From Birthdays and Christmas to Valentines Day...
For some reason, old house nuts have a reputation for being, er, um, difficult on the giftability scale. As one of those so-called "nuts" who has, unfortunately (and without any idea how it happened :-), been lableled as "impossible to shop for," I feel compelled to set the record straight and help the friends and family of others who are crazy about (a) old-houses and/or (b) antiques and/or (c) garbage picking and/or (d) obsessive attention to detail find out how easy we really are to please. (links for (c) and (d) are provided in case the reader needs a context for this classification.)
First, let me say that the BEST gift, IMHO, is the gift of TIME. Restoring and maintaining an older house is an energy-intensive and time consuming labor of love and help is a practical, cost-effective, and always welcome gift. Problem is, a lot of folks want to give something tangible as a gift even if they are open to volunteering in some capacity.
As a recipient, and because so many well-meaning friends and family members offer to help conversationally but never actually do (Maybe it seems like the right thing to say, maybe they meant it at the time but then realized what might be involved, or got too busy with their own "stuff", or maybe they just like to tease) -- Whatever the reason, something concrete (pun not intended) does convey more of a commitment. That is, the recipient of something tangible has a more solid foundation (pun intended) for taking the offer seriously.
Topical Time-saving Links to Lens Topics
Here's an overview of the components that comprise this lens. If this is your first visit, we think you'll find it worthwhile to scroll down to the next section and take a few minutes to peruse our prosaic (yet poetic) posting in its entirety. If you've been here before and want a quick way to find something particular, you can click on a title to go straight to that section. We promise we won't be insulted (but make sure you choose wisely).
- Giving of Yourself
- 1. GIVE THE GIFT OF TIME ITSELF
- 2. COLOR THEIR WORLD
- 3. NAIL THE PERFECT GIFT
- 4. LIGHT UP THEIR LIFE
- 5. TAKE THE PLUNGE
- 6. GIVE YOUR BEST
- 7. PUT THEM IN STITCHES
- 8. GIVE SUSTENANCE TO THE WEARY
- 9. HANG AROUND A WHILE
- 10. LUXURY FOR LUDDITES & TIME DEPRIVED
- VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE GIFT IDEA
- No Time to Spare? We've Got Time-Saving Suggestions for You Too!
- Other Lenses You Might Like
- Follow Us on Twitter
- Bookmark and Share this list
- Has this lens been helpful? Interesting? Entertaining? Awesome?
- Search the Squidoo Directory
Giving of Yourself
Our Top Ten List
This lens provides a list of our TOP TEN gift suggestions for the gift of time. (Don't worry if you have never hammered a nail and don't know how to paint or plaster. We're sure you'll find something on our list that is very "doable" and suited to your availability, interests, skills, and pocketbook.)
Make sure whatever you offer is a commitment you can honor. Even an hour or two can be a godsend to the harried homeowner. You can write a voucher or create a coupon or coupon book. Wrap it with a token symbol of your promised gift. (We've included a few suggestions with each item for inspiration!)
Since not everyone will be able to spare the time, we'll also include a few suggestions for tangible items that old house home-owners would appreciate, no matter the age of their abode or their body.
Whether your intended giftee prefers classic federal, quaint colonial, victorian, craftsman, retro, or eclectic, we think you'll find inspiration enough to earn you a heartfelt "thank you" for the PERFECT GIFT and a reputation for being the best, most creative, knowledgable, smart, sexy, mind-reading gift giver ever! (Enjoy it. We won't tell them you had help from this lens.)
Make sure whatever you offer is a commitment you can honor. Even an hour or two can be a godsend to the harried homeowner. You can write a voucher or create a coupon or coupon book. Wrap it with a token symbol of your promised gift. (We've included a few suggestions with each item for inspiration!)
Since not everyone will be able to spare the time, we'll also include a few suggestions for tangible items that old house home-owners would appreciate, no matter the age of their abode or their body.
Whether your intended giftee prefers classic federal, quaint colonial, victorian, craftsman, retro, or eclectic, we think you'll find inspiration enough to earn you a heartfelt "thank you" for the PERFECT GIFT and a reputation for being the best, most creative, knowledgable, smart, sexy, mind-reading gift giver ever! (Enjoy it. We won't tell them you had help from this lens.)
