Gift card wrapping idea by So Shelli

I love choosing gifts for loved ones. But it can be tricky if your recipient:

• struggles with clutter
• has expressed desire to unclutter
• lives far away from you
• lives in a small space
• is in a temporary living situation (eg dorm)
• is moving soon or moves frequently
• says they don’t need/want presents
• is a person who ‘has everything’

I’ve had to buy for people in all of these situations (and am in a couple of them myself) so I thought I’d do a roundup of some no-clutter gift ideas to follow up from yesterday’s worst clutter gifts post.

Tickets

Who wouldn’t want to be gifted a special night out?

• Concerts
• Movies
• Theatre
• Art exhibitions

Experiences

Experiences make wonderful and memorable gifts. Great for kids who have more than enough toys!

• Zoo trip
• Golf session
• Travel voucher
• Wine tasting

Classes

A great option but you’ll have to be sure it’s something the recipient is interested in and that they have time for it.

• Art
• Music
• Craft/sewing
• Cooking
• Cake decorating
• Photography
• Writing
• Woodworking
• Surfing

Services

Services can be some of the best uncluttered gifts. Choose from me-time treats or time-saving practical options, depending on what your recipient would appreciate most.

• Hairdressing
• Manicure / pedicure
• Massage
• House cleaning
• Car washing

IOUs

A homemade voucher is an especially good gift for new parents or if you are on a tight budget. I provided some meals to my friend after the birth of her first baby last year and she’s still talking about it as one of the most appreciated gifts.

• Homemade meal
• Babysitting
• House cleaning
• Car washing
• Preparing taxes
• House painting
• Gardening

Consumables

An oldie but a goodie. Make sure they’re nicer than your normal plonk or biccies they would buy for themselves.

• Wine
• Spirits
• Chocolates / sweets
• Chutneys / jams / sauces

Digital media

Books, music and movies used to be some of the worst clutter offenders. Not anymore!

• iTunes voucher
• Spotify / Pandora subscription
• Amazon e-books
• Software

Charitable donation

A particularly good option if your recipient is known for their social conscience, is a bit older and ‘has everything’ or is experiencing a bereavement (as an alternative to flowers). The ones where you can sign up for a particular thing are good – a pair of slippers wouldn’t have meant much to my auntie but she was chuffed knowing that someone had been given the gift of sight in her name. Select a charity that resonates with the interests of your loved one. Here are a few:

• Fred Hollows
• Oxfam
• St Vincent De Paul
• Salvo’s
• RSPCA
• Cancer Council

Gift cards / cash

Obviously they could end up buying something ‘cluttery’ with it but the choice is theirs.

Tangible gifts

If you’re like me and prefer giving tangible gifts, there are still ways to keep it uncluttered.

• To replace something else if you think they would appreciate it (eg a new lamp to replace a broken one, bonus points if it’s a versatile item that can replace more than one thing)
• Something they need and would buy anyway, such as clothes (consider making it better quality than they would buy for themselves so it still feels special)
• Something that will help get them organised (eg labels, scanner, calendar)
• Chip in with others to purchase one more substantial or better quality item (give the newlyweds one kick-arse coffee machine instead of 20 platters)
• Flowers!

So, what do you think? Anything you’d add to the list?

What are your favourite uncluttered gifts to give and receive?

P.S. Happy birthday to The Man!! The last year of our twenties and I’m sure it’ll be a good one. xxoo

This post is sponsored by Target.

Plain white servingware is versatile and classic of course. But you know I’m a colour girl (and am partial to themed meals) so when I saw the Ching He Huang home decor range at Target I knew it was going to be a new essential in my kitchen collection.

The bowl with bamboo tongs is going to be really versatile for stirfries, noodles, veggies and salads, but my fave item is the soy sauce jug. I’ve decided that I need to set up permanent stash of sauces and oils beside the stove just so I can have it on display all the time.

I can feel a Chinese dinner party in my fortunes.

I’m off galivanting around the world for a few weeks so I have lined up some some talented ladies to hold the fort while I’m gone. Hope you enjoy!

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Since I discovered the work of Penelope and Pip last year, I’ve been blown away time after time with everything that they produce. Artist Rachael Smith creates the most adorable illustrations on everything from cards to cushions (although the art prints are my faves), not to mention she is totally killing it on the DIY blog scene. Rachael was kind enough to design an exclusive new free printable wrapping paper just for Atypical Type A readers! What do you think guys, totally gorge, right?  – Alicia

One of the best parts of Christmas for us over at Penelope and Pip is the chance to create some cute wrapping paper.

When Alicia asked us to join in the fun over here at Atypical Type A while she was away, we knew just what we wanted to share!

Gift wrap can be so expensive and it’s lovely to have something different to the usual Santas and reindeer.

We’ve made a cute little wrapping paper just for you here at Atypical Type A that is full of birds and trees and some geometric shapes too.

You can download the paper here.

Pop over to our blog for lots more ideas on how to make your Christmas a Happy and Handmade.

We hope you enjoy wrapping all your goodies for Christmas!

(And we hope you’re having a fab holiday Alicia!).

