We realized in all of this new house hubbub we never shared what we gifted each other for Christmas. Fishsticks! (No, we didn’t give each other fishsticks, I’m just practicing our resolution to not curse around the baby anymore).
Sherry wins the “best gift” award this year. In continuing her efforts to grow our art collection, she considered a couple of Richmond-themed pieces (including this one that we’ve always liked) and finally ended up getting me this awesome Richmond Type Map:
It’s a colorful map of our fair city made up entirely of identifying text. See what I mean?
The black grid is made up of street names and the colored area behind them are the neighborhoods. So if you’re equal parts Richmond enthusiast, map connoisseur, and typography lover (like me) it’s basically the gift trifecta. And if you love cardboard mailing tubes as much as Clara seems to, the packaging is the icing on the cake (if you can’t watch the video below or find it here on YouTube):
Oh, and some of the proceeds of each map go to a local kids art charity called Art180. We haven’t picked out the perfect spot for it in the house yet, so for now it’s joining the pile of frames in the family room that are sitting around waiting to be hung.
I was a close second (aka last place) for the “best gift” distinction this year. Given Sherry’s growing love of tea-drinking I finally got her a proper tea kettle (no more microwaving) and two new mugs. The kettle is the Chantal Loop in cobalt blue (which seems to be our color of the moment given that it’s actually pretty similar to the backs of our built-ins). And the “Tunnel Vision” mugs are from an NYC-based dishware shop called Fishs Eddy. I figured it was a nice nod to the city where we met (NY) and the state where Sherry was born and raised (Jersey, baby).
Of course gift giving isn’t really a competition. But if it were, there is one area in which we’d tie. When my sister drew Sherry’s name in our “Petersik Sibling Gift Exchange” (which keeps the adults in our family from going present-crazy because we each just have one person to shop for) I suggested that she get Sherry a new Three Designing Women stamper with our new address on it (we both loved saving our hand and using our old one to mail out things like thank yous and holiday cards). Sherry apparently had the same thought and ordered one for me too, which I opened about ten seconds after she opened hers.
Since they’re customized gifts we can’t exactly return one, but at least we chose two different designs (my sister ordered the design on top, Sherry ordered the one on the bottom). So for now we’ve decided to just enjoy being able to mix things up when it comes to stamping our return address on stuff. And Sherry actually loves the one on top more than the one she chose, so she’s happy about the whole overlapping gift snafu.
So that’s how we Santa’d each other this year (well, with a little help from my sister). What about you guys? We’d love to hear what you guys scored – especially if it’s home related. Any ceramic animals?
Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15!
My southern beau did really good this year, getting me a gorgeous leather weekender bag….for the house, I got some sheet sets and money to put towards fixing my toilet. A girl’s gotta flush you know! All in all, pretty great Christmas. Of course the gifts are just a small part of it ;)
Those are lovely gifts!
As a tea lover myself, I always appreciate a good kettle. If Sherry ever gets into drinking loose-leaf tea, I would really recommend one of those tea brewing teapots (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-34-Ounce-Teapot-Stainless-Steel-Filter/dp/B0009VF4V0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294344783&sr=8-2).
One of my favorite gifts this year was a print my boyfriend got for me on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/55086613/clink
I think it’s the most adorable thing in the world!
I got that typography map for Christmas, too! I LOVE IT! I shrieked like the biggest nerd when I saw that mailing tube on the porch, and it taunted me from under the Christmas tree for a week until I was allowed to open it!
It’s at Ben Franklin now being framed – so excited to hang it! :)
My hubby scored major points for remembering I wanted a sander! He skipped the black pencil skirt and tights (that I also asked for) but I didn’t even care when I opened the sander!!! And he’ll benefit when I refinish that desk of his.
Fishsticks makes me think of the South Park episode. If you are a fan of South Park I would check it out it is a great episode. Wonderful and thoughtful christmas gifts.
I got my husband a wall sized world map (which he’s been itching for since moving into our new home a few months ago)
And he got me my new studio lights so i can officially start doing my photography the right way!
