Embellishments Make a Good Thing Better

Fall is birthday season for us, and with my brother's recent engagement adding a new member to the family (a fantastic girl, by the way), we have yet another birthday to celebrate in October. As I was out browsing for gifts, I came across this chunky square photo album. 

Knowing that a college-age girl can't have too much storage for all of the memories she is creating, I decided that this was the perfect present; but, I also knew that it would need some extra attention before it would be gift worthy (remind you of my last post?). 

I added the bow, because lets face it, there is nothing more delectable than chocolate brown velvet, and then filled the slot with her initial backed by scrapbooking paper and lace. 

While piecing together scraps of paper and tying a bow isn't monumental, taking the time to personalize a gift does show the recipient that you care about giving a gift that is uniquely them (and might even look like something you would find in a trendy boutique!).

Fall Flowers

This vase has been calling my name for quite some time now (its from Hobby Lobby, of course; did you really need to ask?), and this week I finally picked it up as a gift for my sister. Her husband is deployed in the air force for the next few months, so she won't be receiving any "just because" gifts from him for a little while - why shouldn't I try to pick up the slack while he is away?

Have you ever noticed that pretty packaging can elevate the status of a gift? How something simple and inexpensive can seem more luxurious just by wrapping it attractively?

When I purchased vase it was unadorned; but, never one to leave well enough alone, I personalized it to coordinate with the french theme my sister uses in her decor. Scrapbooking rub-ons were used for the lettering, and a chocolate ribbon further dressed it up. (The bouquet of fresh flowers is from Target.)

By spending the extra time (5 minutes) to personalize my gift, I was able to give something, that while not more expensive, was hopefully more valuable to her.