Resolutions

Another holiday season and another year have come and gone! Tomorrow will be a “back to reality” day for me after enjoying more than a week of Christmas celebrations and downtime with family — wish me luck!

I’m not much of a resolutions-maker, since I tend to forget about them at the first temptation (skip the gym tonight to meet a friend for a drink? Sure, why not?). So this year, instead of setting a goal to go to the gym 5 times a week or start (and finish) a new sewing project every month, I’m going to aim to experience 2013 with my feet off the ground a little more often instead of always relying on the tried-and-true pathways that we all default to. Maybe that will mean being more open to experimenting with our weekly dinner menu, or something bigger like trying to launch a business (more on that later!). Either way, I’m looking forward to this fresh new year and everything it has to bring. Happy New Year!

 

Holiday Gift Guide: Personalized Gifts

Now that the holiday season is officially upon us, I thought it might be a good time to share some of my picks for gifts! First up are a few customizable gifts that I think would thrill any recipient. There is something a little bit special about knowing that someone went through the trouble of personalizing a gift for you, and honestly with the ease of online ordering and many small businesses and Etsy sellers to choose from, customizing gifts just isn’t that difficult anymore!

Morse Code Necklaces — COATT (aka Rebecca Coagan Scharlatt) will customize a necklace or bracelet with any name or phrase using morse code. That’s right, those round and tube beads represent the dots and dashes! Such an updated way of wearing a name necklace.

Monogrammed Lipstick Case — I’ve always loved the idea of a lipstick case, even if it is a bit of a luxury item. I mean, you could just let your friend settle for digging around in her purse for her favorite shade, or she could pull out a pretty monogrammed case like this and use the little mirror inside to reapply. And the best part? It will only cost you $11.

Personalized Wood Wine Stoppers — These custom wine stoppers are a great idea for a hostess gift, or as a part of a gift for the wine lover in your life! They are pretty and classic, so you can’t really go wrong.

Embossed Moleskine Notebook — For the friend who always has a notebook close by. I ordered this customized Moleskine notebook from Jenni Bick Bookbinding, and I’m so impressed by the craftsmanship that I can hardly wait to give this to my friend for Christmas!