What shall I buy my wife for our five year anniversary?

July 22, 2021 1:08 PM

Hi everyone. Me and my wife live in London. Next week I will be flying to Seattle for a week and then returning on the day of our fifth wedding anniversary. Does anyone have any suggestion for a gift?

I'll have to get it delivered/pick up in Seattle no later than 4 August.

I'm asking because I don't know America/Seattle well and there might be something other than the obvious (which is perfume from the airport—she loves perfume).

Creative suggestions welcome.

Price anywhere between $30 and $100ish (I'll get in trouble if I spend much more).

I won't have seen her for a while so I would like to give her something to unwrap. It has to be portable/easily transportable. I do have a bag in the hold but the gift can't be too big.

I am very happy going with the 'wood' theme for the fifth anniversary, but it doesn't have to be.

She has a minimal aesthetic, doesn't like a lot of stuff, but loves gadgets, labour saving devices and house plants. She also likes games—it might be fun to get a game to do on that day, some interesting food/drink, something very American/Seattle (I have no clue), something beauty related (no earrings though). No books.

Maybe it will end up being perfume. Is there a woody smelling perfume that is nice? Is there a super-USA/Washington state (wood) gift? Perhaps something small and decorative? A wooden bowl might be right, but probably too expensive.

Thanks for any help and thoughts!

posted by einekleine to Shopping (20 answers total)

Washington State shaped, wooden cutting board?
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 1:11 PM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

If she loves perfume, go for perfume. I love flowers, but no one gives me flowers because they think it is banal. To me, the thing I love is not banal. The Guerlain Website is terrible, but their perfumes may be the exact right thing for you because some of them are close to nature. They had a grassy perfume I loved, but apparently I was the only person who did. Their other scents are great too.
posted by mumimor at 1:32 PM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

Not wood, but in the airport (and elsewhere in the city) there’s a shop called glassybaby that sells beautiful glass cups that people here often buy as nice gifts for friends and family. (I’ve also seen them used as candleholders.)
posted by chaiyai at 1:32 PM on July 22, 2021 [3 favorites]

Best answer: How about getting her a perfume from the Seattle area? The articles are several years old, so double check that they are in business. Note that two in the first article have wood-based scents - one cedar, the other sandalwood.
posted by vunder at 1:41 PM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Small batch perfumes made in Seattle: Age de Querelle. No physical store, but I think you could make arrangements with the owner for a sampling—they're located in Ballard. (Note: he's is a friend of mine)
posted by oxisos at 2:22 PM on July 22, 2021 [3 favorites]

Seola Bee Company bottles delicious hyper-local neighborhood honey. Find out which farmer's markets they'll be at and pick up a few bottles.
posted by oxisos at 2:26 PM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

John Moore lives on Vashon Island and makes the most beautiful spoons. He sells them in person at the Vashon farmer's market and every time I go there, I buy as many as I can. They are truly one of a kind, and made of salvaged local wood.
posted by oxisos at 2:30 PM on July 22, 2021 [5 favorites]

If she likes perfume, perfume! For a thing, there are two good stores carrying regional Native art in the Pike Place Market (downtown Seattle): 8th Generation, eg the wool blankets, or Northwest Tribal Art with amazing bentwood boxes - no, all out of budget. Iirc they have small carvings and wonderful art books though.
posted by clew at 2:42 PM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

There's a nice plant shop in Seattle called Urban Sprouts Store. They have some items handmade of wood (maybe made by the owner's dad?). While a plant stand would be lovely, it would be hard to fit in your bag. So, how about a handmade wood trellis? There are two styles, a nice hexagon one and a smaller squiggle one. They also have a wine-shaped one and other options if that's more her style.

These are made to order. The owner is very friendly and responsive via social media, so if you have other ideas, I bet she'd be interested to hear. But you could reach out now.

I don't know her style or if she has a lot of climbing plants, but as a house plant fan, I'd love this as a gift.
posted by bluedaisy at 3:15 PM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

A nice wood vase. I found this one but it'd be easier to find others in some galleries or home stores once you get there because the web is terrible for shopping for things like this. Is "Seattleness" important?
posted by rhizome at 3:23 PM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

A food/drink basket filled with food involving wood in some way:
Cheese wrapped in spruce bark: https://www.jasperhillfarm.com/products/harbison (sold at whole foods and likely other cheese shops)
Chocolate with pine tree oil: https://www.specialtyfood.com/products/product/15258/switzerland-dark-chocolate-60-cocoa-with-essential-pine-tree-oil/
Cider made in the seattle area: https://www.seattlecidercompany.com/
Fancy maple syrup?
posted by hermanubis at 3:49 PM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

You can get helenite jewelry at the Washington-themed store at SeaTac. The emerald green is especially beautiful, and Seattle's nickname is the Emerald City. It is too soft for wearing in a ring or bracelet.