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About the guest poster:

Rachael is an illustrator from Brisbane and the creator of the whimsical world of Penelope and Pip. She makes art prints and pretty paper goods and blogs daily about her art, craft and design inspirations at Penelope and Pip Handmade.

I’m not a fan of giving money as gifts, but sometimes I know it’s what the recipient really wants so I’ll relent.

Honestly I feel a bit ripped off if I don’t get the chance to select a thoughtful gift and wrap it beautifully. This fun idea from the gorgeous Eden at Sugar & Charm at least takes care of the second part of that.

Head over there to see her tips.

Australian readers should note that the polymer notes won’t roll nicely like the paper bills so try using ribbons or small elastics to tie them up. It also could get expensive here where the smallest note is $5!

I apologise for the title. I really do. Hearing people say ‘totes’ is like nails on a blackboard for me.

In this case, however, I am taking about actual totes.

Camera totes to be precise.

(Apologies for the horrid grainy photos – I obviously had to dust off the ol’ point and shoot to take these photos.)

I’m not sure if I’ve even told you this but The Man and I are heading off overseas for five weeks this summer (HOORAY!).

I love travel photography, but I’m a bit of a princess and find all the paraphenalia frankly a bit annoying. I have a second lens but I never use it because I hate lugging it around, so I take the compact camera bag instead of the bigger one with room for the extra lens (then I’ll be taking a snap and go ‘Ugh, I wish I had my telephoto with me’). I also find it inconvenient to carry around a camera bag as well as a backpack or handbag.

Plus – you know me – I’m all about the functional but there’s no reason why it can’t look good too!

Enter Jo Totes.

I had been coveting this baby for awhile now so I was very excited to unwrap it on my birthday recently (thanks to my parents and in-laws).

I looove how I can fit my camera and spare lens(es) all safe and sound between the padded dividers and there’s still room for my wallet/sunnies/cardi/whatever. There’s even a secret pocket at the back for my iPad as well as pockets at the front for the usual out-and-about essentials. I also like how it doesn’t scream ‘I AM A TOURIST AND I AM CARRYING LOTS OF VALUABLE EQUIPMENT’.

OK now I just sound like an ad I know, but seriously Betsy is going to be my new best travel buddy. The Man also gave me an iPad camera connector so I will be able to upload photos on the go.

Now I’m all set for blogging anywhere in the world!

Have you got an anniversary coming up (especially anniversary which is paper), or perhaps even planning to pop the big question to your other half?

You will love these darling little tags that say ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…’ from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous poem.

Get the free download and instructions over on Polka Dot Bride today.

Photography by Love Joy Faith
Concept & styling by Alanna Lock for White Room Events

To be honest I’ve never given a second thought to Christmas stockings, but these unique stockings made from sewing patterns are enough to make me wish I had a mantlepiece.

On the other hand (foot?) if Santa has long since forgotten about you and you don’t actually need stockings anymore, how about getting a bit more abstract awesome and opt for vintage wooden sock lasts?

Both from Country Living.

http://www.countryliving.com/homes/holiday-decorating-1208#fbIndex18

Are you on Made It yet? It’s like Etsy but based in Australia so us locals don’t have to wait for a month or more for our order to arrive (but there is still international shipping for our overseas friends).

Go and have a window shop today and while you’re there, stop by Akimbo’s shop.

I’ve long been a fan of Scottish designer Donna Wilson’s illustrated character Meg (that’s her on the plate). Now I see she has a boyfriend, Beardy Bob, and some furry friends as well as lots of other cheerful products.

A bride’s work is never done, it seems. Even four months after the wedding, I’m embarrassed to admit we still haven’t finished sending out our thank you notes. Although I hasten to add it’s not entirely our fault. Since the gallery where we registered (for this artwork) was not set up for bridal registeries, we sent out cards with our invitations to be forwarded to the gallery with payment information. This way they would have the list of names and amounts and they could then provide us with the list of names but not the amounts. Not too complicated right? But the gallery owner threw the cards out. In the bin. Why did he think we were sending them to him if we wanted him to chuck them out straight away?! We are now going through the painful process of trying to get him to go through his bank records to get the names so we can finish the thank yous.

And THAT, my friend, is why I’ve had to put up with a kitchen table covered in thank you notes, envelopes and stamps for the last two months, feeling more mortified each day that we haven’t yet expressed our gratitude to our loved ones.

Rant over, let’s get onto the actual thank yous. I waited until after the wedding to design and print them because I had grand notions of incorporating wedding photos into the design but by the time came, I’d gone cold on that idea, plus we’d already spent our stationery budget on the invitations themselves.

So I designed some super simple personalised notelets featuring our cameos and wedding year. This way they’re appropriate for the wedding but we can use them forever, yay!

However I didn’t want it to just look like a regular note without any focus on the ‘thanks’ so I tied them up with yellow embroidery thread and added some mini thank you tags. For those guests who contributed to our registry, we included a photo of the artwork so the twine also served to bundle that up into the package.

I feel awful that we haven’t been able to send them all out yet because I truly have tried my hardest to make it a priority. Oh well, you can’t control everything, can you? 

Come back tomorrow and I’ll provide the printable artwork for the tags so you can tie up your own little bundle of appreciation.