Hellow… well yesterday was an action packed gift shopping bonanza. My boyfriend deciced he wanted to purchase gifts for a group of friends so we did. We were both in agreement about what kind of gift… books…

Gotta love books. We went straight to our favourite place, The American Bookstore. We spent about an hour and half searching for 8 books for friends. We didn’t want to purchase novels so we were looking for other books that would match their personalities and or interests. For some people this was easy, we actually had to pick from a bunch of possibilities. For others it was kinda difficult to choose. It made me think about how well we know certain people. It was a total surprise to this group that we brought all these gifts which totally enhanced the experience for us. I think everybody was very happy …

It did get me a little over excited for a while, the shopping bug bit me. I’m not too worried though, I have a support group that helps me and I am confident I do not have to start with the shopaholic behaviour again.

gifts under the tree

I went to see Damian Hirst’s diamond skull yesterday  at the Rijksmuseum with a dear friend of mine. We were totally blown away by it. I was kind of apprehensive after hearing so much about it. Then when we got there I was a little afraid because the room in which it is presented is completely dark, not a good place for someone who can’t see… in the dark. Anyway, it was amazing, such detailed craftmanship. It really made me think and that doesnt happen often (with art I mean :)

So, back to the budget shopping tips, they have a really cute collection of artsy fartsy knick knacks in the museumshop, very pretty and very affordable. Nice china, art books, and even some great jewelry, so the good kind of knick knacks… Their collection of copies of famous paintings was also impressive, these are not cheap but a fantastic gift for classic art fans.
 
Now for something completely different, why don’t you give the gift of meditation? Now thats a gift that will keep on giving.
 
I was made aware of a fantastic deal here locally at the Maitreya institute, you can purchase a 10 day pass for only € 28 for supervised meditation. Mondays from 19.00 - 19.45 english medidation / Wednesdays from 19.00 - 19.45 dutch medidation. It is not neccessary to pre register and you can bring a friend on your own pass.
 
Sure this is a local deal, but I am sure if you would like to give this type of gift you can find a local meditation institute.
 
Have fun gift shopping, I know I will :)

Honestly, I’m a bit of a snob, I give good gifts and would feel totally embarassed if the receiver felt my gift was cheap. Hence, during these times of financial hardship, I want to share with you my ideal gifts on a budget.

1. My absolute favourite, books! try the American Bookstore in Amsterdam, in the white room on the second floor they have a bargain section and you will find really cool books for as little as 6 euros. The great thing about the bargain section is that you have all these different types of books that you would normally not see put together. Try to go in with an open mind and think about your loved ones, some books will pop out at you. They also sell Moleskin notebooks, a great gift for dads.

2. The Bijenkorf, the have great deals every year. Check there online brochure for ideas. For instance, a really cool dishwashing brush for 7,95, might seem like an odd gift, but why not give a household task some glamour. Or how about a cute napkin holder, only 4,50 each, by a set of 2 or 4 and there you go, great hostess gift or for your mom or aunt.  

napkin holder

It takes a bit of time and energy to create an eye for good gifts, but if you’re like me, you will love giving them. Try to look out for smaller, high quality items. Its definately about quality not quantity.

 

More to come!