Maybe it’s just my German background, but I do tend to make things more difficult than they need to be.
Take gift cards, for instance. I don’t like them. Don’t like to get them, and don’t like to give them. Now, when our rector got married he’d already owned his home for a decade and they wanted to do some remodeling, so he suggested that unless we could find a way to gift wrap a couple of ten foot 2x4s, gift cards to one of the home improvement stores would really be the best thing. “I already have plenty of Tupperware.”
But for the most part, gift cards leave me with the feeling that “I couldn’t be bothered to pick out something I thought you’d like, so go buy your own danged present”.
And wall paper. I like wall paper very much; painted walls put me in mind of a model home. Last Sunday at church I was discussing the fact that I’d overdone it a bit by starting to paper the kitchen. Somebody piped up and asked me why I didn’t just put a coat of paint on the wall and be done with it. And that’s exactly why I didn’t paint – I like the feeling that I have taken the time and effort to search out exactly the paper that suits our personalities. A coat of paint is the easy way out. And I understand that there are folks who put every bit as much time, thought, and effort into the color paint they use in the living room, but that’s not me.
Ah, well. Too German for my own good, I guess.
thisendoftheswamp 
Regarding gift cards for your German soul…purchase the gift cards at the local grocery store and at least you will get money off your next purchase of gasoline. I heard of someone who did this for their home improvements and ended up with free gas for several months.