Baby's First Christmas Ornament

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One of the fun parts about trimming our Christmas tree every year is getting little reminders of our past. Many of our ornaments were picked up on travels, given to us by dear family members or friends or simply carefully selected. Adding one to commemorate a baby's first Christmas is a perfect opportunity to add to your collection. You can find a huge selection of custom ornaments on Etsy. 

Here are a few examples: 

From ETSY SHop: DigibuddhaHome

From Etsy Shop: Beehive HandMade

From Etsy Shop: Ngo Creations

From Etsy shop: Mooseberry Design Co

We are an affiliate of Etsy and receive a small commission on any sales through our site. But be assured that we only recommend products we truly love. Above images are from Etsy..

Olive and Cocoa Flowers

I have ordered floral arrangements from Olive and Cocoa numerous times and they never never never disappoint. They are beautiful, classy and a step up from the norm. A floral arrangement would be sure to bring a smile to your Valentine this year.

They have a variety to choose from, along with other items from tasty treats to jewelry, but here’s my favorite this year for Valentine’s Day:

Image from Olive and Cocoa

Ovenly "Conversation" Cookie - 8"

Famous for their Brooklyn Blackout Cake, Ovenly, is offering a special Valentine’s Day treat that can be delivered straight to the door of your loved one anywhere in the US through Goldbelly.

Shhhh…don’t tell him but I have one going to my husband at his office next week!

Image from Ovenly

Note: We have no affiliation with Ovenly or Goldbelly. In order to help support this site, we are an affiliate of a curated group of companies and receive a commission on sales through those links on our site. Please be assured that we only recommend products we truly love. Take a look at our "Shop Partners" section to see who we have partnered with. Not all recommendations are from partner companies as we recommend all things we love regardless of whether we are partnered or not to bring you the best recommendations possible. 

Experience: Tea Tasting (NYC)

One of my favorite mornings ever was spent with some good friends and Elena, of Te Company, at Elena’s Introductory Tea Experience. We sat at a table right by the window with beautiful light streaming in and tasted teas, and snacks as Elena walked us through the history and process of tea production and answered our many questions. The entire experience was just amazing and so enriching.

Treating a loved one to your company and a morning at one of these classes would be a truly delightful gift. It would also be sweet for a bunch of friends to do together for a birthday, just for fun, or how about for “Gal”entine’s Day?

Check out my full write up on the EXPERIENCE and more photos here.

Personalized Night Sky Prints

What a sweet way to remember a special date, whether it be a first date, a wedding date, special anniversary or the birth of a child. Finch and Cotter an Etsy shop, offers a number of different sky, caption and framing options so you can find the perfect one for your special occasion. It would make an amazing Valentine’s day present.

Here are 2 of my favorites:

Special Night

With Song Lyrics

Minted Heart Snapshot Mix

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I love love love these heart shaped collages you can make with our partner, Minted. A few years ago some friends and I chipped in with money and photos to create one of these for a family who was moving back to London. We were going to miss them dearly and hoped the collage would bring them fond memories of their time here in the US with us. It would make a sweet gift for so many occasions from Valentine’s Day, to Mother’s/Father’s Day, to a special anniversary or engagement gift.

Start making one today with your own photos! It is super easy. Once you decide to go ahead, I recommend collecting a bunch of photos you like and putting them in a folder on your desktop so they are easy to get to and upload into Minted. Then play around with placement to see which photos work best in which spots. Have fun with it!

Image from Minted

Clever Jewelry for the Science Lover

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There are a number of Etsy shops offering creative and beautiful science related jewelry. Perfect for the science lover in your life!

Here are a few of our favorites:

Serotonin Molecule Necklace

From Mignon and Mignon on Etsy

Serotonin is known as the happy chemical!

Atom Necklace

From McLaughlin Creations on Etsy

Golden Ratio Earrings

From Molecular Motifs on Etsy

Serotonin Earrings

From Spot Light Jewelry on Etsy

Wine Molecule Necklace

From Molecular Motifs on Etsy

A Resveratrol Molecule which is found in the skin of grapes, and thus in wine.

Dopamine Ring

From Jewelry RB on Etsy

In sterling Silver, White Plated, Gold Plated.

Dopamine - the feel good hormone!

Note: All images above are from the sellers.

Scratch Off Map Poster

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My 10 year old daughter has now gone a number of fun trips with us, is learning more and more about the world and how everything relates and becoming quite the travel enthusiast. So I decided to finally get her on of those Scratch Off Maps I have seen over the last few years. It will be a super fun way for her to document her travels and daydream about future trips, all the while getting a better sense geography wise.

I researched and researched and have decide to go with a Landmass World Map. I wanted a world map that also included the US States and Canadian Provinces. This Landmass Scratch Off Map also comes with stickers to further annotate your map. But one of my favorite features is that they also see a magnetic wood frame for the maps making it easy to hang, yet still open for future scratching.

The combo would make a fun, educational and interactive gift for any child or really anyone who loves to travel.

The 17x24 Map is $28.79 and the corresponding hanger is $29.99.

Christmas Themed Children's Books

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When we had our daughter we started a tradition of giving her a new book, so far always Christmas themed, on Christmas Eve that we read together that night. Now that she is just a couple months away from turning 10, I'm a little hard pressed to find a Christmas themed book that would be interesting for her (though I think I just found one). While thinking about options, I recalled all the great ones we gave her over the years. Here are some of my favorites should you be looking for something for your young child this holiday season. 

Olive the other Reindeer

This one is my favorite. A fun adaptation of a familiar story. Olive is the very sweetest dog.

The Christmas Wish

We gave this to our daughter just last year. Even though she is reading much more advanced books, the illustrations in this one make it worthwhile even for slightly older children.

The Polar Express

A beautiful classic

Bear Stays Up

Another sweet one

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Another classic and a very fun read.

Snowmen at Night

Not exactly about Christmas but rather the season. Super cute for little ones. I always enjoyed reading it to our daughter.

All images courtesy of Amazon.

Pyro Pet Candles

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We first came across these fun candles while poking around in gift shops in Iceland. My daughter immediately asked if she could have one. The idea of a cute animal candle melting to reveal an inner skeleton gave her great amusement. I have to admit I love them too.

They would make the perfect gift for anyone that likes something a bit out of the ordinary. The novelty factor is sure to be a hit with young adults and tweens and teens alike.

They come in various animal forms, colors and price points.

All photos courtesy of Amazon

Super Cute Avocado Plush

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A super fun gift for any avocado lover. It is super soft and beyond cute. My daughter adores hers.

The 15” is large enough to be impactful but not oversized to take up too much room. My daughter loves avocados and adores this stuffy.

There is also a 7” size available if you want a smaller option, or prefer the lower price point.