“The great art of giving consists in this the gift should cost very little and yet be greatly coveted, so that it may be the more highly appreciated.”
― Baltasar Gracián
Confession : I haven't always been the best "gift giver." There have been some that were lackluster, inappropriately goofy, and some just plain stinkers in my time. In fact, I've been accused of having a bad gift attitude by some people in my life, but I think it is because they just don't understand me. I'm not saying they're wrong, I do have a bit of a bad attitude about gifts, but only the kind that are expected or anticipated.
As I've grown older, wiser, and just plain sick and tired in general, I am trying to change my attitude. Not my attitude about selfish, greedy, expect-and-demand-a-gift-kinda-people, and don't even get me started on those mailbox hounds who hover for greeting cards that HAVE TO be there on a certain date. I'm changing for the good people. The people that really deserve a little "somethin-somethin" because....well, sometimes just because.
A friend that I acquired about a year ago after our move to Texas is someone that is very deserving. I've found her to be kind, compassionate, generous to a fault, and most of all, she makes me laugh. She expects nothing, and doesn't watch the calendar. Like me, she doesn't get bogged down by society's expectations. Over the summer, I was inspired to to make her a little "just because" gift that I like to call "Rice Rice Baby" (which I will write about another time), but as the holidays got closer, a casual conversation inspired the below detailed gift idea.
My friend has tons of great things going for her. Way too many to list, but...well... let's just say she was having a rough go of it. Things simple as Murphy's Law-kinda-situations, to the perils of mothering a toddler, to full blown stuff that the writers of General Hospital couldn't even imagine. As November crept up on us and we talked of our plans for Thanksgiving, she confessed to me how hard things were and she couldn't wait to get through the holidays. I listened, agreed, reminded her of how awesome she is, and then offered her chocolate and/or booze. All the things a good friend is supposed to
"Well, 2013 is almost over. So, let's just go and declare 2014 the Year of The Jeni. If Tigers, Dragons, and even Rats can have their own year, I think it is time for The Year of The Jeni."
That moment is when I knew exactly what I was giving her for New Year's. (We agreed Christmas was too much pressure, so IF we saw something for each other, we would wait until after New Year's to exchange. Nice idea, huh? Try it. You'll like it.)
I made her a "Year of the Jeni" Calendar, with each month having a particular theme. Because we are close, I took some information I knew about her and was able to load it with things to buy, places to visit, action items, reminders, and inspirational quotes to help her get through the year.
When I gave it to her, she poured through it, with two of our other friends over coffee. Before I knew it, they were all taking about making one for another lady in their life. One friend asked if she could take a picture and post it to her blog....
Below is instructions, suggestions, and some pics to help you make a "Year of The" Calendar for someone you care about. Wondering who would this be a great gift for?
You will need:
A calender
Sharpie Markers
Post-Its and other write on tabs
Stickers, Stamps, and other little bits of silliness or charm you have laying around.
And most importantly....a desire to give a Gift!
First you need a calendar. I happened to pick a Anne Taintor one from amazon.com, because she is so darn funny and it totally applied. You can check it out here...
As I've grown older, wiser, and just plain sick and tired in general, I am trying to change my attitude. Not my attitude about selfish, greedy, expect-and-demand-a-gift-kinda-people, and don't even get me started on those mailbox hounds who hover for greeting cards that HAVE TO be there on a certain date. I'm changing for the good people. The people that really deserve a little "somethin-somethin" because....well, sometimes just because.
A friend that I acquired about a year ago after our move to Texas is someone that is very deserving. I've found her to be kind, compassionate, generous to a fault, and most of all, she makes me laugh. She expects nothing, and doesn't watch the calendar. Like me, she doesn't get bogged down by society's expectations. Over the summer, I was inspired to to make her a little "just because" gift that I like to call "Rice Rice Baby" (which I will write about another time), but as the holidays got closer, a casual conversation inspired the below detailed gift idea.
My friend has tons of great things going for her. Way too many to list, but...well... let's just say she was having a rough go of it. Things simple as Murphy's Law-kinda-situations, to the perils of mothering a toddler, to full blown stuff that the writers of General Hospital couldn't even imagine. As November crept up on us and we talked of our plans for Thanksgiving, she confessed to me how hard things were and she couldn't wait to get through the holidays. I listened, agreed, reminded her of how awesome she is, and then offered her chocolate and/or booze. All the things a good friend is supposed to
do. And then I said the following...
"Well, 2013 is almost over. So, let's just go and declare 2014 the Year of The Jeni. If Tigers, Dragons, and even Rats can have their own year, I think it is time for The Year of The Jeni."
That moment is when I knew exactly what I was giving her for New Year's. (We agreed Christmas was too much pressure, so IF we saw something for each other, we would wait until after New Year's to exchange. Nice idea, huh? Try it. You'll like it.)
I made her a "Year of the Jeni" Calendar, with each month having a particular theme. Because we are close, I took some information I knew about her and was able to load it with things to buy, places to visit, action items, reminders, and inspirational quotes to help her get through the year.
When I gave it to her, she poured through it, with two of our other friends over coffee. Before I knew it, they were all taking about making one for another lady in their life. One friend asked if she could take a picture and post it to her blog....
(Check out that scale. Are you dying? I'm totally dying. She got that junking. I love her, but hate her.)
She shared it on her instagram and before we could have a second cup of coffee, people we asking her for more pics and wanted instructions on how to make one. So, hence the rebirth of my blog.
Below is instructions, suggestions, and some pics to help you make a "Year of The" Calendar for someone you care about. Wondering who would this be a great gift for?
A Best Friend
Identical Gifts for Group of Friends
Sisters
Bridesmaids
New Bride and Groom
Mom
Grandma (from the grandkids)
And don't forget the Men! (I'll do a whole other post on that group)
Okay, pretty much anyone you are very close with.
You will need:
A calender
Sharpie Markers
Post-Its and other write on tabs
Stickers, Stamps, and other little bits of silliness or charm you have laying around.
And most importantly....a desire to give a Gift!
First you need a calendar. I happened to pick a Anne Taintor one from amazon.com, because she is so darn funny and it totally applied. You can check it out here...
But, I would totally recommend doing something a little more personal, especially since we are already in 2014. You can create a personalized calendar at walmart.com, uploading your own images, picking form a few sizes, and best of all, starting on the month that works best for you! Not intending to give the gift until your friend's birthday in June, or maybe for Mother's Day, or want to make one for each one of your bridesmaids? No problem. You can start it on any month you want, rolling over into the next calendar year.
Suggestions for picking a calendar:
* White Space! You need plenty of room to write. You will also want some space on the "picture" part of the calendar for Post-Its.
* If you aren't confident about your handwriting, you can type your calendar comments! Use Avery address labels and a color printer. To take the place of writing on Post-Its, you can find larger lables...like these.
* You can always write on the calender in pencil and write over it in Sharpie, but be sure to let the makers dry for at least an hour before you start erasing....and always to a little test area before you just go writing/erasing willynilly.
* Use some scrapbooking elements you have laying around. You can make this as elaborate or simple as you like. Mine was pretty simple. I was more concerned about what I was writing and less about how it looked. Next one, I will add more "bling" now that I am confident it was a hit.
* If you go with a custom calendar from Walmart or a similar online vendor, try to go for the biggest size possible. Conside 11.5x14 to be the smallest you would want to tackle.
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