STORIES OF GEN
{please visit Stories of Gen here}
Miss Lindsey seeks gratitude every day and believes life is a celebration. She blogs about creative, inspiring and beautiful finds at her blog, GreatFull Day.
Everyone has one of these people on their gift list. This person has a blank beside their name and leaves you with a big question mark above your head. Your friend, family member, or colleague is every bit as special as the others on your list but you haven’t a clue what to give them…but Jennifer Pete does! Jennifer Pete of Stories of Gen is your saving grace this holiday season. Sending a simple e-mail will start the process of finding a perfect gift for any one on your list. You set a budget + provide details on your recipient and the seemingly magical Pete will scour the globe for the perfect present. Three options suited to your request will show up your inbox for your choosing. Once you narrow down your options to a singular treat, Stories of Gen will take care of the rest, including shipping. Quite an enchanting way to play Santa!
Jennifer Pete of Stories of Gen is offering up her gift sleuthing services to one lucky winner. After hunting down the perfect gift for your recipient (at a value of $50/each, including shipping) she’ll send out out one to them and one to you! In order to win, please answer the following question by Saturday, November 14, 2009.
What is the most original gift you have ever received and why?
Please start checking the winner’s box on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 to see if you won. Good Luck!
My most original gift was probably from a guy that I had been dating for a short while… and it was delightfully given in celebration of a Tuesday! Haha! I had mentioned, literally for two sentences the day we first met that the movie Elf was coming out on video and how funny it is! So weeks later on the Tuesday the DVD came out I got a call telling me to make sure I was free that night. He had the DVD waiting plus brownie mix for us to make and eat (before and after baking) and skim milk, even though he liked 1 %. We had the best time laying on the couch, eating brownie mix and cracking up at Will Ferrell! Best Tuesday in the history of my life!
My daughter gave me a hand-drawn portrait of Capt. James T. Kirk in the throes of some excrucitating alien torture. She is gifted and captured the moment pertectly, and thru the art I can vicariously access a world of unspeakable torment any time I want.
For my last birthday, (just before I went overseas) my friends made me a giant bookmark featuring all of their faces and with an in-joke about every one of them. It’s nothing fancy but it’s creative, practical and makes me laugh (and a little bit homesick!) every time I look at it. :)
This is hard, because usually I am the friend who anybody have not a clue what to gift. I know I am difficult to find the right present, so I normally just feel fine about that someone wants to donate to me something…even if I have a long list of disliked/unused presents! (do I seem arrogant? I don’t know how to explain it withouth looking, maybe!)
But. Many years ago I received an original, “handmade”, creative gift that consisted of different prints of an image on photographic paper and acetate. The original image was layered in a graphic image software, so that each print had a variation, like color, contrast, and such. So that using togheter paper and acetate, you could recreate the original image or new variations of it, just layering the various sheets. Like a creative game of sort. I found it very inspiring.
ciao
I love jazz. And I love New Orleans. And Preservation Hall is one of my favorite places in the country to visit. A friend of mine visited Preservation Hall with me once and knew my love for that place. That year, for my birthday, he sent me an old LP that he had found on Ebay from a band called “Sweet Emma and her Preservation Hall Jazz Band”. What a thoughtful gift, and one I will remember forever.
i love james dean. love love love him. i’m from indiana and i’ve been to his home for several celebrations, seen all his movies, have posters, and all sorts of paraphanelia (although i don’t display any of this like a crazy person). a few years ago a boyfriend i had bought me a head of james dean. odd, i know. when i opened the box i screamed a little because a face was staring back at me. it’s ridiculously heavy (i’m not sure what it’s made out of) but it was definitely the most original and interesting gift i have ever received – james dean’s head!
also, i absolutely love that journal for the year. i was on a business trip in Montreal and saw that in a little shop. i couldn’t bear to pay $50 for paper at that time but wrote down all the information to purchase it at a later time. i love the idea of having a book for every month to capture just exactly what you were thinking and dreaming of at that time.
I recieved an hour glass that was timed for 30 minutes. That wasn’t the gift it was actually the 30 minutes of meditation that came along with it….
The most original gift I ever received came as a live animal! My first child-a beautiful baby boy. Thanks for offering a contest by Jennifer Pete of Stories of Gen, I love her stuff!!
My best friends gave me a basket filled with their favorite things. They borrowed the idea from Oprah. I loved it b/c everytime I used something from the basket I would think of them, why it was their favorite and how/why they wanted to share that with me.
My friends and I love to exchange random gifts. The most random so far: tie-dyed (by hand) underwear – in the largest size available – with candy bars wrapped inside. The gift was a little weird and a whole lot funny – the perfect thing to brighten my day!
