Saturday, February 8, 2014

Valentine's Day or Engagement Gift (Married Bucket List)

I've celebrated Valentine's days before, but because this is my first as a wife, I'm hoping to make it special! My husband is a hard one because he doesn't love "stuff" as much as I do, but I got a great idea thanks to my friend. She was talking about her bucket list and I thought "Yes! A family bucket list for us to do together!" I got a Paperblanks journal or you can buy any other journal he might like (favorite team, color, whatever), and wrote things to do at the top of the page and left the rest of the page blank to be able to write the date and a description of how it all went down. Some examples include:

  • Go to the Olympics (I'm watching right now)
  • Create our own flavor of ice cream
  • Experience zero gravity
  • Watch a meteor shower
  • Swim with glow in the dark algae in the ocean
  • Skinny dip in the bay next to our home (keep old age at bay)
  • Places to go
Great gift for him as a newly married couple (did I mention also inexpensive?), plus it promises more fun to come! Also a good gift for other couples, you might fill in a couple items but let them do the rest!


Rule: Don't Take a Risk (but still be thoughtful)

Sooo, I know it's been a while but I promise there are many more gifts to give this year! As 2014 rolls around... I hate to, but I have to admit that some people could put a little bit more effort into picking gifts. Giving gifts is personal, so the first thing I do is remember my audience. My rule: never give him or her what I like (unless you know they like it too!), but give the recipient what they like (big one: even if you HATE it). This means you have to know the person really well to be able to give them a highly subjective gift they will enjoy such as:

  • perfume/cologne
  • jewelry
  • home decor
  • art
  • certain articles of clothing/accessories
SO DON'T give a SUBJECTIVE gift if you're not sure they'll wear it or put it in their home, etc. That being said, you can still give them a thoughtful gift. Let's say you know the person loves art, but you're not sure what artists or even what type of art they like. You can always dig a little deeper and find out what they love, or get them a gift certificate to a print store for reproductions of famous pieces, or a gift certificate to a local gallery, or even go the extra mile to turn it into an experience such as taking him or her to an outside art fair! Think of all the possible ways to make this person happy, which is what you wanted to accomplish. A little bit pf prep goes a long way!