The Gift Detective » Under $5

Members Monday: Personalized Father’s Day Gift

The Gift Detective — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 04:34:00 +0000

This idea isn’t just great for Father’s Day, it is great for any person for nearly any occasion because you have the option to really personalize this gift in so many different ways! In fact, the example I’m going to show you is a more romantic/sweet gift that I created for Alex so that you can see the versatility of this type of gift.
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Paper Source’s Foxy Valentine’s

The Gift Detective — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:28:38 +0000

Oh, Paper Source, how I love thee!

This homemade Foxy Valentine is a super cute way to let someone know you think they are foxy! It is easy, inexpensive and creative.

Something like this can be made even more personal by customizing the label – for instance, with your Valentine’s name – or leaving something special inside. The something special need not be expensive either (though it would probably come as quite a surprise it was!); a love note, a memento of some special time together, your Valentine’s favorite candy or whatever else you choose. You could leave the humor at the outside and be serious on the inside or choose to keep the cute going, for instance, you could put some fireballs inside with a note that says “I think you’re hot!” or that sort of thing.

But why relegate this only to Valentine’s day? Make this and just omit the word “Valentine” from the label to remind your partner that you are sweet on them anytime of the year.

Or, want to make something a little more PG for the kids? Take the brown favor box and make a bear and make the label read something more like, “You’re Bear-y special to me!” Yeah, it’s pretty cutesy but you know what? At any time of year kids would really dig something that was unexpected and made just for them. This is also an easy enough project for kids to make!

If price is a concern, you can make this even more frugal by just purchasing the favor boxes (under $5) and use construction paper, a glue stick, and a pen, crayon or markers for the other details. Take the idea, and make it your own! It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to perfectly convey your intentions and your love! If you can do that, it will be the perfect gift for your Valentine.

Happy gifting!

Prepare for the Future, Stay in the Present

The Gift Detective — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:22:35 +0000

A few days ago I blogged about thinking ahead and preparing for the holiday season. I think some preparation goes a long way to making gift giving less stressful and more enjoyable. But, it isn’t all about the future is it? You can’t plan for everything and sometimes you just need to step back and focus on the present in order to be a good gift giver. Just like everything else in life, gift giving requires balance.

Let me explain. Focusing on the here and now will make you more aware and a better sleuth when it comes to noticing things about your friends and family – the people at the top of your gift list!

Like many of you, I have a limited budget so I have three categories of gifts – presents, surprises and thoughtful things.

* Presents are the things I try to plan for – birthdays, holidays, celebrations like baby showers or weddings. Planning ahead for these things means I can often find something special and meaningful (or make it) without breaking the bank. This is where reading the blog comes in handy because I will try to cover all of these and then some as time goes on.

* Surprises are the things that I find unexpectedly and are usually impulse purchases that are just right yet really inexpensive. Like the miniature rubber ducks I found at the grocery store that light up for my boyfriend’s mom who likes to take a bath each day or the little soapstone heart I bought for my boyfriend that was a mere $3 but something I just knew in my heart he would love. Surprises are those little items that may not be useful (though they could be! – like the cheese grater mouse I got at Pier 1 for less than $10 for my boyfriend’s father who grates cheese for his pasta each night – this was a double-duty gift since it was a nice surprise for his dad who is forever looking for the cheese grater – it is bright and distinctive – but served as a surprise for his mom as well who had to clean up after the old style cheese graters that don’t quite get all the cheese over your plate – this one actually catches the cheese in the body of the mouse and then you sprinkle it on via a little spout near the head) but immediately make you think of a particular person when your eyes alight on the item.

* Thoughtful things are the gifts that you bring to a dinner party, to your book club host or the thank you card you mail.

So, to improve your gift giving game, stay in the present and focus on your loved ones – you’ll be less stressed out and more likely to notice what will make a terrific present which will help your short-term and long-term gifting goals.

Happy gifting!