It’s no secret that I’m a huge music fan – I’m really missing being able to go to gigs during this pandemic (thought I do realise this is such a small thing compared to what a lot of people are going through). I also have quite a few friends who are just as music obsessed as I am, so this week I thought I’d write a blog post with ideas for gifts for music lovers.
Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and buy I may get a small commission, but it won’t cost you anything.
Gifts for drummers
This wooden clock can be personalised if you fancy
This pick wallet would make a great gift for a guitarist.
Or for something a bit more substantial, how about this personalised wooden guitar holder?
Romantic music gifts
Of course if this is an anniversary gift or something for your other half, you might need a gift that is a little more romantic. Here are some ideas for turning ‘your song’ into a personalised gift.
Or create a modern version of the old school mix tape… it doesn’t get much more romantic than that – you can even include photos or scans of other special memories.
Other gifts for music lovers
And for gifts that are less specific, here’s a selection of all sorts of great gifts for music lovers.
Here’s another mix tape idea. This one comes with a personalised message and a code for a Spotify playlist featuring songs from their birth year – such an original idea!
Or how about this for that person who ‘knows’ their taste in music is better than anyone else’s 😆
I hope you found some inspiration in these ideas. In the end I found more ideas than I could reasonably fit into one blog post as there’s so much out there for music lovers! 😃
And if you’re looking for a card to accompany your gift, then why not take a look at my music themed greeting card collection. They’re perfect for music fans. See some examples below…
Okay, it’s confession time… I have to admit that I don’t send all that many greeting cards. Yep, you heard right. You might think this makes me a terrible hypocrite, being a designer and seller of my own range of greeting cards. But (a) I’m rubbish at pretending so I might as well get it out there. And (b) I can explain why I don’t send a lot of cards as well as why I send those few that I do… so read on if you’re curious to find out more…
Firstly, let me be clear, I DO think that sending someone a greeting card can be a wonderful thing. BUT I only do it if it’s for the right reasons.
Reasons not to send a card
One thing I really hate is feeling like I have to do something that I don’t really want to do… obligation and duty are not words I have a lot of positive associations with.
I also don’t like to make other people feel this way – that I expect them to do something they really don’t want to do. Even with my kids I very seldom demand that they do stuff – I tend to go the persuasive route and convince them that it’s a good idea rather than make them feel obliged to do it out of guilt or fear (some might call this brainwashing, I suppose… )
It also makes me feel weird if I get a card from someone that I’m not particularly close to, especially if it professes more friendship or emotion that we’ve ever actually shared…
So I’d rather not give a card than give one insincerely or out of a sense of duty. Because I think that person will know!
I remember being in a relationship where we always seemed to have an argument the day before his birthday or Valentine’s Day and I’d grit my teeth as I’d try to write something nice in his card. That was crappy. My current other half and I usually don’t give each other cards for birthdays or on Valentine’s Day but every now and then we’ll surprise each other for no reason at all – this makes me much happier 🥰
I also don’t see the point in sending a card that doesn’t really say anything to the person you’re giving it to. If I’m going to send a generic card with a generic message inside and just sign my name at the end, I might as well just go onto Facebook and write “Happy Birthday” on their timeline. Yes I showed them I remembered, but I put no effort in – it was more to make me feel like I’m a good person than to make that person’s day…
Now I’m definitely not saying I’ve never done this type of thing before. I am sometimes a bit of a wimp and really hate conflict so I do sometimes do stuff out of obligation or fear despite my aversion to it… But I mostly try not to. And I don’t think you should have to either.
Good reasons to send greeting cards
Having said all that, I do sometimes send greeting cards to friends and family anyway. And here’s why…
I love that feeling when you see a card and straight away think “Yesssss! I’ve GOT to give this card to [insert best friend here]”. Either it refers to a private joke between you, or perfectly sums up your friendship or an opinion you both have. I’ll always buy cards like this – sometimes I’ll send them straight away and sometimes (if they’re not time sensitive) I’ll keep them for the next time that person has a birthday. Cards like this make both of us feel good and that’s a terrific reason to send one.
