Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer this week has an interesting twist to it -- instead of giving a tip, we have been asked to ask a question of the blogging community.
So...here is my question, especially timely with Christmas being only a bit over 80 days away (can you believe that???)...
What are some of your favorite gifts to give people (any age, any gender, one person, entire family, holiday gift, housewarming gift, birthday gift -- whatever!!!)? And, along those lines, what are some of your favorite handmade gifts to make/give?
I can't wait to be inspired for the holiday season!
(On a side note, what do you think about gift cards? Are they great or too impersonal?)
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
WFMW: What are your favorite gifts to give?
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Art supplies are always a wonderful gift for children. There isn't anything about art supplies that could be offensive to parents, and most children really enjoy them. Art supplies can be pricey or cheap, so they work for whatever price point.
As to gift cards, I think they work when they are not too impersonal. In other words, a Visa Gift Card often doesn't work, because it doesn't show you had the recipient in mind. On the other hand, if you give a cook a $50 gift certificate for Penzey's spices, that's a great present. It is very thoughtful, it shows you cared, and the recipient can pick out what she would like the best.
my favorite gifts are gifts of charity. i love giving animals from Heifer International or finding a cause that particularly fits with the person (like once I gave to a charity that provides sneakers to children in honor of a friend who loves shoes)...it is always appreciated, doesn't require dusting, and is never "re-gifted"!
My all-time favorite homeade gift is bath salts. The bath salts are really quick and easy. It's a great project for kids...we did these in our church group (10-11 yo girls) for Mother's Day...they had a blast!
Recipe for bath salts:
* 1 - 4# container of epsom salts
* 1 - 1# container of sea salt (the Hain brand has the best consistency)
* Food coloring for color - usually 10 drops is a good start (if you want - they look great white too)
* Essential oil for scent - start with 5 drops and add more if you want a stronger scent
* Any kind of glass jar or tin works great to put them in - I have even used the cellophane treat bags too!
Mix all ingredients in a large container or zippered bag until the color is well-blended. That's all there is to it - definitely works for me!
My favorite gift is time. Take someone's kiddos for an afternoon.
She'll love you forever.
Love the bath salts idea! I need to try that. My favorite gifts to give are homemade ones, definitely. I really like to sew.
This year, part of my gift to all my nieces/nephews who are in the 2-5yrs age category is going to be crayon rolls because all kids like to be creative. The babies will get cute bib/burp cloth sets that I will also sew myself. For my sister's, I'm going to make purses and matching checkbook covers.
For people like the grandparents who have everything and need nothing I like to do the charity thing, Heifer Int'l or something like that.
I am big into taking and framing pictures. You can get great frames pretty cheap almost anywhere. Who doesn't love pics of loved ones?!
I make notecards as a hobby. I'll often give a stack of 8-10 homemade notecards to girlfriends or women in my family. I tailor the style to the recipient.
At Christmas for non-family (people I want to give gifts to, but don't want to spend much), I usually bake bread. My friends adore my homemade bread, and it's a nice change from all the sweets people receive at that time of year.
For a unique gift for older people (I've done this for my parents so far), find a magazine from the month and year that person was born. You can find them on Ebay or at used book stores. (Make sure it's a magazine that would actually be of interest to the recipient.) It's fun, nostalgic, unique, and inexpensive.
I often give books or craft supplies to the kids in my life. Or sometimes something totally impractical that I know their parents wouldn't ordinarily buy them (but wouldn't disapprove of!).
Sometimes just taking loved ones out to lunch or dinner is a great gift. They're treated to a meal out, and you get to spend time with them. My parents and in-laws, for example, really just want to spend time with their kids; they don't care about material things.
I think gift cards are great when they're bought with the recipient's interests in mind. I recently gave a friend a gift card to iTunes for her birthday because I knew her husband was giving her an mp3 player. Readers LOVE to get gift cards to bookstores.
