Give & Tell with Geek Dad, Ken Denmead

Ken Denmead is a husband and father from the San Francisco Bay Area, where he works as a civil engineer. He’s also the editor of Wired magazine’s parenting blog, GeekDad, where along with a group of other geeky parents, he posts projects, book and movie reviews, podcasts, and more about being a parent and being a geek.

You’ve seen Ken’s work around Wantist before—he’s also the author of the Geek Dad series of books, Geek Dad, The Geek Dad’s Guide to Weekend Fun, and just released this month, The Geek Dad Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists, filled with science experiments and MacGyvery exploits for the family to do together.

Needless to say, he’s a busy guy, so I’m completely geeking out when I tell you that we snagged some of his time to Give & Tell today. Thanks Ken!

Could you share a wrapping secret with us?

My favorite tried-and-true technique is one I learned as a kid – curling ribbon with the edge of a scissors blade. But I always take it one step further. I will snip the ribbon into smaller strings, and then curl them, for a very interesting curly string effect.

Have you ever given a gift in an interesting way?

Especially with our boys, we love to do treasure hunts. And it’s a tradition in our family to put interesting clues to a gift on its tag. Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes obscure.
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Give & Tell

Give & Tell with Bridget Butch (aka BB)

Meet Bridget Butch (aka BB). She’s an internet heroine of mine. I’ve been following her blog for years and years, and years. Not to age you, BB, but she’s been sharing link-ity goodness since 2003, which is a long time ago on these here tubes.

BB is a user experience guru (nerd) living in Milwaukee, WI. She has distinct taste, two cats (Oskar and Eva), can’t quit Brooklyn (her home away from home), and enjoys cheese (on an epic level). See? You love her already. Say hello to Bridget as she shares her gifting stories and the gift she really wants from Wantist. (Bet you’ll never guess.)

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?

The best gift ever? I don’t think I could possibly answer that. Too many people in my life have given me such thoughtful gifts. A few examples that spring to mind:

My mom’s given me two quilts that I absolutely love. She knows I have a spectacular weakness for quilts. One is a hand-made lap quilt that a neighbor made for her, and the other is a quilt that she picked up at an estate sale just for me. I absolutely love them. Who wouldn’t like to bundle up on a cold night with a quilt from Mom?
When I went to Paris a few years ago my friend, Gretchen, bought me a tube of Mac red lipstick because I couldn’t POSSIBLY go to Paris without perfect red lipstick. Since I’m awed by Gretchen’s ability to wear red lipstick perfectly and for HOURS (seriously – it’s a superpower), it was absolutely the perfect gift from her.
My friends, Lorraine and Tina, have both bought me airline tickets to see them when I wasn’t financially able to swing it. As a travel bug, airline tickets are the gift motherlode. I’m always grateful for a chance to travel. Doing it for free puts me over the moon.
Every year, my sister, Eileen, gives me Green Bay Packer tickets for my birthday. Packer tickets are nearly impossible to get and very expensive, but she and her hubs have four season tickets. They always take me and a guest to a game, usually in December. It may be incredibly cold, but, if you’ve ever been to Lambeau Field, you know it’s worth the eight layers of clothes.

What’s your favorite reason to celebrate with a gift?

I think the best gifts are the ones you get or give when there’s absolutely no occasion at all. Those are the gifts that really say, “I was thinking of you, and it made me happy.” They’re absolutely heartfelt and so touching. No one buys impulse gifts for someone they feel ambivalent about. Maybe they do on reality TV, but not in my world.
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Give & Tell

Give & Tell with Cariann Burger of Cargoh

Cariann Burger is one cool chick. She’s got talent (of the super-creative kind), she’s genuine and sweet to everyone (that smile!) and she runs a company that empowers and celebrates the work of artists all over the world.

Cariann and her husband Paul are the founders of Cargoh, a marketplace of independent art and design—essentially a jackpot of wonderful things from an inspiring community of creative people.

Today she joins us for our very first Give & Tell. Thanks, Cariann!

What’s the most inexpensive item you could receive that warms your heart every time?

Flowers from my husband, even though I tell him not to buy them, and his love notes.

Have you ever given a gift in an interesting way?

When I first started dating my husband we lived in different countries. I would send him a meaningful gift weekly with a letter in it. The letters spelled a word, which was a clue to the surprise I had for him when we saw each other again.
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Saying Thank You with Holiday Matinee

Expressing gratitude is a gift itself. You can say thank you for a present and for a gajillion other reasons too. Like, thanks for being such a swell host in your fine town. Thanks for saving me from the side of the road when my car broke down. Thanks for the pancakes. Thanks for being awesome.

