Buying a sentimental gift for a girl

[icarus]

Dear CP oracle, I need some advice.

I will spare you the boring, sappy details but I am looking to buy a sentimental gift for a girl I care a lot about. You can probably get a sense of the situation if I say that I am returning home to Canada soon after living in Australia for a year.

I am not very good at knowing what to buy for anyone, especially girls. I do know that I want the desired effect to be that this item is to remind her of me long into the future, at least until I can see her again, and to remind her of all the great moments we had together.

I'll leave it at that so as to not make you vomit/lower your estimation of me!

All advice is appreciated

[Caged Great]

Here's the perfect thing you should get her

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dmVU08zVpA

[Flames09]

Diamonds!!!

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Here's the perfect thing you should get her

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dmVU08zVpA

Haha, best Justin Timberlake song ever!

[Table 5]

the mix tape still works wonders my man. it might not be expensive, but can get as sentimental or fun as you want it to be. if done right, a good mix tape will be the gift that keeps on giving for many years to come. plus, you can slip in a few kick-ass Journey songs.

You gotta do the tape though, no itunes or cd mix....that's too easy. Take the time to do it right.

[J pold]

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Give her a spiderman costum. Then, start humming the spiderman cartoon theme song.

[J pold]

How long have you known her?

[RedHot25]

Well...ok I am a bit of a big sap so this may be too much cheese. And it really depends on how much you like the girl...and how much effort you want to put into it. But "homemade" gifts, to me, are the better option in such a case. Now I'm not saying make something really tacky or completely from scratch....but....

...does she have a fave poem? You could write that up, or get it done in that fancy calligraphy (spelling) writing. Or you could be real adventurous and attempt to write your own...

....a mix cd/tape/whatever is great. But really make sure to personalize it, make it related to things - e.g. songs you both or she likes, songs that have some sort of connection, etc.

...and, without knowing much more about things, this would depend if you are still wanting to stay in touch (i.e. dating etc). A web cam (get your minds out of the gutter ) may be good here. OR maybe you can contribute to getting her or you some sort of long distance plan so that you can always stay in touch etc.

....maybe something from a place that means something to you both...whether you buy it or just get it. Could be a picture of it, maybe, framed. Or a souvenir, or something from it, or...?

Anywho, those are some random ideas...I'll add more as I come to think of them.

I guess for me the question is: is this something that you want to say "bye bye, I really enjoyed my time with you, but I'm not going to ever see you/talk to you again", or is it a bit more serious/let's stay in touch? I'm assuming its romantic? Or is it just a friend? OR....?

Cheers.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Find pictures of things, people, or places she holds dear to her heart

If they're digital get them developped

Go to "Things Engraved" or "Truly Yours" or one of those engraving places, and find a picture frame that holds several pictures.

Get the frame engraved with a discription of each of the picture. ie: Person's name, name of the place, what the thing is... not detailed there isn't the room and it's bloody expensive, haha.

Put pictures in the engraved picture frame.

Voila

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by RedHot25

...and, without knowing much more about things, this would depend if you are still wanting to stay in touch (i.e. dating etc). A web cam (get your minds out of the gutter )

Hey, if you get the gift I suggested and that for her, you could give that gift over and over again.... (No need for the box after the first time though )

[icarus]

Its a complicated situation, I won't go into it. But the intention is to let her know I am serious rather than a seeya later!

[notoepik]

A ring. Diamond or birthstone.

Leave it up to your heart to decide which kind of ring.

[J pold]

My advice would be if you haven’t known her that long…like 2 or 3 dates to really not buy her anything…she should be buying you something remember icarus you are prize!

[redforever]

Speaking from a female's point of view, the CD is the best idea. Make sure you choose songs for the words that you are trying to express. Forget just putting on popular songs you both like. Very carefully choose the songs that have your intentions in words, or that suggest your intentions. And also include songs that would be how you feel about her. The two are different, choose songs that express both your feelings for her and your future intentions.

And it is so easy now to make the CD look like it was bought. Do it up good with pictures etc and then get some shop to gift wrap it up real pretty. You might also want to find one of those sappy little books, the small sort of inspirational ones, that talk about feelings, love, whatever you are trying to express to her.

PS: I forgot to add that women can never receive enough flowers. Whatever you decide to give her, accompany with some flowers. Now, dont go overboard and get 2 or 3 dozen roses. Go to a flower shop and get a nice little posy arrangement, something small, dainty and special, and put a special rose in the middle. Different color roses all have different meanings, I forget what they all are now, but I think a good florist would know or else do a google search.

[I_H8_Crawford]

Engagement Ring.
Nothing says "I'm serious" like an engagement ring.

[Clever_Iggy]

Along the lines of something made. My experience is girls like things that are bought, but when it comes to saying Im serious (minus an engagement ring), something made by you speaks volumes.

Also, if you can include some type of theme, something that you both share or something that symbolizes your relationship - the more effective it will be in getting your message across. And - dont be subtle - girls read into EVERYTHING but spare them the effort.

Good luck man.

[Ford Prefect]

Isn't Australia known for its opals? Buy her a nice raw opal and let her decide how she wants to have it finished and mounted and cover those costs. If your budget allows for it of course. If not, there's always lingerie. Nothing says "I'm thinking of you" like lingerie!

[PowerPlayoffs06]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Find pictures of things, people, or places she holds dear to her heart

If they're digital get them developped

Go to "Things Engraved" or "Truly Yours" or one of those engraving places, and find a picture frame that holds several pictures.

Get the frame engraved with a discription of each of the picture. ie: Person's name, name of the place, what the thing is... not detailed there isn't the room and it's bloody expensive, haha.

Put pictures in the engraved picture frame.

Voila

My fiancee did that for me for Valentines day one year. She found a bunch of pics of her growing up from a baby to how she is now, and asked my mom to find some of the same of me. Then she added photos of the two of us together and wrote a little message to place in the first photo slot about two lives becoming one and all that sappy girl stuff. Best gift I've received.

I guess she felt that she had to top (or at least equal) me for making a scrapbook of our first year of dating with things like movie stubs and concert tickets and date photos and all that kinda sappy stuff. Man, scrap booking is a crazy amount of work. I used to think it was a cheesy hobby, but holy crap, I had new respect for hardcore scrapbookers after that.

So that's a good idea. The scrapbook will score points too if you've got the stuff to make one.

[YziesGirl]

Find something "out of the norm", i.e. something that you know is important to her (i.e. a book or CD or movie) she's mentioned and go for it.

The fact that you've REALLY listened to her, will earn you brownie points!