Second wedding anniversary gift ideas

For the second anniversary gift the traditional is cotton and modern is china. These are so general that there are quite a few things to pick from. The problem is to find the right thing. Giving cotton sheets or some plates might fall under cotton or china but they may not go over so well with your partner, unless it is what they really want. The idea is to have some fun with it or be very romantic.

Traditional gift ideas: Cotton.
T-shirts: I like this because it is useful, fun and can be personalized easily. With today's printing technology you can literally have anything printed on a t-shirt. All you need is some creativity. If you know what your partner loves then find a t-shit that will have meaning to them, or find one that is relevant to your anniversary. I found one that made me laugh on www.JustPaperRoses.com.

100% cotton T-shirt on JustPaperRoses, Inc. for $15.00.
We just celebrated our 2nd "cotton" Anniversary and all I got was this t-shirt!




You are not stuck with just t-shirts. There are quite a few clothing items made out of cotton that can be personalized or come with fun saying on them. Sweat shirts, pullovers, sweaters, pants, coats, bathrobes, and even men and ladies underwear

Property of (your name here) boxers and briefs at www.planetmomtshirts.com are funny.

The cotton scroll or love letter in a bottle looks like a lot of fun. It is personalized, romantic and different. Again though it is what you put into it that counts, both in thought and effort. I found it at www.violetandblue.co.uk , though I have to admit I would probably just make it my self. It does not look that hard, and I think it would be more fun finding the right things to put in the box.



I am not that interested in a lot of the cotton items available just because I don’t find the idea of receiving a cotton throw pillow, or bed cover that exciting, even if it has our wedding date or names on it and cotton jewellery is not to my taste. I want something fun. Give me a bag of cotton balls with something hidden in it. Or even a little cotton plant that I can try to keep alive. A cotton tablecloth is only OK if it is on the table and comes with a wonderful meal on top. Though almost anything with a dragon design on it I think I would like. It is about taking the time to find out what your spouse likes and then designing the gift to fit.

Modern Gift Ideas: China
Coffee Mug: I like this because I just love coffee, and always like getting fun mugs. What is important about this is that you can have anything printed on a coffee mug, teacup, plate, or ornament made of china. It is easy to find ones already with nice pictures, messages, or fun sayings that have meaning to you or your spouse. This “together we're one” personalised coffee mug is cute. I found it at www.giftsforyounow.com.




China ornaments or knickknacks. I have to admit that I am not so fond of knickknacks because they are not that useful, they take up room and have to be dusted. However I do have some that have emotional value to my husband and I. We gave them to each other as gifts. What I like about this is that it is if your spouse loves something, or there is something with special meaning to the two of you it is easy to find something made up of china such as statues, figurines, and more. We love dragons in our house, so we both have dragon figurines. One of the china items we have is two little bells with our names on them. It is small but romantic.

Cotton and China are easy mediums to find interesting, fun or romantic gifts. It is just a matter of knowing what is important to your spouse and then finding a way to find it in cotton or china. To make a gift important you cannot just grab any old thing just because it is made up of cotton or china. It is the thought you put into it that shows and counts.

First year wedding anniversary gift ideas traditional and modern

For the first year anniversary gift paper is traditional and clocks is modern. You want to make your first anniversary special. If you want to stick to theme anniversary gifts I have some gift ideas to fit any budget. I looked around on the Internet to get some ideas; I have included a link to the site I found it on, and the price range. You may or may not be able to find these locally, or on other website. Please use these ideas to get your own ideas going and shop around.

Paper:
Humors can be good. I found toilet paper printed with "Happy 1st "Paper" Anniversary. It is a fun gift, though the suggestion from one guy that bought it takes it from a humour to romance kind of. He put it on the roll in the bathroom so that first thing in the morning of their anniversary his wife saw it. She found it funny. This was $14.95 at Just Paper Roses.

Flowers are always nice to get. Just Paper Roses actually makes paper roses. Some that are made to look like paper folded into roses and others that are made of paper but look like real roses. The price started at $15.99 for one folded paper rose up to $66.95.

Personalized artwork. This can be anything from a cartoon drawing celebrating your wedding, to a beautiful pen, ink, or charcoal drawing or even a watercolour painting. Though you need to be careful about the picture being on paper not canvases so that does limit what style of art you can pick from. The good thing with this is that you can find local artists willing to work from wedding pictures to create a wonderful gift for you. You can also find a lot of people online willing to do the same thing.

The idea is to have some fun finding a gift that fits into the paper theme. There are a lot of creative and fun ideas what is important is that you spend the time looking around for something that your husband or wife will appreciate or enjoy.

Papier-mâché – items to be made can be found at any craft store and finished products can be found in art and craft stores as well as stores specializing in imported handcrafted arts and crafts. For people interested in antiques in medieval and Victorian times there was Papier-mâché furniture being made. So it is quite possible to have just about anything-made out of Papier-mâché.

Origami – website of some wonderful origami: C’origami. There are quite a few sites available for instruction, kits, and finished items.

