From time to time on the blog, we'll offer unexpected alternatives for traditional gift-giving situations: Engagement trinkets that aren't all about the bling; rogue wedding gifts that inspire awe instead of "aw, you should NOT have;" things your parents won't only keep out of obligation, etcetera, etcetera.
Giving a truly thoughtful and well-executed gift is one of the most rewarding feelings ever -- like that time I found a set of dessert plates for a friend graduating PA school in a seemingly abstract pattern that was ACTUALLY super-magnified human tissue samples. (Eternally self-fiving that one.)
So, we try to replicate that feeling as often as possible around these parts. Good gifting is a gift, I think is a saying.
Anyway, this was top-of-mind recently as my husband and I exchanged first anniversary gifts. We decided to follow the traditional anniversary gift prescriptions for the sake of having some sort of parameters: Paper for the first year, cotton for the second, leather for the third, and so on.
Paper is tough. You want to gift something more than a card or a note, less cheesy than a stack of invented coupons, and you want to make sure it's not too delicate to be a keepsake. A photograph seemed perfectly appropriate, but predictable. So finally, I settled on a painting. Mitch adores an ink drawing Melissa did of his first house in Kansas City, so I decided to commission a portrait of our first home together. I settled on watercolor, to satisfy the paper requirement, and I'm totally tickled by how well it turned out:
I worked with the artist, Don Cobb, over several weeks to make sure Gibbs was placed and scaled appropriately on the porch -- an effort that did not go unappreciated. See more of his work at his Etsy shop.
For his own gift, Mitch presented me with an empty scrapbook and a fully booked tourist weekend in our new city to fill it. (Creative, no?) We spent Friday night at the City Museum -- a climbable, indescribable museum-cum-art installation -- after having drinks at Taste and checking out the view from atop downtown's Bar 360, and finished off with a nightcap at members-only cocktail bar Blood & Sand.
Note: if a date invites you to City Museum, wear pants. The slide that immediately followed this photo op was not graceful.
And although the weather did its best to rain out our parade on Saturday, we explored the near-deserted (and nationally ranked) St. Louis Zoo after brunch at Demun Oyster Bar.
I broke down and ate oysters in a landlocked state. I have no regrets.
It wouldn't be a "trip" to St. Louis without a Ted Drewes concrete. And finally, we ate ourselves inoperable with the 10-course tasting menu at the James-Beard nominated Elaia.
Poor lighting by candlelight.
Have you gotten a gift that totally bowled you over? We're always looking for new ideas. Share your best gift experience -- giving or receiving -- in the comments! Want a to spend an unforgettable weekend in St. Louis? Address thank-yous to Mitch May.
