Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to give gifts. It’s probably one of my most favorite things. I love surprising people with something thoughtful. Guess my husband is lucky because sometimes I keep finding cool things and cannot stop. I remember our first Christmas I set up a scavenger hunt, so he had to find his gifts based on the clues I had written. I loved doing it and he loved it too!!
I have always loved to shop, something that goes back to my childhood. My mom and two sisters and I would spend our Saturday’s shopping till we dropped. Literally, we’d be gone for at least 6 hours hitting up stores, having lunch and ending it with a trip to the grocery store. I cherish those memories and can thank my mom for my love of shopping. I think I love it so much because of the thrill of the hunt and pursuit, and the enjoyment in finding that item or scoring a deal. I honestly hate to pay full price for anything. I even watch items after I’ve bought them to see if I can score some cash back if it’s within 7 to 14 days.
I know I have a problem, and it’s no secret. My husband knows it and he still loves me. At least once a week a package can be found sitting on our door step, and how bad is it when sometimes I can’t remember what it is. I’ve even accidentally opened one of my Christmas presents because I just assumed it was for me. Oops!! Luckily, he reaps the benefits a lot of the times because gift giving feeds my shopping addiction. And online shopping is a whole other beast. I mean how great is it when you can lay in bed and buy something. It’s too easy now.
Anyway, back to gift giving. I am not a gift card type of person. I just think they’re so impersonal. Not knocking those who give them. Remember, I just love to shop. I love finding something unique for that person. I actually keep a running list of ideas for each family member in the notes section on my phone. They might mention something they like or maybe I see something on social media, and I jot it down. It makes birthdays and holidays a lot easier when I have an idea of what to get someone. Friends have even given me great ideas or told me about things they’ve bought or things that my husband might like. I am always listening and keeping track.
My approach to gift giving is pretty simple. I think about the person’s hobbies or interests. For example, my husband is a whiskey drinker, so I’ve gotten him a lot of whiskey related gifts, and Amazon is great for finding those random things. I also LOVE custom gifts. I like to put time and thought into a gift and give someone something that they can’t just buy off the shelf. Perhaps, it’s something they would’ve never thought of. And lastly, I love Groupon for gifts. I’ve gotten a lot of personalized gifts from there and at a great price. Here’s a list of some of my favorite finds.
Custom Metal Artwork – Groupon (Metal Unlimited)
https://gr.pn/31HUyY8
This was a present for myself. I’ve always wanted one of these metal signs and decided to get one this Christmas and paired it with a wreath. However, I wasn’t thinking about the black metal on our black front door, so it doesn’t pop as much as I’d like it to. It’ll have to do because I’m not painting either. This metal sign would make a great wedding or housewarming gift.
SipCaddy Bath & Shower Portable Cupholder Caddy for Beer (Amazon)
https://amzn.to/38iV80J
Maybe it’s a guy thing, but my husband occasionally likes to enjoy a beer while showering. My friend saw this and told me about it. You can even use it to hold a glass of wine, although I’ve never tried. I’m a get in/get out kind of person. I guess this reminds me too much of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer makes a salad in the shower. I like to keep all of my food & drinks out of the bathroom.
Portable Smoke Infuser (Amazon) https://amzn.to/2Shu10t
Like I mentioned my husband loves whiskey, and I think I’ve now found every accessory to make his perfect Old Fashioned at home. We saw this portable infuser at Bonefish Grill before Christmas, and I asked the bartender about it and she told me I could find them on Amazon. There are several different price points, but this is a great size and had good reviews. See the video of my husband using it below. (p.s. don’t forget to purchase the pellets to go with it.)
Angostura Aromatic Bitters 4 oz. (Amazon) https://amzn.to/2tN6pYg https://amzn.to/2ON5rCN (Orange flavored)
You can’t make a good Old Fashioned without bitters. This is one of the most popular brands, so I got my husband the smaller bottles (4 oz.) in regular and orange flavored. This made a great stocking stuffer for Christmas, but it’d also be great for a birthday, Father’s Day or anniversary gift.
Custom Golf Headcover of Pets (Cuddle Clones) http://bit.ly/2w47j3j
My husband loves to golf and loves our English Bulldog Stella, so this gift combines the two. I saw a Facebook ad one day for custom golf headcovers of pets from Cuddle Clones. The pictures looked pretty amazing. I sent in several different photos of Stella. I think it requested like 10 different angles of her so they could replicate her. It also asked if there was anything specific I wanted included, and I said to make sure to get her spots on her right ear (I love those). I think they did an amazing job, see the picture below. Make sure to order at least 2-4 weeks before you need the gift since these are customized items. The website also sell blankets, stuffed animals, apparel, jewelry, etc. and I’m sure they’re just as amazing. Look online for a coupon code before ordering.
Large Ice Cube Trays (Amazon)
https://amzn.to/2SCvZaY
Like I said previously, my husband loves some whiskey. He loves to order an Old Fashioned when we go to dinner, and I decided to get him these trays, so he’d have a large ice cube when he makes them at home.
