Gift for 30th b'day ... female lives with folks & is fussy !!! ... IDEAS PLEASE ??

[smiles4u]

Hi all,

I'm going to a friends 30th birthday celebration at a Greek restaurant in East side of Melb this Sat night.

It is going to cost us $45 per head & $23.00 for child under 4 totally - $113.00 for the ' 3' of us, then there is the petrol cost of getting there & back from country Ballarat ... so in all honesty i don't want to spend more than $30 for a gift as i feel we are spending enough as it is & DP doesn't even want me to buy a gift on those grounds but i'm not one to come empty handed & it wouldn't feel right to me, ... so gift it is !!

My friend is single, no children, career woman (does shift work) & lives at home with her parents & does have expensive$ taste ... So, i'm desperate for ideas so can you PRETTY PLEASE throw some ideas my way

(she hasn't seen my DD often due to our living distance & i'm not interested in the gift being child focused IYKWIM )

TIA for any ideas/suggestions

[Patooties]

Hi smiles
Perhaps a nice photo frame, or a couple of movie ticket vouchers. Some nice handcream, a nice bunch of flowers, candles, a cd or music voucher.
There's a couple, but will sleep on it
Hope your family is doing well.

[monnie]

What about a really nice set of notecards or some beautiful stationary?

I love classic simple stationary...and you can get some beautiful stuff for $20-$30.

[smiles4u]

Thanks a million Jaz ... i should have mentioned no vouchers as i'd rather she NOT know how much i spent$ or rather didn't spend much on, LOL ... hopefully you know what i mean

I don't know what sort of music she likes & i've already given her a photo frame a couple of years ago ... but then maybe another one wouldn't hurt !!

Monnie ... any suggestions on where to get some ' nice ' ones ??

*** KEEP COMING WITH THE IDEAS LADIES

[Winter]

Champange - you could get a demi-bottle (half sized bottle) of Moet et Chandon for around $30 and write a note about it being just the right size for drinking while soaking in a luxiourious bath!

[smiles4u]

Oooooh Winter, i like that idea sounds like her (and sounds like what i would like too, LOL ) ... only thing is they don't have a bathtub in her folk's house, so Winter can you think of what else i could write on the note ... and can i buy that size bottle from any franchise bottle shop or Coles Liquorland ??

[Winter]

I'm not sure about Coles Liquor - have a look... I know where I can get them here! Which doesn't help you! But I'm sure if you rang a couple of places you find them no worries!!

Umm...

Just the right size to spoil yourself, not big enough to share!

[smiles4u]

YEH, i love that one Winter ... Will have a look in the bottle shop here called Dan Murphy (it's huge, like a size of a barn ) ... Hopefully i won't get into drinking it myself, harrr ... Anyway, THANKS again Winter

(Would you believe i gave the full size to my Mum for her 60th & she was drinking it like cheap stuff until my BIL walked in with a surprised look and said " Wow, a nice drop there " ... then Mum worked out it wasn't cheap stuff & started sipping it, ha ha !!)

[Winter]

(Don't tell anyone Smiles, but I think Moet does taste like cheap stuff!!)

[monnie]

You could try an art gallery or funky art/gift ware shop...otherwise David Jones often has some nice stuff...

Or alternatively there's some online places including:

kikki-k - funky swedish stationary (who also have some shops if you check out their website)
note couture
paper avenue

Hope that helps!

[smiles4u]

Thanks heaps Monnie ... i might have a look in the local yellow pages for a place (By the way, love your son's name FELIX as it's my nephew's name, he's 14 now)

(Winter, so funny as it was my Mum's 70th a couple of weeks ago & my younger sis bought Mum a full size for this birthday & Mum shared it around & i forgot how shocking it tasted from the bottle i got her for her 60th ... It's getting up there with spumante, LOL but then my friend is all for brands and label stuff so might be up her alley )

[spooky]

I just checked the back of a thankyou note on my fridge from a friend - it has phoenix trading written on the back. I don't know where it is from, I'm sure you could google it...

It's really pretty, good quality and quite generic designs on it (pots of herbs!) so is multi-use for notes, thankyous etc.

Actually, I might look into it for myself now I think of it!

[~Trish~]

Hi lovely lady

I think champagne is a great idea, otherwise a lovely bunch of flowers. The restaurant and travel is costing you a small fortune so I think a $30 give is MORE than fair! I think it's lovely that you're making the effort to travel so far

Which suburb is the restaurant in? (I'm out east and am just being a sticky beak )

[smiles4u]

Hey Trish, is sort of inner East ... it's in Box Hill (i use to live in Blackburn years ago) , i've been there about a dozen times over the past 10years that i have known my friend (i worked with her Mum whom is actually my friend first i guess you could say), so whenever they have family celebrations, etc ... they always invite me like i'm part of the family (i've always felt incredibly special to be a dinky-di Aussie amongst a big Greek loving family, i just love 'em heaps)

Only downer is when i ever i buy them a gift i never feel it's good enough as there taste is very expensive compared to mine, so it's just the frustration there i have a little hard time with but nothing major ... they have even told me over the years to not worry about giving them presents even if they shower my family with presents which is such a lovely gesture but i'm the sort of person that enjoys giving & it wouldn't feel right if i didn't ... so hopefully that makes sense (and that my thread didn't sound harsh in any way).

... Oh, i've just realised i won't be able to buy anything online gifts as i would need the gift to be delivered in the next couple of days in the country region where i live, so yeh that won't be an option now ... Also flowers won't be an option as i know this restaurant gets warm with so many patrons inside & dancing, bright lights, etc ... so flowers wouldn't last the night well.

[skybie]

could u get her a pandora/lovelinks charm.
not sure which brand but i know some are about $30. even if she doesnt have the braclette it can be easily attatched to a necklace...just a thought

[spooky]

What about something that is from your local area? Some local product/produce etc that would be hard to find in Melb?

[smiles4u]

ah, Spooky you must have esp as would you believe it last Xmas we gave the entire family to share a massive hamper of all local country products near where we live & surrounding towns, products like wines, salad dressings, chocolates, lavender, etc ... and it was the 1st gift i ever gave them that they appeared to love it infact they dropped a huge hint they would love it each Xmas

... how terrible am i can't remember if my friend wears silver or gold (i think silver but i don't want to take the risk) ... Skye thanks for the pandora idea !!

[Arimeh]

I would of just said alcohol.

I got 4 bottles of malibu for my 30th - shame I've been pregnant for most of the time since then.. LOL