With the graduation season upon us we thought we would create a list of gift ideas for the high school and college graduate. But as you know we don’t just give you regular old ideas here at GiftStumped - we give you unique gift ideas.

We have put together some ideas for creating gift baskets your graduate will not only like but actually use.

For the High School Graduate

Going into college you think you need a ton of stuff. I had everything under the sun my freshman year but by the time I was a senior, I took about about half of that with me. Here are a few gift basket ideas featuring the things your high school grad REALLY needs:

	Laundry Basket - One word…Quarters. Doing laundry while in college can be a huge pain in the rear. I remember searching for quarters in our couch cushions and having to use my roommate’s detergent cause I was too lazy to go to the store. No fun. To create: Buy a laundry basket and fill it with the things you know your grad will need - detergent, dryer sheets, hangers and of course quarters. You may also want to throw in there towels, flip-flops (for the shower) and some bath goods.
	Keep-in-Touch Basket - While traditional letter writing has gone the way of the 8 track it is still nice to send mail every once in a while and your grad may appreciate it. To create: Buy a file folder/organizer and it fill it with stationery, envelopes and stamps. You could also add cards for different occasions (birthdays, just for fun, Christmas, etc). A great personal touch would be getting a matching address book and writing in the addresses and email addresses of loved ones and friends.
	Medicine Basket/Kit - Perhaps some of the most underrated products we as kids take for granted when living at our parents houses are the medicines we use. Need a BandAid? Which size? Cold medicine? Day or night? A medicine kit is a GREAT gift that will definitely be used. To create: Buy a small plastic container (Artbin’s work great) and fill it with the things your grad will need - Advil, Tylenol, Band Aids, Tums, Pepto Bismol, Cold & Flu, cough syrup, etc. Add a gift card to Target or some cash for an additional treat.
	Gift Certificate Basket - Yes, gift certificates aren’t typically unique…but they can be. Create a small basket featuring gift certificates to places like the college bookstore, fast food restaurants and the local grocery store. Fast food was a 2-3x week staple for me and not having to pay made it even better. To create: Get a small basket and fill it with a few gift cards to places you know your grad will go. Buy some candy and snacks to fill the basket.

For the College Graduate

When you graduate and move into your own apartment you realize a few things…Those three plastic plates you used for four years don’t really seem as great as they once did, the one pot you have isn’t conducive to cooking an actual meal and having a matching set of towels for the bathroom is kind of nice. Here are a few gift basket ideas to help the college grad get started in their new life:

	Kitchen Basket - A kitchen basket has endless possibilities. Have you ever walked into Williams-Sonoma? That place is amazing! The kitchen section at Ikea? Plates galore! Get your grad a few things you know they will need - plates, glasses, silverware, dish towels, a couple of pots and pans, tupperware, etc. To create: Buy a laundry basket or something that you know they can use and fill it with some kitchen goods. A great finisher would be a gift card to the local grocery store.
	Food & Drink Basket - Want to know one of the best gifts I have ever receieved? A cooler. A simple cooler that I can take with me camping, to concerts or anywhere else. They are cheap and one of those gifts you don’t realize how much you will use. To create: Buy a cooler from Lowe’s or Wal-Mart and fill it with some food and beverages your grad likes. There are also these personalized party tub coolers that might be a nice touch.
	Cleaning Basket- I didn’t know just how much went into cleaning a small apartment. Don’t get me wrong, I had cleaning chores as a kid but like the medicine, everything I needed was just there. Windex, Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, Mr. Clean, the list goes on and on. To create: Get a plastic bin and fill it with cleaning products for your grad. Sponges, dust clothes and paper towels are also a nice addition. If you are feeling crazy consider a Swiffer or vacuum as well.

Well, those are my gift ideas for high school and college graduates and I hope you find them useful. Of course you could always be unoriginal and just give them money…

Update: I came across a couple of other sites with some nice ideas so I thought I would include them.

• Purple Trail
  
• College Candy

We were recently contacted by Dee Boswell of DeeBozzz, who creates unique, one-of-a-kind silk scarves. (she used our Suggest a Gift contact form)

Dee suggested we take a look at her scarves to see if we wanted to review them.