If I really care A LOT about someone and I want to send them a birthday card (or other special occasion card) but don’t have one handy, I’ll go out of my way to find one I think they’ll really like. I guess I sort of see the cards and gifts in the same way – they should be suited to the person you’re giving them to. And if I can’t find the perfect card (or gift), I’ll quite often make one.
And that is kind of how I ended up creating greeting cards in the first place…
Getting a really great card from someone feels kind of like getting a lovely big hug out of nowhere. And I think if you’re going to go to the trouble of finding and sending a card then it might as well be one that makes them feel like this!
Terrific people deserve terrific cards. This is partly why I started creating custom cartoon portraits – they’re about as personal as you can get with a card and they can say exactly the right thing. And my range of music themed cards is another way of sharing something you have in common – music brings people together even better than a good greeting card can! I only create cards that I would be excited to give to someone myself – both quality and message-wise.
So does that make you think I’m a bit less of a hypocrite? I’m really quite the opposite – I only send a card if I really mean it. If you ever get a card from me (that you haven’t bought and paid for 😘) you’ll know that you’re one of those people I consider to be truly terrific!
If you get this card from me you’ll know I really mean it!
I’ve not posted for a while as I’ve been working on a new project – a greeting card shop to sell my designs from! I really enjoy selling on Etsy but have decided it’s time to build my own shop too.
I’ll still be selling on Etsy (and on Folksy as well) but also want to have a space that I have more control over in terms of how my greeting cards are presented and how I interact with my lovely customers. I’ll let you know when it will be launched soon, but here are some things you might like to know about it in the meantime…
Collections in my greeting card shop
The site will launch with my music themed greeting cards (which are not available anywhere else) as well as the custom cartoon portraits that I’m best known for.
After the site is launched I’ll be releasing new collections every few months. These will be totally new designs, some of which will be seasonal and some of which will be available all year round, but will revolve around a specific theme.
VIP Subscribers get great discounts
My VIP subscribers will be the first to hear when a new collection is launching and will also get BIG discounts when a collection is first released. If you’re not already a subscriber, then now is the time to sign up! It’s completely free, you’ll get a free cocktails printable when you join and of course you’ll get those terrific discounts each time a collection is released. And of course you’ll be the first to get all my news too 🙂
The shop will be on loulongworth.co.uk but it will be easy to browse back and forth between here and there, so you can still find it via loulongworth.com (I’ll still be posting blog posts here – hopefully more regularly once the shop is up and running!)
Shopping made easy
You’ll be able to pay securely with the usual cards and with Paypal. Of course if you’d still rather shop in my Etsy or Folksy shop you still can, but you’ll always get the best deals and latest designs first in my shop.
I’ll keep you posted but meantime remember to sign up as a VIP here to take advantage of my subscriber discounts when the shop launches!
Anyone who knows me knows that music is my thing! I LOVE music – and love going to gigs and festivals. So of course I’ve combined two of my favourite things – music and drawing – to create music themed cards with stick figure versions of all sorts of singers, musicians and bands.
I’ve drawn from a range of different music genres, from heavy metal to R&B and pop. I love so much different music and I’ve learned that every time I say that I love all music except a specific genre, I’ll soon come across a song from that genre that makes me a big fibber! Yes, even country music…
And I also think music is very personal. Some of the songs I’ve loved the longest and hardest may not be the most amazing or cool or groundbreaking ones, but they’ve got brilliant associations for me and I love them for the memories they bring back.
So I’ve not been snobby in my choice of artists to draw for my music themed cards – there’s a bit of all sorts. Hopefully there’s something for most music lovers! Of course if you think I’ve made a massive omission and you have a brilliant idea for a new music themed card I absolutely MUST draw, then you should definitely get in touch immediately and let me know 😃
I sometimes do custom illustrations when someone wants something specific drawn for them so I thought I’d share some examples here on my blog. Continue reading Custom Illustrations
