Category Archives: Gift

Gift, Holiday

1116204 Picture Blankets

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This picture demonstrates the lack of “pillow control” my cousin suffers from.

 

Whether you choose Wal-Mart or Snapfish, or some other photo service, they offer an interesting ability to have photos printed on blankets and pillowcases. I always encourage people to actually use the ones I have made, but many prefer to use them as “throws” or decorations. You can have just about any picture or picture printed, too.

As a minimalist, I don’t need a lot of pillow cases. But I would prefer that all of them were personalized and interesting like the one above, using a goofy picture of me and my wife taken at a children’s birthday party.

12008 jimmy noah at his apart (15)(4)This picture is of my cousin Jimmy and his son Noah. That pillow case was Noah’s pride and job for years. One of the funny stories of Jimmy’s cancer is that he accidentally put it in the microwave to heat it late night to heat it. It caught fire.

I don’t have pictures of many of the others, but I’ve had several sets of pillow cases made for the children of friends and co-workers. They’ve always been met with absolute joy and glee. Many of the kids uses them as sleeping bags when they are small.

I’ve also had many more blankets made than this. Unfortunately, I either don’t have pictures or the recipients didn’t pose with their gifts. There were a few really crazy blankets that I should have sent to myself after having them made to get a picture. One, for example, was a blanket intended to be used as a lap blanket at a Razorback’s game, ridiculing opponents. The other had 96 smaller pictures on it and looked bizarrely pretty when I designed the picture placement.

Gift, Minimalism

11142014 Canvas-Size Photos – Great Wall or Gift Idea

Wal-Mart Link (I hope it will continue to work…)

Wal-Mart, among other retailers, offers some very nice photo canvases for reasonable prices.

If you want to save a lot more money, you should scroll down or search for “faux canvases.” These are much cheaper than the canvas alternative. Like most Wal-Mart photo merchandise, you can crop and customize some aspects of the canvas.

For my own living room, I have several different sizes, creating a staggered pattern that not only fills the space better, but breaks your line of sight away from focusing on a specific picture canvas at the expense of the others.  

I’ve had many of these made for other people. You can choose from faux canvas to real canvas with wood frames. 

The above picture is probably my favorite, at least in terms of style. It’s a portrait of my wife and I, expect we posed backwards for the picture. When people see it on the living room wall, it baffles many of them.

Gift, Minimalism

07062013 Gift Hoarders and Re-Gifting

“If it is a gift, the best way to use it is to use it yourself or find a great home for it where it will be used or appreciated.” -x

I would never choose to be offended if anyone were to give a gift from me to another person. Once I give it, it is yours to appreciate or give. No questions asked. If I were to paint something for you and later you decided that you didn’t want it (or it looked like a 90 year-old cocaine user painted it) you don’t have to hide it and then throw it on the wall before I come to visit.If I give you an expensive collection of Japanese Toenail Clippings, give it to someone else who has an appreciation for that sort of thing.There’s no reason to dedicate a corner of your house to things given to you that you can’t dare give away or discard. Truthfully, as people age, the accumulated clutter of gifts over the years might reach the ceiling if people didn’t tactfully rid themselves of old gifts.

We might have less complicated lives if we could all look at each other and agree that some of our gift choices are just plain crazy. Since people’s tastes change and sometimes we just get tired of looking at the same stuff all the time, there is no shame or crime in recognizing that we no longer really want something that was given to us. If you are a weirder person than average, it is statistically likely that you are going to guess wrong more often than people you know.

All of the above is part of the reason I enjoy trying to give personalized gifts, whether they be picture cups, or blankets printed with family pictures, calendars or anything else weird or fun I might think of. Most of the time, though, I spend more time and effort decorating the box or packaging the gift is being put into for giving.

I don’t mind if you re-gift presents I’ve give you. Only you know if you were genuinely appreciative when I gave you something. It’s not my job to judge your state of mind or whether you cared that I gave you a gift. We can do our best to surprise those we love with interesting and beloved gifts. But let’s face it, most of them are going to the the equivalent of a 6-foot Elvis robot.

 

Gift, Whimsical

10102013 Jesus-Zach Galifianakis Picture and Its Many Uses

Take a look at this picture. It is the iconic picture of Jesus that many of us stared at while growing up in our grandparent’s houses – the one which made the hair on the nape of our neck stand on end when we were trying to get by with something forbidden.

Or is it?

No, it’s actually a very clever morphed Jesus-Zach Galifianakis hybrid picture. This picture makes me laugh out loud, literally, sometimes.

I’ve used many times to wrap presents with. Those who don’t look closely think that I’ve used a picture of Jesus. Those who look really closely and who also follow pop culture really get a laugh out of it.

