A gift for Valentine’s Day is great, but for that special personal in your life, you’ll probably want to pair it with a date. It’s going to make the day more memorable and is almost guaranteed to score you more points! So if you’re not sure what to do this Valentine’s Day, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

I picked out 13 of the best date ideas I could think of (and find online) and presented each one to Abby to be scored on a scale from 1 to 10.

Butter + Lye’s skincare products are some of the best sellers in our store—and for good reason! Monique is a biochemist who took her knowledge of chemistry and fused it with her desire to make all-natural products that promote healthy skin.

Abby and I found her entrepreneurial spirit especially contagious, and that combined with her focus on producing incredible products makes us especially excited for the future of Butter + Lye.

Sometimes the best gift is not physical. If you recently watched The Minimalists documentary on Netflix, or you’re not about the idea of a house full of stuff, we have curated the dream list of best experience gifts for Austin, Texas in 2022. From hikes to shows, and from $0 to $50+, check out these suggestions.

Rarely are we so moved by a company’s mission, and commitment to that mission, as we were by Finley’s. They’re nothing short of a model company, and their story is one of the best we’ve ever heard.

Their baked goods make wonderful gifts for your doggos, and as a bonus, you can feel darn good about where your money is going.

If you tend to wait until the last minute to do your holiday shopping, the news headlines today might make you think twice. But don’t fret! Some of the best gifts don’t come from overseas. What’s more: some don’t come from a store at all! Focusing on those tough-to-shop-for folks, we’ve compiled a list of products from shop-small, US companies and offer alternative experiential suggestions, too. Whether you choose to buy from local makers or gift something not-so-tangible, here are some options resistant to the supply chain shortage.

If you’ve seen the recent changes and you’re anything like my grandmother, you’re probably wondering why we’ve rebranded from Little Boxes. It’s a valid question—but don’t worry, we did it for good reason.

We were immediately drawn to Kind Lips when we first came across them. Their product is high-quality and all-natural, and their brand commitment to end bullying really moved us.

Founded in 2017 by Josh Neumann, Kind Lips has grown steadily, having produced over 500,000 tubes of lip balm since August 2021 and counting!

We were so excited to speak with Josh and learn more about Kind Lips and what’s in store for the future!

With markups on everything from bachelor(ette) party goods, to bridesmaid/groomsmen gifts, to gifts for the happy couple themselves—not to mention the amount of unnecessary waste the industry creates—Alex and I think it’s about time for society to flip the script on wedding gifting. As a newly(ish) married couple, here are our best suggestions of intentional gifts for any wedding occasion. 💒

Get a load of this art-forward jigsaw puzzle company: WerkShoppe is an Art & Design community that collaborates with artists—both emerging and established—to bring beautiful art to your living spaces. And who doesn’t love a puzzle? It’s art you can touch!

Of themselves, Ann Marie and Wayne say, “We help people connect with art and with each other. We’re definitely picky about the art we love but we’re not snobby about where to find it. Art brings us so much happiness and we want you to feel that way too.”

We’re back again! And this time, with Najwa—gut health advocate and owner of dalci: the place of gluten-free and tummy-sensitive sweet tooths’ DREAMS! These brownies are baked from scratch in small batches by artisanal bakers, then packed to seal in freshness, so you’re getting a just-out-of-the-oven experience every time. Najwa, who believes clean eating is the path to a healthy and happy future, only uses ingredients that are easy to digest, limit inflammation in the gut, are non-GMO, organic, preservative-free, and ethically sourced. Her philosophy is simple: pick the highest-quality gut-friendly ingredients, nourish your body, and treat yourself in moderation. And now, because of her, you can enjoy dalci’s ready-made sweet treats without the hassle of planning, prepping, or baking. Read on for our interview with this expert baker.

After visiting family on their honeymoon and watching their frustrated cousin deal with his baby’s socks consistently falling off, Gabe and Jessica started thinking through different ways they could address the issue. “At the time, we didn’t yet have children of our own so we started our research, asking friends, family, neighbors, and acquaintances if this was a need not yet addressed in the market,” Jessica explains. “We were surprised how many people gave us a very enthusiastic yes!”

For our 3rd episode, we spoke with Michelle from Pantry Products, a natural skin and body care company in Reno, NV that strives to create products that make their customers and the planet happy. Their line of small-batch wellness essentials is 100% natural and the team provides wellness education to health-conscious consumers.

They may not all admit it, but men love housewarming gifts. And let’s face it: most men NEED housewarming gifts. In our gender stereotyped world, it can be easy to overlook these gifts for guys and skip straight to a bottle of wine, but we promise you’ll surprise and delight any man if you get him one. This is especially true for a single guy (bachelors love their pads), but it’s equally important to get some guy-centric gifts even if he’s in a relationship. We came up with 5 categories of gifts that we think any guy will appreciate in their home: Drink Well, Kitchen Essentials, Outdoor, Aromatherapy, and Non-kitsch Knickknacks.

So even if a mom says she doesn’t want anything, every mom loves to be appreciated for the sacrifice she gave in raising us… the majority of which time we were either totally incompetent creatures, raging brats, insolent teenagers, or money-sapping young adults. For this reason, when Mother’s Day comes around (it’s on May 9th this year) and we ask her, “what can we get you?,” it’s undoubtedly important not to listen to her advice when she responds, “I don’t want anything—save your money.”

Minimalism first caught my interest when I was in my early twenties—I had graduated college, moved from Chicago to Austin with my then-boyfriend (who dumped me a month after moving in with him), and I was making about $23K a year as a preschool teacher…