10 Experiences to Give
I read that people get more satisfaction over experiences than things so I like the idea of trying to give experiences over stuff that will just end up in a basement someday. Here are some ideas for ten experiences that you can give. Some are big ticket items but others just require you to reserve in advance or do a little digging.
1. Tickets to a Lecture Series $20
San Francisco has the Commonwealth Club where they bring in really interesting people to speak about smart topics. It’s one of my favorite things to do. You can research for interesting lectures in your area or at a local university.
2. A Hot Air Balloon Ride $200
I love hot air balloon rides! They are usually really peaceful because besides the occasional sound of the gas it is really quiet out way up in the sky. It’s such a neat experience to fly over a beautiful valley early in the morning. (Little known fact: My brother is a hot air balloon pilot so I used to work on his chase crew in college.) photo from here
3. Reserve a Campground About $25
Camping is inexpensive but usually the best spots are reserved way in advance. Do the dirty work and get the reservations and tuck them in with a new led headlamp. My favorite spot is Kirby Cove beneath the Golden Gate Bridge.
4. A Train Trip $200
Americans don’t travel by train vary often but it can be a great way to travel. You can get tickets from San Francisco to Seattle for $75. It takes 24 hours and the seats are fully reclining so you can sleep. It’s a cool adventure where you can see a part of America you’ve never seen before. No one has to stay awake to drive so you can read, eat, or just look at the beautiful scenery.
5. Stay in the Human Nest $100
The Human Nest is a treehouse on the California Coast. It overlooks the ocean and is $100/night. It’s not much fancier than camping (you bring your own sleeping bag.) But you get to wake up overlooking the ocean. It books up way in advance so make reservations for sometime in the future and then wrap up a picture for Christmas Day.
6. A Class price varies
A letterpress class, a floral design class, a pasta making class. Give a gift certificate and sign someone up for a class they’ve been meaning to take.
7. An experience about $70
Vayable.com allows you to buy experiences that you wouldn’t normally get. Like a Vespa tour around Paris, a Locals Eating tour around San Francisco, or learn to surf in Santa Cruz. I love this idea and I can’t wait to try out this site.
8. Eating at a Great Restaurant price varies
When I first moved to San Francisco I was really poor and never ate out. One year for Christmas my boss gave me a meal for two at a very fancy restaurant. It’s something I never would have considered doing on my own but felt so luxurious when someone else was paying for it. It’s one of my favorite memories.
9. Anything Where you say “Go Pack Your Bags, We are Leaving in Two Hours!” price varies
Paul surprised me a few years ago with a night stay down at Half Moon Bay on the coast. He could have just told me that he wanted to take off for a few days after Christmas but instead he made it a surprise and it is one of my favorite gifts he has ever gotten me. It doesn’t even have to be anywhere really fancy but the element of surprise makes everything better. My favorite thing to do when I’m procrastinating is look up tickets on Travelocity with the “flexible dates” option. I got tickets to Paris for $400 and Thailand for $600 this way. Keep your eyes peeled and you can get some great deals.
10. Tickets to a Concert or Show
Nothing makes me happier than going to a good concert. It seems like when I was younger I would travel great distances and spend any money I had to go to a great concert. Now I live in big cities where the best artists play and I never make time to go. Buy tickets for their favorite artists and wrap them up with a new cd.
I’d love to hear if you have any suggestions or ideas of experiences to give!
Watercolor Wedding Invitations
Last year at this time I was busy working on these watercolor wedding invitations for Nancy and Elias’ destination wedding. (It was featured on Martha Stewart here.) These are the most labor intensive invitations I’ve ever made (see some outtakes) but are also my favorite thing I’ve designed. I have to give credit to my talented studio manager Alexis Birkmeyer who printed and painted and duplexed each one by hand (she is the most detail oriented person I know-perfect for letterpress.) The invitations were two sided: English on one and Greek on the other. and several parts were duplexed together which means you take two sheets of paper and glue them. It was all wrapped up together with pretty silver string. Nole from Oh So Beautiful Paper featured them today with all the details. Go here to read more.
ps: Here are some watercolor business cards and my watercolor Christmas card.
Inspiration Edition No. 4
1. A Water Bottle with pretty typography.
2. Little Kids in Hats. Not sure what this is but I know I like it. via EatDrinkChic
3. Patterned Party Crackers
4. Letterpressed Boomboxes by Denise Sharp via Chelsea
5. Painted Leather Chair (A nice way to spruce up an old leather chair.)
6. Laptop case in polka dots.
Letterpress Business Cards! On Sale!
Today I’m excited to announce a special promotion we are doing on letterpress business cards. You get 250 1-color letterpress business cards for $130. You can choose from 8 different colors and either choose one of our designs or provide your own. There are hand painted edges or water colored details for an additional fee. If you need some letterpress business cards you’d be hard pressed to find a better deal. There are a very limited number of orders available at this price so if you are interested, order early!
[Edit 6/8/2011: My server crashed last night and lost some comments. I'm so sorry if your comment was deleted!]
OLD FRIEND + NEW FRIEND
I’m starting a new series on my blog where I introduce an old-to-me blog and a new-to-me blog I love.
OLD FRIEND: First up is Megan aka Not Martha. Not Martha was the first blog I’d ever read. If fact I don’t think I called it a blog back then it was a “website.” She is the queen of DIY and her projects are brilliant. The reason I love Megan’s DIY projects is she only will do a project if she has a really good idea. They are not hastily put together. Megan will try a project three different ways until she finds the best way and then she’ll do a tutorial. Here are my favorite posts of Megan’s (it was so hard to choose!)
Tiny Gingerbread Houses for your Hot Drink
NEW FRIEND: I met Joke of Tokketok Letterpress last November at Little Winter in Portland. She was adorable and her letterpress aesthetic is beautiful. She has a blog where she posts fun projects. They are all clever and beautifully styled. Here are my five favorites.
[Edit 6/8/2011: My server crashed last night and lost some comments. I'm so sorry if your comment was deleted!]
Oh Happy Day is a party and lifestyle blog based in San Francisco. We just moved back after spending a year in Paris, France. We love to throw parties and make things!
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