Gift Giving and Receiving

If you have a few special graduates in your life, you may want to put some extra thought into your gifts.  Start planning and shopping now!

Also, stock up on graduation greeting cards.  Order now so you don’t find yourself paying top dollar at the card store at the last minute.  Don't forget to get greeting cards for your graduate to give to their friends, too. 

Our online store has fun and unique packages of greetings cards.  Or check out your local card shop, although they usually carry single cards only.

Graduates appreciate something heartfelt as well as practical.  To help you with your shopping, here's a list of our online partners who offer fun and unique Graduation Gifts for all budgets:

• Carlson Craft  ~  graduation picture frames, key chains & more.
• OneShare.com ~ one share of stock in over 100 popular companies like Nike, Microsoft, Starbucks, Disney, and Yahoo! to name just a few. This is one of our favorite gifts to give! Finding one share of stock is very hard to come by.
• Amazon  ~  Graduation Books, Jewelry & Watches, iPods & Accessories, Laptops & more.
• Lids.com  ~  College hats and t-shirts.
• Snapfish.com  ~  Memory books & photo products.

By clicking on any of the links above, you can browse the graduation gifts that are available and order directly from these companies. 

We've also prepared a list of graduate tested and approved gift ideas.  For more ideas order our Graduation Planning Guide.

A collage of photographs, a class or group photo framed with personalized writing on the frame, a tailor made shadow box, or framed photographs will all be greatly appreciated. Carlson Craft offers a "Signature Frame" (with or without engraved nameplate) that can be signed by the graduate's friends and family as well as a wide selection of unique graduation picture frames.  Or check out our Snapfish.com page for other photograph ideas.
Personalized items:  Put monograms or the grad's name on bath towels, flannel blankets, coffee mugs, key chains or frames.  Carlson Craft has a number of items that can be engraved and personalized including picture frames, key chains and photo albums.
A unique gift of one share of stock in popular companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Nike, Disney, Yahoo, and many more!  Check out these cool stock certificates (with or without museum-quality frames) at OneShare.com.
Memory books:  Carlson Craft has some wonderful memory books that can be personalized with an engraved name plate.  Snapfish.com also has some great Memory Books and Flip Books that you can create online and order multiple copies.
Gift certificates to a bookstore, the local mall or a major retailer. How about an Amazon.com Gift Certificate or a LIDS Gift Card - the perfect gift for those whose head size you aren't too sure about!?
Sweatshirt or t-shirt from the college your graduate is going to.  Lids.com is a great place to find college hats and tees to your grad's new or favorite college!

• Write a check for an amount equivalent to the graduation year (e.g. $20.08).
• Cell phone with a service plan or calling cards so they don't have to worry about roaming charges.  Let your grad know you want to stay in touch.
• A quilt made with scanned photos.  Our friend found a company that can scan photos onto material and a different person to sew the quilt.
• A quilt made with your graduate's sports or school jerseys.
• Large bag for dirty clothes, along with a box of detergent and quarters.  Consider getting the bag personalized with the grad's name.
• Snake light or flash light
• Camera with battery and film or disposable cameras
• A subscription to your hometown newspaper or the graduate's favorite magazine.

Thank you etiquette

After the ceremony; after the party; there is one last detail that the graduate needs to take care of… Sending thank you notes.  It’s customary for the graduate to thank all the people who gave them a graduation gift.   To make this task easier, order personalized thank you notes well in advance of graduation.  And consider ordering the graduation themed return address labels and envelope seals.   Thank you cards, envelope seals and return address labels can all be ordered online from Carlson Craft.  Our online store also has a wide selection.

Saying “thank you” is easy…

Never written thank you notes before?  Don’t worry.  Just follow our simple guidelines.  If you’re still stuck, check out our sample letters for some great ideas.

• Every gift, whether received by mail or in person, should be acknowledged with a thank you note.
• Don't limit thank you notes to people who have sent gifts. Now is the time to remember and thank special teachers, coaches, relatives and friends from high school or elementary school.
• Send thank you notes promptly. Start right away and finish no later than one month after graduation.
• Always hand write thank you notes and hand address the envelopes. E-mail is not appropriate.
• Mention the gift specifically in the note and express appreciation.
• When you receive money as a present, don’t mention the amount. Do, however, mention how you plan to spend the money.
• Avoid making thank you notes look like form letters by adding a personal reference to each one. See our sample letters.

Money as gifts

“Before the cards started arriving, we talked to our son about how he was going to spend the money he received as gifts. We agreed that he could have half of the money, but the other half went into his savings account. I taped the checks to a cupboard and he was allowed to deposit them when the thank you note was mailed. I’m glad we discussed it ahead of time.”

Barb in Dallas, Texas

PhotoStamps!

Don't forget to get stamps, too.  The latest trend in celebrations is PhotoStamps.  You can turn your grad's photo into real US postage using PhotoStamps.com.    Add another fun & unexpected touch by using these one-of-a-kind stamps on your thank you cards and invitations.

Photo Confetti & Wordfetti

Some people like to spice up their thank you cards and invitations by including a little bit of confetti in them.  Why not go the extra step and add some Photofetti or Wordfetti!    Photofetti is photo confetti made with your snapshots and Wordfetti is made with congratulatory messages, mixed with colorful accents.    In addition to including it in your thank you cards and invitations cards, you can also sprinkle it on your tables the day of your party.