Check out Gene Ploss’ store on Etsy for a GREAT way to make a hip & modern family “tree”! I bought one for my sister’s family for Christams, put it in a nice black frame with a thick, white matte from Kohl’s &, bada bing bada boom, best gift ever! You guys probably need one. :)
After moving into a new house is September, we actually asked for a bunch of house related things. Many gave us the essential Pottery Barn gift card (which we love). We also got a new grill and a small fire pit so that we can fancy up our backyard!
That is just the cutest video of Clara. The belly laughs and shrieks are so awesome, but her face at the end just makes it! I love the map but the tea kettle has to be my favorite! I love the cobalt blue! I actually have very bold cobalt patterned curtains I made (no sew) for my kitchen window and I think that kettle is the perfect kitchen accent. Thanks for finding it for me!
Ahhhh I saw her lil teefies =) cute!!
omg, that video is too cute for words. I would love one of those stamps. Much nicer than address stickers in my opinion.
oooo I like the stamp idea–way cooler than your average address label…I’m going to have to look into that once my husband and stop apartment hopping and decide to settle down somewhere…
I totally got a ceramic animal for Christmas! A rhino from Z Gallerie. Love him!
http://trianglehoneymoon.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/rhino.jpg
What great gifts! Hubby and I only exchange stockings with each other… this year he received a 1922 map of the Netherlands (where his father’s family is from) and I received some new pieces to add to my mini ceramics collection… similar to Sherry’s white ceramic animal obsession, only smaller! :)
I can’t even remember what this post said…Holy cute baby giggle!
Wow – that tea kettle is a beautiful color! I’m going to have to look into getting one of those stamps (getting married and moving into a new home in 100 days!)
I do have an unrelated-to-this-post question: what kind of blinds (brand/color?) do you have? I absolutely love the look of them with the white curtains, and I know you said you got them at WalMart, but they have “bamboo” ones and “wood” ones and some with and without cords, etc. that it’s just overwhelming! Also, do you use those blinds for privacy (and can you see through them) or do you use something else when you need to cover the windows?
Thanks! I love your blog! :)
Hey Jessica,
In our old house we had Walmart bamboo blinds in the medium tone (although they might have been called wood blinds, we don’t exactly remember). We never saw them online, only in person in the store. Unfortunately we don’t remember the brand for you. So sorry! They did provide privacy (no one could see through them, and they only let in minimal light when lowered). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
i so like those stamps! We got some cards in the mail with that return addy stamp and I’ve been wanting one since.
Santa must’ve known I like to shop as he kindly gifted me Anthropologie and Nordstrom giftcards (ok, my husband is lazy) My mom got me an awesome end grain cutting board and an immersion blender and my dad donated to the local food bank in all our names : )
How funny, I got the Chicago typography map for my hubs! Good choice, Sherry!
I <3 your blog more and more everyday! I'm so looking forward to keeping up to date as you update your new home!
I didn't score any ceramic animals from Santa this year, however (don't tell my husband!) that due to this blog I'm starting to develop a liking for white ceramic animals…!
Love the tea kettle and the map! My husband got me the Keurig B70 plus some southern sweet tea k-cups to go with it and the metal carousel to house the k-cups. The things we gifted ourselves or our house (same dif) were an Old Dutch Nickel Pot Rack (which can be found at Bed, Bath and Beyond) that we had been eyeing for an eternity, and a media console that we got at Costco from Slam Brands which is totally gorgeous is only $325 right now and has center drawers to house our Wii and PS3 controllers as well as games or movies, and slide out shelves. For Michael (the husband) I got a new 23″ LED monitor from the Dell Website on Cyber Monday and a custom Calendar from Apple featuring our baby Ella every month of the year.
I’m new to your blog, but I’ve noticed that on your list of places you shop Costco isn’t mentioned. Is there no Costco in the Richmond area? Most of their products are of great quality and at a stellar price.
