Paper

Cute anniversary gifts dish towel from Anthropologie. I use mine daily.

Some traditions are really fun to uphold, like  anniversary gifts. I love the challenge of putting together a gift with a certain theme. I probably do this more for me than for my Hubbs, but he appreciates the crafty way I do thangs. I told him the first anniversary gift should be paper, and well, that was kind of a mistake. He just got all confused, and focused on that too hard. He got frustrated. Oops. Then I excused him of any and all pressures to come up with a paper gift. I told him to do whatever he wanted and he pulled through.

Yeah, sometimes it's better to keep it simple.

I originally planned to give him tickets to some sports event, but his two favorite pro teams aren't playing anywhere close  for  many months, and I wanted to give him something he could use soon. I got him a music notebook for which he can make notes while practicing guitar. Because the real gift was classical guitar lessons! He's mentioned an interest in lessons. The timing is great, because he started to play again around the house, practicing his songs for our reception. His first lesson is this coming Saturday.

That's not all.

I had to hand make some aspect of his gift. I thought of our vows that we wrote and how I'd like to put them in a shadowbox. Well, I found the perfect box at Tuesday Morning, and good ideas kept coming.

I started with  the keepsake certificate that you can get for a dollar when you apply for your marriage license.

Let me break it down for 'ya.

1. The first an most important component were our vows. We wrote them on these little place cards. I had extra from a shower I threw.

2. This is a label from a bottle of bubbly from our wedding night.



















3. This in an earring that my friend sent me as a something blue. I lost one immediately, but  I put it to good use and put it on my bouquet, and now it lives forever in the box.

 4. A Crystal guitar symbolizes getting the music he played.

 5. And I framed the certificate with ribbons that say "cherish,"and "forever."

I really enjoyed  making this and was so excited to give it. He was touched. That was the best feeling. We both enjoy it now.

Its fairly easy and doesn't cost much to make. It all starts with the desire make somebody smile.

XOXO