Bombarded with the latest trends and flashy stores, shopping is often quite stressful. Coming up with a quality, original gift is usually a trial. Doing it last minute is even worse. Here are some creative gift ideas that hone in on your friends' needs and help you get the job done.
Retail trends as of 2005 show that high-tech toys are
booming, and the personal technology purchases are skyrocketing. Despite the explosion of ipods, digital
cameras, and flip phones, the shopping atmosphere actually has not changed
much. Americans still describe their shopping experience as being most defined
by time. Everyone knows that crunch-time
feeling, when graduation, office, and birthday parties are a week away, a day
away, a few hours away, and no amount of walking in and out of mall stores is
helping us find anything. Personal touches on gifts are typically marginalized
by professional packaging as well, causing gifts to lose a sense of effort. The
average customer also strongly favors certain retailers over others, so
sometimes what seems like an easy solution (going to a person’s favorite store)
turns out to be a nightmare when one realizes they have nearly everything in
the store. The solution? With a little bit of ingenuity and creative retail
crossover, a few tried and true quickie gifts that look great, will be useful,
and won’t cause your wallet to weep can solve all your gift woes.
Gift Ideas
1. Desk Helpers
Who: Students, teachers, office/home-office workers that
frequent computer stores, office supply stores, and are often up-to-date on the
latest technology.
What: Desk organizers
can be found at office supply stores, most gift stores, and large stores like
WALMART and TARGET. They are found in
stationary areas and come in various shapes and sizes. Go for mesh-wire ones in silver and black
that are medium-sized. Buying two pieces
is favorable, like a paper organizer and a pencil stand with compartments,
together the two will look high-quality on a desktop. Next hit the other part of the stationary
section for neat looking pens, gel pens, markers, colorful paper clips,
pencils, small notepads, post-its, mini-staplers, staples, gluesticks, etc. All
of those slightly pricier, fun writing utensils and small desk items people don’t
get for themselves make for fun presents. Tie the pens, pencils, markers, etc.
together with a ribbon. Tie together the other items as best you can with the
same ribbon, or place small bows on them.
Get a large gift bag with colorful tissue and just fit them all in
there.
2. Coffee Table Books
Who: Someone who spends a vested amount of time in
bookstores and cd stores. While they may purchase books solely in a specific
genre, coffee table books are universally liked. A good couples gift as well.
It’s especially appropriate for people who enjoy art and museums.
What: Ever notice those large, glossy books of paintings or
nature scenes at the bookstore and wonder who would want to lug that
around? Such books are sometimes called
“coffee table books”, because they can be great on coffee tables, providing a
sophisticated visual and taking up a nice amount of space. These pricier books
are easy to pick out because any topic has a wide range of appeal. Whether the
book is a collection of bird photography, Expressionist paintings, or DaVinci
sketches, the pictures inside will be gorgeous to look at for anyone. The size
and aesthetic appeal of just one book will surely be received with fascination
and appreciation.
3. Photo Frames
Who: A close friend with a celebrity fetish, particularly a
friend that subscribes or purchases celebrity, fashion, or sports magazines
frequently.
What: Try a gift store or craft shop for two nice frames,
try a bigger frame for both, at least a 5X7 for example. Using either a new magazine or one in your
possession, carefully remove a photo of a favorite actor/actress, musician,
politician, etc. Insert into the
frame. The result is a lasting and quality
display of their fav celeb (one that they have other cutouts of in their room
perhaps). Include an instant camera
too. The two of you can use it to get a
perfect shot to fill the other frame.
4. Creative Mug
Who: An acquaintance’s birthday, high school or college
graduation (especially if you’re a grad yourself and you have to give out lots
of gifts at many more grad parties), close family members (esp. good for
holidays like mother’s day or father’s day), an “office” present (for a co-worker’s
birthday especially). This is best for
shopping when you don’t know the person’s shopping habits very well.
What: Not just a mug of course, but a filled mug. Run out to a local card or gift shop. Find an empty mug there that is colorful or
has a relevant message on it (“Happy Birthday”, “Congratulations” etc). Walk around the store picking out small items
that fit into the mug. Mix up more serious choices like nice pens or expensive
candy, with lighthearted ideas such as small, cheap toys, noisemakers,
etc. Some items easily found in such a
store that work universally include keychains, bookmarks, stationary (esp. for
the office present), candy, and stickers. Buy some colorful, shredded paper or
gift tissue. The key to this gift is
making it look festive, which can be done very easily with great results. Presentation is definitely a main strength of
this gift. Fill the mug halfway with the
paper filler and arrange your items in it until it looks good to you. Try to pull some of the paper (or add more)
so that the color of the filler paper is visible and adds vibrancy and fun to
the appearance. Add a ribbon or stick-on
bow to the middle of the mug. Make a
homemade “to/from” tag, punch a hole in one corner, then using a ribbon or
string tie it to the handle of the mug.
Last Minute Gift Wrap Tips
If you don’t have gift wrap, use the comics section of the
paper. You can also use plain copy paper
(if the gift is small enough) and then use a stamp to decorate the paper once
it’s wrapped (or just doodle some things on it with a nice marker or
crayons). Magazine pages work well too
but avoid advertisements with a lot of text. Try garden magazines, fashion
pages, celebrity pages, sports photos, or anything that catches your eye with
its colors or designs. Careful though,
don’t be too rough with transporting/wrapping the present because magazine
pages and newspaper may rip easily on a box’s corners.
Avoiding Stress for the Future
It’s prudent and practical to keep a “gift stock”. Keep extra photo frames, bottles of wine,
calendars, unopened lotions, etc., in a neat box in the basement or a
closet. Having a storehouse to choose
from is a savvy way to prevent the hassles and stress of frantic last-minute
shopping.