It's Christmas, everyone's frantically shopping [Black Friday is imminent] and there's gift guides galore doing the rounds on internet. It's easy to get a bit carried away with all dem bargz and to feel a bit pressured to pure spend loads... but it's important to remember that a good gift doesn’t have to be expensive. You'll all know that I'm all about dat bargain life, and that Poundland is my bae.. and sometimes, a personalised gift can be appreciated more than a] you'd expect and b] splashing out loads of cash on a nice but generic pressie. Here are just a few ways that you can personalise a gift.
Share memories
Sharing memories is a great way of connecting with someone through the gift you buy them. Photographs in particular are an affordable gift, which can be a totes nice gesture. Perhaps consider buying an ornate frame or having a picture printed on acrylic, to give your gift those all important finishing touches. You could even put a photo in a locket as a romantic gift - hands up who fancies wearing my ugly mug around their neck?! There’s also the option of handpicking multiple photographs and creating your own album, scrapbook or collage – which is way cute and a gift I've cried over many a time, when my mates have made them for me.
Alternatively, you could find a small gift that relates to a shared memory or private joke [fyi - my Secret Santa recipient is getting SO MUCH OF THIS!] This is most likely going to be a gift that means very little to anyone else... but to you and the person receiving the gift; it will have personal, sentimental meaning. If you’re buying a gift for a sibling, you could even unearth a reminder of the childhood you shared together such as a horrifically funny hand-me-down and offer this as a gift. Though I think my sister would knock me out if I went down this route!
Opt bespoke
Tailor-made items are a fab shout, when looking to gift something with that personal touch. Items such as bedding, upholstery or jewellery - such as custom earrings - are lovely ideas; you can totes theme the item around their favourite colour, thing or their birthstone / starsign for an extra level of cute.
You could even consider personalising an item by signing the recipient's name on it. Monogramming is a great way of personalising clothing using only the person’s initials - there's loads of fab jewellery and phone cases doing the rounds which offer this cute feature atm. Another option to take re: personalising yo prezzies is adding in a personal message. Many chocolatier companies sell chocolate plaques or boxes of tasty truffles which can then have a personal message written on the front. There are also companies who engrave small personal messages on lockets or a steel picture frames - which you could defo do for the photograph gift option we discussed above.
When personalising items you've purchased from retailers - such as clothing, jewellery or phone cases, make sure that you get the right size for your recipient; as it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get a refund in the same way you can with non-tailored items.
Craft your own gift
If you know a craft, you could totes make your recipient a sweet handmade gift. This could be something like a knitted sweater, socks, handmade jewellery, a hand-baked cake or self-brewed beer [but maybe approach this one with caution, haha! No-one wants poisoning with home brew at Christmas!] This is sure to be appreciated as these kinda gifts are one of a kind, take bare time to make and have had your heart and soul [and most probably blood, sweat & tears] poured into them. This option could also be a cost-cutter if you’ve already got the materials handy. Just make sure that you give yourself enough time to fully craft your masterpiece!
What's the most unique present you've ever gifted / made someone?
*Collaborative post
** Image source
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