Personalized Photo Sherpa Fleece Blanket (Groupon/Collage.com) https://gr.pn/2vomN1Q
I originally ordered this as a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law loved it so much, we ordered her one for Mother’s Day last year. I wanted to surprise my SIL, so I found all of these photos on her Facebook, so she had no idea and was definitely surprised. The quality is amazing. The photos are so clear, and I upgraded to the sherpa blanket and it’s so soft and warm. The photos still look great even after being washed. There are several different layouts/# of photo options to choose from. Look online for a coupon code before ordering.
Personalized Children’s Book (Hooray Heroes) https://hoorayheroes.com/
Last Christmas, I got this book for my niece and nephew, and it’s personalized with their names. You can also make the characters look just like them by picking hair color, hair styles, eye color, skin color, etc. You can then choose the stories you want in the book. In this particular “The Adventures of” book it has 15 short stories. Throughout the book, the stories mention their names. I mean how cool would it be to read a book where you are the character.
Monthly Golf Apparel Subscription Box (Short Par 4) https://www.shortpar4.com/
Subscription boxes make great gifts and there are so many out there now. I always turn to hobbies for gift ideas and since my husband loves to golf, I purchased a 6 month Fairway Membership ($49.95/month) for his birthday. It’s basically a personal style caddie. I was able to customize his subscription box based on his sizes, his golf apparel style, etc. In each box, you can expect to get 2 brand name apparel items or 1 item and 2 golf accessories. The box ships around the 15th of each month.
GCI Outdoor RoadTrip Rocker Chair (Dick’s Sporting Goods) http://bit.ly/2HdvBKu
If you camp or take your own chair to your kids or grandkids sporting events, then this is a MUST HAVE!!! Wherever, we take these we always get asked where we got them. We got ours at Dick’s Sporting Goods. They are an amped up camping chair because they rock – literally. It even has a cup holder, which is a must. We have friends who got theirs at Cabela’s and I believe theirs has 2 cup holders, which would be really nice. We saw these at a high school softball game and my husband fell in love. My mom was looking for Christmas ideas last year and I remembered he said he liked these (hence the importance of me always jotting down gift ideas).
Mixtiles https://mixtiles.com/
These were a gift for myself as they were running a big sale on Black Friday. I first bought them for our house, and then ordered more for my office. My friend had bought these and was telling me about them. I love that you don’t have to use nails to hang them, so no holes in the wall. They are peel and stick (movable frames) and can be removed and re-positioned. (in case you didn’t get them straight or want to move them to a new place). They only come in 8×8″ squares, but you can get them with or without a frame and or mat. They are basically a photo printed on 1/2″ foam core, so they’re not heavy (don’t worry about ripping off paint). Check online to see if there is a coupon code before ordering.
Custom Sky Map of your Night Sky (Groupon/My Sky Moment) https://myskymoment.com/create/
My former boss mentioned she received this as a gift, so I got this for my husband for our 1st anniversary (when we were dating). There are several companies out there, but I purchased mine through Groupon. It is a recreation of the night sky on a particular date. You could get this for your child’s birth date, an anniversary, etc. I picked the date and location of our first date, so it says:
Our First Date Above is an exact depiction of the night sky on November 11, 2017 as viewed from 8081 NW Roanridge Rd, Kansas City, MO 64151 (which was Main Event) (and then lists the coordinates of the location)
Original Pink MakeUp Eraser (Ulta) http://bit.ly/2SA00bf
My sister-in-law got me this at my first Christmas with them. If you are tired of using makeup removers that dry out your face or spending $ on wipes, then get yourself this. It also makes a great gift for any female friend or family member. It’s a makeup removing cloth and you just add water to it. It will remove your makeup including anything waterproof. You can use the cloth as many times as you want (or as long as there’s space left on the cloth). When you’ve filled up the cloth, just wash it. It’s reusable and machine washable. The website says it lasts 3-5 years.
Engravable Rose Gold Tone Curved Cufflinks (Pictures on Gold) http://bit.ly/39uR0ez
I wanted to give my husband something special on our wedding day. He really wanted our dog to be a part of our ceremony, but I told him we weren’t bringing her to Mexico. There was just no way, or was there? I was racking my brain for ideas and a way he could have her with him at the ceremony. I’d already gotten him socks with her face on them, so that idea was out. I started to think what if I could put her picture on cufflinks. I looked all over because I wanted them to be rose gold (that’s what my engagement/wedding ring is), and I finally found a place that customized them for me and was awesome to work with. I sent a picture of Stella to them and below is what I got. He was so surprised and loved them.
Monogrammed Commute Zipper Pouch (Mark & Graham) http://bit.ly/2UEd6ae
I stumbled across this company online. I think I saw an ad on Facebook. They sell all kinds of gifts. I travel a lot, and loved this commute zipper pouch which is perfect for holding your phone, keys, cash/cards, chargers, etc. It’s small enough to fit inside your luggage or carry on bag. It can also be used as a clutch. It’s hard to tell in the photo, but mine is navy and I paid extra to have it monogrammed. Look online for a coupon code before ordering.
Personalized Serving Board (Groupon & Qualtry) https://gr.pn/39srMNW
I ordered these last Christmas for my mom, sisters, sister-in-law and mother-in-law. I saw a deal on Groupon. Each one was customized with a different design and their initial/last name. They’re not very big, so they’re great to have out on the counter in your kitchen, or I got one for myself and have it hanging as decor in my kitchen.
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