Hey Charisma,
We do have a Sam’s Club (but not a Costco) here in RIC but after being members for a year we realized we’d rarely make the secondary trips there for groceries (we got the membership hoping we would save money but we rarely used it). So we let it lapse. Maybe we’ll have to go back with John’s sister (who still has a membership) to check out all the deals…
xo,
s
Seriously? I commented last week on Sherry’s post about getting a tea kettle…we also bought a Chantal! Aren’t they great? We found ours 75% off at TJMAXX! It makes me feel good to know that I bought my Mama a very similar kettle to yours, because I love your taste. I told Sherry what my mom said to my dad on Christmas Eve…”A microwave doesn’t whistle!” :)
I love seeing what other people got for Christmas and I gotta say, those are some awesome gifts!
I was pretty fortunate this year but I think my favs were the Jonathan Adler bird s&p shakers and some lava pearl earrings from Iceland.
Favourite things I gave were passport covers in everyone’s stocking (from Owl Say Designs on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/owlsay?section_id=6169013) and a gorgeous tunic for our baby girl by PerryFinalia (http://www.etsy.com/transaction/37263406).
Happy New Year!!
Love the stamp, and love that you now have two. Thought about getting one for all my wedding mail but decided to practice up the ole penmanship instead.
We gifted each other with a new flatscreen TV to replace our tiny hand-me-down, but my mom totally surprised me with these 12 Days of Christmas salad plates I had totally been crushing on. http://pinterest.com/pin/1810700/
Sherry, you used to MICROWAVE your tea?! As an English person and a big fan of tea, I must say I’m horrified. Thank you, John for putting an end to this madness with your gift buying skills! (:
Haha, it’s true. I’m bowing my head in shame. No more, though!
xo,
s
My fiance must have the best memory ever because when I started guessing (on Christmas Eve), after he told me my presents were things I asked for, I didn’t guess a single one! However, upon opening them I realized I had asked for most of them the beginning of last year!
SO…I got a new set of dishes (that was a last minute thing because my kids and his daughter broke 3 of my current set), a George Foreman grill, a Food Saver (that was sOOO much fun to use during clean up of Christmas dinner *giggle*), and a set of Corningware cookware and storage dishes.
Made out like a bandit…YAH BA-by!!!
We, unfortunately, “gifted” each other a $500 visit from Roto-Rooter. A few days before Thanksgiving, we had sewage back up in our basement, so we had little choice of what to do with the cash we’d saved over the year for a super fun gift (we were hoping for a Wii). Woo fun.
I’ve been eyeing that map – it’s currently an open tab in my iphone. I thought about getting it for us for when we move to Richmond this summer! I did get (similarly) one of these: http://www.orkposters.com/. the brain for neuro husband!
also: love those stamps.
I know this is totally random, but that stamp at the bottom has my hometown on it. Very random to see on your blog! But love the gifts!
OMG! Baby Clara is just too cute. Love that laugh!!
Excellent gifts! Do they do the typography maps for other cities? Such an awesome idea!
The hubby and I bought those tunnel vision mugs for our in-laws in Chicago to remind them of us, since we live right on the river in New Jersey. Don’t you just love Fishs Eddy?
Love the blog (and the new house)! And Clara seems to get cuter every time we see her! Keep up the great work guys!
Yes! We love Fishs Eddy so much. As for that poster designer in particular, we don’t believe they do other cities (it’s made by a RIchmond based design studio) but Ork Posters are semi-similar so maybe try googling around for them?
xo,
s
aw the stamps are such a great gift for just moving in! and the video was so cute. who says kids need a lot of toys? ;)
ps. for editing yourself, i always say son of a bee sting when around my nephews. they may pick up weird phrases, but they won’t be swearing, haha
http://inspiringpretty.blogspot.com/
This year we went a different way when it came to Christmas. Instead of exchanging gifts, we adopted another cat. She’s not ceramic, but we love her. :)
Love those gifts! I didn’t get any ceramic animals this year, but I did get this big guy last year, and since he’s available again I thought I’d share (plus you can’t be that price)!
http://www.zgallerie.com/p-8138-elephant-earthenware.aspx
Love the stamps, guys. What a great idea. I was hoping you were going to say you got that wet tile saw though… When santa comes to my house, he ALWAYS brings tools. This year I got a new set of drywall tools, and a wrench that’s big enough to be used as a personal security device ;)
I got my SO that same type map. What did you use to frame it? I need to get the dimensions and get it in a frame and get it hung. I just love it! I’m trying to hang only RVA themed art in certain spots now that we are living in the city itself. Thanks for (hopefully) an answer!