Wow!!! I am LOVING these ideas already! :)
And...duh...the note card idea -- I even sell note cards, and have given them as gifts before (always to raves from the receiver), and I just hadn't even thought of it for this Christmas season. That will definitely have to be on my "to give" list!
Here's my opinion on gift cards: No one likes to give them because they seem impersonal.Most people love to get them though because they don't get stuck with stuff they don't want. Same with cash.
I think the key to making it personal is to combine it with time. Give a gift card and then take the person shopping so you get to see them enjoying it. Then it is a win-win!
My favorite things to give kids are educational toys or books. My favorite gifts for women are bath products, usually from Bath and Body Works. For men (which are my hardest to buy for) I usually give a gift card to Home Depot or give golf balls. Anyone who golfs can always use golf balls. Just be sure to find out what brand they like, because some golfers are rather picky. I love getting gift cards, and I know my family does too. We always get ones we know the person will use, like for books, favorite restaurants, or favorite stores, not just general ones. Some of the best gift cards we've gotten as a family are a gift card to a local theater to see a play and a gift card to the local planetarium that we used for our family to see a movie.
I have a shelf in my bathroom where African Violets love to grow. I pick up self watering pots and start new ones. When I have on in bloom, I have a house warming gift, a birthday gift, a thank you gift... you get it.
Love gift cards - receiving and giving.
Ornaments are fun gifts - you can be creative and pick one that matches the recipient perfectly or you can do something whimsical and fun.
Theme oriented gift baskets are always a big hit - movie night, bath time, coffee, etc
Duckabush Blog
http://mycrayonbox.blogspot.com/2006/11/cookies-for-cause-this-year-i-have-some.html
The above is what I give to a lot of the "have everything" people on my list. As for gift cards, I do love them!
This year my favourite gifts are anything I can make myself inexpensively. So, when our apple tree had an absolute glut of fruit this year, I made apple jam, apple and ginger jam, and 2 different apple based chutneys. They are currently sitting in our shed maturing in time for Christmas.
Maybe it's a bit boring, but in my family we often have a theme for buying presents for all our extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles etc). One year we had the year fo the sock, but they weren't just boring socks, they were interesting ones! We've also had the year of the book.
I think themes work so long as you try to remember the person each gift is for and try to fit the gift to the person.
The same with gift cards or tokens, so long as it's something the person will use and like then I think they're a great idea. Sometimes if we are giving cards or tokens we also try to give a small gift alongside the tokens - that way the person has something to unwrap, not just an envelope to open!
My favourite gifts to give are books and anything book-related, like my bookmarks at http://marciasbookmarks.blogspot.com :)
I also like baking biscuits (you call it cookies) for work colleagues. I did this last year and they were a hit!!! I gave each person in my team about 10 - 12 in a clear plastic disposable container with a BIG GREEN bow. Cost me very little and I'm thinking of doing the same thing this year, just a different biscuit (cookie).
Organising queen and
Marcia's take charge blog
I like to find things to make for gifts. I make decoupaged glass candle holders (votives or larger) and give with candles.
I love to get and give gift cards. For my one friend, she loves starbucks gift cards. Plus I know she'll be treating herself to something I know she loves. You personalize gift cards by getting people gift cards to the stores you know they love.
Blessings!
I love to knit things for people. I've also made bread cloths then wrapped a fresh baked loaf of bread in them to give as gifts. Another favorite is the cinnamon bear! I have a bear cake pan from Wilton and I make a batch of dough for cinnamon bread and bake it in the bear pan. It's super cute and delicious!
Baking and knitting... you can't go wrong with those!
For a hostess gift, I like making everyday cloth napkins. It's homemade, there's less paper napkins to throw away and the choices for the fabric are endless.
I love making homemade gifts. Here are a few I've made in the recent past:
*Soup Mix or Cookie Mix in a jar
* A recipe book for my little sister. I filled a 3 ring binder with my favorite recipes, organized into categories and placed in sheet protectors.