Back in high school one of my friends (maybe we were dating then?) got me a box of “my favorite things” and while I don’t remember everything in it, I do remember the 6 bottles of Boylan Black cherry soda (which was my absolute favorite back then.) Apparently now someone has decided to make the recycled bottles into juice glasses and every time I pass by them in a shop I smile.
a song for my website, I had been longing for a “real” song but didn’t feel like I could spend the money on it. My husband surprised me on my birthday by getting me the song we had been listening to a month or so beforehand.
One year my sweet husband bought me this simple pearl ring that was so pretty. He told me it was because I was his pearl. I was really touched by his thoughtfulness and I always smile when I think about when he said that.
a jar of dill pickles – my grandmother decided that even though she always gave us money we needed something to open so she wrapped up items from her pantry that each of us grandchildren were known for loving. My older cousin received a jar of peanut butter, and I remember my aunt received a jar of homemade jam.
Last year for my birthday my mom bought me a gift certificate to the humane society… she knew I wanted a cat so badly! When I showed up to pick my cat out, the kittens were on a 2 for 1 special, so I ended up with two little lovelies, and I was over the moon with excitement! A year later, I am still in love with both of them and can say that was the best gift EVER!
I was gifted an array of porcelian figurines, and each one was to represent an inner deamon. One for beauty, one for weath, one for jealousy, one for a broken heart, and so on… and as each one was explained to me I was to smash it to pieces with a bat I had been given.
It was one gift where I had nothing to take home with me but memories of a thoughtful and amazing friend.
I was a young mom, we were poor, my husband traveled a lot and I got depressed sometimes being home with no money and little ones. One evening my husband drove in the yard and asked me to come out to the car. When I looked in the back seat of the car it was full to the brim with wildflowers he had picked along the road in the nearby mountains. I have NEVER forgotten that, so sweet, and so romantic. Who says we have to spend money on roses? :)
When I was little my grandpa had a farm with lots of animals. For my birthday one year he wrote me a little letter explaining that one of the baby calves was born on my birthday, therefore it was mine. I visited it a few times but I kind of forgot about it until now…
An all-denim quilt to use at the beach. Sand comes off easy and doesn’t stick to it. It’s our beach blanket.
I think the most original gift I recieved was the gift my sister gave all of her bridesmaids (I was the maid of honor at 8 months pregnant with a baby that at birth weighed 12 lbs 11 oz — sorry, side note). She gave us each items that reflected our favorite items and colors. I recieved a lime green straw beach bag (love lime) with a handmade italian scarf (I still wear almost every day in the fall), a silver-dipped maple leaf (both our birthdays are in autmun and we grew up in New England) and a lovely green set of pajamas from Jones New York (a favorite for both of us since their clothes are always long enough for those of us over 5′9″!). She had a wonderful poem that went with these gifts which I forget now, however, I still have all the items 6 years later. It was sweet, unique and personal.
The year before he proposed, my husband gave me a diamond necklace, my first diamond, and told me that the next diamond I would receive would be my engagement ring. The necklace itself was not necessarily original, but the thought behind it certainly was. :)
for my first year anniversary at my not-so-new workplace, my dear coworker got me a present. when i got to my desk that morning, i found a plant in a white planter and a handwritten note full of kind thoughts and well wishes. she had originally wanted to get me the mimosa pudica aka ’shy’ plant, but she had no luck finding it, so she opted for a christmas cactus. quite fitting, because my anniversary date is dec 3, so christmas was just around the corner, and the likelihood of me killing the plant would be extremely low. so every christmas, the flowers will bloom in celebration of another anniversary – and yes, my cactus is still alive!
Just want to say, what a great concept for a blog! The most original gift I received was a ring my boyfriend had made, i know i know…. cliche… but it meant a lot that he paid attention to the details of the ring. That kind of thought is so great, you know?
The most original gift I’ve ever received is probably going to make me cry while describing it. It’s not unusual in a quirky, adorable-boyfriend way. It’s unusual because I’ll most likely never receive anything else like it in my whole life. When my grandmother was dying of cancer, she filmed herself giving some last words, along with her life story, when she knew that she had just a few days left. My family knew that the tape existed, but we didn’t watch it for almost 7 years after she passed away, because it was too painful at first and then never the right time. This summer we finally watched it, and the most precious and unusual gift that I’ve ever received was when my grandmother addressed me in the video, and said that I was a “precious, precious jewel” and that she loved me so much. It still brings tears to my eyes, and I’ll treasure those last, loving words from my beloved grandmother forever.
My grandmother left me the piece of land we used to spend every summer on and now even though she’s not there I can go and be with her.
It would have to be a delicious bass. A young man gave it to me (he idolized Napoleon Dynamite) and asked me out on a date…super…unique…?
My now fiance gave me a beautiful handmade (etsy no less) engagement nose ring and bracelet. The bracelet had a bee on it which has special significance to us. :) Love it!
My husband proposed to me with a book he made about my life. He included photos and stories, my interests, etc – it made for a really sweet and memorable proposal, plus I love to look back at it and someday show it to our son.