Paper making kits – this can be found at art and craft supply stores. They are very popular right now. It is a fun craft.

There is even paper clothing available though it may only be available online. Paper clothing was made in the late 60’s but did not sell very well. I believe that there are still a few companies that make “paper” clothing but as novelty items and there are artists who make paper clothing but I don’t think they are actually designed to be worn.

You can find paper toys and even paper cars so, it is just a mater of knowing what your spouse likes and then finding it in paper.

Clocks:

With today’s technology it is easy to have pictures, or anything printed or engraved on the face of a clock. This gives you a couple of great options. Find a picture that has meaning to you and your spouse. It does not have to be from your wedding, but a wedding picture could work. What is important is that there is a positive happy moment, or memory associated with the picture. Have the picture printed or etched onto the clock. There are many different places that are able to do this for you, see if there is one local first, then try the Internet. Or have a saying on it like “I cherish the time I spend with you” or “I cherish the time we have together” or “May all our times be happy times together” printed, etched or engraved onto the face of the clock. What is important is that what every you have put on the clock is important to both of you, be it a picture or saying.

There are also a lot of theme clocks available. Find one that you both like or has some special meaning to your spouse. There are so many clocks available on line and in local retail stores it is just a matter of putting some time and thought into it to find a clock that is not just a clock for you and your spouse.

Gift ideas for the bridesmaids and maid of honor

Your friends are there for you, as you get ready for the big day. They are going to be right there with you as go from bride to wife. You want some way to thank them for being there, interrupting their lives for fittings and rehearsals. You have just spent the last weeks if not months preparing for your wedding. Now you need to come up with the right gifts for your bridesmaids and maid of honor.

Personal gift are the best. These are your friends and family, you know them well and should be able to find each one a personal gift to say thank you. This does take more time, and can be more expensive then giving everyone the same gift. It is nice to be able to give some thing that each person will appreciate and enjoy and lets them remember your wedding. Often a small token is more appreciated if time has been put into it to make it special to the person receiving it then a uniform expensive gift that everyone receives.

Cost and time are always deciding factors in buying gifts. A small token is perfectly fine and appreciated and so is going extravagant if you have the budget for it. It is a lot of fun to spend time finding the right thing for your friends. I can spend a lot of time gift hunting. Often times you can find some great pieces or gifts in local shops and malls. However if you don’t have a lot of time, shop on the Internet. This lets you find thousands of gift ideas in all price ranges. This will save you time and the items you pick will be delivered to you

1) Jewelry is the most common thank you gift, and is often worn at the wedding. There are some wonderful sterling silver pendants, chains, earrings and brooches that will fit any budget and it is easy to find individual pieces for each person all in the same price range.

2) Gift basket or bag with a mix of items is the next popular thank you gift. These can be made to fit any budget. Often gift baskets will have specialty food items, coffee, tea or an alcoholic beverage, candy, some sort of memento like a mug, wine glass, or vase, some times jewelry, gift certificates, perfume, personal care products like body cream, bubble bath, etc. What is great about gift baskets is that you can put whatever you want in them. Very easy to fit your budget and have each basket designed for each person. It is also very easy to match the look of the basket with the look of your wedding with the use of color and flowers. If you have the time to make them yourself it can be a lot of fun, however if you don’t then there are 100’s of places that will make them up for you, both local and online.

3) Find a local artist to make something for each of your bridesmaids and maid of honor. As there are often many different types of artists that work in many different mediums this opens up a lot of unique one of a kind gift ideas. I like the individually handcrafted pottery. This can be dish sets, a unique serving bowl, vase, or just about anything. There are some wonderful sculptors, painters, and even musicians who would love to make something for you to give as gifts, either all unique or a matched set. Don’t forget the local crafters who also make the unusual and one of a kind pieces. There are usually a few stores that carry local crafters work, or local craft shows to go to. I have seen some wonderful handcrafted unique jewelry at craft shows, and I know that you can often have the crafter make a set for each person, or the same set for each person in your bridal party. Some crafters will even have their own online store so you are not always limited to local talent.

4) Gift certificate to a spa or a treatment at a spa is a good way to go, very appreciated after several days of stress and hard work. There are many price ranges available. You can give a pedicure or manicure at a reasonable cost. Or you can go as far as the full spa day treatment if your budget allows and any thing in between.

5) A sitting with the professional photographer for a portrait or family picture just for them is a wonderful way to say thank you for helping you on your wedding day. This is some thing that most people do not think to give themselves Often you can get a good deal if you use the same photographer for the wedding and each of the bridesmaids and maid of honour pictures. It can all be arraigned as you arrange for the wedding pictures. What is great about this is that the pictures can often be taken on the same day as the wedding when every one is already dressed up and having fun or you can make arraignments with the photographer for individual studio sittings.

6) No matter what the gift is, what is appreciated and most often kept, usually with the wedding photos, is the thank you card with a hart felt handwritten note from you to them.