PROJECT NEON GIFT GUIDE Before we begin: Don’t forget to enter the Project Neon giveaway!

PROJECT NEON GIFT GUIDE

Before we begin: Don’t forget to enter the Project Neon giveaway! Only one week left!

Oh, would you look at that? The gifting season is nearly upon us. While Project Neon firmly believes any day is a good day for presents, we can’t help appreciating a good gifting frenzy. If any of your giftees are fellow Project Neon fans, have a look at the suggestions below. And if not, perhaps you’ll find a nice present for yourself. After all, you *do* deserve a treat!

Not all of these items are directly neon related, but they all share a certain spirit with Project Neon, and they’re all things I either already own or wish I did. 

Of course you should check out Project Neon’s very own Etsy shop first. It’s a limited selection at the moment, but the 2014 calendars make great gifts! I’m also working on an exciting new product — it’s going to take a little testing, though, so it may not be ready in time for the holidays. And I’m also looking at bringing back the ever popular Neon ABCs poster — I’ll keep you updated on that. Plus if you’re looking for a custom gift, like a print of one of my photos, let me know and I’ll put up a listing for you.

Project Neon also heartily recommends buying gifts from shops with great neon signs. Need a fishing rod? A gift certificate for dinner?A fancy bottle of booze?A night out? Include a photo of the sign on the card for bonus gifting points!

New York Neon, by Thomas Rinaldi, is a fantastic book full of beautiful New York neon photos and lots of great neon sign history. Every neon lover should own this!

Polish Cold War Neon by Ilona Karwinska has less context, but is chock full of really beautiful photographs of neon signs throughout Poland. Another A+ gift for any neon fan.

If you’re in the New York area, a neon class at Brooklyn Glass would be a unique and unforgettable gift. The “Intro to Neon” weekend class is great hands-on introduction to neon bending.

Perhaps your giftee is, like me, also interested in hand-painted signs? If so, Sign Painters by Faythe Levine is the perfect present. 

A mix of beautiful signs (including both hand-painted and neon) populate the pages of the wonderful Pittsburgh Sign Project book (can you tell I’m a book worm?), by Mark Stroup, Elizabeth Perry, and my fantastic friends, Jennifer Baron and Greg Langel. Highly recommended!

More gifts from people I like: my talented friends Karen McBurnie and Jon Hammer have put together a great map of notable Manhattan bars for Herb Lester Associates. These bars are classics, and some even have great neon to boot. Never be at a loss for a place to imbibe again!

For the Cincinnati-based sign lover, you can gift a membership or even adopt a sign (to fund restoration) at the American Sign Museum. 

For a friend with a lot of wall space, what about commissioning a custom neon sign? There are a bunch of great sign shops around, including Let There Be Neon,Lite Brite Neon, and Artistic Neon, to name just three.

You can sometimes find great vintage neon by searching EtsyoreBay. Worth a shot, though the nicer signs can sure be pricey!

Neon art is another great gift for those with the space to display it. Cleveland artist Jeffrey Chiplis creates glowing art out of found neon pieces, one of which I saw recently at the Scope art fair.

A good gift for photographers: snazzy Ona camera bags. I use the insert to safely tote my camera around in my regular bag. 

And if all else fails, an always happily received gift for photographers (current or aspiring) is a gift certificate to B&HorAdorama (or your local photo shop). 

OK, did I miss anything? What Project Neon-ish presents are on your wish list this year?

No, no one paid to be on this list. Project Neon is not Big Time like that, at least not yet!