You know how stressful giving presents can be, especially when you barely know the host. Forget about purchasing a gift certificate or getting a bottle of wine. The fact that your friend is throwing a party tells you that they’re open to discovering new dishes. So quit fretting about what present to give them and prepare a set of recipe cards for them as a gift.

Here is our own top 10 list of ways to turn recipe cards into exceptional gifts for your loved ones:

10. Use the power of magnets.

Not all recipe card boxes are convenient to use in the kitchen. After all, you can’t expect the recipient to flip through the cards while they chop the garlic or stir the chicken broth. To be on the safe side, you should accompany your recipe cards with a holder, one that is designed to hold only one recipe card at a time.

To make your present even more functional, you should choose a holder with a magnet. With this kind of holder, your recipient can simply stick the recipe card on the refrigerator or range hood. This makes it easier for them to view a copy of the recipe while whipping it up.

9. Frame the cards.

Giving photo frames as a present is a thing of the past. Yet it’s a completely different story once you combine them with recipe cards. You can either get something that holds several recipe cards at a time or one that encloses only one card. To make this gift even more convenient to use, you can choose a frame that is magnetic.

8. Treat them with coffee.

Who says recipe cards have to be expensive? You can print your own recipe cards with your recycled paper at home. This makes your present even more personalized, plus you have a greater chance to choose the combination of recipes included in the collection.

To add a more stylish look to your recipe cards, you can dip the recycled paper in coffee before printing the recipes on them. Then, you can simply stick each printed copy of the recipe on an individual card to give it a stronger look. Bind the cards with brown paper twine and voila! You have a pseudo-antique collection that looks like a hand-me-down from one generation to another.

7. Stick them on a table.

You don’t have to stick to metal, wood or plastic as a recipe card holder. Why not go for fabric instead? Besides being washable, you can give the recipient several designs so they have the option to use a different kind each time they change their kitchen.

All you have to do is get an ordinary table runner. A table cloth is also a fine choice, but you should choose one with a small size or one that is not too bulky to place on a counter or small working table.

The trick here is to stitch Velcro or a pocket on the table runner or cloth. This way, the recipient can easily secure one or more recipe cards at a time on the fabric.

6. Post them on a magazine.

Do you have a pile of old magazines in your garage? Instead of just throwing or selling all of them, you can recycle some of them yourself. You can actually turn each magazine issue into a recipe card holder.

Besides being economical, this type of holder is less bulky compared to a box or scrapbook. For this reason, the recipient can conveniently bring it anywhere, even outside their house.

You have a choice between sticking the recipe cards with glue and inserting them on customized pockets or patches. If you have extra time on your hands, we suggest you take the effort to do the latter. This gives your recipient the freedom to take out some recipe cards and replace them with other cards they may get in the future.

Help the recipient organize their recipe cards by creating bookmarks that stick out of the pages of the magazine. Each bookmark should be a category under which the recipient can place the matching recipe cards. Examples of these bookmarks are desserts, appetizers, vegetarian dishes and poultry.

5. Hang them on a mini tree.

It doesn’t have to be Christmas to have good reason to buy a decorative tree. We’re not talking about a plastic Christmas tree here. Instead, you can purchase a mini decorative tree that is designed to hold not only Christmas balls, but also ornaments that suit any occasion.

As a present, you can use it to produce a more creative presentation of your recipe cards. You simply hang each recipe card on the branches and you instantly have a present that no longer needs to be wrapped.

Just be sure to accompany your gift with a recipe card box so they can keep their cards for later. The tree serves as a versatile gift since they can use it for purposes other than holding recipe cards.

4. Roll them around pencils.

Add some color to the recipient’s life by giving them colored pencils. These pencils are not just mere coloring materials. Instead, they serve as holders of recipe cards.

Instead of using cardboard or any hard item as a material, you should choose specialty paper. This way, you can roll the copy of the recipe around the pencils. A pencil should be enough to keep your specialized color pencils. Just attach a note to this present saying “Hope this adds that extra color to your kitchen.”

3. Send them through mail.

Everybody loves receiving mail from friends. By filling out simple postcards from your local boutique or department store, you can create a collection of recipe cards for your loved one.

It’s pretty simple. You just have to print a copy of a recipe in each postcard. Then, to make each copy personalized, you should write a short message like “This grilled shrimp recipe is a hit in barbecue parties, Anne!” or something like “Hope your little kids enjoy the mango sherbet.”

Now here comes the sweet part. Instead of compiling the postcards in a box, you send each at one time to your loved one. If they’re going to celebrate their birthday, then it would be a great idea to send one postcard for every day of their birth month. If you have a tight budget, you can simply send a few postcards days before the day of their celebration. Then, once you meet them for their celebration, you just have to play Mr. Postman and place the rest of the postcards in their mailbox.

2. Pack them in discs.

Imagine preparing for a four-course dinner while listening to Mozart or Beethoven. Won’t you feel relaxed instead of rushed? Deboning a chicken, chopping onions or balancing a cheesecake’s consistency would feel more like play than a tedious task.

You can add music and fun to your loved one’s kitchen by giving them a music compilation with a recipe card collection. To make your present even more personalized, you should choose the collection of songs or music yourself. Be sure to tailor each track to the recipient’s taste. After all, you don’t want them to mess up a recipe of lasagna just because they got irritated with your boy band music collection.

Here comes the tricky part. Instead of printing a copy of a recipe on a card, you can use an old or empty compact disc. If you think the font size of the copy is too small to be read conveniently, accompany your present with a magnifying glass.

 

(Still you could find ways to make your CD case useful by learning these 13 Cool Ways To Reuse A CD Case.)

1. Tuck them in a calendar.

How many calendars do you receive as gifts every New Year? Don’t you wish you were at least getting something more hip and unique? Save your loved ones from the horrors of the boring-calendars-as-presents fever by giving them a calendar that you customized yourself.

All you have to do is buy an ordinary calendar and jazz it up by using coloring materials. You can paint and doodle away to add that extra personal touch to the calendar. Then at the corner or center of each month of the year, you simply have to insert a recipe card. You can do this by sticking a pocket on each page with a fabric or transparent sheet of plastic.

The universal present

Who says recipe cards are only for the "kitchen-challenged"? Even chefs love to receive new ideas on how they can treat food in a more unique manner. Remember that this gift is all about how creative you are in presenting it.

If you find music, color and coffee stains a bit too much of an accompaniment to recipe cards, then you could always stick to giving items that relate so much to the kitchen and dining experiences. Some ideal choices are cookware, picnic sets, gift baskets and table sets. Just don’t forget to attach a note to your present to add that extra personal touch to it.

 

(If that’s enough you could learn 99 Extraordinary, Creative and Unusual Uses for Ordinary and Everyday Objects.)