Gift Ideas for the Gifting Challenged

Are you starting your holiday shopping early this year? I just had a twinge of anxiety once I realized I have only gotten two out of the ten+ gifts for the celebrations ahead. Yikes! Looks like my Thanksgiving weekend might be filled with a good deal of e-shopping (forget Black Friday, I prefer online ;) ).

Image Credit: RedEnvelope.com

It's always hard to shop for friends and family members that seem to have everything. What do you get for your BFF that just got married and received gifts all year from that, anyways? And mothers-in-law and bosses at work are a whole other category. I consider myself an expert gifter-in-training (I learned from the best - my mom is genius at this stuff) but even I get stumped sometimes for these types of people.

For those times when you get stuck on what to buy for that special someone, I would recommend two online sites, even if just as a thought-starter. The first is Red Envelope. They are stocked full of gift ideas for anyone in your life. Last year, we got a great bottle opener station personalized for Brad's dad from there. He loved it! All the guys use it when they visit his home and the caps drop right into the container below. Brad and his dad brew beer together, so this was the perfect addition to their brewing set-up. I highly recommend this gift for the brewer or beer-lover in your life. Plus, the opener is attractive and would look great with most decor in most homes (or in the garage by the beer fridge!).

And many, many thanks to Lauren for this find earlier this week! The people behind Williams-Sonoma have recently launched Mark and Graham, a gifting site that features "the artful mingling of typography and design." Monogram lovers? This online store is for you! Here's a quick preview of what the store is all about:



After a quick browse, I am already lusting over the hammered coasters, the vintage pool bar stopper, and the linen satin stitch cocktail napkins.

Image Credit: Mark and Graham

Adorable! I can't wait to dive into this site a bit more as soon as I figure out who is left on my list ;)

Happy (early) shopping!!