Have you ever used a gift site?  I hadn’t until just recently.  I was given the opportunity to try out the gifting site Red Envelope.  It works on the same premise as sites that send flowers, etc., in that the primary intent of the site is to enable you to send gifts to others.  But rather than specializing in one particular type of item (like flowers, candy, etc.), they sell gifts.  So you can send a birthday gift, graduation gift, Mother’s Day gift, or whatever.

The strength of the site is in the “giftability” of everything they carry, together with the ease of ordering something to be shipped to someone else on a specified date, and include a card.  There were plenty of high-quality and/or unique gift ideas represented at Red Envelope.

However, I did not find the overall selection/range to be items I would normally purchase, myself.  Higher-end items are well represented, but lower-cost options are limited.  I did find a few items, though, that are good gift options for friends and family.  (Don’t forget to take a look at the clearance section!  These items are just as good as everything else, but Red Envelope is no longer going to be carrying them, so they’re clearing out their inventory.)

This is the first thing that jumped out at me:

As you can see, it comes in a cloth drawstring bag.  But the drawstring bag is not what jumped out at me! lol  No, the case itself is what caught my eye.  This Kindle case is a creamy white leather.  The lighter color is so unusual (because most things are black or brown leather) that it caught my attention.  (My pictures don’t do it justice, though.)

The inside is this soft suede (and filled with a piece of styrofoam to show you where the device goes.  Not very attractive; sorry).  Isn’t this light-colored leather lovely?  🙂

I found a couples’ game.  Which we have not yet played because it says it takes an hour and hubby and I haven’t had a guaranteed hour to ourselves yet since it arrived.  It seems to be an interesting design concept, though.

This mirror/purse hanger would make a beautiful stocking stuffer or addition to a gift basket, in addition to its usefulness simply as a small gift in its own right.

Isn’t that a pretty print?  The other side is a mirror.

And the edges unfold to enable you to hang your purse with it.

Finally, we found this nifty star-naming kit.  It’s more  of a novelty gift than anything, as it’s not really “official.”  But what a great way to give a favorite stargazer something specific to look for and feel “ownership” of!

As you can see, that’s a pretty broad variety, just in the few things I ordered.

The checkout process was simple and straightforward, as well, and choosing a delivery date was pretty easy.  I think that’s probably the only reason I’d really use this, though – if I needed a gift to be delivered on a specific date.  Other online retailers make it easy enough nowadays to send something as a gift – even gift-wrapped – that I don’t see enough of an advantage, otherwise, over other options with broader product ranges.

Who would you send a gift to?  Don’t forget to check here for coupon codes before you place your order!

Disclosure: I received a gift certificate to enable me to experience the ordering process and facilitate this post.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.