Gifts Galore: How to Jazz up Gift Cards!

It is officially Spring! Although the weather sometimes begs to differ, we are around the corner from fresh flowers, gardens, and deck and patio time. Spring also marks the kick-off of wedding season and graduation time.

Does the thought of getting gifts stress you out a little? Does it seem like the safer route is to give a gift card? Do you know the recipient of the gift would really prefer a gift card? If you're like me, I always feel like I'm being boring if I give a gift card, even if I know the person will enjoy spending it.

You can have the best of both worlds by getting a little creative! Jazz up that gift card with some personal touches. 

Here is an example from something I put together for my future sister-in-law Mandy's bridal shower:

Already having a home and many of the kitchen items you might traditionally see on a registry, the couple knew Home Depot gift cards would come in handy as they work on house projects over the coming years. With my need for a little pizzazz kicking in, I started with getting the wedding-themed gift card and started thinking about what they might purchase with it.

I knew the couple had been working on installing raised bed gardens and enjoyed spending time in their backyard, so I decided to build on the garden theme. I picked up a small terracotta pot and filled it with a couple of heavy rocks so it didn't tip over once all of the items were in it. I place some burlap fabric I had over the top of the rocks. You can easily find fabric remnants pretty much anywhere these days!

I decided I wanted to include some garden markers and picked up some cute ones at the General Store of Minnetonka:

You could certainly make your own if you want to get a little more DIY. There are also lots of fun garden markers made from old silverware available on Etsy.

To top it off, I added some fresh tomatoes from our own garden! Easy peasy and now you have a customized gift.

Read below for some other simple ideas for other occasions:

Movie Theater Gift Card: Fill up a popcorn container from the Dollar Store with some movie candy and microwave popcorn.

Wedding Registry Gift Card: Traveling to a wedding or shower and don't want to bring a bulky gift? Find something like a cute tea towel or small kitchen item to tie up with the card and gift card.

Gift Card Frenzy: Know someone headed to college? Do a little research on pizza places, coffee shops, and fast food places. Buy a few gift cards in smaller increments and wrap them up with a t-shirt or hat they can sport on campus. This is also a great birthday idea for someone who eats out for lunch a lot. Do the same thing with places around their office and put it in a little mini lunch box.

Baby Registry Gift Card: Similar to the wedding idea, seek out some smaller items you can put together and wrap up with the gift card. Try looking for onezies, bibs, or smaller toys or books.