In the world of gift giving I firmly believe it is the thought that counts. But not, as my husband will attest, when the thought is a bouquet ordered at the last minute because he forgot that I turn into a banshee if he doesn’t give me something for my birthday. Still, whether I am giving or receiving, I am a fan of clever, truly thoughtful and personal presents, especially ones that don‘t cost a lot of money. (In my book clever and thoughtfulness always trump cash–after all, how hard is it to buy a nice really expensive gift?)

The thing is, spectacular affordable and sentimental gifts are about as easy to come by as genuine Kelly bags on the black market. The best gifts are often handmade, expensive, or time consuming to make, such as the 26 ceramic animals my dear friend and artist Sarah Klein made for my baby shower gift. (For more on her see SarahKlein.com.) Each represented a letter of the alphabet, so the set included fun figures such as an x-ray fish and a vulture; my daughter and I now carefully pull them from the box and say each animal’s name—priceless! Hubby, who is long past the bouquet stage, also served up a great example with the best Mother’s Day gift ever–a giant card he made featuring me as a cartoon superheroine ready to rule the world with my Siamese cats at my feet, our daugter in one hand, and my laptop in the other. To me it was as good as jewelry–with stones. But how many people have the time or the talent to create such valuable artistic offerings?

If they know about the gift I stumbled upon today, the answer is everybody with a camera and fifteen bucks. A true ringer that will wow any woman, from girls to grandmas, but especially mothers, and perhaps even a member of the other sexual persuasion if he has a beloved pet, it’s a good old-fashioned silhouette paper portrait.

You simply send in an order form and snapshot of the subject’s profile to PaperPortraits.com and they turn it into paper art–and make you a golden gift-giver among recipients.

The technique originated in the 1700s and from the looks of the prices the associated costs haven’t budged much since. Three copies of hand-cut art portraying the profile of your child, best buddy, or pet cost a measly $15 (plus $7 shipping). Tack on a few $10 oval frames and you’re set for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and a birthday or your own keepsake.

It’ll take a bit of time to get the goods in your hands so if you’re buying one of these as a present, order well in advance, lest you want to join the ranks of last-minute bouquet givers.

Erika Lenkert

Technorati Tags: Glam Media, Glam.com, gifts, art, portrait, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthday, paper portraits

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