Finding the perfect gift can be a challenge.
Gifts are a time-honored way of showing appreciation, and good friends are always appropriate recipients of symbols of how you value them. If the friends are cool, they certainly need cool gifts, and personalized presents are often the most appreciated. Many people, when receiving a present, enjoy knowing that the giver spent time and thought on creating something specifically for them.
Friendship Scrapbook
A cool, personalized gift is a scrapbook detailing an event, trip or memorable experience shared by the giver and the recipient. For example, if the friends enjoyed going to a major sporting event together, a scrapbook with photographs and memorabilia from the event can be a cool gift that lasts a lifetime.
Scrapbooks are available at most department stores, hobby stores and online in a wide range of sizes, styles and prices. Whether there are just a few pictures and mementos or many, a scrapbook is likely available to fit the need.
Arrange the scrapbook in chronological order to make it easier to understand. Intersperse photographs with items such as ticket stubs, printed programs, bulletins or other items from the event. Scrapbooks have an advantage over photo albums in that they can be used as journals as well. The giver can hand-write personalized notes on the pages as a keepsake and reminder of the special time she spent with the gift's recipient.
Friendship Baskets
A gift basket that is put together specifically for the recipient can be an extremely cool present. Baskets can be purchased inexpensively at craft and hobby stores, department stores or even secondhand stores. They are available in a wide variety of sizes, depending on how much the giver wishes to include and the size of the items going into the basket.
Consider making a basket with a theme that centers on something the recipient enjoys. For example, a food basket for someone who enjoys ethnic dining might include gift cards to favorite restaurants, recipes for favorite dishes and possibly a fun T-shirt with "I love Chinese food" or something similar printed on it. Many supermarkets sell a broad array of ethnic foods, and including some nonperishable items would be cool.
The idea of a theme works with hobbies as well. If the recipient is a football fan, a fun basket could include a jersey from her favorite team, a coffee mug with the team's logo on it, a poster of her favorite player and perhaps tickets to a game as the centerpiece. The basket could be decorated with ribbons in her favorite team's colors.
To finish the basket, most craft stores offer shrink wrap. This is like wrapping paper but also like cellophane. The gift basket can be wrapped in this and then, when heat from a blow dryer is applied, the plastic shrinks to the shape of the basket. This both gives it a professional look and ensures that the items won't fall out in transit or delivery.
Collection Additions
Many people enjoy keeping collections. From dolls to decorative plates, from penguins to paperweights and from thimbles to T-shirts, it's fairly easy to add to a friend's collection. Adding to a friend's collection is almost a foolproof way to give a cool gift, because you already know the friend enjoys that item.
If you travel, purchase an item for your friend's collection from another city, state or country to make it more unique and to ensure you won't be duplicating an item they already have.
Before purchasing an item for a collection, it's sometimes smart to ask a friend or family member of the recipient if your friend already has the item you're considering buying.
Tags: friend collection, basket could, cool gift, department stores, favorite team, from event