1. GIVE THE GIFT OF TIME ITSELF
(Yes, we're starting with the most obvious)
Offer an hour or two, a weekend, or even a month of Sundays to provide an extra pair of hands to hold the 30 foot ladder steady or an extra pair of feet or wheels to run to the store for the right size screw or extra can of paint.Package your gift coupon, voucher, or IOU in a book about time, or box and wrap it with a calendar, timer, watch, or clock. Or how about an old 45 rpm record or, if the lucky recipient's home is older, perhaps vintage sheet music with an appropriate tune? Choose one related to time in general, or the time you are giving (such as a particular month or day of the week).
Time-ly Gift Tokens
2. COLOR THEIR WORLD
Volunteer to help with painting if you're handy with a brush or roller. You can specify the time (one Saturday, 4 hours on a particular day(s), or "to be arranged"), or the project (will paint one bedroom, will paint the garage, will help paint trim on the house). If you're a talented stenciler or muralist, and if you know that is something your giftee would like to have done in their home, you could offer to do something using your skills (e.g. stencil a border in the guest bathroom, stencil the foyer floor, paint a trompel'oeil vase of flowers in the niche in the foyer wall).
Package your gift of time with a collection of paint charts or color chips (at no cost) and/or a good quality paintbrush, dropcloth, or roller tray set. You might also package it with a book about paint colors and application related to the home's period and style (Although if the giftee is anything like me, s/he may already own a copy. Try to check first. On the other hand, you can always use another brush or drop cloth.)
Color-full Complements for your Gift
3. NAIL THE PERFECT GIFT
If you have carpentry skills, offer time or volunteer for a particular project. Wrap your offering with an assortment of nails or a tool (the best would be to pick up an old one at a garage sale). Remember the gift is your time and talent. The item with it can be symbolic and a dollar hammer from a yard sale is likely to appeal to the old house nut. If I had a hammer...
As luck wood have it, we also saw a few other ideas that might hit the nail on the head.
4. LIGHT UP THEIR LIFE
If you happen to be adept at electrical work, chances are you've already been drafted by your friend or relative to help with the old homestead. Even if that is the case, an "official" offering is appreciated even more. (Photo is picture of Thomas Edison.) Bright Gift Go-Togethers
Package electrician services with a switchplate cover, a current tester or a reproduction light bulb, or one of our (or your) other bright ideas. No charge for the suggestions. (Sorry, simply can't turn off the pun faucet sometimes.)
5. TAKE THE PLUNGE
If you happen to have experience as a plumber, pipe up and offer to fix that leaky faucet or install that old claw foot tub or cast iron radiator. Depending on the project or amount of time, enclose your gift with a plunger, a wrench, or even a roll of toilet paper. Plumb(ing) Crazy Gift Additions
Depending on the project or amount of time, enclose your gift with a plunger, a wrench, an assortment of couplings and other parts, or even a roll of toilet paper or my better-than-duct-tape favorite: Goop! (We also couldn't resist the two books included below.)
6. GIVE YOUR BEST
If you've read this far and are thinking that nothing mentioned thus far is a good match for your talents or you cringe at the idea of being around construction of any kind, give the gift of what you do best. A few hours of babysitting is always welcome -- especially given the hazards of many renovation projects. Offer to take the tot(s) to the park so parents can raise dust or paint without worrying about the kids. Or offer to take the child(ren) for a day so parents can concentrate on a difficult or demanding task without distraction.Have a Green Thumb? Help with taming that overgrown garden or planting bulbs. Have a knack with a weed-whacker? You know what to do. Have experience putting in a brick path? Glazing windows? Fixing sashes?
Do you take great photos? Document the renovation of one room or the entire house. Create an album of before and after shots and maybe some candids during the process. Present them the old fashioned way or in digital format.
We could have made a TOP TWENTY list, but even that would not have been enough. So Number 6 is for the Gift of Whatever You do Best (except maybe you-know-what) that may not appear here or elsewhere on this list.
To Bring With Your Best
Babysitting? Give your gift with a token appropriate to the age of your charges. A rattle and a couple of disposable diapers for an infant, a video or small toy for the toddler, and something that says "fun" for children older than that but not yet old enough to go unsupervised. Gardening? Depending on the time of year, include an heirloom bulb or plant, a garden diary, a spade, or a period garden book. Photography? A picture frame, a scrapbook or album, or even a photo of the house to start the series. (If you're a great cook, see Number 8.)
