Thursday 7 January 2016

Shopping for Gifts and Greeting Cards for Men


Last month I touched on the difficulties of buying gifts for men and promised to go into it in a bit more detail this month, hopefully offering some helpful advice as well. 

Whether it's a husband or partner, a father, a son, a grandson or a friend or colleague, choosing the right gift can be quite a headache!

So first we need to understand why it can be so difficult.

I realise I am about to generalise dreadfully but there do seem to be some common threads running through the reasons that it's harder to choose a present for a man than for a woman.

  • Whereas women tend to be thrilled to receive all sorts of totally unnecessary 'accessories' and ornamental bits and pieces, as long as they suit their style, men are more inclined to think in terms of practical, useful gifts. (This, by the way, can lead to some friction when men buy us household items, such as vacuum cleaners - and in my own case, for my first married Christmas gift, a very functional stainless steel ladel!)
  • Related to the above, while most women can go into a gift shop or craft shop and pick out a dozen frivolous little items they'd love to own, men tend to think much bigger. The things they aspire to are more likely to be cars, boats, houses etc - probably not within our budget for birthday gifts but things to be saved up for.
  • Unlike women and girls, men and boys are unlikely to tell us either directly or through dropping hints, what they'd like for their birthday or Christmas.
  • Because the things men would like to own are likely to be useful, easily justified items, they tend to just buy them when they need them - I have this on good authority from my son.


So all these factors together can leave us with a problem but here are a few ways we may be able to make the gift-buying a bit easier:

First -

Have you tried asking him outright what he'd like for his birthday or Christmas present?

He's unlikely to drop hints so that may well be the best course of action. But do choose a time when he won't feel harassed about something that is supposed to be a source of pleasure - don't try to talk about it when he's preoccupied with something else, such as work, a tv programme or a project he's wanting to plan.

If asking him a straight question doesn't provide you with a useful answer - and often it won't! - try approaching it from a different angle. 

Does he have a hobby that could be enhanced by a gift related to it? Even if it's not a strictly practical hobby-related gift, maybe a coffee mug or t-shirt that acknowledges the importance of his hobby in his life would go down well?

It may even be that it's up to us women to know best what a man needs before he knows it himself! After all, we're supposed to be good at putting ourselves in someone else's shoes, aren't we! So maybe you can visualise how pleased he would be to receive something with his monogram or name on? A Travel Accessories Bag, for instance, or maybe a sleeve for his tablet or laptop?

You may need to do some detective work - notice if there are particular book reviews in the newspapers that seem to interest him; where does he linger in the DIY store? Does he buy a specific magazine or journal regularly? Maybe a subscription to that magazine would go down well? Is he a wine buff? There are plenty of wine-related accessories on offer, though his preference will probably a bottle of really good wine! If you have serious money to spend, maybe an 'experience', such as a hot air balloon trip, would be a gift he'd remember with pleasure.

If all else fails - and I'm resorting to this increasingly with my teenage grandsons - there are plenty of gift vouchers on offer, either for hobby-related gifts, such as gaming, for treats such as a therapeutic massage or for more general stores. 

Still stuck?

Here are some of my Zazzle Collections where you might find inspiration. I realize that my Zazzle stores may well seem to be full of floral designs - I love my garden! - but I try to make sure that I balance the pretty and feminine with designs more suitable for gifts for men. So take a few minutes to browse - you might find exactly what you need!


Looking for a smartphone case as a gift for a man? Look no further - here you will find a selection of Case-Mate and Savvy cases for the iPhone 5 and 6 as well as Samsung Galaxy smartphones. The ethnic and tribal patterns in subtle colours are from my 'Jungle Drums' collection and many of them are ready for you to personalize. All can be easily customized by changing the scale or direction of the pattern for a truly personal touch. (Don't forget that these designs can be adjusted to fit any of the Case-mate cases - just choose your model from the drop-down menu immediately below 'Device Type' on the product page.)

Click on the image below to see the full collection


Great gift for the fashion-conscious younger man, trending plaid patterns on canvas High-top Shoes and Panel-front T-shirts - great choice of colorways!

Click on the image below to see the full collection



Here's a selection of gifts and greeting cards for anyone who loves the sea, the seaside and sailing! All these coastal designs are from hand-painted paper collages and include a lighthouse, beach huts, a fishing port and a seaside vista. Although this selection of greeting cards and gifts are for anyone at all, some of them might well solve the difficulty of finding something suitable for a man!

Click on the image below to see the full collection

Here's a wonderful selection of Gifts and Birthday Cards for anyone born in the Chinese Year of the Horse! But these 'Horse' gifts would be just as popular with anyone who loves horses - there are 'Horse' Fashion Accessories, 'Horse' Device Cases and Sleeves and 'Horse' Gifts for the Home. Have fun scrolling down to see the whole collection of 'Golden Horses'!

Click on the image below to see the full collection


Love stripes? Then add a splash of color your home with some of these modern Striped Pillows or Cushions! There's something here to complement any colour scheme and the Pillows come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and you can choose either cotton or polyester fabrics. Excellent as a gift or treat your own home to an instant makeover!

Click on the image below to see the full collection

Pillows with Colorful Stripes
Pillows with Colorful Stripes  




Run out of ideas for a gift for a man who plays golf? Here are some useful gifts with a fun golfing cartoon, from a hand-drawn, whimsical illustration! And some of them are ready for you to personalize. Just one Birthday Card is shown but many more are available in my Zazzle store! Also, this design can easily be transferred to any Case-Mate case by clicking on 'Device Type', just below 'Style Options'.

