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…

Shadow Box for Wedding Dress Example Thanks to Heirloom Shadow Box Company: http://www.heirloomshadowboxco.com/

My husband brought this gift idea to my attention (he read this blog post about how to display a wedding dress).

My first thought was, where’s MY wedding dress and why haven’t you framed IT?

The bride-to-be can spend weeks and maybe months trying to find that perfect wedding dress. There is the time and then the expense that goes along with it. The bride wears such an exquisite and beautiful dress only once. It becomes a sentimental part of her existence. Yes, I know there are pictures and video but why not have the dress framed and hung in a special place so that she can pass by it for years to come and get reminded over and over again what a special wedding day she had.

This gift can be given long after the wedding is over. What a grand surprise it would be for your first anniversary, or even a milestone anniversary such as 10 or 25 years. You are sure to WOW her with this one of a kind gift.