Great Gifts for your Costuming Friends

It has recently been a season of gift giving and today is my birthday, so I thought I would write a quick guide to gift giving for your costuming friends. No costumer will turn down sewing notions or baubles, but sometimes it is GREAT to get something else. Here are my top gift ideas for your future gift giving needs.

1. Massage: We can get very tense muscles sewing and hauling heaving fabric/costumes around. A massage booking or gift card is greatly appreciated. For brownie points pay the extra for aroma therapy (relaxation is key). 
2. Good digital camera: We always need pictures for our portfolios or just to remember our favorite pieces/designs. A good quality camera, while pricey, would be useful in and out of the workplace. 
3. Tea: (see below gift) We need to stay awake...coffee can help too, but this costumer prefers tea. For brownie points put it artfully in a cute mug with a bow.
4. Books: (see above gift) Although a great historical clothing book would be amazing, sometimes just a novel is greatly appreciated. They come in handy during costume calls when you must sit there for a while not needing to do anything, just needing to be there in case. Cook books also work well. Most of us love to cook when we have time.
5. Hand Lotion: We use our hands a lot. They need some love too. 

The moral of this list is to think outside of the sewing box. Although such gifts are always loved, surprising us with something that doesn't directly correlate with our chosen profession is very exciting. 

Happy gift giving!