Honestly, my first thought was “do I want to review scarves?” Interesting enough? Unique enough?

But, after taking a look, I:

1. Saw how beautiful the scarves are
2. Realized how unique they really are
3. Thought that they would make lovely gifts for women & women who are art lovers
4. Noticed that Dee can make custom pieces for you
5. Decided that I was late in getting a Mother’s Day gift idea post out (although we do have a nice list of Mother’s Day Gift Ideas on the site)

Here are some of the scarves that jumped out at me:

Dee let us know the following about her products and company:

[Dee creates] silk scarves, silk shawls, and silk apparel. They are all hand-painted, and one-of-a-kind.

The mission of this fiber art company is to “create beautiful and unique designs through the art of silk hand painting and dyeing”.

What makes these accessories so different is that they are so unique. Every scarf and wrap is fashioned by hand from beginning to end. Patterns may be similar, but every scarf is one of a kind! They have a luxurious feel, yet they are easy to care for.

I create my wearable works of art in my Toronto-based studio.

Dee also has a nice blog and videos of how to wear your scarf. Small business owner, great products, blog, how-to videos… you can see why I decided to write about this.

If you do purchase something from Dee for this Mother’s Day, you will also have a nice story to tell Mom about how you found a cute site called GiftStumped and found unique, hand-painted scarves created by an artist in Toronto. She just doesn’t need to know you almost waited until the last minute!

Know someone who can’t find anything in the mess they created for themselves?

Then, a great gift idea is to treat them to a gift certificate for a professional organization session!

There is even a trade association, the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), that can help you locate a professional organizer in your area through their searchable online directory.

Not only can you search for organization consultants by location, you can also search by area of specialty. Some of the specialties that you can use in your search include:

• Closet Design and Installation
• Closet Organizing
• Estate Organizing
• Feng Shui
• Financial/Bookkeeping
• Garages/Attics/Basements
• Garage/Estate Sales
• Home Office
• Kitchens
• Moving/Relocation
• Other Rooms
• Photographs/Memorabilia/Collections
• Time Management

Of course, you can always offer to do it yourself. But, you run the risk of ruining a perfectly good relationship!

My grandmother gave my mom the Betty Crocker cookbook when she left home and in turn my mother gave me the Betty Crocker cookbook when I left home. I guess if I have a daughter I have to give one to her right?

I probably will but I would also consider giving her a TasteBook. TasteBook is a site that allows you to create your own cookbook from recipes in their database (they have a ton from Epicurious…mmm) and/or recipes of your own.

The application is easy to use and for $35 you get a hardcover cookbook featuring 100 recipes and you can even include personal photos and your own title.

I really think this would make a great graduation gift, housewarming gift, wedding gift or birthday gift for someone special to you. It may take some time to create but the personalization can really mean a lot to someone. Plus $35 is a great deal!

Visit TasteBook to find out more. Tell them we helped you un-stump your brain.

Update: All Recipes and Big Oven also offer personalized cookbooks around the same price.

Here’s a unique gift idea - help someone start a collection of some kind.

I got this idea initially because I saw that a friend of mine had a really cool collection he was building for himself. He started collecting stock certificates of companies that had either gone bankrupt or were no longer in existence:

Enron	Penn. Railroad Company	Gray Manufacturing Co.

He would buy them on eBay and then frame them. This collection made sense for him because he is a portfolio manager at a financial services firm.

(A train fan might also like this idea if all of the stock certificates were for railroad companies of yesteryear.)

My former brother-in-law had a collection of antique fans:

I have a small collection of antique mini oil lamps. I prefer the copper/brass bottom and glass top, but there are many, many varieties to choose from:

Here are some other ideas for collections:

• Foreign currency
• Vintage advertising prints
• Antique medicine bottles (check out Antique Medicine Bottle Hall of Fame)
• Flags from foreign countries (I have a collection of old Soviet Union flags)
• Chess sets
• Vintage signs
• Candle holders
• Coasters
• Comic books
• Movie posters - vintage or current
• Vintage/Unique T-Shirts

Feel free to share other kinds of collections that would make good gifts…