7. PUT THEM IN STITCHES
No. You don't have to be a stand-up comic, but if you have a way with a needle and thread, you've got it sewn up! Offer to provide the labor for making a pair of curtains, a portiere, or a throw pillow. Wrap your gift with a book about window treatments, a spool of thread, or even a miniature dollhouse sized sewing machine. To Announce Your Gift...
8. GIVE SUSTENANCE TO THE WEARY
In other words, offer to cook a meal (especially appreciated by anyone involved in renovating a kitchen. Believe me, I've been there!) or, if a freezer is available, supply your specialty in a microvable container with instructions. Nothing would be more appreciated after a long day of demolition, plastering, or stripping a hundred years of paint from intricately carved woodwork. You could also prepare and freeze a meal (or several) and offer to defrost, heat, and deliver on request if you happen to live nearby. Add a Little More Spice...
Give your gift with a pair of oven mitts, recipe cards, a freezer container for leftovers, or one of our other suggestions. Make your gift card to look like a menu or take-out brochure, a gift certificate, or just include a hand-written note with the item you choose - on a lovely card or even a paper plate. The only limit is your imagination.
9. HANG AROUND A WHILE
Although I'm sure your company would be appreciated on its own, imagine how much more welcome it would be if, instead of just hanging out, you offered to pitch in and help strip or hang wallpaper. If you can't get the knack of applying wallpaper paste and rolling seams, you could always rinse sponges or rags and wipe off excess glue and hand that gal on the top of the ladder the squeegee she dropped.
To Present Your Present
You could even make your packaging part of the gift. Instead of wrapping paper, cover a box with vintage or vintage style wallpaper (I once deviously devised an excuse to ask a friend for a sample of the paper he had purchased for his craftsman dining room and used it to make a bandbox to hold a scroll on which I had printed my gift certificate for a weekend of wallpapering help.)
10. LUXURY FOR LUDDITES & TIME DEPRIVED
If you are a techie and your friend yearns for quill pens or typewriters, or is computer savvy but just too busy working on his or her "money pit", offer help to set up a blog, journal, or even a website (you might also consider registering a domain name related to the style or year of their house) on one of the many venues related to such pursuits. A lesson in scanning or in uploading digital photos and blogging might also be useful. If your friend has just been too busy to maintain a site started long ago, help with an update and general maintenance might be the perfect gift. You might also want to point out that even Victorians embraced technological advances and embellished them accordingly (a tradition carried on today by the steampunk movement.)From facebook and twitter to http://www.myoldhousejournal.com, Sharing old house stories, pictures, advice, and frustrations can be a lifeline to maintaining one's sanity as well as a valuable social and educational resource. Ahhh. Technology. The gift that keeps on giving...
Tech Savvy Gift Supplements
You're the Techie, so consider a short video presentation of your gift presented on a disk. If you've put off your gift shopping until the last minute, go with one of our suggestions.
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE GIFT IDEA
Or Add Your Own Time-ly Gift Suggestion
This is our list of TOP TEN Year-Round GIFT IDEAS for "Difficult-to-buy-for" Recipients -- Who Just Happen to Be Obsessed with their old house. Please refer to above descriptions for details about each item on the list.
Submit Your Own Idea, Drop Us a Note, or Just Say Hello.
Now it's your turn. Feedback, funny stories, and praise appreciated.
If there's something we can do better, let us know. If you have a better idea, submit it.
We'll add it. We're not proud. And we won't steal your idea. We will give you credit
for it -- just let us know how you'd like to be identified.
submit
-
Reply
- Stazjia Stazjia Nov 10, 2009 @ 9:08 am
- Having lived in an old house, a real moneypit, I can confirm that the gift of practical help can be the best gift of all. Great lens, blessed by an Angel.
-
Reply
- ---Chazz ---Chazz Nov 3, 2009 @ 10:18 pm
- thank you for your visits and comments, "Chessie" and Tipi! We appreciate the support!
-
Reply
- Tipi Tipi Nov 3, 2009 @ 5:47 pm
- Great ideas for old house owner gifts.