My boyfriend told me he had the perfect gift for me, just what I needed. I tried and tried to guess it and was completely shocked when he showed up with computer speakers. It was the last thing I would have expected, but he was right, I needed them!
Few days ago, a little toy used in poster for an event .. so cute!
A bone comb from a friend that gave it to me to say thank you for taking care of him when he was not feeling the best. He said “it is a really special comb”. I still have it with me and I think it was one of the most original gift I ever had !
My boyfriend gave me a watch that he designed himself.
My hubs gave me a trip to Cancun next month. I did none of the planning and he picked a fantastic spa hotel to stay in…
For me, the most original gifts I receive are gifts to do something. I think getting a gift like tickets to a concert or play or reservations at a restaurant are the most special and original gifts I receive because they create memories.
it’s not something that was especially designed or anything but i think a special original present i wasn’t expecting was my jade peony pendant with a cute solitaire diamond. doesn’t sound original but the stone came off a larger piece that my father had as a pendant. so it’s the shared stone that makes it original.
ah..it was a lovely going away gift.
years ago, i worked at an amazing private preschool for arts. the staff were like family, and the children and their families were incredible. on my last work day before moving out of the state and embarking on unknown adventures, the staff and 20+ children joined together in a tea ceremony to send me off. it was so beautiful.
we all sat in a circle as they passed around a wooden box with a carved and painted butterfly on it. as each child and co-worker held the box, they dropped a rose petal inside as they shared a thought about, or wish for me. when it had made its way around to everyone, the box was then locked – and the box and key were presented to me. to finish, rose tea (from the same flowers whose petals were dropped in the box) and a blessing was shared by all.
i still have the butterfly box (the butterfly signifying change/transformation) – and keep it locked with the petals inside. the box, and the memories from that day, mean so much to me…even all these years later.
i got a gift card to our local folk school. i still haven’t used it but think i am going to sign up for harmonica lessons soon.
I loved working in this wonderful, shabby old building in Chicago until we found out they were not renewing the leases. The city was going to destroy it to put up a new hotel. My company found open space in a building down the street. A few friends knew how sad I was that they were just going to destroy the charming building full of amazing old fixtures and marble . The best birthday surprise? A coworker gave me the 1930’s door to my old office!!
the most original gift i received was more of an experience. it was our 6th year anniversary but my guy had to work, so i wasn’t exactly impressed. BUT when i woke up in the morning, i found a trail of hot pink (my favorite!) rose petals leading from my side of the bed to the door. i followed the trail and when i opened the door it was to our ENTIRE living room floor filled with a sea of hot pink balloons. each balloon had a number and a handwritten note with a reason why he loved me. there were over 100 notes that were in chronological order. it was the story of us, of our love. when he came home a half hour later (of course he had taken the day!) i was sitting in the middle of the sea, weeping and reading. it was so thoughtful and made me feel so special. <3
My first car had a dash cover from a previous owner that was gross enough that we threw it away. The only problem with that left behind were about 10 squares of velcro on my dash. For my sixteenth birthday, my little sister made me felt shapes depicting my school activities and the lettters of my name to attach to the velcro squares to hide them and make my car truly mine!
My best friend sewed me two different aprons – one cute functional one, another frilly/girly one. Handmade gifts are the best, because you know the person cares enough to take the time to make that kind of thing for you!
The most original gift I’ve ever received? Uh, maybe a homemade blanket or apron. Otherwise my family isn’t too crafty or original in their gifts. Sad, but true.
When I was little my Mom came home with a vintage feather down powder puff and some scented perfume powder. She told me it was a fairy wand and to use it to help me make my dreams come true. I still have it sitting on my vanity and think of her when I see it, it helps me keep my dreams alive! ~Judith~
The most original gift I ever received was tickets to the Oakland Athletics Spring Training from my then boyfriend who is my now husband. He hates baseball but knew they were my favorite team and one of my “life lists” items was to see them at spring training. it was our first trip together and full of amazing memories.
After ten years of marriage and two children, I sat with the video recorder taping the opening of Christmas gifts three years ago. It came my turn, which for several years had always been the exchange of a “splurge” bottle of wine between my husband and I…but, he brought out a large box and a card. The card went on to recount the first time we shared our dreams for the future, shortly after meeting in college. I always wanted to photograph for National Geographic and travel the world. After many tears I opened the box to find an enlarger and equipment to set up my own darkroom! I am not in Africa shooting elephants and sunsets, but I do have the best pictures of my children that I could ever imagine.
On the first date with my boyfriend, he suprised me with a biography of Bob Marley. It was original because I had never mentioned wanting it. I had been telling him that I wanted to start reading biographies, and I had mentioned once that Bob Marley was a favorite of mine. 7 months later, I still cherish that book!..and my boyfriend.