CUSTOM-MADE GIFTS: A Game Changer?
We all remember a time when birthday parties were the norm and you couldn't just turn up empty handed. The struggle to find something appropriate was real. Did we go the trusted perfume or photo frame route? Or did we try to seem thoughtful with hand-made gifts? Then there was also the concern that all of us weren't exactly master craftsmen, so there was always the chance that something personally made wouldn't turn out exactly how we imagined it.
That conundrum, among a million other problems, has now been forever revolutionised by the advent of the internet. The emergence of online stores that manufacture custom-made gifts is a life-saver. They offer the perfect option of looking thoughtful without having to put any real effort into it. Moreover, this isn't just limited to printed mugs like in the olden times. There are so many options now that you'll be spoilt for choice. Here's a list of some customised products that make perfect gifts and some stores that manufacture them.
T-shirts
T-shirts are usually not very interesting gifts, when you're buying from the usual stores, because beyond regular patterns or stripes you're unlikely to find much. Custom t-shirts, however, are a whole different ball-game.
With custom t-shirts, from outlets such as Fabrilife, you can literally wear your favourite series or football club on your chest. Gone are the days of only mainstream pop culture t-shirts. You want a t-shirt that combines your love for some obscure death metal band with your questionable interest in My Little Pony? You got it.
Phone cases & Laptop Skins
What could be a better avenue for self-expression than your phone, which you have on you wherever you go? These make great gifts as well, and unlike t-shirts you aren't taking the risk of offending someone by guessing their size and getting it wrong.
Auspice and Smart Bazaar both offer a variety of custom phone covers for you to choose from and they cater to almost every phone brand available in BD and even some that aren't.
Laptop skins are another cool way to jazz up your electronics, and they do a great job at hiding the nooks and scratches your laptop suffers overtime. IT Next Digital and Attached have got you and your laptops "covered".
Wooden Engravings
Engravings done on wood are great as sturdy gifts. You can have Eid Greetings carved on a vanity box, or go really crazy and slap your face on a notebook cover, because why not?
Woodpecker does wooden engravings of just about everything you could possibly conceive. There are the usual products like key-rings, photo-frames, boxes, badges and notebooks, but then there also unique products like wooden watches, phone covers, door nameplates, and even wooden toy puzzles for the family.
Tote bags
Tote bags are really useful purchases, for you or as gifts, with the added benefit of being super cute. For people who don't like the hassle of multiple compartments, tote-bags are a trendy solution. When it comes to design though, tote-bags aren't known for their diversity in concept, mostly going for the boho look.
Now, however, you can custom design them or choose from a diversified collection, with stores like Clumsy Crafter BD supplying Batman or even BoJack Horseman themed tote-bags.
Cushions
Who wouldn't want to fall asleep hugging their TV crush? Regardless of your creepy stalker like proclivities, custom made pillows are simply a brilliant idea. You now can, and should, finally replace those teddy bears on your bed that you are way too old for, with these new cuddly yet age-appropriate accessories.
Whether you're interested in serious interior design, or you just want to casually sleep on Daniel Radcliffe's head, Pillow Platoon and a few other online stores will cater to your requirements without question.
Jewellery
Cute necklaces with people's names on them have been around forever. Where people got them from was always a mystery to me though. Maybe you're not one to wear your name around your neck or wrists, but we all know someone who is. I mean, it could be worse. At least they're not wearing their S/O's name around their neck.
Suspending all judgement, Cute Collections.bd and Jewellery BD are online stores that make bracelets or necklaces and let you customise accessories with whatever writing you want. It doesn't have to be a name. For the Potterheads out there, you can finally wear My Sweetheart on a gold chain around your neck in block letters. Ironically, of course.
Miscellaneous
Besides the products above, there's really just a world of online customised goodies out there for you to dive into. Things you wouldn't possibly imagine being able to get customised are now just a text message away. Some stores such as Auspice, BD Badges House, and Customize BD seem to just go ahead and customise everything in sight including water bottles, mugs, caps, wristbands, badges, pop sockets, pen-drives, clocks, coasters and a multitude of other products. Then there's Kraftz Customised that's getting increasingly popular for their paper crafts such as bookmarks, door tags, stickers, and hanging messages.
Custom made gifts are a true game-changer in gift giving, limited only by your imagination. I recently ordered this 'pants' t-shirt for a friend. Now he's always wearing pants. What a time to be alive.
Rabita Saleh is a perfectionist/workaholic. Email feedback to this generally boring person at rabitasaleh13@gmail.com