Hey Tamisha,
We haven’t framed it yet but we’ll most likely use an Ikea frame and trim it to fit. Details when we tackle it!
xo,
s
A.Dorable. I love it when gifts mean something and aren’t all about the $$ value. (Extra props to S for being from Jersey! woot woot)
We’re in a similar boat this year. In support of my nesting obsession, the hubs got me a paint spray gun for Christmas, which is a huge help with all my furniture refinishing and projects! You can read about them on my blog at http://www.sugarandspackle.com
He also got me a Blog Redesign!! So to celebrate I’m giving away a $50 gift card to one lucky reader! Could be you!
No ceramic animals, but living room chairs :
http://www.housebella.com/2010/12/22/early-christmas-presents/
and a table saw!
http://www.housebella.com/2010/12/28/construction-ho/
Not too shabby.
My boyfriend’s mother gave us ornaments for our first tree together, which was very thoughtful of her. AND she also got us some red wine glasses and a wine glass cleaner brush because she heard about my tendency to break the glasses while cleaning them. :) SUPER useful gift as we do enjoy glasses of wine!
I got the guy a 2011 CA fishing license, waders, and a beard trimmer. He got me a foot bath and an iPad stand.
Clara’s video is too cute! Reminds me of the squealing of my soon-to-be 5 month old. It’s so funny how the simplest things amaze babies! I also LOVE Fishs Eddy. I live in Harlem and even before I moved to NYC in 2007 a good friend of mine took me there on a visit, and I was in love. I like to visit ABC Carpet and Home when I’m there as it’s nearby! I’m also guilty of microwaving water to make tea and am in dire need of a tea kettle. One day mine randomly started producing funky tasting water so I had to throw it away.
I also received a genuine tea kettle for christmas, after friends and family giving me a hard time for years about my “microwave tea” !! Too funny…
I love those stamps, what a great idea! I didn’t get anything for the house this year, but I’m trying to convince my husband of a few projects for the New Year. Let’s see if it works!
Kyla,
I did a little sleuthing (I loved it too!) and the Richmond Map was modeled after Axis Maps, http://www.axismaps.com/. They have San Francisco, Chicago and Boston there.
Good luck!
So funny … a friend of mine from college (the one who told me to start reading YHL) got that map of Richmond for herself for Christmas … Ali (Brown) Wade? :) I think you know her?
It’s too funny that Ali got the same map! Small world!
xo,
s
i’m all about trying to “live in the moment” this year and i’ve been wondering how people do that. and that video was such a great example! i love that babies can reel you in and the smallest things like a cardboard tube can become amazing. she’s such a doll.
Great taste :) We are moving into our new house in 3 weeks, and I purchased a self inking stamp to stamp the back of our Christmas cards with a note saying we are moving and this would be the new address effective X date. I picked the exact same design as Sherry did LOL-the one shown with a “B”. I love it, fwiw! Great taste ;)
The video made my day! So cute!
Yes, one of mine was home-related! My husband gave me a box with a tile in it to represent that he finally agreed to re-do the guest bathroom and laundry room tile! Yay! (When I mean he agreed to re-do I mean he agreed to hire someone – not exactly the diy-er you guys are!)
I love the gifts!
Here’s my husband’s awesome gift to me this year:
http://livsfavs.blogspot.com/2011/01/one-of-my-favorite-christmas-gifts.html
I can’t believe he got this, since he has always said we don’t “need” one, nor do we have space for it. I love love love it!
Oh, and one more thing- love the Jersey mug!
The only thing I wanted for Christmas was a laundry room. That meant money, supplies, or labor. I even went as far as to tell everybody to not waste their money on other “stuff” (my family is notorious for buying $40 worth of candy, gum, and chapstick for the “kids”…and I still have some left over from last Christmas), just put it on a gift card to Home Depot or Lowes. So to my great delight, I raised enough money to get a bare bones laundry room which consists of a wall to close off the back of the garage, a door, light fixture, and 2 outlets. Next Christmas I will ask for the same thing so I can buy cabinets for the new laundry room!