Depending on how well you know the birthday boy or girl, hobbies are a great place to look for gift inspiration. Some people just don't have obvious hobbies like golf or scrapbooking, but everyone has things that they love doing so just use your imagination and creativity. And if you want to go the really easy route, you can always get a themed gift basket online and have it shipped directly to them for a great birthday surprise. Here are some great do-it-yourself ideas for various interests.

1) Gardener - If they love gardening, a plant, garden sculpture or a book about growing perennials in their hardiness zone would great gardener birthday gifts.

2) Book Lover - Depending on how much you want to spend, you could buy anything from a bookmark to a book of the month club where they get a book delivered to them every month. Gift cards from their local Barnes & Noble or from Amazon.com would be fabulous as well.

3) Fisherman - consider buying him some lures, tackle or new fishing rod. A gift certificate to somewhere like Gander Mountain or Cabela's would be greatly appreciated as well.

4) A Mom - we all know that most Mom's don't have enough time to themselves so how about giving her a gift certificate for a maid to clean her house (or you could volunteer to do it), a 'coupon' for a few free hours of babysitting, or take her to the spa with you for a manicure or pedicure.

5) Movie Buff - how about giving them a new release or classic movie on DVD along with some movie theater candy and gourmet popcorn (or buy a movie madness gift basket online). Another great idea would be a subscription to Netflix or Blockbuster to have the DVD's delivered right to their door. Finally, tickets or a gift certificate to the local movie theater would also be a great idea.

6) Givers & Savers - if the person contributes or volunteers at a charity, why not make a contribution in their name to their favorite cause. You'll be helping the needy and it'll bring a smile to the person's face. If they are thrifty, you could get them a savings bond or some stock in your friend's name.

7) Pet Lovers - how about putting together a gift package with a little something for the owner and the pet. Ideas include an upscale or jeweled collar, a super dooper pooper scooper, a cute little outfit (if they like that sort of thing), animal treats and of course some gourmet goodies for the pet owner.

8) Wine Lover - several things come to mind for the wine lover. Consider a book about wine, a nice bottle of wine, a great bottle opener set or even an set of engraved wine glasses.

9) Sports Fanatic - most bigger cities have hockey, basketball, football, soccer, baseball, professional golf, tennis and more to choose from so how about giving your sports enthusiast some tickets to watch their favorite team or player? If it is out of season (for instance football in April), then just make an IOU gift certificate and buy the tickets when it is in season.

10) Thrill Seeker - if your friend or family member is always looking for an adrenaline rush, consider gift certificates for sky-diving, a hot air balloon ride, or even a race car ride. Some of these ideas are a bit expensive, but they'll be saying thank you again and again as they take off on a thrilling ride.

The gift of time is a truly special gift that your friend or family member will appreciate greatly. If they are a sports fan or Mom, this is a great gift option. Just pick up a pair of tickets to a sporting event (for their favorite team), museum, spa or other local venue and plan on spending an afternoon or evening with them. They get two gifts in one (your time and tickets)!

As I mentioned previously, giving 'coupons' for your time is also a great idea (especially for Moms). Offer to baby sit the kids, make dinner for the family or help clean out the garage.

Other options would be taking them on a picnic and hike in a park or taking them out to breakfast at their favorite restaurant. Combining food and time with you are a great birthday gift!

Honestly, I think I know only one person who doesn't really like cake on their birthday. So why not give a gift that just about everyone likes - Cake and Ice Cream?

Whether your friend lives down the street or across the country, you can always get a cake delivered for their birthday. If you live locally, consider stopping by the local Cold Stone Creamery, Maggie Moos, or Dairy Queen to get an ice cream cake featuring their favorite flavor. If you order ahead, they will personalize the cake with the person's name and whatever other information you want to include. Another option if you live close to the birthday boy or girl is to make a delicious homemade cake and deliver it to them yourself with a tub of ice cream and a bunch of candles.

If you live across the country or too far away to deliver a cake yourself, there are many online companies that sell delectable gourmet cakes that can be delivered right to the birthday boy or girl's door. They just freeze them and ship them via overnight air so that they are fresh and delicious upon delivery.

Consumable gifts are a great option for the person that has everything. Everyone needs to eat and drink so beverage and gourmet food gifts are always well received.

If you know your friends food and drink preferences, it will make buying this type of gift much easier. There are many options when it comes to beverage themed gifts. If they like alcohol, you could just buy them a 6 pack of imported beer or a fine bottle of wine, top it with a bow, and call it good. Alternatively, many online companies offer gift baskets for tea, coffee, wine and even beer lovers. Often you are able to choose the beer flavors or wines included in the gift basket. Many of these companies have clubs like a wine of the month or coffee of the month club where your recipient receives a beverage gift each month for a specified length of time.

When it comes to gourmet gifts, there are an infinite number of possibilities. Your friend or family member might be a cheese lover, a dessert lover, a vegetarian or health food junkie. No matter what their tastes, you should be able to find a food gift to suit their needs. For example if they are a grill king, you could consider ordering them up a big pack of steaks from the Omaha steak company. For the dessert lover, what about a cookie bouquet or gourmet cheesecake delivered right to their door with a Happy Birthday note card. Gift baskets with just about any kind of food are also available - from sugar free baskets to fruit and nut towers to gourmet cheese gifts. These same companies often sell monthly clubs like a dessert of the month or cookie of the month too. Your recipient will be reminded of your generosity each month when they receive their goodies.

No matter what type of gourmet food gift or beverage gift you decide to send, your recipient will surely enjoy it!