Is this just too cheap?

Gingernutty

I usually buy presents for family and friends. I occasionally give professionally framed cross stitch pictures.

However, I am skint this year. Bruk, brassic and busted.

I knit scarves for myself but I'm too shy about giving them as gifts as they might unravel when washed.

I have given a cross stitch gift to a lady leaving my section and I FRAMED IT MYSELF! :eek: Actually, it didn't look too bad. The lady thanked me for it so she must like it, right?

Now - the dilemma. I have a large collection of records. Some of them from musicals, old time Country and Irish, traditional Irish, children's stuff - I've got a fairly mixed collection from childhood, teens and early adulthood mixed in with my late uncle's record collection. Arthur Tracey shares shelf space with the OST from Gandhi.

Sitting there on the shelves, only I listen to a small selection of them. Rarely the Gandhi soundtrack altohugh I played it to death once.

I think it's a waste - especially as I have a rag tag and bobtail collection of relatives who might like to hear the old stories, sing along to Disney or bang about to Winifred Atwell and the Sousa marches.

Would it be too 'cheap'/Scrooge-like to put the records onto cds (yep, I've got the gizmo) and into little wallets for the kiddies?

Cue joke - You know you're in the 21st century when a storybook is a cd wallet/mp3 player!

My Dad (in a nursing home) might like the Irish records but I'm especially wondering about the kiddies.

If you were a parent and a rellie rocks up with a cd wallet of blatantly home recorded cds of old 'blast from the past' records what would you think?

Desperado99

I think it's nice..... a modern 'mix-tape' if you like. It shows you've put effort into it rather than just walk into a shop and open your wallet.

My brother did a CD for my daughter last year for her birthday and she loved it.

Plans_all_plans

Yeah I wouldn't mind at all either. It shows they've put some thought into what the children might like. My daughter is 4 and she is very keen on a variety of music (not pop though!). She also wouldn't notice that it wasn't a 'proper' CD.

Also, about the scarves: have you washed your own one? Does it unravel quickly? If it can go through the wash more than 5 times without unravelling, then I don't think that would be an unsuitable gift either.

Bufger

I think if they're home made CD's then i probably wouldnt like it as a gift unless some effort had gone into the playlists or choices to make it really personal.

Have you tried looking at Freecycle? 2 years ago i found a telescope on there and my parents like a bit of amateur astronomy. It needed a good clean but i cleaned it up and later found out it was worth £400! They absolutely loved it and i did tell them where i got it from.

RazWaz

I had my cousin do a similar thing for my for my 18th birthday, and it was the most special gift I got as it showed he really thought about it instead of just buying the first thing he saw. I actually cried when I opened it.

Money_maker

If they're actual vinyl, why not make them into bowls and fill with sweeties for the children? Unique.

Brighton_belle

I would be more than happy for you to to this, whether I actually liked the item or not. Chances are , even if you bought me something for £20 it wouldn't be my taste or a need met either. If you had given me your cross stitch, i would genuinely have thanked you very much , but I wouldn't be putting it up as I am not into that sort of thing. I would much prefer no present than filling my home with things that give me no pleasure. I would retain the appreciation of your thought behind the gift, without needing to keep the gift.
I think the whole present giving thing/obligation has got way out of proportion anyway and we all own way too much 'stuff'.

But a present where someone has put a bit of thought into it, like yours, and even more importantly, hasn't spent money they can't afford sounds great to me. I can't bare people spending beyond their means to give presents.
I try and give gifts of time spent with a friend or like currently helping a family member with work in their home to make it more comforatvble for them, over a series of weekends: worth far more to them than another 'thing' to store.

Most of my friends with kiddies would greatly appreciate you not turning up with another plastic toy,lol. I say go for it with the music.

victory

Excellent idea, can you not sell them on ebay raise some money for yourself?

FatVonD

Could you frame any of the album covers in a theme that might appeal to any of your relatives? (Checking first they're not worth a mint!) I saw this on TV once (with some rare indie label covers) and it looked great.

I think the CD idea is kind of OK as long as it's a mix and not just a copy of one entire album. Could you knit/cross stitch individual covers for the CDs?

Seanymph

I'd love it too - my kids uploaded pictures of them as littlies and made an album for their dad last year and he loved it.

I think home made thoughtful gifts are brilliant.

JimmyTheWig

Would you then destroy the vinyls? Because otherwise wouldn't that be giving a stolen present?

I love the idea, though - it requires thought and effort on your part which should be appreciated. Especially if you choose appropriate tracks and maybe make a nice personalised label for it.