* Homemade Jewelry. I am making necklaces for all the girls in my family this year. I just barely started learning to make jewelry and if you get the right tools it's not hard.
* For neighbors and church members I usually make some sort of goody. Last year it was peanut brittle, the year before that fudge.
Sometimes I get the kids involved and we buy ceramic ornaments from the craft store that they paint. Then we give each family an ornament.
Last year I assembled gift baskets for four of my nieces (all in the same family.) I took advantage of all the great free/free with purchase coupons Bath and Body Works sent out last season and made each girl a fabulous beauty basket. For the littler ones, bubble bath, bath fizzies, giant puffs, etc. For the teenagers, perfume, candles, lotions....After I picked up the "anchor" items, I purchased smaller trinkets in matching colors. Once I knew what was going in each basket, I found the right size matching container--all at the Dollar Tree or Target's Dollar Spot. Dollar Tree also sells bags of shred. I bought a roll of shrink wrap at Michael's with a 40% off coupon and still have tons left. Each basket, including the container, stuffing, and shrink wrap, cost under $10! The value of the baskets was over $40 each. The rest of my nieces and nephews got regular--but fun and thoughtful--gifts; I try to choose a family each year and go all out (with time and creativity, not money!) It took over a month to hunt down all the pretty items at a great price, but my nieces were so excited to get their grownup gifts from their Aunt(and Uncle!) and I had so much fun thinking of them with every shopping trip!
My MIL is one of those people who are hard to buy for, but I have noticed she loves to read Soap Opera magazines. SO when I got her a subscription a couple of years ago for her birthday, she loved it so much, it's become a routine now. Simple for me & she gets them immediately instead of waiting for her next trip to the store :)
Our town has a great cookbook! I plan on wrapping one in a tea towel with a pretty ribbon for teacher gifts this year!
Christmas is a challenge for me each year, especially when I have teens to buy for--that is where gift cards are super nice :)
For a wedding gift, I like to give a copy of Men are Like Waffles and Women are Like Spaghetti, and include pasta sauce, spahetti, waffle mix, and syrup. If I want to spend more $$, I might include a waffle maker.
For a baby gift, I am leaning towards one those organizing bags from the Lazy Organizer (laragallagher.com) with a travel thing of wipes and a couple diapers. I think that is so practical.
My favorite thing to give for a wedding or housewarming present is a set of windchimes. It's not ordinary, but I've never met anyone who doesn't like them. They're not necessarily useful, but also not frivolous, and you don't have to find a place to store them, like all the vases and knickknacks that a lot of people give.
My sister is the greatest aunt ever for my kids - she doesn't buy them anything, she takes them places. It could be a horse show, a spa for a pedicure, or even an amusement park. They remember those events forever, and--once again!--you don't have to find a place to put the memories! (Can you tell I'm maxed out on cabinet and closet space?)
Two of the favorite gifts I have ever received.
wind chimes.
American flag.
I loved them for their uniquness as a gift
I personally love to receive gift cards from my in-laws because their choice of presents is usually nothing I really like. Since our budget is tight, I would rather have something useful!
I would say to stay away from giving clothes to people. I have rarely liked clothes that I receive for me or my other family members.
Some good gifts for babies: diapees and wipees holders are wonderful!!
I like anything homemade because it shows the person really took the time to care (unless its the 4th afgan I received as a wedding present LOL).
This probably did not help at all, but those are my thoughts!
I was at a bridal shower once where the soon-to-be sister-in-law made her brother's favorite dish. Apparently, it was a meal that the groom's mom made for him as a kid and he requested it for his birthday dinner every year for a long time. The whole gift was a pretty casserole dish (with the yummy food inside), serving utensils, pretty dishtowels and the recipe on a nice recipe card. The bride thought it was the greatest gift.
