‘Present’ perfect

So,if there are close friends or relatives of yours who can never be on time for any event or appointment,the best way to make them keep track of time is by gifting them a wacky,unique wall clock,designed by you. “Take a square piece of cardboard,paint it white or in any other colour you like and then write anything wacky on it. For example,‘Hello,kitna baja hai?’ or ‘Bhaisaab,time kya hua?’ or even ‘Waqt waqt ki baat hai’,” says Silky Ramani,who recently gifted just such a madcap wall-piece to her perennially-late best friend. “All you need to add is a wall clock mechanism to the square and your time piece is ready. Just wrap it up in some pretty wrapping paper and bingo! your present is ready,” she adds.

Another great gifting idea is a photo frame with the background of a map. For this,get a glossy,stylized map of the place your friends went vacationing to. “On the background of the location map,paste a wooden photo frame and embellish it with seashells and coloured stones. When I recently gave such a photo frame to my relatives,the expression on their faces was something really worth the effort,which was not much,in the first place,” says Rishika Thakur,a college student,who gifted it to her cousin. Thakur also suggests replacing the wooden frame with other materials of your choice,like straw or reed sticks.

If you’ve recently shifted house and have loads of unused materials to discard,why not put them to some good use? For instance,if you have an old door or window panel,just give it a fresh coat of paint,in a colour of your choice. “Then,get a carpenter to affix easy-to-hold knobs in a new design and flatten the surface of the panel,to remove any unevenness,” suggests Bina Rajan,a homemaker and mother of two. “This can make for a unique tray,which will be the centre of attraction and a great conversation-starter in any get-together you may host,” she adds.

Gift it right

* Photo frame with a map of your recent vacation spot as background

* Serving tray made of old/discared door/window panel

* Wall-clock with quirky,witty sayings

* Mouse pad with unique design

* Cushion covers made of pictures of favourite cartoons of your friends/relatives

* Sabotaged photograph – A photograph modified using image editing; you can make your friends stand next to their favourite celebrities