Unique Personalized Gifts for Adults & Kids

February is a busy month for us. There is Valentines Day, three birthdays in a row (two close friends and my husband), and my mother-in-law's birthday at the end of the month. Tis the month of gift giving!

When I say I love giving presents, I mean I love it. It is even one of my primary love languages! Every Christmas, I find such a thrill in searching for and ultimately purchasing what I hope will be the perfect gift for the intended recipient. None of this one-size-fits-all gifting, if I can avoid it!

So while this was perhaps better suited as a Christmas post, I hope it will nevertheless prove helpful year round!

My Top 5: Unique Personalized Gifts for Adults & Kids! 

To begin, we have only to think of Dorothy's repeated affirmation: "There's no place like home." In my family, there are certain houses that have a long and important history for us, even if there are new owners who put up a horrible fence or neglect the chipping paint. (That's another story.) In my house we have a sketched depiction of my great grandmother's house, which sat directly across from the house where my father grew up. I love looking at that drawing. It's not a photograph, and yet it captures something that feels so real. It looks welcoming, cheerful, and homey. What a great way to honor the house! Similarly, the Etsy Shop of Blue House Paperie will create custom watercolor prints of homes, adding the address or family name. Check them out here.


For the newest and youngest members of a family, chances are they live a good ways from their grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins. Our society can't seem to keep still- but that doesn't mean they will not know their long-distance relatives. I love the idea of creating a personalized boardbook with pictures of family members so baby will start to recognize them! Pint Sized Productions offers several great options for creating custom books. Custom boardbooks start at $24.95. Click here for some examples.


I'm at that point in my life when, slowly but surely, my friends are starting to settle down, and some of them are purchasing their first houses. If I were in their shoes, I know I would love to have one of these custom return address stamps from Angelique Ink! They are so cute, and would make things a lot easier at Christmas time. Plus, they are more eco-friendly and cost-effective than standard printed labels! Prices start at less than $50.



Have I mentioned I love maps? Several times? Well, I do, and I think they make great artwork. That's why I love this website, Stamen Maps, that allows you to type in a location and create a custom map of that region! For a wedding gift you could create two maps of the bride and groom's respective hometowns! You can chose a terrain, watercolor or toner based map. The first map I created (left) is a watercolor map of Washington D.C., and the second is a toner-based map of Douglas, Isle of Man. Best of all, this is a free service!

This last one is definitely a favorite that I'm filing away for any future children I have. Child's Own Studio creates custom soft toys based on your child's drawings! How cool is that? If that doesn't teach children that their dreams can come true, what does? Plus, it forever captures a moment in time of the ever-changing personality of a child. I love this idea! Just beware- this is the priciest item on my list (understandably so- it's the most involved) and can cost anywhere from $90-140 depending on the level of detail.

The thing that I love about these gifts is their sweetness; they capture a very personal feeling that comes from the connections we have with the people and places most dear to us. In that sense, it's a gift that keeps on giving!

PS: If you are hoping to keep costs low this Valentines Day, stay tuned for an upcoming post on my favorite DIY gifts!

Bookshelf Update

When we moved into our new home it was obvious that we needed additional storage. We bought two $30 six-foot black bookshelves from Target to hold (most of) my husband's extensive book collection. The problem is, it is not the most attractive looking piece of furniture. With its flat edges, it looked unfinished.

The before shot. This five shelf bookcase is only about $35 from Target.  You can see the flat edges I was talking about.

So we made a trip to Home Depot and bought two pieces of molding for the top of each bookshelf. HD makes it easy to choose the type of molding you want, measure and cut how much you need. We also picked up some black spray paint. After we had sanded and painted it, we attached the molding with wood glue to the top of the bookshelves.

Joe sawing away at our molding!

They look so much better! Who would've thought such a small change could make such a big difference? The next step is to strength the backing by switching it out with beadboard (my parents did this to the Ikea bookshelf in my guest room and it is much more solid).

The after shot! And no, this is not just a decorative bookshelf. My husband has a  TON of books.  No room on our shelves for random decor! 

I'm back!

After a hiatus, I'm excited to get back to sharing my decorating ideas. It's Christmas now, which means there are so many wonderful ways to decorate. But before I get into that, I want to share some of what I've been doing at our new home (we moved over the summer to the greater DC area). I adore our new home, and particularly enjoy the abundance of trees in this area. Here are a few of my favorite things!

We have so many books, so I gathered up some of the classic and foreign language books we own and used them to decoratively flank the fireplace. 

I love having a patio and a balcony in our new townhome. I went with neutrals after all, and purchased this five piece set for a hugely discounted price at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Great place to sit out!

We don't have a linen closet, so I bought these decorative baskets from Target and a cheap black coffee table from Walmart to create a place to store our linens at the top of the first set of stairs. 

I've started a Rustic Country Pinterest board as well! Follow along by clicking on the Pinterest link to the right! 

La Cage aux Livres!

For my wedding, we found a beautiful bronze birdcage with a fleur-de-lis pattern to hold cards during the reception. The birdcage was purchased at Hobby Lobby, and was perfect for the event. Our fantastic florist, also my parents' neighbor, added beautiful floral accents to it. Since then, it has sat rather sadly around the house, longing for a purpose. Once again, Pottery Barn came to the rescue! In their latest spring magazine I noticed they had filled birdcages with old, worn-out books. I loved the look, and just happened to have some 1920s French novels that are falling apart. Since they can't really be read or handled, this seemed like the perfect decorating idea!