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.

Gift for Girlfriend

One of my best girlfriends loves vintage looking jewelry; I always troll around markets and shops with her to find pretty beads or pieces. That's why when I saw this necklace at J. Crew, I knew it'd be great for her! The link doesn't take you to the exact one I saw in the store because I couldn't find it online, but it's similar and J. Crew always has new pieces coming in. Here's a picture of one that's similar in style.

Gifts for the Ladies

It's great when I'm able to give gifts that I've personally used and loved. This year, for the ladies in my family, I've filled their gift baskets with:

- A cute holiday paper pad to jot down their shopping lists. Everyone can always use a list pad, Expressionery has great ones that are good for any occasion!



- Too Faced shadow insurance from Sephora, it's an amazing shadow primer that makes your eye shadow stay put and stay crease-free ALL day! I can't live without it now.



- And a skinny patent leather belt from J.Crew. I have a few of them and you can dress them up or down and wear them with just about anything! It can work for any aged lady in my family!

Xmas Gifts for Girlfriends

This year's gifts: a cute colorful pashmina, matching lace undies from Victoria's Secret and a fruity lipgloss!

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 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!

College Besties

I generally get my roommates from college the same thing, sometimes with a little bit of customization! This year's presents:

- Copy of the "Bridesmaid Guide" by Kate Chynoweth. Such a cute and useful book as we'll all be each other's bridesmaids coming up!
- Minimergency kit (perfect for my teacher roommates): Hairspray, Clear Nail Polish, Nail Polish Remover, Emery Board, Lip Balm, Earring Backs, Clear Elastics, Sewing Kit, Double-Sided Tape, Stain Remover, Deodorant Towelette, Pain Reliever, Tampon, Breath Freshener, Dental Floss, and Adhesive Bandages
- Lilly Pulitzer stationary (perky stationary for my perky teacher friends)

Yankee Swap Ideas

The holiday season means merriment, parties, and gift exchanges! This often sends people into a dizzying tizzy about what to present that's gender neutral, funny, or thoughtful (and let's be honest, you kind of want your gift to be "stolen" at least once).

FOR CLOSE FRIENDS: So since I just witnessed one of the best yankee swap gift exchanges with close friends (it was filled with laughs, "oohs," "ahhs," and stealing), I thought I'd share the notable mentions. (It was a $20 maximum for twenty something year olds)

• Fish, with requisite fish bowl and food!
• 20 single $1 bills (labeled for a bachelor or bachelorette party)
• whiskey stones (amazing to cool down your drink without watering it down)
• $20 gift certificate to a local lunch spot
• Mine: "holiday party for two" gift basket... Two mini bottles of champagne, cheese and crackers, milano cookies, whipped cream. Nothing says holidays like romantic gestures!

WORK COLLEAGUES: Work or non close friend swaps are completely different story, ie stay clear of fish bowls, $1 dollar bills, etc. Best ones are stocking stuffer type items, cool but inexpensive tech gifts like mini speakers or water proof music ear buds. 

Stocking Stuffers!

Tartan holiday cards... plus jingle bell bobby pins from Kate Spade

Baby Gifts!

Coolest gift of the season for the little ones! Critter Slippers at Garnet Hill ! My favorites; sheep and shark.

Also, these are perfect to stock up on to stash in your gift box. Know your nephew/niece/daughter/son will be bigger next year? Buy a size or two up in another critter! These will always be a hit.

Birthday Gifts for GF's

Recently, two of my gf's had their birthdays and I got them photo gifts. Generally, I'm not a huge fan but I got these notepads from Snapfish that were so easy and super cute! I customized them with a photo in the corner (on every page) and their name on top. I threw in some additional photos in picture frames and a little Kate Spade stationary and was good to go!

Stocking Stuffer!

Such a good stocking stuffer for all your friends (who like to drink)! Get them early 'cause these sell out every year (from Restoration Hardware)!

Birthday Gift for Uncle

I know I said I wasn't too crazy on photo gifts, but sometimes sentiment rules.

Got a super cute photo of my uncle and myself and put it on a photo mug from snapfish, and it turned out great!

Father's Birthday Gift

It's hard to shop for my father because he doesn't need much and what he does need, he gets. We'll be meeting in CA soon, so I thought I'd get him a nice framed art print that'll remind him of summer. I got him this beautiful print of a sailboat that has these architectural lines that he'll appreciate. It's from an etsy shop called delaflamant, this artist makes great modern prints!

My Mother's Day Gift

I'll be seeing my mother shortly, so I wanted to give her something I could present to her in person. She has a weakness for figure sketches, and I saw this one on Etsy from the artist Gretchen Kelly and it was a done deal!

Mother's Day

Boyfriend: What's a good gift for my mother?

I reminded him that his parents are planning to travel to Africa soon and that he should get something related to that... I hinted towards a travel journal and Kolo has such cute ones that are part journal, photo book, and agenda. The small and larger journal comes with two inserts (photo sleeve and notebook) and the larger one can even fit a third insert which you can buy separately.

Me: Get this, say it's for the upcoming Africa trip, insert a picture of you, your brother, and the family dog so she won't miss you too much. Mothers can't get enough of that stuff!

Birthday Gift

Just purchased this print for my friend Jeff. He's a pretty hip guy who just moved to NYC, so I wanted to get him something cool to hang in his new apartment. It's from the artist S.Sarat's Etsy Shop. Etsy is an online community of buyers/sellers of all things handmade or vintage, and it's a great place to find something unique that won't break the bank, although be warned... you'll have to sift through a lot of stores to find the best ones. I'll post links to any of the stores I purchase from.

Engagement Gift

Great gifts don't have to be expensive! Recently, two of my best friends got engaged. We don't live near each other anymore, so we were thinking "what can we send as a cute gift to say congrats?"

We sent off a couple bridal magazine subscriptions each (one was Southern Bride for my Southern belle gf) and a small little something (CD from Williams-Sonoma made for playing at a dinner party, for the pair who likes to entertain frequently). This is great because it's a gift that keeps giving pretty much until the wedding, and it helps the bride-to-be get excited about all the planning!

Love this site because they can send greeting postcards along with your gift subscription.



Congrats to Dane/Fish and Kate/Matt! xo