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A beginner’s guide to calligraphy that’s thorough and specific about technique and ink types
A beginner’s sushi-making kit for hours of delicious sushi experimentation
Promising review: “The entire Bamboo Sushi Kit is absolutely well made, easy to use, easy to clean, high-end restaurant quality, and durable. it was very nicely packaged, and instructions clear, in-depth and very easy to follow. No one (myself included) in my household has ever made sushi before but (thanks to the enclosed instructions), there were no issues making it. My daughter did an awesome job utilizing these products to make ‘FISH-FREE SUSHI’ with Pickled Ginger on top, was delectable! Loooooove it!” — Liza
The Reverse Coloring Book
Check out these cult-fave black fine point pens for $9.99 on Amazon for a good doodling option.
Promising review: “Changed my life. So I get anxious doing the adult coloring books. This was so much fun and made me really think outside of the box. I’m not the best at drawing but I felt like I was when I was a kid doodling in my textbooks in school.” — Carley C.
“Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” by Marcella Hazan
Promising review: “Twenty-six years ago I bought a tiny paperback for my mother called Classic Italian Cooking. I thought to replace it with a new copy, only to learn it is out of print. So I looked a little further and discovered Essentials Of Classic Italian Cooking. This book has only been with me a couple of weeks, but already I have made six of the recipes and have dozens of others I want to try.Hazan doesn’t just give you recipes — she gives us the spirit of Italian cooking. She shows us how to love the ingredients we are using and teaches us how to understand that putting them together as she does, we don’t create a ‘dish,’ but rather, something we have put a bit of ourselves into, to share with those we care about. This is probably the best book we will ever have on Italian cooking. It sits on my shelf right next to The Joy Of Cooking. Don’t buy this book, treasure it. It’s that good.” — Laura Anne Scaife
Or an unofficial Disney Parks cookbook so you can learn to live your best Mickey Pretzel life
Plus a magnetic air fryer cheat sheet to give you the confidence and know-how to experiment
A set of cat-themed tarot cards for first-timers
Promising review: “I’m new to tarot, so I grabbed some cute looking cards that promised a guidebook. I love the artwork that the artist has done and I like their take on some of the cards. Helps the meaning stick a bit more (at least in my semi cat obsessed mind). All the cards have a lot of detail to them. I’ve shown three major arcana and four minor arcana cards that have come up in my readings and the cards made it easy to ‘get it’ when I read the meanings and have studied the card meanings outside of this guide book. Would definitely recommend for the artwork alone and as a good starter deck for anyone interested in learning tarot.” — Averey
A mushroom growing kit for beginners
Promising review: “This product has been so much fun to watch! I followed the directions, exactly as written, and the mushrooms began growing within 3–4 days. I will say that I did soak them for close to 10 hours before putting them back in the box to grow and I believe this helped a ton. I also kept the box inside by a window with the blinds closed in order for them to get indirect sunlight. The mushrooms grew tremendously for almost a week before they started to shrink so I clipped them to cook with and they were DELICIOUS!” — Steph A
Or a beginner-friendly Click & Grow indoor herb garden kit
Each Click & Grow kit comes with three basil pods to start you off, and you can check out the full selection of grow pods for more options.
Promising review: “The Click & Grow Smart Garden is very easy to set up and has fairly minimal upkeep. Place pods in, fill up with water and turn on light. The lettuce has grown exceptionally well. My grandkids love to check it out when they come to visit. I am considering gifting Click and Grow Smart Gardens to them. It is straightforward and sets you up to be a successful gardener no matter your experience level. I wanted to grow some herbs and vegetables in the winter. I love the Click & Grow!” — Kbaumg
Plus a bonsai starter kit to help you grow not one, but four bonsai trees
Promising review: “I love this. My bonsai has already sprouted and it’s coming along nicely. The best thing about this product is the customer service. They actually take an interest in how things are going and are willing to help you through anything. They respond personally, no form letters, and they give heartfelt responses to your questions and comments. This is definitely one of my best purchases.” — G Eckberg
“Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions”
Check out a TikTok of the cocktail book in action.
Promising review: “This book has easily become one of my favorites. Great base knowledge and would recommend to anyone seeking to further educate themselves on spirits and cocktails. Even the first few pages is full of useful information. Purchase this for yourself or even as a gift. I cannot say enough good things about this book.” — Adriana
Or an at-home alcohol infusion kit
Each kit comes with one 16-ounce infuser bottle and a set of dehydrated fruits and spices to infuse, depending on what flavor you choose. Once you’ve done the kit’s infusion, you can use the bottle over and over for creative infusions of your own design. It’s available in five flavors: Navel Gazer, Blue Sunday, Parrot Head, Island Time and Rose Ceremony.
