What Tangible Gift Represents a "Phoenix Rising"?

February 5, 2015 10:37 PM

After making several major life changes, a friend of mine has adopted the phoenix - a la, mythical bird arising from its ashes - as her mascot. What's a small physical totem I could give her to represent this symbol?

I'm looking for very affordable, small tokens of this new mascot. She's not a materialistic person and I don't have a lot of extra cash -- basically I want a thoughtful, small gift to honor her life changes at an upcoming gathering but nothing expensive or that would take up a lot of room in her home.

Bonus for Amazon Prime or DIY options!!

posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto to Shopping (13 answers total)

Best answer: Etsy has lots of phoenix art
posted by viggorlijah at 11:02 PM on February 5, 2015

Best answer: If you haven't searched the etsy handmade section for phoenixes, I suggest browsing the options there. This cutting board, necklace and hair pin are beautiful and each less than $30.
posted by nerdcore at 11:02 PM on February 5, 2015

Best answer: Flowering tea! You can find gift sets of them with glass teapots and stuff but also if you live somewhere with a good tea shop or five you can buy them one at a time. There's also a lot of them on amazon prime, some with vessels and some without. They go very well with the phoenix theme, looking ugly and blooming into something lovely and useful with the application of heat and water, and they're consumable so she won't need to tote them around forever. Any clear vessel will work, and she can use it for normal beverages or even floral arrangements in the future.
posted by Mizu at 11:12 PM on February 5, 2015 [3 favorites]

obsidionite jewelry. It's made from the ash from the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. I'm not sure it's within your budget but I'm sure I've seen other examples of this type. Definitely try Etsy for similar jewelry. (I'm on my phone or I'd find some for you.)
posted by Beti at 12:55 AM on February 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

A Matchbox Pontiac Firebird, but only if you think she would appreciate the joke.
posted by Bruce H. at 3:16 AM on February 6, 2015 [3 favorites]

How about a copy of David and the Phoenix? It's a children's classic originally published in 1957.
posted by bq at 8:05 AM on February 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

How about a tiny bottle necklace filled with ash? Then she can be the Phoenix.
posted by kate4914 at 8:33 AM on February 6, 2015

Not the bird, although flight is involved -- ask someone passing through PHX, the Sky Harbor airport, to hit up one of the gift shops there for a Phoenix shot glass or similar souvenir. Maybe just a postcard.
posted by Rash at 8:46 AM on February 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'm in Phoenix, send me a message if you'd like me to send you something.
posted by lemonwheel at 9:22 AM on February 6, 2015 [2 favorites]

Flight of the Phoenix on DVD (1965, not the remake) - a decent movie with a great metaphor.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:49 AM on February 6, 2015

There is a phoenix on the flag of San Francisco.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 5:23 PM on February 6, 2015

A die-cast model of a Pontiac Firebird?
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 6:38 AM on February 7, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks everyone, so many good options here -- went with an Etsy downloadable print that she loved!
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 9:34 AM on February 9, 2015