Category Archives: Gift

Gift, Holiday, Minimalism

06052012 Better Way to Give Gift Cards

Gift cards can be great presents for friends or family. They can be bought specifically to cater to the tastes of the recipient.

One aspect that everybody overlooks is how simple they are to wrap. Most people do the most boring option possible: they use the included little envelope or put the gift card in another simple envelope.

How about a more interesting and creative option?

One of my favorite ways to wrap a gift card involves pictures. Whether I use colored paper or black and white photos, I print off anywhere from 10 to 50 pictures, ranging in size from very small all the way through 5X7 and 8X10. Printing on colored paper but yet using black and white images is the easiest method. I place the gift card flat and create “layers” by wrapping the card with one of the smaller images. I carefully tape the first picture around the card and then flip it. I then put the second picture over the card. To add stability, sometimes I use increasingly larger envelopes. It makes unwrapping the gift card even more interesting. I continue to layer pictures one at a time, flipping the card/envelope stack as I go.

There have been times when I have layered 50+ images to the gift card! I’ve never had someone getting a gift wrapped like this not be totally excited by the process. Yes, they will often joke and laugh, but as each picture comes off the stack, they will look at the picture and talk about the memory of the image on it. Many times, my “ordinary” gift card becomes the one gift people will remember years later, even if they don’t remember any of the other gifts given, or the amount of the gift card.

Warning: this method I’m describing is VERY time consuming. But if it true that it’s the thought that counts, it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to spend some time wrapping a card like this, as it shows a commitment to the surprise. (Either that, or that you are crazy for spending so much time wrapping something.)

Above is an example of the resulting mess, about 10 minutes and 50 pictures later, she finally got to the center of the gift. 🙂

The left half of the picture above is someone holding one these “layered gift card” surprises before opening it. The right half is a picture of it after I finished it. The finished picture shows another detail that I sometimes do: I take little contact pictures and affix them to colored slivers of paper, which I attach to the main envelope with the gift card. Again, this takes a while, but it is fun watching a person get one of these gifts, especially a kid. Sometimes, they get frustrated at having to peel their present like an onion, but it always pays off for them at the end. (I’ve had kids almost refuse to tear into the gift cards wrapped this way because they are fascinated by how it looks when it’s not opened.)

Gift, Minimalism

05062012 A Relatively Easy Birthday Surprise

If it is the thought that counts, for a birthday, I have a sure-fire way to let someone know that you are thinking about them – and willing to put in a little time to prove it.

Go to any store selling a variety of birthday cards. You can buy expensive one-of-a-kind cards or 2-for-a-dollar. Buy a dozen. Make sure that you get some for someone’s grandson, father, uncle, daughter, cousin, co-worker, etc. The bigger the variety and the more strange the assortment, the more fun you can have.

If you want to make it more interesting, sign each type of card as if you are another person and make up details to go with each fake identity with which you sign the card. Mail 1 or 2 per day starting about 10 days before your person has or her birthday.

As your birthday victim begins to receive the cards, it is likely that it will make them wonder who might be surprising them. As the cards pile up, I guarantee that their amusement will also magnify. By the time their birthday arrives, they will have a nice stack of something to laugh about. It is likely that the person receiving the cards will tell everyone about what you’ve done. You can spend either a few dollars or a lot of dollars to make someone know you are wishing them a great birthday. (Let all the other friends buy your birthday person a lizard feeder or keychain with your name on it.)

It’s good for the economy and the postal service, too.

Gift, Holiday, Whimsical

12122012 An Easy Xmas Ornament Idea

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People needlessly spend a fortune on getting a yearly Xmas ornament for their tree. There are some very beautiful ones out there – and many which aren’t terribly expensive, either.

But if you are looking for a yearly ornament that is both cheap, easy, and will look almost exactly the same, year in and year out, look no further.

As strange as it sounds, you should use a dollar. Seriously. Each member of the family should sign his or her name on it in colors, then label the bill with the year in larger letters. You can then hang, roll, or place the bills year to year on your tree.

My wife and I now have 5 on our decorations. We even have one that is labelled as a “proxy dollar,” as my stepson thought it would be cute to “liberate” one the first year. It’s now part of the story of our ornaments, rather than detracting from it.

Since we didn’t do a tree this year, you can look on the very far right of the picture I attached to see the dollars in the lighting of my alternate Xmas decorations.

It’s fun, cheap, and different. What’s not to like?

Gift

An Easy Laugh With a Gift

Much of my enjoyment with giving gifts has nothing to do with the actual gift, who it is for, or what is inside the actual box. (If there is one.)