A glassybaby would be a great idea, too. They make votive holders and "drinkers." People line up for hours to get into their seconds sale.
posted by jgirl at 3:53 PM on July 22, 2021 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I vote for getting something local and handcrafted in Seattle, perhaps a wood display tray for a vanity?
If she likes coffee, Seattle would be a good place to pick up some!
For perfumes that A. Have woody notes and B. Also smell nice I can recommend Le Labo Santal 33 or the pricier Maison Francis Kurkdjian Amyris Femme (one my personal favorites). If you wanted to get them in Seattle both are available at Nordstrom, but I’d call ahead to make sure.
ETA: just saw your price restriction- both perfumes are out of budget unless you wanted to get the smallest 15 ml bottle of Santal 33. They also make a candle in the same scent FYI.
posted by Champagne Supernova at 5:33 PM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

You might browse the "Made in Washington" store website; they have locations in downtown Seattle (Post Alley at Pike Place Market, a place that you should probably visit anyway for some local color not to mention some stores mentioned above), Bellevue Square Mall and Alderwood Mall, which are east (across the lake) and north of Seattle. They have Washington-shaped cutting boards as described above.
posted by Sunburnt at 7:22 PM on July 22, 2021

I don't know how she feels about fish, but Seattle and other Pacific Northwest coastal areas have easily transportable wooden boxes of Smoked Salmon, usually with a painted image of native art on them. Smoked salmon is considered a favourite in my family, and many others consider it a delicacy. You'd easily find one at the fishmonger's in Pike Place Market, but you'd also just as easily find one in a duty-free shop. They are packaged for international transport.
posted by itsflyable at 11:31 PM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Here's 2015 article about Seattle indie perfumers that might be helpful if you decide on perfume. Something your wife likes, but also very Seattle-specific, and not a brand that can be found back home! (For future-proofing in case the article ever goes missing, the makers highlighted are: Blackbird, online only, and now closed for summer holiday, but the site currently redirects to a page where you can unlock the site with a password for August delivery; Rebel & Mercury; Pirouette; House of Matriarch High Perfumery)

The woody, mossy, Mosaic scent mentioned in the article is within your budget in the 9 ml travel size. You could email in advance to ask about it (maybe where to get a sniff of it near where you will be staying), or get suggestions, especially if you know some of your wife's favorites scents. If you find something you like definitely ask about gift wrapping! Perfumers are surely prepared for that!
posted by taz at 5:04 AM on July 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Oh, another interesting Seattle perfumer making "niche" fragrances: Filigree & Shadow, which seems to have maybe started just after the article I mentioned above. This creator is "also an olfactive synesthete, linking sensory percepts of smell to sound, and vice versa. This synesthesia creates unusual associations and truly unique perfumes using the time-honored tradition of top, middle, and base notes." (link) So, scents inspired by music.

I notice they've been namechecked by one of the Fragrantica editors, which is kind of a big deal (to me, anyway). Look for Stefanie Jähn on this page. Also, they are on Twitter, so you could maybe DM to ask for some advice there.
posted by taz at 8:20 AM on July 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

Something made from petrified wood -- it could be jewelry or a small cup.
Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park is at Vantage, WA. "Did you know that petrified wood is Washington’s official state gem? Considered one of the most diverse fossil forests in North America, Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park is famous for its rare specimens of petrified Ginkgo tree discovered there in 1932."
posted by TrishaU at 11:17 PM on July 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

Has anyone else mentioned Seattle games? There are plenty of board game companies based here, though I don’t know of a Seattle themed board game. Maybe email Phoenix or another conveniently located game shop and ask for recommendations? They might ge able to get something into stock within a week.

(Surely there should be a forest-simulating board game in which the players are trees or species. "Vaster Than Empires" or such.)
posted by clew at 3:08 PM on July 24, 2021 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Some really great answers here, thank you all. Perfumed up. The Fragantica reference swung it for me, as I know she looks at that site. She'll be happy, even if I edged out of the budget :)
posted by einekleine at 2:33 PM on August 3, 2021 [1 favorite]