Gifted: DIY Etched Glasses

One of my very favourite people recently got engaged. I gave her and her fiance these champagne flutes, which are etched with their initials, as part of their engagement present. I wanted to share them here, not only because I love my friends and am so happy for them but because etched glassware is a perfect, easy, personalized gift to give this holiday season. Monogrammed pint or wine glasses paired with craft beer or a nice bottle of cabernet (or a beer-of-the-month subscription or a trip to a winery…) would be appreciated by any hostess or friend. I made scotch glasses for my dad last year for Christmas and he loved them. You can also etch glass casserole dishes, tumblers, mirrors, etc.

Gifted: DIY Coasters

My plan was to start highlighting gift ideas and doing small gift guides at the end of November, but obviously that didn’t exactly pan out the way I wanted it to. However! There are still 20 days until Christmas, which sounds terrifying but is plenty of time to finish everything on your list.

I am a huge proponent of handmade everything: gifts, cards, food, packaging. I think that if you’re going to give gifts, especially to people that you know well, it means that much more when you take the time to write a heartfelt note or wrap something in a unique way rather than just signing your name to the bottom of a stock message and stuffing the whole thing in a bag. The present itself will be a lot more meaningful if you put a lot of thought into it and your relationship with the recipient rather than buying something off of a wish list. I also love donating to a charity in someone’s name and gifting them a little certificate that mentions the donation along with a small gift that fits the theme. With that in mind, I’m going to feature a few very easy DIYs that can be done last-minute for the holiday season, starting with coasters.