Gift ideas, times thirty.
June 1, 2018 7:32 AM Subscribe
MeFi is my advice ninja!
My best friend in the whole wide world is turning thirty in a couple of weeks. I work in a different state and cannot be there on her special day. Boo. But I am flying down the next weekend to celebrate between birthdays (our birthdays are in the same month) and I want to carry her gift with me. GiftSSSSS. Details below the jump.
I want to have 30 separate, small to big gifts. One is a letter. One is a cake. One is a story I'll write for her. I have a few more ideas as well. But 30 is a BIG ask, so I'm crowdsourcing a little bit.
Friend is interested in fitness, anime, loves Asterix/Calvin and Hobbes/Archies/similarish comics. She loves dogs. She is a big Harry Potter fan. She likes traveling and good coffee. She doesn't have a big house so I cannot go nuts with home decor. Can you think of fun gifts for her?
I'm not based in the US so I'm just looking for general recommendations. Thank you so much in advance!
I want to have 30 separate, small to big gifts. One is a letter. One is a cake. One is a story I'll write for her. I have a few more ideas as well. But 30 is a BIG ask, so I'm crowdsourcing a little bit.
Friend is interested in fitness, anime, loves Asterix/Calvin and Hobbes/Archies/similarish comics. She loves dogs. She is a big Harry Potter fan. She likes traveling and good coffee. She doesn't have a big house so I cannot go nuts with home decor. Can you think of fun gifts for her?
I'm not based in the US so I'm just looking for general recommendations. Thank you so much in advance!
Themed vinyl stickers for her water bottle / laptop / mug etc.
What kind of dog? Gemma Corell has great drawings with lots of pugs; Allie Brosch’s comics (now in a book) also frequently feature dogs (I’d love a mug with a few of her panels on it, I’ll have to ask her and see if it’s okay!).
posted by jrobin276 at 7:58 AM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
What kind of dog? Gemma Corell has great drawings with lots of pugs; Allie Brosch’s comics (now in a book) also frequently feature dogs (I’d love a mug with a few of her panels on it, I’ll have to ask her and see if it’s okay!).
posted by jrobin276 at 7:58 AM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm just here to say that 30 individually wrapped gifts for a 30th birthday is a tradition in my family and it is incredibly fun and satisfying!
posted by tangosnail at 8:12 AM on June 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by tangosnail at 8:12 AM on June 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
You might find something suitable here LemonCatShop
Etsy would have tons of options for that sort of thing. You could load up a USB with images/prints/comics that you think she'd like.
posted by Ftsqg at 8:14 AM on June 1, 2018
Etsy would have tons of options for that sort of thing. You could load up a USB with images/prints/comics that you think she'd like.
posted by Ftsqg at 8:14 AM on June 1, 2018
So, when I turned 30 a couple years back, one of the things my wife got me was the Ball of Whacks, because it's a 30-piece magnetic desk toy, and I love these sorts of things.
posted by Making You Bored For Science at 8:24 AM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Making You Bored For Science at 8:24 AM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
pin/button, good hair ties, other consumables like chocolate, fruit, cheese, candied bacon or whatever she is into, Darn Tough branded no show socks if you know her ballpark shoe size, insulated water bottle, handmade fake gift certificate/ticket for a trip to the local dog park, resistance band for working out (these are easy to take when traveling), a buff, fun luggage tag (I'm pretty sure you can one in the shape of a character or dog)
posted by tangaroo at 8:42 AM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by tangaroo at 8:42 AM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Depending on the type of fitness she's into, maybe some of those self-tying or elastic shoelaces, a jogging utility belt or some kind of workout top themed after one of the things she likes.
For travel, maybe an AirBnB gift certificate? She doesn't necessarily have to use it for lodging since they have the AirBnB Experiences now. Also, there are a billion cool little travel gadgets that would also make awesome gift components.
And I know you said she doesn't have a whole lot of room for home decor, but a nice framed postcard or 8x10 or something she really likes could be another fun addition that doesn't take up a whole heap of space.
posted by helloimjennsco at 9:04 AM on June 1, 2018
For travel, maybe an AirBnB gift certificate? She doesn't necessarily have to use it for lodging since they have the AirBnB Experiences now. Also, there are a billion cool little travel gadgets that would also make awesome gift components.
And I know you said she doesn't have a whole lot of room for home decor, but a nice framed postcard or 8x10 or something she really likes could be another fun addition that doesn't take up a whole heap of space.
posted by helloimjennsco at 9:04 AM on June 1, 2018
Do you have a decent picture of you together? Or even just a good or fun photo of her? You could have it printed. I feel like people don't get a lot of printed photos anymore.
posted by vunder at 9:29 AM on June 1, 2018
posted by vunder at 9:29 AM on June 1, 2018
- Box of Pantone (or any other kind) postcards and a roll of postcard stamps.
- Experiences for you both to share together - face masks, pedicure, nail polish, cheesemaking kit, piping bag, food coloring, and instructions for making frosting flowers, walking map of her city with stars to mark points of interest.
- Silly wall hooks can be used in nearly any room (kitchen would hold dish towels, bedroom would hold robe and bath towels, bathroom ditto)
- Bright cord tamers - I like the bobino that I got on amazon for cheap.
- Are you near a Kikkerland store? They do a lot of cute versions of practical things and I want an alarm clock from them. Want.