Click on the image below to see the full collection

A collection of distinctive Gifts for Men with a Chocolate Brown and Silvery Grey Faux Snakeskin pattern. Most of these stylish gifts are ready for you to personalize with a Monogram, Initials or Name. The collection includes Fashion Accessories and Drinkware as well as Cases, Pouches and Sleeves for Electronic Devices.

Click on the image below to see the full collection

Finding suitable birthday cards for men can be a challenge but my popular, fun illustrations of older men will often bring a smile to the face of the recipient. Just a few examples are shown here, along with matching gifts, but cards and mugs for different ages are available in my Flutterby Designs store. If you can't find the age you're looking for, please contact me through my store and I'll be happy to create the one you want at no extra charge.

Click on the image below to see the full collection

Here you'll find more than eighty trendy coffee mugs, specially designed to appeal to men. Coffee mugs with stripes, chevrons and plaid patterns (amongst others!), many of them ready to personalize with your name. Excellent, modestly priced gift for the man who has everything - except his own, personalized coffee mug!

Click on the image below to see the full collection


A selection of brightly coloured iPhone 6 cases, with chevrons, stripes, polka dots and Islamic geometric patterns. Please contact me through my Posh and Painterly store if you would like one of these patterns on a different case.

Click on the image below to see the full collection



A selection of Neck-ties, unisex Tank Tops and panel-front T-shirts with trending plaid patterns.

Click on the image below to see the full collection



A collection of Gifts with Paisley Elephants and coordinating Plaid patterns offers plenty of ideas for Gifts for Him. For more of my Elephant gifts and greeting cards, see my 'Heffalumps' Collection in my Posh and Painterly Zazzle store.

Click on the image below to see the full collection

A selection of gifts for anyone, men included, with trendy black and white chevrons. Some are ready to be personalized with a name or monogram and many others can be adjusted to be ready for personalization by contacting me through my store.

Click on the image below to see the full collection


A collection of gifts with Egyptian patterns, featuring lotus flowers, papyrus, tribal shields, arrows and traditional egyptian basket-weave patterns. The colour palette is rusty red, golden yellow, soft green and black. 

Click on the image below to see the full collection


Check Ginghams, Madras Checks, Plaids and Tartans never really go out of style but at the moment they are particularly popular! There are Pillows or Cushions here to complement any colour scheme and the Pillows come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and you can choose either cotton or polyester fabrics. Most welcome as a gift or to brighten up your own home - and don't forget that you can customize many of them by changing the scale and direction of the pattern!

Click on the image below to see the full collection


It can be tricky to find the right gift for a man. But these stylish black and gold-effect traditional Islamic mosaic patterns have an understated touch of class that will appeal to men of all ages. If you would like the design on a different product, please contact me through my store and I will create it for you, usually in a couple of days at most, free of charge.

Click on the image below to see the full collection


This collection offers a choice of ways to protect your iPad, from Folio cases to Rickshaw Sleeves. All are shown with a choice of four different 'tribal' patterns from my 'Jungle Drums' collection, making them equally suitable as a gift for a man or for anyone. You can easily add your personal touch by customizing the patterns - rotate the pattern or change the scale to create a totally different look!

Click on the image below to see the full collection

A selection of stylish gifts, mostly for men, with traditional Welsh Tapestry patterns in Black on White. These gifts are all ready for you to personalize with your Monogram - alternatively, you can remove the Monogram if you prefer the just the pattern. 

The faux Welsh Tapestry itself is ready for you to customize by changing the background colour or re-sizing or rotating the pattern for a totally different look! 

Choose from the matching Gift-wrapping Paper, Tissue Paper or Gift Bags to give your gift the finishing touch! If you don't see the product you'd like in this collection, just contact me through my Posh'n'Painterly Cymru store and I will be pleased to create the product you want, entirely free of charge.

Click on the image below to see the full collection


Greeting cards for gardeners, coffee mugs for gardeners, gardening notebooks, gardening aprons, fridge magnets and bookmarks with gardening quotes and much, much more! And it's not just about flower gardens - there are gifts with tomatoes and cards with a vegetable patch. You're sure to find something here for someone who enjoys their garden!

Click on the image below to see the full collection


A Collection of colourful iPad cases with bright and bold chevron patterns in a variety of colour combinations to suit all tastes -


 Click on the image below to see the full collection



I very much hope that you've found some useful ideas amongst my Collections of Gifts and Greeting Cards with men in mind. 

But do remember that, although I haven't featured floral designs, it's simply not true that you can't give a man a floral Greeting Card, as I pointed out in this earlier BLOG POST - and it's not just Greeting Cards! Men's ties and shirts are often floral, as I pointed out in last week's blog post - Shopping for January Birthday Gifts - Snowdrops! - where I featured my collection of Floral Ties. 

You can also find plenty of ties with stripes, polka dots, checks etc in my Zazzle stores and I shall hope to have made them into collections to add to future blog posts, along with more Gifts for Men!





4 comments:

Unknown said...

Very nicely done...great selection of products and designs!!

Judy Adamson said...

Thank you very much for your comments, Blair.

Fliss said...

Some great suggestions here on buying gifts for men. Just love those with the golfers on.

Judy Adamson said...

Thank you, Fliss - glad you like them! (Most of the whimsical illustrations started out as birthday cards for friends.)