With any luck, by now you're all set on what to get your work friends. But what about your work husband -- the man who sends you funny (or are they flirty?) emails throughout the week, keeps you awake at corporate functions, is your sounding board for working out problems, and comes to you with his? Now's a good time to give him some token of appreciation for keeping things interesting -- and just being a great friend. Here's a selection of gifts from Etsy to show him you care:
Personalized Men's Stationery From Hoop-da-loop - $7
If your WH is the kind of guy thoughtful and/or nostalgic enough to hand write a thank you note, this personalized stationery makes an equally thoughtful gift.
"It's hard to find great men's stationery so I wanted to create something that filled this need, says seller Allison of Etsy shop Hoop-da-loop. "Personalized stationary says that he takes the time to think about the little details in life," she says (even if you're taking the time to provide it for him). "These note cards are perfectly masculine, stylish and unique."
The set includes 10 note cards and 10 envelopes, and you can choose from 20 different fonts.
'I Am Very Important' Sticky Note From NeatThings - $5
In case you don't tell him enough (or he knows it all too well), these sticky notes drive the point home.
"Everyone needs some levity at work, right?" says Jennifer of Etsy shop Neat Things. "These sticky notes are a great way to give colleagues important messages in a funny, unexpected way."
Oil-tanned Leather iPhone Case By Tinder Bloom - $22.95
An alternative to plain black cases that make phones hard to find and easy to leave behind, this sleek yet rugged hand-crafted leather case is designed for iPhones but can be customized for Droids and Blackberries.
"This leather is oil tanned which makes it more water proof ... As the leather ages it develops a beautiful rustic patina," says seller Tinder and Bloom.
And even if your work husband is the most takeout- and taxi-dependent urbanite ever, the hide used to construct this case conjures wide open spaces and working with your hands and other things lots of men like to think they could be experiencing if they weren't tethered to their desks. "Every guy needs a little macho to carry around with him," says Tinder and Bloom. "Maybe I'll call these cases 'little macho.'"
Tweed-patterned Flask By Harmless Habit - $22
For those days when he can't make it until EOD, there's this tweed-patterned flask.
Seller Kayla Reilly came up with the idea for it when she was looking for a way to attract male customers to her Etsy shop, Harmless Habit. "Because I can only, in good conscience, create items that I myself would use and enjoy, concepts like sports and hunting were out of the question" as themes, she said. "Tweed, however, I can get into. Tweed is the material of the sophisticated and effortlessly, unconsciously fashionable male. Think Sherlock Holmes."
According to Reilly, each flask takes at least two days to complete -- "The epoxy coating takes at least a day to cure ... Then they must be buffed to meet the grueling standards of my inner perfectionist."
So why is this a great gift for a work husband? "He doesn't want a Zen garden for his desk," says Kayla. "He wants a tweed flask that he can fit in his (hopefully matching tweed) overcoat; an appropriate place to stash a good amount of sloshing authentic Zen bliss."
Mustache of The Month Calendar By Ruff House Art - $13.30
For the work husband who could use a little more whimsy in his life, this Mustache of the Month desk calendar from seller Ruff House Art might do the trick. Every month features a different mustache, and as office gifts go, the quality and presentation here can't be beat: Each calendar sheet is printed on heavy cover weight white paper, and the sheets come packaged together in a self standing display stand.
Even if your work husband is too clean cut (literally) to ever sport a real mustache, he can enjoy whimsical takes on the 'stache with this calendar, every time he checks the date.
Idea Bulb Journal From Subtle Acts - $9
Especially if your work husband works on the creative side of things, this notebook is an ideal workday companion.
"While the light bulb is a very common household object, it has also long been a symbol of thought and ideas," says seller Subtle Acts, who created a stamp in the design of a light bulb to embellish standard Moleskine journals. "While carving this stamp, I couldn't help but wonder if one day in the future, after the incandescent bulb is no longer around, will we still have these same associations."
She adds, "A good Work Husband is always full of ideas -- some good, some brilliant," she adds. "Your Work Husband can carry this smart little notebook with him at all times (it fits easily in a shirt pocket or pants back pocket)" to jot down his thoughts.
Beer Soap By The Beer Soap Company - $6.75
If you tend and your work husband tend to commiserate over a beer now and then, or if he happens to be a brew connoisseur, this homemade beer soap makes a fun and apt gift.
Beer makes the soap produce extra bubbles and lather, which means you can bathe, shave, and even wash your hair with it. Best of all? He won't smell like beer. "The perfect thing about our beer soap is that you won't smell like beer at all. We use essential oils and the best fragrances to scent our [soaps], so you will smell like that scent," say Zaidat and Jamin, sellers at The Beer Soap Company. After they make this soap, they let it cure for at least six weeks. "Soap is like fine wine," they say. "The longer you cure it, the better it gets," they say.