40th bd present for someone who has it all???

[kindbutnotrich]

Friend is 40 soon. She's well off and has expensive tastes to match. She spent at least £100 on me on my 40th. I can't match that, but am prepared to go to £50. For someone with her tastes, this won't go very far tho. a) she pays for her own beauty treatments on a regular basis, so a beauty voucher isn't anything special to her b)I've looked at her regular perfume, way outside my budget c)clothes/ jewellery/handbags etc ditto. Have done the charity gift thing before, and know it really wouldn't go down too well for this special birthday. Coffee table books not her thing. Any ideas anyone?

theatre tokens?

You can get a gorgeous david austin bouquet of proper smelly roses for about £45. I'd love to get that, they sell online.

do soemthjing with the number?

40 different interesting things to eat
40 small presents to open one a day with a different task
40 fruit salad
40 course dinner

???

Thanks SueW: no, no hobbies (and DEFINITELY not baking) Had the Jo Malone candles up my sleeve as last resort, but although she loves expensive brands, she told me recently she doesn't like Jo Malone. Thanks Cadelaide, thought about theatre vouchers, 2 concerns: 1) she often works away, so if I booked a specific performance, she might not be able to make it 2) I guess I should order 2 tickets - one for her and one for her DH? Where we live, that would blow my budget for a decent show. Do you know if you can get generic theatre vouchers, so she can book what she wants, when she wants (tho don't like people seeing exactly how much I've spent, even if they coudl work that out from a present iyswim)

Yes you can, pretty much all theatres do them.

I think £50 of theatre vouchers is a fab present.

oh i bet you can get them online.

will you write her a letter about why you love her.

40 reasons why she is fab.

will go further than £50

www.theatretokens.com/

now BBBeee, that's a great idea. I often make up hampers for various occasions, and my friend has often commented on how thoughtful they are. Would appreciate help in fleshing out that idea.... Either 40 of something (like 40 little presents which make me think of her, only I could do that of course) or a number of things to do with being 40 (wouldn't have to be 40 of them, bearing my budget in mind!)

Diptyque are even posher than Jo Malone. 36 quid for a candle.

Aw, sophable, that's a great idea. not sure if I could get to 40 in this instance tho will give it a try

IF you have known her a long time, 40 small silly-but-relevant to her presents in a bag? Otherwise, if she drinks, how about 2 bottles of 20-year-old premium scotch or wine? Or 1 bottle of 40-year-old scotch/port/brandy which you might be able to get for £50 or under?
You can get theatre tokens, BTW which can be spent in any participating theatre, if you buy as much as you wnat to spend it is up to her whether she blows it on one show or several.

I think as she can buy pretty much anything she wants herself that a more tjoughful gift would be better.

I like Bbbee's idea of 40 little gifts. Or do you have a nice pic of the 2 of you together, or of your friend and her dp/dh or her kids? You can do fab things with photo's - canvas/shopping bag/make up bag/nice big frame etc

Could you get a photo of her and her children and frame it beautifully? Or of just her? Or put it on a mug? or buy a potted tree?

My favourite recent presents from dh

3D framed pictures of the children on canvas
a mug painted with their fingerprints and saying we love you mummy
a magnolia tree in a pot decorated with their handprints (my 40th)

Not wanting to lower the tone, but my very well-off friend was given Viagra for her 4oth birthday by a friend whose husband was a urologist

I would be tempted to do 40 small presents that are meaningful and as she likes the thoughtful aspect you could write a little note with each of them or nummber them and have a guide book.

It is hard to suggest things but if I was doing a personal one for my friend I would have things like:

• a postcard from mablethorpe where we met
• a can of strongbow as that is what he drinks
• packet of cheesy knick knacks
• pouch of expensive cat food (he adores his cats)
• a clothes peg (we once went camping and had to get up in a storm and peg the door together with one clothes peg)
• some really nice geound coffee and a serviette from the cafe we always drank in
• nice champagne flutes
• sketching pad and pencils

all off the toip of my head but that kind of thing

REALLY:

tiny things on list like

you make me laugh,

that time when we did x

the way you love your kids

etc.

40 is not difficult

and it will be so lovely for her to read it.

for another friend for her 21st I nicked her address book one night and nipped to the loo and copied down all the really close friends she had mentioned. I wrote to them and got them to send a photo and write a message and a bit of 'advice' on a piece of paper I had provided and post it back and I put it all together in a book 'messages for Kate from those who love her on her 21st'

You're right Dr Northener, she's a "money makes up for lack of thought" sort of giver (very generous with it, and she gives fab presents, which is what makes this so hard) I'm a "thought makes up for lack of money" sort of giver, and she does appreciate that approach. So, Sophable and BBBeee's ideas seem more appropriate for this particular person. She likes her booze, madamez, but it doesn't touch the sides so wouldn't invest in decent stuff. Will definitely have to see about getting hold of some photos. Am going to ask her Mum for an embarrassing picture to put in the local paper at least!

(when I was 24 a friend of mine turned 40 and I asked her what one piece of advice she could give me and she said 'look after your pelvic floor!')

Sophable - THANK YOU: Definitely will work on this idea. Yes, I can get to 40 if I include "times when" etc FAB thank you, love it. BBBeee: address book idea is fab, will get her DH workign on that. Not sure my budget will run to x 40 presents BUT am just thinking, if I do Sophable's 40 list, could have gifts linking in at certain points on
the list. definitely something to work on here and absolutely the right thing to do when my budget won't stretch to her tastes. Thanks all!

oh I like this. Okay, 40 things about my friend.

1 the way you never change but are never boring
2 that you are never happy with your hair
3 the way you made my son think his toy rabbit had come to life when you came to see us
4 when you were nice and kind and reassuring to my mum when my flat was broken into
5 the way you jump around when youa re happy
6 you have eurovision parties
7 you have so much respect for people
8 you have made many many people's final moments peaceful
9 you care for people
10 the fun we had going to weird and wonderful places
11 you always make me laugh
12 I know you are always there
13 you make me cds
14 you understand me
15 you have supported me even when you thought I was making a mistake

I have to do some work now but I think this is really nice.