that you would never buy unless you are a bride, impractical, but they are so beautiful. “

Pampered and primed

Kane returned the thoughtful touch on Leaver’s birthday with an element of pampering. “Sarah knows that I never take time for myself, which is why she gave this fabulous mani-pedicure from the Hiatus Spa for my birthday this year.”

For those struggling to make an appointment for a gift service on their own, Kane suggests returning the same item to the giver and setting up a date to enjoy it together. “If you received it and never used it, consider spending time together.”

local community

Now that the supply chain has become a household name, Leaver and Kane offer the best advice to ignore it: think locally. That’s what Kane did when she created a personalized couple gift for Leaver: “I bought hemstitched napkins on site, thought up a cute couple’s name, and took them to a local embroiderer. You were super personal with a quick turnaround. “

Some of her favorite eateries for local places: Kate Weiser Chocolates in Trinity Groves, Read Between the Lines in Victory Park, JK Chocolates and Ellis Hill near Lovers and Inwood, All Good Things in Bishop Arts, Scardello in Oak Lawn, Talulah and Hess in Lakewood, St. Michael’s Women’s Exchange in the Highland Park Village. And of course your own favorite gift boutiques.

An interior view of Kate Weiser Chocolate’s Trinity Groves location in Dallas.(Tom Fox / Employee Photographer)A board made of cut Caseificio Dell’Alta Langa La Tur (left) and Caseificio dell’Alta Langa Robiola Bosina (right) is photographed at Scardello cheese shop in Dallas.(Lynda M. González / photographer)

“We’re all so busy it’s great to be supporting a local business and putting money into the local economy,” says Leaver. “We don’t have to rely on Amazon backlogs if we all decide the day after Thanksgiving it’s Christmas.”

He also likes Box Fox when a local gift isn’t practical. The company makes bespoke gift boxes and takes care of all purchasing, packaging and shipping. “The nice thing is that there are fewer problems with the supply chain because everything on their website is available. It’s very easy to send a fabulous gift. “

Oh, you shouldn’t have that

This time when a neighbor showed up with homemade biscuits, a coworker pulled out a nice gift bag at lunch, or you just screwed up and crossed someone off your list … relax, raid your scented candle stash and chances are you’ll find a winner. Kane and Leaver say this is the perfect gift to dress up or disguise yourself. Give your manicurist, child teacher, or massage therapist a small votive with a cash gift, or go bigger with a combination of a luxurious candle, match (CB2 has a cloche they love), or upscale matchbox – and always include a handwritten note. “I think it’s a gift for everyone,” says Kane. Your choice? Huge selection in the Society’s shops in Bishop Arts and in the Plaza in Preston Center.

Jackson Vaughn sets fire to society in the Bishop Arts District of Dallas. (Evans Caglage / Employee Photographer)

That extra smile

More is more when it comes to thoughtful gifts – not in dollars, but in the care shown. How about taking a male friend over for lunch and surprising them with an appointment for a custom shirt try-on? Freshening up the planters in the front yard or hanging a wreath on a door are also great ways to make your vacation special. And the ultimate vacation hack: Bring freshly baked cookies AND a portion of pre-baked frozen dough to spice it up at strategic moments: “The best party trick ever, ‘Oh, I just decided to make cookies,'” Kane quips.

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