Unusual Gift Ideas?

I need some gift ideas.

Last year, some friends got hubby and I this really groovy crystal salt lamp like the one here http://www.peacefulpuddle.com/gem_stone_lamps.htm

Now we can't figure out what to get them that would be really cool like the salt lamp. Usually we pick out a nice bottle of wine for them, but that kind of seems old hat this year.

Any ideas?

How 'bout a fountain? One year, I gave my parents a little fountain I assembled myself -- a small submersible pump placed in the bottom of a pretty container with big random chunks of colored glass on top of it. (I got the glass from an aquarium store that apparently buys glass globs left over from glassware manufacturers.)

I also made another fountain using large stones that I got from a landscaping company (though you could also use specimen stones from a rock shop!). Once you get the glass or stones arranged the way you want them, you run a little clear plastic tubing up from the pump (invisibly) to the point where you want the water to bubble out. Very pretty!

Two suggestions, though:

1. I now know that it would be better to use a layer or two of carpenter's cloth (a heavy wire mesh you get from a hardware store) as a little "floor" above the pump's level, to pile your stones or glass on. Otherwise, the stone or glass takes up all the space and your fountain doesn't hold much water, so you have to keep refilling it. (Also, the pump has to be completely submerged at all times, or it will burn out.)

2. Whatever you use, be sure to thoroughly clean all the pieces before you assemble them, because pets will undoubtedly drink the water. For this reason, it's best to use very hard, solid rocks -- no sandstone or anything that might dissolve gradually into the water. Pets are a good reason to disassemble and clean the fountain regularly, too -- and you should soak the pump in white vinegar every few months to keep it working.

I don't know if you want a actual phyical gift or not but I donate money every year to Heifer International. You can donate funds to either buy an animal or a share of an animal in a developing country. Offspring of these animals have to be donated themselves.
You can buy bees, chickens, rabbits, goats, cows, etc..... This help the families become self sustaining.

Originally Posted by GailC

I don't know if you want a actual phyical gift or not but I donate money every year to Heifer International. You can donate funds to either buy an animal or a share of an animal in a developing country. Offspring of these animals have to be donated themselves.
You can buy bees, chickens, rabbits, goats, cows, etc..... This help the families become self sustaining.

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Yeah, I have done that before. It seems to be a good thing.

I don't how unusual it is, but what about Planet Earth DVD set?

http://store.discovery.com/detail.ph...9_staff_buyers

OK, not so imaginative because they're also salt, but REALLY cool (if anyone's into cooking or serving at all - DH has been dying for one of the plates):

http://www.atthemeadow.com/shop/inde...ax_display=124

OR... what about browsing here? http://shop.theanimalrescuesite.com/...439&siteId=310

Wow, a bunch of good suggestions - I will have to run some of these by the hubby