OT -- Need gift ideas!

[sneezles]

For the friend moving to London either a dual voltage hairdryer or a set of plug adapters with volatge converter.

For the couple in New Guinea now that is a bit of a challenge. My only thought was either placemats and napkins in nuetral colors.

[Leanne]

I thought of one for the New Guinea couple - how about a nice photo album - I'm sure they're taking some cool pictures during their travels. I was also thinking a gift certificate to a camping/hiking store - I'm not sure how much they're roughing it there - but maybe they need something not-so-tradtional. I also thought about maybe a book that talks about the city/state that they grew up in - for memories while they're in a different country. Or a book on the history of the Peace Corps... (I'm starting to ramble)

[aka]

Not really an idea here, but something to think about if you decide to do an internet gift certificate...the cost of shipping outside the US can run pretty high (I'm in the middle of a Penzys thing myself (I'm Canadian)...they just emailed me the shipping cost info on an order I placed and it is triple the shipping cost that an American would pay for the same value of spices...I'm waiting to hear back on whether I can just cancel the order). In addition to shipping cost there may or may not be a duty that the other country charges...these things may add up to be more than the cost of the gift.

Here are some ideas that might work for either friend (for your married friend, these might be more "for her" than "for them", but I think they still might work)

Maybe you can send them a CD of music you know they will like but don't have yet?

Maybe you can send them a subscription to a magazine you think they'll like...this might be beyond your price range though because foreign subscriptions are often more costly.

Maybe you could put together a photo album with pictures of the times you've shared (including not just times shared, but things that you know are important to them, that maybe you aren't necessarily a part of...old house they lived in...family pet...) Maybe if you do it in a scrapbook type thing you can include comments? Not the most "traditional" wedding gift, but personally, I think it's fun to look at old pictures from when my husband was young and hear about "good times had" and think about the good times to come.

Lilia

[KathrynY]

For the couple, I second the photo album idea. Try http://www.exposuresonline.com - they have some beautiful leather albums that can be customized with name or whatever. I haven't ordered from them myself but their catalog shows up in my mailbox from time to time. Some of their albums are rather pricey but keep looking - I did find some that were less than $50 even with personalization. Maybe others can suggest alternate sources.

[Beth]

I get catalogs in the mail from a place I think is called Exposures...they have very nice photo albums and such. A scrapbook or a nice journal would be a similar idea. Levengers has some nice journals as well as leather organizers, cases (for pens, glasses, books, cameras, telephones and laptops), potfolios and such. And nice pens too.

I gave monogrammed fleece blankets or throws for graduation gifts one year and they were well received. London nights can be quite cool.

Just looked at the thread about how much you have spent on a bottle of wine and was reminded of one of our favorite wedding gifts. Several lawyers friends sent a bottle of Dom Perignon to our hotel where it was waiting when we checked in. Any nice bottle of wine or champagne would be nice and consumable. The memories are forever.

[This message has been edited by Beth (edited 05-24-2001).]

[Beth Y]

I know I have mentioned this before in response for other gift idea requests, but for the couple, I would recommend a good duffle bag. L.L. Bean, Land's End, Eddie Bauer all have good ones, they ship and you could find a size to fit your budget. If you are people who travel, as these people seem to be,you can always use a new good quality duffle and the more sizes you have the better. We travel a lot and seem to never have enough or the right size for what ever trip we are taking (and I feel like we buy tons!). Anyway, I have given this gift to a number of people and they all have reported back how much they use it!

For the girl finishing her MBA, this could also be a good idea, as she is getting ready to move and she could use this to pack things in, rather than to have to pack it. I also second the gift certificate for a facial, massage, etc. depending on how much time she has before she has to leave.

[This message has been edited by Beth Y (edited 05-24-2001).]

[BeckyM]

I know this has nothing to do with cooking, but you are all so creative, I thought you might be able to help.

I am looking for gift ideas for two friends. The first one has been a friend since grade school, and she just got married. But I haven't seen her in about five years, and during that time she was in the Peace Corps in Kazahkstan, and since then she has been living in Papau New Guinea. I would like to send her a wedding present, but they're not registered anywhere, and I have NO IDEA what sorts of traditional wedding-type gifts they might need. I was thinking of a price range around $30-50.

The second friend is just graduating with her MBA from Harvard. She and her husband are moving to London, where they will be renting a flat. They already have lots of household goods, and some of it is already in storage. So I'm looking for a graduation present for her in the price range around $25 or so.

For both of them, the challenge is that they will be overseas, so I don't want to send them anything bulky. Plus, I have no idea of what kind of thing they would need. I was thinking along the lines of some sort of cool Internet site gift certificate, but I don't really know what's out there. I thought about something from Penzey's, but neither of them is as fanatic about cooking as I am, and they might not think it's as cool as I would.

Any suggestions? TIA! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Becky

[Leanne]

For the girl moving to London - maybe something like a manicure or pedicure or facial - so she can relax & indulge herself after studying so hard. (Unless she's moving tomorrow or something)

For the other couple - you've got me, unless it's maybe a donation in their name to their favorite cause.

[aggie94]

When I graduated from law school, the gift I got that I have used most often is a business card holder -- not the kind that sits on your desk, but the kind that you carry in a briefcase or purse. Mine is very simple (and pretty masculine) and has my name engraved, but I recently picked one up as a college graduation gift for a friend that was very antique-y looking, with butterflies on it. It was very feminine and delicate, but practical too.

As for the couple, it sure makes it hard when they haven't registered anywhere. I know gift certificates are impersonal, but at least you would know that they could use it for something they really wanted/needed.

[BeckyM]

I knew I could rely on you! Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. Now I just need to think about them all and decide what seems to "fit" each of my friends best.

Thanks also for the heads-up on shipping for internet orders outside the U.S. I had thought about the cost of shipping something to them myself, but I hadn't thought about how much the shipping charges would be if I were to give them an Internet gift certificate or if I ordered something from Penzeys.

My husband and I just got some luggage from L.L. Bean for our trip to Costa Rica, and we loved it! So I'm thinking that may be a good idea for one of my friends. Or the photo album idea sounds great too. I like the idea of a pedicure/manicure/facial, and I think my friend would really enjoy that too, but she's in Boston, and I think she's moving fairly soon, so I wouldn't know where to get the gift certificate, and I don't think she'd find time to use it. But if she were in the same town I am, I'd almost definitely choose that. I'll have to remember that idea for future gifts!

Thanks again for all your help!

Becky http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Jessica]

Along the same lines as the luggage--LL Bean makes a wonderful travel toiletries kit in a couple sizes. We give these as gifts all the time and they are always well-received.

[dotglee]

For the London folks, how about an amazon.uk gift certificate? Books are relatively expensive in Europe and the shipping will be local. I've had great service from them, even before Amazon bought them. The URL is www.amazon.co.uk. (http://www.amazon.co.uk.)