If you buy someone a gift, stop and think about how many times you have wished your gift were of a different size, in a different box or packaged in a different way.

Why should your creativity be limited to how your gift is packaged or boxed?

I suggest a better way, one which allows you to decorate boxes and gifts in advance and without being concerned for the box size, breaking something fragile or any other such mundane consideration.

Instead of wrapping the actual box containing the gift, wrap another box of your choosing. It can be a shoe box, a cracker box or even a battery box. Put something in the extra box to give it weight. Now wrap it as creatively as you want.

When the person opens your present, observe the look on his or her face when they find 3 old novels instead of a nice, new present. Or fill the fake box with paper, canned goods, etc. After a few seconds, hand them the “real” gift. Most people will laugh and at least appreciate that you’ve tried to be a little different.

Also, the diversion method described above works really well with overly-curious kids and snoopy mothers-in-law, too.

Gift

07052013 Make a Kids Day – Making Hand-Painted Boxes

One of the things that I have always enjoyed doing is making hand-crafted boxes for kids. I’m not going to kid you though, no pun intended – some of these take me hours and hours to make. But I’ve never been disappointed in a child’s reaction. Many times it is very rewarding to see the parent’s faces, too, as they well know that the gift is a huge investment of time and thought.

(Sidenote: the entire process can be done with any size box. It can also be done with crates, dressers, tables, anything you can imagine.)

Usually, I buy unadorned wooden boxes from Hobby Lobby, the source of all things interesting. 🙂 You can use almost anything, though, especially if you don’t mind sanding or experimenting. Wal-Mart carries a very limited number and styles of wooden boxes in the craft/office areas in their stores.

I use tape to section off random portions, layering alternating colors as I hand paint, after removing the hinges and all hardware that might be one the box. Sometimes, I will paint for about 30 minutes each day to allow for the paint to totally dry while at the same time giving me the ability to ensure that the tape doesn’t pull on the paint as I remove it.

The key thing I recommend is to STOP worrying about telling yourself that you aren’t creative or don’t have the ability. I’ve found that many times I’ve learned something new when I make errors, even monumental ones.

One I’m more or less satisfied with the paint job, I then apply letters, painted characters, googly eyes (those eyes that come in packets and have black and white eyes that roll around inside the circular eyes), coins, colored letters, scrabble pieces, dice, small cars, anything and everything that is colorful or interesting. Some of the best ideas resulted from having a limited supply of interesting things to glue or attach to the box. When using wooden boxes, I can usually find a way to more easily apply some of the craziest objects using a variety of small screws.

Gift, Whimsical

04042014 Reusing Greeting Cards / Using the “Wrong” Card on Purpose

For this card, I bought a random category and then put my cousin’s picture on the front, drawing a low-tech beard, then scribbling out the words as needed on the inside.

For most of my adult life, I have tried to be goofy with greeting cards. Sometimes, I have inadvertently shown bad taste doing this but since I’ve never been known as someone with great taste, I don’t think I’ve damaged my reputation too much.

First, if you want to have a little fun, you should deliberately buy the wrong occasion card for someone. For instance, instead of a birthday card, send a sympathy card. Instead of a graduation card, send a bar mitzvah card. After a couple of times doing this, people will either laugh at your efforts or start expecting it. Many times, the crazy card that doesn’t conform will be the one remembered. Cards are usually so quickly forgotten that anything memorable about them is quite a feat.

Fifth, you should consider changing the words already written inside or on the card. Subtle changes can have a huge, humorous impact on the card’s intended meaning.

Second, if you are going to write a message, write it on the front of the card where people are reluctant to write – or on the back. Even better, write your message upside or wrapped around the edge between front and back – or any combination thereof for maximum effect.

First, write a totally wrong name on the card and/or envelope.

Third, write messages from people who don’t exist. Sign their name, too, make up fake shared experiences, or write a message as if you are a famous historical person. Write the message as if you are either totally serious or mentally deranged.

Another easy and creative way to personalize a boring card is to print a picture of the person and tape, glue or include it in or on the card. People get caught off guard when this happens and usually appreciate the little touch. If it is someone’s birthday, put a picture of them when they were very young. On the other hand, put someone a picture of a total stranger in the card to bewilder both the recipient and anyone else looking at the card.

While it is true that greeting cards can be quite boring, the reality is that is our own fault that they lack any spark or zest. With just a little creativity, greeting cards can be fun and interesting.

(I know I didn’t enumerate the points correctly, in order, or well. Gotcha! )