Blessed by a Squid Angel, and
Best Wishes to you,
Susie
-
Reply
- TheCheshireCat TheCheshireCat Oct 30, 2009 @ 3:32 pm
- Very nice lens. Great advice for the person who has everything. We could all use something as thoughtful and personal as these suggestions.
-
Reply
- ---Chazz ---Chazz Oct 28, 2009 @ 5:31 pm
- Thank you, Heather!
-
Reply
- Heather426 Heather426 Oct 28, 2009 @ 1:16 pm
- Wonderful lens! I love it...~blessed by a squid angel~
No Time to Spare? We've Got Time-Saving Suggestions for You Too!
See these links for "Snap up & Wrap" Gift Suggestions
-
Movies Old House Buffs will Love
-
Some movies on our list are really great on all scores (including the music -- sorry couldn't resist the pun) but others are not. The story may be disorganized and sluggish. The characters may be undeveloped. The dialogue may be disconnected. But...
More Click & Buy Gift Ideas
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Other Lenses You Might Like
-
Old House Lovers
-
Welcome fellow old house nuts! This is a brief background of our current obsession. Some of our other lenses will tell you more and hopefully provide some camaraderie, conviviality, and commiseration for other "caretakers" of architectural gems and d...
-
Discount Designer Wallpaper Below Wholesale
-
Old House Interiors, and our parent store, Restoration Fabrics & Trims, are outgrowths of our personal and professional interest in historical restoration and adaptation. Personally, we are restoring an 1880 Victorian. Professionally, we specialize i...
-
Historic Wallpaper: If Walls Could Talk
-
Awareness of the extensive use of wallpapers in American homes from the 18th through the middle of the 20th centuries has increased dramatically in recent decades. Styles and fashions of wallpaper and how it was used in interior decoration have varie...
-
Historic, Vintage & Reproduction Home Decorating Fabrics
-
For those who do not have a background in textiles, trying to figure out the difference between a damask and a brocade or between stain resistant and stain proof, for example, can be difficult and confusing enough -- not to mention the frustration of...
-
You know you own an old house when...
-
The true life drama, romance, comedy, mystery and tragedy of historic restoration... Owning and restoring an old house is often a love/hate relationship. Maintaining one's sense of humor is essential -- as is knowing that others have survived simila...
Follow Us on Twitter
For news, updates, and advance sale notices
- OldHouseDecor
- aka Chazz
- 91 followers
- 76 following
-
- GREAT GIFT IDEAS @ Super Discounts: http://www.squidoo.com/ten-best-home-decorating-books
-
- 10 Best Decorating Books: One of the most frequent questions we receive is "can you recommend a book".. http://bit.ly/5FjFs0
-
- How to Mix Fabrics For A Custom Decorator Look: http://bit.ly/8Zpxsc via @addthis
-
- Warm Up Your Decor with Yellow: Ahh! The color of spring! Daffodils, Forsythia, Tulips, Crocuses. No wonder tha.. http://bit.ly/2nVWuy
-
- I just updated my Squidoo page: Movies Old House Buffs will Love / http://tinyurl.com/q9h8ta
powered by Twitter
Bookmark and Share this list
Has this lens been helpful? Interesting? Entertaining? Awesome?
Let us know
- Rate this lens:
- Email it
- Favorite it
- Lensroll it
Search the Squidoo Directory
to find more sites of interest
SquiDirectory - A categorized Squidoo directory featuring an interesting variety of different subjects ranging from arts and literature, shopping, and eco friendly tips, to vehicles for sale, travel, and everything in between.
by ---Chazz
Hello. I'm known as "Chazz" and I'd like to welcome you to this site and provide a little background about the perspective you will find here.
Person... (more)
Person... (more)
Explore related pages
20 great gifts under $20- Great cheap gifts for all occasions.
Parasols (umbrellas to shade from the sun)- Why parasols? I like parasols. They seem so romantic! I like to pick topics for...
Smiley Face T-shirts, Gifts and Home Accessories- One of the most recognizable icons in popular culture is the smiley, a sketchy r...
Presents For Her- Guys often have a hard time buying Christmas gifts for a woman in their lives. W...
Showcase Of Zoo Animals In Jewelry- Let's go to the zoo! Kids of all ages enjoy going to the zoo.&n...
Your Retro Office- Your space can be the coolest at work even if you don't have the corner office!...