I’ve used this picture on personalized coffee mugs that I’ve had made.

I’ve used this picture as a centerpiece on xmas decorations and things of that nature. Many people never notice that something isn’t quite right about the picture.

I tried to convince myself to make a large framed version of this and sneak it into the church I most often attend. I couldn’t quite do it, although I’m certain that the pastor would have laughed until he cried. It’s not like any of us old fogies can see well enough to catch the tomfoolery at first glance, anyway.

It’s not so much that I’m subverting anyone’s beliefs, but that it is a great example of subversive humor.

Gift, Holiday

08032014 Xmas Wish

Personally, I’ve never been a true believer in how we celebrate Xmas. I’m referring to the secular aspect of it in this short post, not the religious aspect. It’s difficult to get into the “true” spirit of Xmas when you don’t think of Jesus in the way that religion wants you to – which I don’t.

I wish that we could find a way to get away from the mad rush of consumerism. Everyone says it and I’m sure I’m not much different for repeating this trite-but-true cliché. Trying to get away from it would evidently cause our economy to collapse, too, if you listen to the news.

I can easily imagine a world where, instead of waiting until a designated approved day, each of us was encouraged to surprise our friends and loved ones with heart-felt gifts, anytime, throughout the year. This would not only allow us to get away from yuletide consumerism, it would also allow us to individually get gifts without pressure, when we can afford to do so, and to anticipate and plan surprising each of our friends and family as people.

No one would then know when they might be surprised and treated. It would truly be a better way of acknowledging people as people
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It would kill the growing trend to ruin everyone’s holidays with insane shopping, stress, and pocketbook madness.

I much prefer the ‘surprise’ method of gifting. I periodically do it to remind myself that I’ve always wanted it to be that way.

Maybe this coming year will be the year I finally just do it without concern for how everyone decides to follow the herd?

After all, the person I love the most, my wife, has a xmas eve birthday, so I can easily get by with my alternate plan and still make her happy around xmas.

A thought to consider…

Gift, Minimalism

02122013 It’s Not the Thought That Counts

If someone took enough time and creativity to box and package your gift like this, would you feel anything other than happy? It’s not only colorful and crazy, but shows that a significant time investment was given. I would rather get an empty box like this than something obligatory. That’s just me, though.

I don’t want to get gifts that aren’t heart-felt or worthwhile. The minimalist in me doesn’t like it.  : ) I don’t need knick-knacks, clothes or books on fingernail painting. If you are my friend or family you don’t need to prove it to me. Let’s go eat and skip the normal gifts.

Notice I said “normal.” If it’s something humorous or crazy, go for it. But not a set of coffee cups or bath set, unless the bath set contains exploding bath salts or the cups are filled with caribou dung.

If it were the thought that counts, truly, instead of many of the gifts, I would get a note or a picture of something I COULD have had under different circumstances. Take a picture of a new car and tell me that if you win the lottery that the car would be mine.

Give money to your favorite charity. Better yet, give it to my favorite charity.

Better still – surprise me at a random time throughout the year. That suits me just fine. Collective holidays can sometimes surprise me and add meaning – but mostly, the obligatory nature seems to kill much of the “a-ha-ness” of the gifts.

Gift, Minimalism

12232012 Personalized Calendars

There are a few companies that will allow you to make very personalized calendars. You can add pictures not only to the display page for the month, but also to any day of the year. (So, your calendar can have hundreds of personal pictures.) Also, you can personalize holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and any other noteworthy days you want to commemorate.

Smaller sizes are less expensive but these calendars are so fun that I doubt you will care about a few dollars difference in cost for larger sizes. The larger sizes are worth it.

If you are interested, you can visit Walmart.com through their online photo department, Snapfish.com or other similar websites. Sometimes, especially around the holidays, you can also get a huge discount on multi-packs of the same same calendar, which makes giving gifts very easy if you’ve got more than one person in the family to buy for. I combined a special offer with a multi-pack discount this year and bought three for the price of one.

Below is a decent idea of the basic version of the calendar. You can use 1, 2, or more “cover” pictures for each month’s face page. You can add text to each month if you want. I’ve never given a calendar to someone who didn’t find it to be a great gift. Even hardened criminals in prison would get teary-eyed at such a personalized gift. When you are compiling and uploading pictures, you don’t have to spend a great deal of time organizing it if you don’t wish to. There is an auto-fill feature on every calendar site – but I’ve never used it.

The picture below is a good indicator of how much fun these calendars can be. They are not only personal, but lead people into reminiscing and thinking about good memories, people they’ve lost, and life’s moments.

Gift, Minimalism

12222014 Monkeying Around (Decoration)

This is a 16 X 20 wood frame photo canvas from Wal-Mart. With the holiday discount, it was a steal.

