Valentine's Day or Engagement Gift (Married Bucket List)

I've celebrated Valentine's days before, but because this is my first as a wife, I'm hoping to make it special! My husband is a hard one because he doesn't love "stuff" as much as I do, but I got a great idea thanks to my friend. She was talking about her bucket list and I thought "Yes! A family bucket list for us to do together!" I got a Paperblanks journal or you can buy any other journal he might like (favorite team, color, whatever), and wrote things to do at the top of the page and left the rest of the page blank to be able to write the date and a description of how it all went down. Some examples include:

• Go to the Olympics (I'm watching right now)
• Create our own flavor of ice cream
• Experience zero gravity
• Watch a meteor shower
• Swim with glow in the dark algae in the ocean
• Skinny dip in the bay next to our home (keep old age at bay)
• Places to go

Great gift for him as a newly married couple (did I mention also inexpensive?), plus it promises more fun to come! Also a good gift for other couples, you might fill in a couple items but let them do the rest!

Grandparents

Bless my dear grandparents! As they are in their 80's, buying gifts for them has been getting harder. I find that my gifts tend toward the sentimental or practical. I recently made them a scrapbook, so this year I decided to get them a luxury plush throw from Restoration Hardware. I received the cream one last year from one of my girlfriend's and have loved it ever since! It's a great size and is super comfy-- Also machine washable which I love love love! On sale from $59 to $29, not kidding.

Father/Wife

As I've said before, it's a difficult thing to shop for a man who doesn't want anything and doesn't need much, but the one thing my father can't say no to is COMFORT. That's why this year, I got him and his wife sheepskin lined slippers. I find that UGGs are super comfortable and last a long time, but there are cheaper options out there as well. LL Bean does a good job at the slipper thing too! Below you'll find pictures of UGG's Byron slipper for men and Dakota slipper for women.

Wedding Gifts

I've been to a slew of weddings recently and thus have had to give my fair share of gifts celebrating matrimonial bliss.

Contrary to most other gift-giving occasions, weddings are NOT the time to get super creative. Generally, it is advised to go off the couple's gift registries. Should they not be registered, money is also appreciated. Other times, the couple may suggest a favorite non-profit organization so that donations can be made instead of receiving gifts/money.

Although the main gift should follow the general rules above, you can always add a personal touch! Go ahead and put a cute picture of the couple in the sterling silver frame you purchased off their registry, or add an inside joke to the card, or even knit them a trivit in their favorite colors. Touches like this make even the most mundane of gifts somewhat personal and ensures that the couple is still receiving what they want!

Xmas Gift for my Mother

My holiday gift for my mother had many pieces to it, but her bigger gift was a coffee-table photography book of the Beatles (her favorite). Barnes and Nobles has great bargains on coffee-table books during the holidays so be sure to check them out! This gift can readily apply to anyone with a favorite band, topic, or hobby and it's also gender neutral. This can also apply to a couple who has a shared interest!

BF's Parents' Gift + stocking stuffer

My friends recently introduced me to a really great game called Settlers of Catan and I knew that would be a hit with my bf's parents because we love to play board games when we're together!
I got it off Amazon and also got them the expansion pack which is well worth it, because the game works the best with 4 players. As a stocking stuffer, I got them the #1 Pet ornament from Pottery barn with a picture of their family dog, Archie!

BF stocking stuffer

Another great stocking stuffer from the Personalization Mall! As this was the first set of holidays my bf and I split between our two families, it was the first Christmas we'd spent together. I wanted to commemorate the occasion by getting an engraved ornament that said the date and the #1. I hope to give him a new number each Christmas so that we can travel round the tree to count the years!

Aunts and Uncles

Alas, like the other kids who hail from the half of the population whose marriages didn't quite make it, I will be spending Christmas with my mother's side this year. To let my family from my father's side know that I will miss them dearly and that I wish them all the merriment in the world, I've sent a delightful Harry and David All Occasion Tower of Treats. Not only does Harry and David have excellent delivery service, but their Royal Riviera pears are so delicious!!

Soap/Candle Gift Set

Found another on GILT. The himalayan larch set from Red Flower, includes a soap, a soap dish, and a candle. So perfect for housewarming or gifts that need to go to couples! I know just who I want to give this to!

P.S. When doing fragranced items, make sure you know the tastes of the recipient. If you don't, it's better to go with a non-fragranced item or something that's very neutral. Never pick something that's a strong scent unless you know the person will love it. Ex: red currant.

Last Minute Gift Scramble No More

This post is directed towards my fellow ladies, I don't purport to think that my male counterparts will have the foresight to do this... but maybe someone will surprise me.

Have you ever been invited to a last minute house warming party? An office colleague's bday? Or you forgot about your friend's birthday dinner... that's tonight?

THE GIFT BOX

Every sensible lady should have a gift box in her home, a place to stash good finds and cute treasures to give at a future unknown date for an unknown recipient/occasion or for a very specific occasion for a known recipient.

Stocking the gift box: This is an easy task for ladies who are often out and about. Whenever I'm shopping, I always keep an eye out for things that are appropriate to stock up on. If you see a cute item and you think to yourself, "this is so cute, but I don't really need it" or "this would be great for so and so but their birthday just passed," then you should purchase the item for the gift box! I'm a huge fan of buying something you love when you love it, instead of scrambling to buy something that's not even that great later on when you're in a crunch.

Good things to have on hand in your box or to get you started

• nice candles (Votivo is great)
  
• gift cards THAT DON'T EXPIRE or REDUCE IN VALUE (restaurants, spas, itunes)
• great stationary (Cartier, Kate Spade, Crane and Co.)
  
• wine
• nice cookbooks (Willams-Sonoma has great ones!)
  
• leather notebooks/passport cases/luggage tags
  
• cashmere accessories
• Coffee table books (destinations, artist's work, photographs)
  

Currently in mine

• Candles (in different scents, some are seasonless so I can give them year round and others are more season specific), I recently purchased Votivo garden candles on sale from GILT

• Kate Spade Gift Cards (these are labeled for someone in particular)

• gloves
• A set of Richard Avedon postcards (Portraits of Power)
  
• Really cool silicone propeller trivets by Verbena

The gift box also helps when you've already purchased a gift for someone and you want to top it off with another little item!