A good gift doesn’t have to be expensive. Often, just adding a personal touch can have more impact. Personal gifts help to highlight the special bond you have between you and the recipient. They may take a lot of time and effort to source, but this itself makes these gifts more appreciative. If you’re looking for a personal gift, here are just a few ideas to consider.
Share memories
A gift that brings back special memories between you and your recipient could be a nice gesture. Photographs are the easiest way to do this. This could be a single photograph placed in a frame, printed on canvas or even put in a locket. Alternatively, you could print off lots of photos and make a collage out of them or put them in an album. Sites like Be Funky, PicsArt can allow you to make your own collage online with effects – this could be a creative gift for sharing lots of memories.
Another option could be to buy a souvenir related to a happy time that you both shared. This could be a private joke or it could be something sentimental. This could be a food you tried abroad and loved, an old toy you had as a child or an ornament relating to a special place you both visited or lived.
Consider their hobbies and interests
Hobbies and interests can be a great source of gift ideas. When it comes to collectables, it’s probably the best that you ask what the person wants as it can be difficult to know what they already have and don’t have. Alternatively, you could buy gifts related to their hobbies and interests. If someone is a petrol head, this could include a luxury accessory such as a Maserati watch or Formula 1 shaped flash drive or a chocolate spanner. There may also be books and DVDs related to their hobbies that could be worth looking into.
Customise clothing
There are many ways to personalise clothing. You could opt for something tailor-made. A jacket or dress could require you to have someone measurements – getting these details from your recipient may be difficult. You’re more likely to know someone’s shoe size and so a bespoke pair of shoes could be the ultimate gift. Companies like Trickers offer this service and are able to work with all kinds of styles.
A simpler approach could be to have something monogrammed. This involves putting someone’s initial on a piece of clothing or accessory. Companies like Oasis offer a monogramming service for handbags, which could be worth looking into when buying a gift for someone that loves their bags.
Go bespoke with bling
You can also consider personalised jewellery. Earrings and necklaces are great items to personalise – there are pendants out there related to practically everything that could be great for linking in with someone’s hobbies and interests. Alternatively, you might be able to find a gem with a personal meaning. This could be a birthstone related to the month they were born or a stone related to their favourite colour.
Leave a personalised message
Some personalised gifts can allow you to leave your own personalised message. The likes of The Engraved Gift Company sell metal products such as plaques, glasses, hipflasks and keyrings with personalised engraved messages on them. Such items are popular for weddings and anniversaries in which they can be used to memorialise an event.
You could also consider a chocolate gift with a personalised message on it. Many chocolatiers sell chocolate plaques and hearts that can have messages written on them in icing sugar. Such tasty gifts are popular for events such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
Handcraft your own gift
If you know a craft of some kind, you may be able to put this to use and create your own gift. Knowing that it was made by your very own hands is certain to make the recipient grateful. Hand-crafting a gift also gives you the ability to customise it exactly how you want – within your ability of course.
An obvious handcrafted gift is to bake a cake. If you have cake-making experience, you might be able to build something based around someone’s hobbies and interests. If you’re not a keen cake-maker, you may still be able to find instructions online for a themed cake – there are plenty of recipes all over the web including blogs and video tutorials.
Another popular craft is being able to knit or crochet. This is an excellent skill to have for when a friend or family member has a new baby – you could knit them a blanket or hat or even some mittens. You can also get creative with this craft and consider gifts for adults – you may have the ability to knit someone a scarf or a Christmas cardigan or even a rustic knitted phone case.
Jewellery making is another craft worth taking advantage of. This might allow you save money on bespoke necklaces and bracelets and earrings, giving you the ability to make your own. You may even be able to find a style you like online and take influence from it, replacing it with a stone or pendant of your choice.
Those with a talent for art meanwhile may be able to create a portrait of someone. This could be drawn or painted or even cross-stitched. Such a gift could be based off of a photograph, although it’s certain to have a lot more impact than a framed photo.
Other crafts that you may be able to take advantage of include wood carving, carpentry, pottery, glassmaking and plush toy making. Even if you don’t possess any of these skills, you may be able to learn them.
Alternatively, there are many crafts that don’t require many skills. For example, you could make your own card or put together your own gift hamper or build a photo collage.