My wife is pretty artistic. Her newest thing is refinishing furniture. I'm by no means a carpenter. I'm wanting to get her a few things for Christmas. I was thinking simple stuff like sanding blocks, wood glew, rubber mallet. She has a lot of the other baosc stuff like hammers and screw drivers and such. Is there anything else I look for for her. Thanks.

Clamps of all sizes , never can have enough clamps.

Some handles for drawers and stuff? Theyre not too expensive either. And maybe a few cans of varnish or stain so she has some different finishes to chose from.
Turpentine for getting the old finish off

orbital sander?

I agree with the comments about clamps and random orbit sander.Also a cordless drill is pretty handy. Might also consider a heat gun.

I would add a good pair of Vise Grips best thing in the world to get them old headless finish nails out.

A respirator.

x2

Tarps or plastic for covering work and dripping on something not intended.

random orbital sander , detail sander the shop vac hose to connect to them and keep dust down

gift certificate to HD, lowes , rockler , or other store that she likes to frequent for supplies.

not knowing how into it she is , or what style she is into , I have an aunt who is into chalk paint so it is strip sand apply

I can second good personal protective gear , a comfortable respirator with easily replaceable cartridges this may be something she would really benefit from as a gift some people are concentrated on the project and results and forget to think about their health.

another idea is if there is a class in refinishing or upholstery.

think about if she was buying you trapping supplies , there are some things that are universal and a lot of things that are very specific to your exact style of set making .

but something universal for her to unwrap and add in a gift card or envelope of cash or note that you want her to have $XXX towards her refinishing interests but didn't want to buy unnecessary things.

All of the above are great.
Also Maybe a dremel (will get in those detail areas real good), brushes.

Make her a work bench (lots of easy basic plans online).

Lots of hardware stores sell mistints (paints and stains that were the wrong shade so were returned) for next to nothing. Usually Lowes has gallons for $9 pints for less than $5. Buy a bunch of pints of paint's and stains

Any and all of the suggestions above are good.
If she uses a small work space it might be a good Idea to find a way to set up an exhaust/air filter system - a fan or two and some furnace filters can be used for a basic sysytem. Stripping fumes, sanding dust and finishes are all bad stuff. She needs to be sure to protect her lungs.

THIS!

Pipe and bar clamps and parallel jaw are a must, each has their use. Don't forgot to use clamping blocks as needed to prevent marking.

Tack cloths, lots of them.

I,watched my nephew doing some work like that and he had a sander of sorts where he could change attachments at the front... Little cutting blades pointed sanding disks etc. he was really getting into the nooks and crannies with it sanding. It was not orbital.

Osky

Best answer so far. If she is refinishing, there is a good chance that sanding is out of the question, if she is not building she probably does not need clamps or glue, etc etc etc
Having received thousands of gift tools from unknowing but well intentioned family and friends over the last six decades, one thing stands out and that is this; if she has more knowledge about the activity than you do A) she either already has what is needed, B) she will have a strong preference in brand/size/color/type/etc/etc/ and so on of what ever it is she does need and you will invariably chose wrong- thus forcing her either to use something she doesn't like or discarding a gift,

Either buy something that you know she will use (ice creame, fancy candy, and dish soap come to mind) or gift her with cards to be used at her favorite suppliers.
A 20' extension ladder is always useful though, or a 15' canoe.

(Expanding on this, I could walk through any carpenter's shop area and suggest a gift that would fit, but I could not walk through any executive's office and even guess what color socks he/she would like.)

If you're in a generous mood... I could use a new wood lathe.

Mike

http://r.duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&uddg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fitm%2FVOCHE-260W-MULTI-FUNCTION-OSCILLATING-DETAIL-SANDER-CUTTER-SCRAPER-POWER-TOOL-%2F302135492114

Refinishing often means disassembly and reassembly so, as so many said above, woodworkers and furniture builders/refinishers never seem to have enough clamps. And band clamps/ratchet straps can be very handy for furniture assembly.

Oscillating Multi-tool (AKA Fein tool- the first manufacturer). That’s was Osky was talking about. It’s a tool I never knew I needed until I had it, now I use it for everything. The sheer variety of things you can use it for is amazing. For restoration, it’s a scraper, detail sander, polisher, detail cutter and carver all in one. Doctors have used a variation of them for years for bone surgery and cast removal, because they’re very safe and controllable.
Look it up on YouTube. All the tool manufacturers make one now. Rigid has one you can change the head to an angle drill, driver, or jigsaw.

Other than that, I’d go with tjm’s advice and go the gift card route. Don’t get her stuff you’re not sure about that will end up being clutter. Find out what she wants, or let her pick. Only reason I mentioned the multi-tool is, like I said, I didn’t know I needed it till I had it, and it’s one thing I guarantee everyone will find uses for.