Indian Recipe Garlic Chutney

How to Give the Perfect Gift

So my mom’s birthday is just around the corner and I must say, I’ve been known to give some pretty creative gifts and this year isn’t going to be any different. As I was perusing the internet for the perfect gift I came across some pretty hilarious (sometimes pushing ridiculous) gifts. In a world completely dominated by the internet, you can find just about anything, and I mean ANYTHING, online. If you’re looking for the perfect gift, be it birthday, anniversary, or the holidays, I’ve put together some tips for picking the perfect present, along with some of my favorite “internet finds”.

• Make it Personal – There’s no better gift than one that comes from the heart. Often times parents, especially mine, appreciate something that may not have cost very much, but that has sentimental value.

· Purchase a blank clock and find 12 pictures of you and whoever you are giving the gift to. Cut out all 12 pictures into circles and place them over each number. In the center of the clock write “I love you all the time” with stickers, stamps, or nice handwriting.

· Buy a small decorative notebook and make a mini scrapbook with pictures, quotes, and reasons why you love that person.

· These days you can put pictures on anything. I went onto www.shutterfly.com and found a ton of gifts, for a low cost, that I could put a picture of me and my mom on. For example: mugs, mouse pad, magnets, luggage tags, keepsake boxes, playing cards, coasters, puzzles, bags, calendars, ornaments, and storage boxes.

• Be Creative – Don’t be satisfied with the same ol’ same ol’. Think deep. Think about something that only you two share and give them something that will remind them of that.

· My mom and I love to bake together so I went to William-Sonoma and found some of the coolest kitchen gadgets that I just knew my mom would love. My favorite was a cake mold for a giant cupcake, check it out, it’s amazing! http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku5521752/index.cfm?pkey=cbkwcak&ckey=bkwcak

· My mom loves to garden and spends a majority of her days outside working in the garden. We got her garden shoes last year and she absolutely loves those (that’s a good idea for anyone who has a parent who likes to be outside). This year I found her a bee hat that will protect her face from bees and mosquitoes while she’s outside. It looks like a normal hat and within seconds it can be transformed into a shield for your face. Genius!

• You don’t have to spend a fortune – Don’t think that in order to give a great gift that you have to spend loads of money. Sometimes the best things in life are free.

· Pick a bouquet of wild flowers.

· Take a drive to a lake and have a picnic.

· One of my favorite gifts to give is a coupon book. Personalize each of the coupons to fit the person you are giving it to be a mother, father, sibling, husband or friend. Coupon ideas could include: good for one free day of relaxation, good for one night out on the town, good for one romantic dinner for two, good for a back massage) Be creative. You can make a coupon for just about anything.

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