I am sick of impersonal gifts. I hate giving them, and I hate receiving them. Yet, it seems like each year, I amass more names on my “must buy for” list, and I have no idea what to buy for most of them. I can’t cook so that is out of the question, and my budget doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room. I run from store to store and waste hours shopping online (ok, 50 percent of the time I am on Instagram) before I give in a week before Christmas and buy silly prepackaged things from big chain stores that scream “I got this last minute!” So this year, I have decided to really dig deep and find things that were meaningful and that would make those I buy for really show them that I care. My secret tool has been GoCustomized.com.
I love that there are a variety of items that I can personalize with my own photos or handpicked designs to create gifts that I know people will actually cherish. Choose from phone and tablet cases, mugs, notebooks, laptop sleeves, and my personal favorite – apparel. There are sweatshirts and t-shirts with multiple styles with plenty of available sizes.


To honor his memory, I took one of my favorite pictures of my husband with our dog and used it to create the shirt. The picture was taken in Oregon along the coast when we were young and carefree before our kids were born. We spent about six months living in a truck and exploring the country with our trusty dog along for the ride. It was such an exciting and amazing time for us. I snapped this photo as my husband walked along the beach on a foggy morning. I know my husband will love having something special like this to help him remember his four-legged best friend.
I’m pretty sure I totally nailed gifting this year.

Because I did such an awesome job this year (if I do say so myself), I also got myself a little gift. I decided to try the make your own phone case feature using one of the best photos I got on my trip to Iceland, and added one of my favorite quotes. It turned out beautifully and a wonderful reminder of one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. You can create cases for just about any phone, and turn memories into a daily accessory. There is something special knowing that I have a one and only item, and even better when I get to give those one-of-a-kind items to the people I love.

Thank you to GoCustomized for providing product for purposes of this review. All opinions remain my own.
I really love this post.