- Candy jar and hard candy
- Silly socks or serious socks
- Compression socks if you know she travels a lot
- Fancy dishwashing supplies - I use an OXO tot brush for jars and an OXO scrubber wand for the rest of the dishes. So much nicer than grabbing a damp rancid sponge.
- Snacks (weird or prosaic) from wherever you are
- Beach towel if she has ever lamented hers.
- A framed photo of the two of you together when you were younger
posted by bilabial at 9:32 AM on June 1, 2018
Stationery: those three-packs of travel journals. Dot journals (as opposed to lines or graphs) are fun. Pens that are a little nicer than usual, like le pen.
posted by BibiRose at 9:39 AM on June 1, 2018
posted by BibiRose at 9:39 AM on June 1, 2018
Do you have her high school year book photo? get a fridge magnet made.
Flashlight - to light the way into the dark and skeery future. Also, an led flashlight is a handy thing. I have one that goes in my car lighter and is very useful.
Compass, for finding on's way in the skeery future.
Really nice lotion.
If you are handy, make personalized fridge poetry.
Go to a thrift shop and buy a big wine goblet. Decorate with gems, beads, and use glitter glue to write an appropriate message.
Bottle of champagne, remove label, aply personalized label and lots of glitter, gems, etc.
Tiara.
Lottery ticket.
posted by theora55 at 10:06 AM on June 1, 2018
Flashlight - to light the way into the dark and skeery future. Also, an led flashlight is a handy thing. I have one that goes in my car lighter and is very useful.
Compass, for finding on's way in the skeery future.
Really nice lotion.
If you are handy, make personalized fridge poetry.
Go to a thrift shop and buy a big wine goblet. Decorate with gems, beads, and use glitter glue to write an appropriate message.
Bottle of champagne, remove label, aply personalized label and lots of glitter, gems, etc.
Tiara.
Lottery ticket.
posted by theora55 at 10:06 AM on June 1, 2018
As a fellow pop culturey type lady with a penchant for anime and comics, I love your friend already. What about a Dogmatix (Idefix in French) figurine or plush? It ticks the Asterix box and the dog-loving box. There's also an adorable set of Asterix figurines if she likes to collect figures. There's also a really cute moneybox.
This is making me v. v. nostalgic and I am going to break out my Asterix comics. N.B. I actually own that Domgatix figure and it is really small, so keep that in mind. Also, as someone who really liked Asterix growing up, the merchandise is SO hard to find, that if someone got some for me I'd be so pleased. There's also the Asterix anthologies but that'd be a tough gift if you don't know which comics she's missing.
I linked US Amazon, but there is a lot of stuff on UK Amazon if you are there, if not, Ebay has the same stuff also from various places. If you are in Australia, look at Zing/EB Games. They have an entire section of Harry Potter stuff.
Does she like Sailor Moon? There are many many sellers on Etsy that sell Sailor Moon inspired/themed necklaces all over the world. From simple to elaborate; it is a wonderful gift that I'd love to receive myself, as it is super geeky without being an obvious anime thing. I'm sure there is other jewelry based on anime she likes too. Also, sometimes they have official merchandise too, like Final Fantasy, or Ghibli stuff. Amazon has a bunch although some of it is unofficial.
Oh! Dunno where you are, but Kikki K is global, so maybe they have one where you reside. They have awesome stationery, including travel stuff, like journals, wallets etc, and I always covet their travel diaries.
Oh, and although gifting shows is sometimes iffy, if she hasn't seen it already, she might enjoy The Flash? You could get her the set. It's a really fun show, and as someone with similar tastes to her, I really really enjoy it. That said, it's always a risk to give something like that-- although I did give the first series to a friend recently and they love it.
You sound like a great friend! Have a great trip!
posted by Dimes at 11:35 AM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is making me v. v. nostalgic and I am going to break out my Asterix comics. N.B. I actually own that Domgatix figure and it is really small, so keep that in mind. Also, as someone who really liked Asterix growing up, the merchandise is SO hard to find, that if someone got some for me I'd be so pleased. There's also the Asterix anthologies but that'd be a tough gift if you don't know which comics she's missing.
I linked US Amazon, but there is a lot of stuff on UK Amazon if you are there, if not, Ebay has the same stuff also from various places. If you are in Australia, look at Zing/EB Games. They have an entire section of Harry Potter stuff.
Does she like Sailor Moon? There are many many sellers on Etsy that sell Sailor Moon inspired/themed necklaces all over the world. From simple to elaborate; it is a wonderful gift that I'd love to receive myself, as it is super geeky without being an obvious anime thing. I'm sure there is other jewelry based on anime she likes too. Also, sometimes they have official merchandise too, like Final Fantasy, or Ghibli stuff. Amazon has a bunch although some of it is unofficial.
Oh! Dunno where you are, but Kikki K is global, so maybe they have one where you reside. They have awesome stationery, including travel stuff, like journals, wallets etc, and I always covet their travel diaries.
Oh, and although gifting shows is sometimes iffy, if she hasn't seen it already, she might enjoy The Flash? You could get her the set. It's a really fun show, and as someone with similar tastes to her, I really really enjoy it. That said, it's always a risk to give something like that-- although I did give the first series to a friend recently and they love it.
You sound like a great friend! Have a great trip!
posted by Dimes at 11:35 AM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by something_witty at 7:45 AM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]