After sharing birthday cheer, the gals of Holiday Matinee are back saying thank you. Now it’s our turn. Thanks HM for inspiring creativity, for always saying “you can”, and for sharing Monique and Hannah with us on the blog this week!

Saying Thank You with Monique

Merci Beaucoup, Yellow Owl Workshop

I will learn French someday, but in the meantime, I’ll fake it with this sweet note from Yellow Owl Workshop.

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Thank You for this Thank You by Sycamore Street Press

Muchas Gracias Card by Beau Ideal Editions

Thanks Man Card Set by Blackbird Letterpress

Thank You for Being A Friend by Concrete Lace

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Saying Happy Birthday with Holiday Matinee

Holiday Matinee is a a blog for creative inspiration. We’re big fans. We love them for their relentless appreciation of people making awesome, for their sense of humor, and their commitment to spreading good vibes. Oh and their monthly mixtapes. Hot.

Created by Dave Brown, the blog now includes five other contributors and we’re jazzed to have two of them with us today. Monique and Hannah have combed the internets to bring you some really fun ways to say Happy Birthday. They’ll be back tomorrow saying Thank You. Without further ado, the ladies of Holiday Matinee…

Saying Happy Birthday with Monique

Facebook Birthday Card, Sycamore Street Press

Send this to the few and far between friend whose day of birth doesn’t require a Facebook notification.

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Boulder Holder Birthday Card by Dude and Chick

Strung Up Birthday by Near Modern Disaster

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Celebrating Every Occasion with Erin Loechner

Running Late Card, Dear Hancock

Fondly known as “the human sparkler” to some, (and at one time Sunny, to others), Design For Mankind author Erin Loechner is everything those monikers suggest and more. A burst of joy and inspiration in her many corners of the Internet, it’s a pleasure to have Erin on Wantist today with her favorite cards for every occasion. Without further ado, here’s Erin!

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Rainbow Confetti Card by Printerette Press

Monarch Note Set in Kilim Weave by Susy Jack

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Saying Thank You with Capree Kimball

Ahoy Wantists, Wanters, and Wantonauts! My name is Capree Kimball and when I’m not hatching plans to turn the moon into cheese once and for all*, I’m spreading joy and love all over the Internet. Specifically, you’ll find me gushing about bright colors, modern design, and my obsession with tin robots on MAIYA, Curbly, 2Modern, and GrassrootsModern. Most importantly, though, I am thrilled to bits that Brittany invited me to share some of my favorite “Thank You” cards with you today. Seriously you guys, I am totally stoked. So, let’s kick this thing off with a cheer, shall we? Hooray Gratitude!

Growing up, my mother encouraged me to always be grateful for every opportunity, good gesture, or bit of service that came my way – and to express it in words and writing. To this day, I’m still a strong believer in the hand-written “Thank You” card. Of course, my love of stationery and pretty paper doesn’t hurt either. But really, with beautiful cards like these, there’s no excuse not to!

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Mulberry and Moss Sydney thank you cards

Oddball Press Father's Day thank you card

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Saying Thank You with Brandi Bernoskie

A favorite quote goes, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” For our first in an ongoing series on thank you notes, here’s Brandi.

Hi friends! My name is Brandi and I write the blog Not Your Average Ordinary. I’m a full-time graduate student for the moment, but have dreams of moving back to New York City to become a freelance writer, baker, and hostess extraordinaire, and open my own online shop and consulting business someday. I think one of the best things we can do is inspire other people and show our gratitude, so I was thrilled when Brittany asked me to write this guest post. Enjoy!

I started writing thank you notes routinely after watching a lecture on time management given by Randy Pausch. Randy was an incredible professor and person and firmly believed that one of the best things we could do was thank other people for their help. There’s always a pile of blank thank you notes on my desk, making it easy to grab one and write the moment I think about it. What’s even more amazing is how much people appreciate a hand-written thank you — I’ve been thanked just for sending a sweet thank you. Here are some of my favorite thank you notes out there right now:

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Saying Happy Birthday with Carina Murray

When we decided to reach out to our friends to share some favorite cards with you, we immediately thought of Carina. Carina is a bit of a stationery guru.

Five years ago she founded Crow & Canary, a fine art card and gift representation company that keeps her busy traveling up and down the West Coast. Today she represents a delightful and eclectic mix, with letterpress, screen-printed and hand embellished cards at the core of the collection. You can find her sharing all things lovely on the Crow & Canary blog, and her travels and other musings on twitter. We’re so happy she agreed—here’s Carina with ten ways to say Happy Birthday!

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