What's In Your Suitcase? photo courtesy of kthread
The world seems to be shrinking. These days you can easily get the special chocolate, wine and accessories in America that once required a trip abroad to purchase. While it’s great for convenience sake, it makes coming home with unique, special and hard-to-find gifts very difficult. No one wants to lug home a special treat, only to find it at their local World Market or specialty grocery store. To find a truly unique gift, try these suggestions:
Go Off the Beaten Path
To find the most unique gifts, ask the locals. Where do they shop for one-of-a-kind items? What can’t they live without? Likely they’ll send you off the beaten path– way off it. Shop in locally owned antique stores or boutiques. Your loved one will appreciate the uniqueness of their gift from your travels.
Buy Art
Art is one of those things that can’t be simply recreated, or shipped to every chain store. Pick up prints, pottery or handmade items crafted by local artisans. When you bring these items home you are truly bringing a piece of your experience back with you.
Stay Out of Souvenir Shops
Instead of picking up souvenirs at souvenir shops, visit local garden centers, grocery stores or markets. Things that locals may not see as very special, actually are because they use them so much. You might find some great tea, candy or local flower seeds to grow in your own garden.
Give Photos
If you’re passionate about photgraphy, why not give some of your snap shots as gifts? Turn them into mugs, mousepads
or notecards and give them as gifts. That way you can definitely count on the fact that they are one-of-a-kind and unique because you are the one that created them.
This is an inventive attractive gift for men. Usually, women are the ones who carry around pictures of the family. Well, with this gift, a man gets the chance to creatively have pictures of those who mean the most to him. He can wear them as regular cuff links and know his family is with him everywhere he goes. An ideal gift for a father or grandfather. Each locket, which measures at 3/4″ diameter, has space for two small pictures, so he will be able to carry up to four pictures when he wears these cuff links.
What better gift than a personalized scent? Thanks to the people over at 
Loved ones, especially grandparents, always want loads and loads of pictures. If you’re anything like me, you bore of getting pictures developed, trying to find creative ways to make them not just a lot of pictures in an envelope and then mail them off in multiple envelopes or in one large manila envelope. This time when you are planning a gift composed simply of a card with pictures in it, why not do it the right way with a Photo Book
Trying to tell someone how you feel or ask them a personal question? Why not give them a message puzzle as a gift. Something as personal as a “Will you Marry Me”, will make for a personalized and touching gift. Imagine her face when she starts putting this puzzle together and the words start to form. It can also be done to celebrate special occasions or birthdays. This is sure to be one puzzle and gift she will treasure forever.
. An added bonus to this type of gift is that it’s quite easy to do. First, find a site to get your puzzle message done, here’s a cool one I found that makes it very easy 