My wife loves monkey-related stuff and an attempt to find a great reproduction from a specific artist feel through. So – I went creative!

Obviously, since I had “The Teri Family” put on the face, it’s supposed to be humorous, too. When I went to pick it up, my canvas was on display so that people could enjoy it.

My wife loved it!

Gift, Holiday, Minimalism

An Alternate Xmas Decor 2

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Sometimes I am accused of going overboard when decorating for Xmas. It’s not the typical way most people decorate. I’m not one of those people who string up 12,333,435 lights, nor do I put up nine trees in my house.

I like to decorate manually, mostly making all the decorations and putting it together myself. It’s very non-traditional and startling the first few times you see it. It has a better effect in person.

Much of what I assemble requires an inordinate number of boxes, hollow cardboard tubes, clear tape, several HUNDRED personal pictures, xmas lights, ribbon, etc. The trick is to use anything and everything in the house.

I stopped counting after using 600 pictures in 2011.

This type of decorating is ideal for having children help. The more creative and involved they are, the more interesting the display turns out to be. At least, for me that’s true.

I usually make several columns of boxes reaching floor to ceiling. I then paper them with different wrapping paper, affix about a hundred pictures to each, wrap them with lights, ornaments and ribbons. A couple of years I made them all intertwined. There’s no reason you can choreograph them to synch too, if you wanted.

Some of it is funny, such as the picture of Zach Galifianakis as Jesus, the zombies, and pictures of the grinch and Colin Firth.

I then also wrap dozens of “fake” gifts and sit them around the room. These “fake” boxes also make great places to hide real gifts, undetected. I also wrap stuff that we store, such as scrabble boxes, puzzles, etc. These then feel like real gifts, further confusing anyone looking for presents mixed in with the madness.

 

I don’t have video of the year from which most of these pictures were from. It’s shame, because the house would light up like a runway when all the lights were turned on.

 

In the above picture, you can see that there are boxes attached to the ceiling, too. There is some safe and strong tape and adhesive to attach this sort of thing so that it won’t cause a lot of damage. I love putting boxes on the ceiling, walls, floor, anywhere you can add color.

Another trick is to take down your pictures in frames, wrap them, and put them back on the wall. It adds another level of color and decoration to your room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the hundreds of pictures I used in these decorations. The above picture also have the Jesus-Zach Galifianakis picture that tickles me. When people come over, they usually spend a lot of time looking at every display, seeking out the pictures and identifying people, places, and times featured in them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gift, Holiday, Minimalism

Xmas Wrapping For Kids and Xmas Present ID (2012)

 

If you look on the presents to the right, you can see that each is decorated with pictures, especially of the intended recipient.

Everyone who knows me has seen that I can take anything and make it an interesting wrapping material for Xmas. Anything – with enough creativity.

For those of you lucky enough to have kids…

To get kids into the Xmas spirit, have them color or draw something they like. Or raid their coloring books and desks. Scan the image to a file. If you don’t have a camera, take the drawings to an office/copy store. They’ll scan it for a small fee.

Print the drawings in various sizes, colors, black and white, etc. Use these to wrap presents. They’ll be using paper they made and feel more connected to the process. They won’t be so stuck on how the packaging will look after they’ve wrapped it, either.

(Haven’t you noticed that people spend too much time focusing on how the wrapping looks? That’s just plain stupid in my opinion.)

Likewise, you can also scan stuff they’ve drawn or colored and give copies or paper to your friends and family. They can wrap your children’s presents with their drawings. The kids will be at least interested.

As for the other idea I often use… Print off pictures of the gift recipient. Use these pictures instead of name tags for all the gifts. This alleviates the need for a tag or emblem on the present.

Even small children who can’t read can recognize faces. It also allows for someone very young to be distracted on Xmas with the gift “hand-out” duties. They’ll have fun with it. To add an element to the process, use pictures of people from earlier ages.

If you don’t have a good printer, you can get 4 x 6 pictures for 9 cents each almost anywhere.

If you are feeling very adventurous, wrap presents using nothing EXCEPT pictures. These make some of the most memorable and best Xmas presents. Sometimes, people don’t want to open the presents because it will damage the pictures. Sometimes, presents wrapped totally in pictures are the ones that people remember, regardless of the range of price for everyone else’s presents.

You don’t have to use photo paper to do this. You can easily print off pictures on standard size paper and use it to wrap. Try printing on materials never intended to be printed on – it can be very interesting.

Final note: You can also do a ‘theme’ wrap for everyone’s presents. I personally love the crazy “Pitchforkkreeper” picture for gift wrapping. Nothing says “Christmas Spirit” like a crazy picture repeated constantly.