My extended family plays a game with gift cards. My husband and I made up game cards and we take turns drawing a card and following the card directions which say things like, "switch with someone older than you" or "everybody pass to the left". It makes it easier for our large family because people who don't know whether they can come to the gathering just have to bring a gift card if they decide to come. It's really fun. :)
I find that when I pick out a gift, if it's for a close friend, sister or sister-in-law, that if I really want to keep it then the recipient will probably like it too.
Ok..this may have already been said, but I loved doing this last year for my in-laws. I went to a paint your own pottery kind of place last year and picked a platter out. I did the base coat by myself one night. Then the next day, my sister-in-law and I brought our kids (all of my in-laws grandchildren) and we put their hand prints and my babies footprints on it in different colors. It was cute because we did their hand like little petals on a flower and then the babies feet were the leaves. We put their names under each hand print and then put the year that the bottom. It is a functional plate and they love being reminded of the grandkids (it cost about $40-$50 total so split we didn't do too bad).
I hosted a "Homemade with Love" Gift Idea Exchange last year... here's the link with TONS of ideas (it's slow in loading because there are a lot of pictures) and there's a Mister Linky at the bottom with 25 other links to different blogs with great ideas, too!
http://www.kissesofsunshine.com/2006/10/homemade-gift-idea-exchange_23.html
This year, I'll be hosting it on or around November 12 ... so bookmark the link to my blog and come back for more great ideas!!!
I have recently discovered the joy of giving books to my tween and teen cousins. Their parents are more than happy to give me suggestions or sometimes I discover things like The Dangerous Book for Boys. Or I pick something to go with their hobbies: cookbooks, sports, music.
I did this last year and they all gave me a huge hug after opening their gifts!
I don't know about anyone else, but I have certain gifts that I give at certain ages....for a 2 year old girl I give a Fisher Price Tea Party set that sings "I'm a Little Teapot" (and since we live on a budget, it is the right price @ $11.00)...for a 1st grade girl or boy, I've found some reading books that are Treasury Classics. They are the perfect price $3.00 each and there are titles like "Heidi", "The Wizard of Oz", "Around the World in 80 Days", and so on. My daughter loves them, and loves to give them!
I second (or third?) the picture idea. For the kids' various sports coaches, I take pictures of the games all throughout the season, take an individual shot of each player, and pay special attention to take extra photos of the coach's child. As an end-of-season gift I give the coach a framed team photo and a small album with the various photos. The big thing to them is the pictures of their own child playing. They're so busy coaching the team, they don't get to really absorb what their own child is doing all the time.
Another thing I do is buy inexpensive 4x6 frames and give each child an action shot of themselves from a game. Between the frame, the picture and an inexpensive gift bag, it costs me maybe $2/kid. It beats the goodie bags full of plastic novelties that my sons' teammates have been handing out to one another at the end of the season. The gesture is nice, but what's in the bag rarely makes it home without breaking and they probably spent way more than I did!
I'm coming up blank with gift ideas. The only thing I can think of is that I have given my brother-in-law lots of drill bits over the years. He actually looks forward to them and they can be varied price ranges.
I LOVE getting gift cards!
Probably my favorite gift that I have given my two nieces was the year I decided to do a dress up box. I set my budget and then hit the yard sales and goodwill shops for a few weekends in a row and ended up with a great variety of stuff. (Lacy half slip can be a bridal veil or a fancy skirt. Shiny gold woman's top became a great dress for the littlest one, mardi gras beads, scarves,etc.) I could've added Halloween costumes purchased after the fact but I used up the budget long before Oct. 31. Last year I did find some Halloween costumes at JoAnn fabric at 90% off and gave them to my daughter for Christmas. I purchased some childsized dress up shoes and a feather boa at a fabric store and then put it all in a new Rubbermade tub. That was the part that my sister-in-law liked best. I even provided the storage solution to this gift. The girls loved it and I had a blast putting it together.
