My Daughter did a lifetime book for her Fathers 60th Birthday. She got all his friends (some who he had not been in touch with for a while) & family, to write a personal note to him reminding him of some memory that they had shared together. She went back to his school days & copied his reports ect along with lots of photo's. He was thrilled and very emotional, he couldn't believe that people thought so much of him and that he had touched their lives so significantly.
Make it personal, my best friend always makes photo boards, you can buy really cheap clip frames from loads of places, just arrange the photo's of friends and family etc et voila! Or she once bought me a snow globe which you can insert your own photo's in which is really cute and she made me a CD with all my fav tracks on it! Otherwise something from their perfume range is great or keep an ear open for anything they point out they like on shopping trips etc.
Just remember that the gift is FROM you not TO you - so make sure that you really think about what the recipient would like/love to receive (even if flowery aprons don't float your boat!) and don't be influenced by your own personal taste.
If you see something on a shopping trip in March that you think would be perfect for Auntie Mabel, buy it then & there so you are ready for her birthday in November!
Buy gifts all year round especially at sale time. You then have a large box of things to chose from. Small binoculars (Lidl or Aldi have them from time to time very inexpensively) have been a favourite with both sexes.
If you’re really stuck for a great present, how about paying for someone’s house to be totally spring cleaned? Just be careful how you word the card…
If your unsure of what to get, get a large gift bag and buy lots of small gifts that you know will come in handy and prevent the person having to purchase items they normally use. (ie. magazines, certain face wash, lip gloss, etc, just think how much you'd love it!!)
Research into the persons hobbies, interests and what makes them tick. A small token of something personal to them will be much more appreciated than a huge extravagant gift.
Often throughout the year friends may see something they would like to have but they maybe don't feel it's really essential right there & then - try and remember these things - then when it's a birthday or Christmas you will have the perfect pressie.
If you only usually send a card and most cards ususually now cost over a pound.... buy a cheaper card or make one but add a lottery ticket for £1....you never know it may win !
Scrapbooks are a brilliant idea if your looking for something personal. My friend did one for her sister's 21st, baby pictures, holiday pics, family pics & pics from various nights out, she was crying as she was so pleased!!
If its not very personal a good idea is to buy a cheap mug and fill it with things such as hot chocolate, marshamallows, chocolate buttons, coffee, etc. You can really pretty it up with cute bows & coloured shredded paper & make it look a lot more expensive than it was!! Even pop a cute little teddy in!!
I've now done this for four different friends and they all tell me it was probably the significant, personal gift they've ever received.
1) To friends and family, send an 8.5" by 11" regular letter-sized sheet of plain card stock. Three-hole punch it on one side to fit into a binder.
2) Ask them to put on the page their favorite stories of the person--complete with photographs, drawings, movie ticket stubs, or whatever can be affixed and will lay flat.
3) Provide them with a stamped, self-addressed envelope AND a deadline. Be prepared to follow up with phone calls to those who might be scatterbrained.
4) Present the completed pages in a three-ring binder (decorated as you like) to the lucky person you've made it for, and watch their eyes well up with happy tears!
A gift that brings back memories is the best. My Aunt June had a charm bracelet her favourite charm was miniature hand of cards in a royal flush that my cousin Jimmy gave her. She wasn't a poker player. And at first she could remember why Jimmy chose that gift, but he explained that it reminded of him of all the afternoons that they played a card game together while they waited for his siblings to get home from school. Thoughtfulness is the best gift.
It's even odds that if you buy the perfect gift for yourself, the recipient might like it too. At least this solution has the advantage of making you happy.
When my mum turned 40 I couldn't think what to get her. Then I came up with the idea of filling a large photo frame (if you haven't got a lot of money a carboot is the best place to look for one) with photos from her childhood to the present day. She absolutely loved this gift and has it up on her wall and looks at it everyday. Good luck
I have a small drawer where I keep things that I have bought "by accident" or for the purpose of having some pressies lying around handy for when you have forgotten to buy something! I found a great gift for women are pashminas which I buy in bulk from pashminainternational.com - ask and they give you a discount!
Keep a notebook throughout the year. Everytime someone mentions something in passing that sparks off an idea, note it down. If you later find they've brought it themselves then cross the idea off. Also keep a note of anything you may have picked up during the year. That way, especially at Christmas, you can avoid buying someone two presents!
When my son turned 21 we were having a small garden party for friends most of whom he'd gone through school with - I sorted out lots of photographs of previous birthdays & memorable occassions many of the pics included the people at the party. I randomly fixed the pics (with blu tac) secretly on the wall so it was a surprise . Everyone loved looking at them & my son told me the next day how special that had been.
I was having a surprise anniversary party for my parents and i wanted to take pictures from vacations and holidays etc to hang up. Instead of just glueing things together and possibly destrying the pictures, i sent them to this place online and they made a HUGE photo collage banner for the party. i would highly recommend this company called Wider Image..huge party hit www.Widerimage.com