Promising review: “We really love these infusion kits. We have purchased them for our bar cart at home and have also used them alongside other bourbon-related items to make gift baskets for friends around the holidays. This is an awesome, unique gift whether you’re buying for a friend, family member, or yourself!” — Alanna
“We’re Not Really Strangers,” a revolutionary card game to strengthen your bond with those in your life
Check out all the other editions of the game on their Amazon storefront, and check out a TikTok of “We’re Not Really Strangers” in action.
Promising review: “If you want a stronger bond with someone please play this game with them. You will get to know them on another level. I love how there’s levels to how deep you want to get with one another. Mostly every question is really interesting and can bring out one hell of a conversation, laughter, or even tears.” — Khoa Tran
A DIY cheese kit with everything you need to make four batches of farmer’s cheese in a half hour
Promising review: “These kits are great gifts for the cheese lover and the person ‘who’s already got it all.’ The packaging looks nice and gift-worthy and it’s a perfect price range. I love that the recipient gets an experience as well as a tangible product and I can personally attest that the actual process is easy.” — amyleannbohner
A shea butter lip balm DIY kit
Promising review: “I was interested because of the clean ingredients. My daughter and I have very sensitive skin so most lip balm doesn’t work or is unreasonably expensive. This seemed like a good way to control the ingredients at a great price. The product exceeded my expectations for sure and the kids had fun doing the parts they could do (ages 7 and 9). Probably better for kids over 10 or who have long attention spans and good fine motor skills. Lip balm turned out smooth and silky. Love it!.” — UKjane
A “nanofoamer” milk frother for artistically inclined caffeine lovers
Each frother includes a guide and an access code to a master latte art class. This creates a velvety, soft “nanofoam” as opposed to the stiffer, thicker foams of other handheld frothers on the market. It’s available in rechargeable or battery style.
A Gaiam starter set for yoga complete with all the basics
Promising review: “I am not very limber and I have chronic spine issues, so having a block and strap was essential for me to do yoga. Before using this, I always ended up hurting myself or feeling bad about myself because I couldn’t complete the stretches and would just give up. This kit made everything go so smoothly; I can adjust the block or the strap to help me stretch without hurting myself (or falling over). And I highly recommend the sitting techniques in the DVD as well as the meditation.” — blightheavy
A unicorn slime making kit
Promising review: “Purchased for daughter’s birthday. She loves it. I was very apprehensive about letting her use slime but it has everything a parent could dream of to keep it all in one place and organized without the mess!” — Jay
A string art kit so you can create art with genuine dimension
Promising review: “These instructions are easy to follow — I finished it in two hours. This was so much fun and I love my finished results! It looks so beautiful. It was a gift for my friend. I would buy it again and recommend it to others.” — yuyantan
A DIY hot sauce making kit with guided instructions
Promising review: “Lifetime of hot sauce. The very informative instructions not only guide you through making a few (very delicious!) hot sauces for now, they also teach you how to make them with your own ingredients in the future.” — Gigi
A friendship bracelet making kit
Promising review: “I bought this for my daughter for a craft night. I made friendship bracelets when I was a kid but could not remember how to make them. This helped so much! I had to buy another one for me so we can work on them at the same time. Love this product!” — hollyhock
A kombucha starter kit that comes with everything you need for a basic version of the brew
Promising review: “Bought this for my daughter for Christmas and she finally had time to get started during the quarantine and she LOVES it! The instructions were clear, everything was included, and she had success from the very first try.” — Amazon Customer
A beginner-friendly fermenting kit for pickling
Promising review: “I have now been using my Easy Fermenter for several months. I continue to be delighted with the results. My favorite recipes are a cabbage/carrot sauerkraut, and a blend of fermented peppers (some sweet, some hot). I have recommended these fermenting lids to many of my friends because they make fermenting foods so incredibly easy! You will NOT be disappointed.” — K. Dixon
A starter’s weaving kit to make gorgeous pastel tapestries
Promising review: “It’s simple to use, the wool I received in the set is of a high quality and the service was smooth and communicative. Can not recommend this highly enough from a first-time weaver.” — DivineDerbyshire
A beeswax candle kit
Promising review: “I purchased this kit because I always wanted to make my own candles. This candle making kit looked like it had everything I needed and it definitely does. I am so pleased with it that I will be buying more scented oils and wax so that I can make candles as gifts this holiday season. It’s a very nice kit.” — Tracie Craig