I do this for adults and teenagers - I purchase a cute cookbook at Marshall's or TJMaxx (much less expensive then a bookstore) and then get something to go with it that matches the theme of the book. For example, I bought a friend a girl's night in cookbook (appetizer recipes and fun food) and then bought hot pink pot holders and a bottle of pink sparkling lemonade. It's fun because they'll use it but may not have purchased it for themselves.
Hope that helps!
My mother has the best idea, I think, for a wedding gift. After the holidays, when ornaments go on sale very, very cheap...buy a box or two of the nicest ones you can get and put them away. That's one thing most newlyweds don't think about in their gift lists...ornaments for their first tree! Even for a June wedding, these will be appreciated. I honestly wish Mom or someone had thought of these when I was married 27 years ago. My first tree was decorated with a few handmade ornaments and...get this...M&M's wrapped in plastic and tied with ribbons! It was really a Charlie Brown tree, LOL--but it was sure fun to take it down.
So...Christmas ornaments for a wedding gift would be one of my favorites!
PS--I just have to say, I (for one) love gift cards of any kind.
For the past several years I have made a personalized family calendar for all the adults on both sides of our families. The calendar has everyone's birthdays and anniversaries on the appropriate dates, and the photos are either of family members at gatherings, or some other theme we select as a family. One year we used a lot of Ornery's landscape photos. Last year we used photos and recipes from a cookie exchange I participated in. Every month the recipient is reminded of your gift when they change the date. I often get calls from my MIL when she changes months to thank me again for the thoughtful gift. These calendars are easy to make if you have a publishing or calendar program, and relatively inexpensive.
I also make Christmas note cards and send them early, so they can be used during the holidays.
TM
I love to give umbrellas. No one ever has enough of them and most of the time they break easily. It's a great gift for little kids and adults.
Personally I LOVE getting gift cards. But I don't really like to give them because I feel like it's a copout. Welcome to double-standard land...
I like to make and give candles. It is something personal, most people enjoy them, they are relatively easy to make, and the process is usually relaxing. Some people bake around the holidays, I melt.
Here's the 411 on how it's done.
For children, unless the giver is out of state, I do not like gift cards as it only teaches them to spend. With money they can spend some and save some.
I like to give homemade gifts to people I really love. I take the time to make paintings, ceramics, cross-stitching, pillows, etc. and I think and pray for them as I make them. They've always been a hit at the moment and treasured for years.
For people who love to read, I really like to give books tailored just for them, not just the latest bestseller. Also magazine subscriptions are good for people who live far away. I pick something that matches a hobby or interest.
For my immediate family I like to give something that will be a memory like a whale watching trip, or tickets to a play or show.
A big hit for children and adults is movie tickets in a bag or basket with candy, chocolate or popcorn.
Arbee-thank you for the bath salt idea/recipe -- I will be using that.
Mom2fur-Your mom has a great idea! I remember our first Christmas tree was very small and fairly bare even after spending too much for a first year.
My favourite thing to give is books. My theory is you can always find a book to suit someone.
The other great present for younger children is stickers. My kids love getting stickers!!!
Amanda
One of my favorite gifts I have ever gotten is a beautiful decorative box my best friend made me. She put on the outside of it beautiful pictures from around the world (mostly places she knew I wanted to visit) and then posted things from the book "1,000 Reasons To Be Happy" on the outside. It is still my favorite gift I have ever gotten and it only ended up costing her about 10 dollars to make. I hope that answers your question.
I also like anything Personal. One gift I've given to family and friends that I think was a great hit was food. I love to cook, so that's a given for me. I made a weeks worth of food and froze it. I wrapped a gift with a weeks menue inside. As busy as everyone is, this was a great gift for the recipient, but also for me because it was something I loved doing.
I love to cook, so this gift was a no-brainer for me. I have done this for friends as well as family. I cook and freeze a weeks worth of food. A box is wrapped with Christmas paper and inside is a menu for a week of homecooked meals. Since everyone is so busy, this is great for everyone!
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