Top Pick for Teacher Notecards

I clicked over to Inkspot Workshop so I could re-recommend the personalized teacher's note cards that I gave R's kindergarten teachers last year. Lo and behold, one of the product photos (at left) is the very card we had made for one of R's teachers, Debbie. This color combination (kiwi and chocolate) is one of my favorites. You can by 12 notecards for $18.50, but hurry, the last day of school is almost upon us. Buy the cards here.

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A Gift for a Favorite Teacher

Here in New York City, teacher gifts are a big topic. More and more, class parents are collecting money for a group cash gift, rather than each parent buying an individual gift. And you'd probably be surprised by how much you are asked to contribute (unless you live in NYC, too, in which case you're already numb). Even though money is tight, though, I do so gladly, because these teachers work so hard with my most precious possessions. But I also like to do something more personal for some teachers, whether writing a heartfelt note or creating a small personalized gift. When S. "graduated" his 1st year of preschool recently, I gave his teacher an 8 x 10 inch photo collage ($4.99) that I ordered from Shutterfly and framed myself. "Ms. Pat" is an incredible teacher who taught both of my kids. She has a cult following for good reason. This was Ms. Pat's last year at the school so I wanted to make a special "thank you" gift for her. I chose old Shutterfly pictures from both childrens' years with Ms. Pat for the collage, and added an inscription from all of us. I like how it turned out, and it was simple and affordable to make, too. I hope that she likes it! Click here to see all of Shutterfly's collage poster options, which start at just $3.99.

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Shop Report: Fill-R-Up in New York City

A dear friend whom I met through blogging, Issa Mas, invited me recently to a holiday gift preview she was hosting at Fill-R-Up, a beautiful boutique in my neighborhood. Win win for me! Fill-R-Up specializes in high-quality personalized gifts for just about anyone on your gift list, and welcomes shoppers both at its Upper East Side location and also from just about anywhere worldwide at its retail site online. Owner/mom Amanda Poses- who also maintains a Fill-R-Up outpost in the Hamptons- showed us some of the most popular gift selections.

Lots of savvy shoppers turn to Fill-R-Up for high-quality personalized baby gifts. You can customize a baby basket with a la carte items, or select a pre-made basket and add personalization. The set of 3 embroidered burpcloths in a basket ($43.25) in a basket is one of their most popular baby gifts. For older kids, check out this only-in-New York The personalized children's yoga mat ($52, top of photo) is another great straight-from-NY gift. Or how about a personalized hoodie ($39; sizes 12-18mos to 8)?


With the holidays around the corner, Amanda showed us some unique hostess gifts and teacher gifts at variour price points (Fill-R-Up can be a pricey store if you're not careful, but I've chosen some more affordable products to share with you). Can't-go-wrong choices include cosmetic bags (starting at $17.50) and personalized stationery gifts including monogrammed clipboards ($38) or sticky note cubes ($40).


Another classic Fill-R-Up gift is a personalized canvas tote ($40). Year-round, this gift works for just about anyone- and you can fill it with extra goodies from the store if you wish.


Now for the piece de resistance...we fell hook, line, and sinker for this "Santa Pants" wine bottle holder ($16). Yes, even the most been-there, done-that NYC bloggers thought this was the cutest holiday gift they'd seen all year. E-mail or call the store (1-866-fillrup) to order it pronto for a holiday gathering.


There's lots more to browse either at the store (197 East 76th Street, between Lexington and 3rd Avenues, NYC) or online. Obviously, shipping deadlines are an issue with personalized gifts, so call ahead (212-452-3026) if you're unsure; one of the benefits of shopping at Fill-R-Up is that Amanda and her team of experts will give you an unmatched level of customer service and help you choose just the right gifts in time (or you can always opt for a gift card if time is tight).

Many thanks to Issa Mas and Amanda Poses for including me at this holiday preview!

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Rock Scissor Paper

You know I firmly believe that you can't go wrong with personalized stationery as a holiday gift. I love these cheery, colorful designs by Rock Scissor Paper. Take a look at the entire personalized collection; each set has been reduced from $20 to $16. Plus, they arrive boxed and tied with satin ribbon (no gift wrap necessary!) and turnaround time is very fast because they are printed in-house. But don't delay because the sale prices end on Thanksgiving. No code necessary. Visit Rock Scissor Paper.

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Holiday Gift Picks: What Teachers Want

One of the first sets of gifts you might want to cross of your list is teacher gifts, since they are "due" a bit earlier than others (when my daughter was in preschool, school would end for the season as early as December 15th). Here are some of my favorite ideas. There are just a few, and I'll tell you why:

Personalized Teacher Notepads($19.50) by sarah + abraham. These were a hit with R's kindergarten teachers.


Designer Pens by Jonathan Adler (on sale for $10.99, normally $19) at The Company Store. The most stylish pen a teacher will receive all year, and it arrives in a gift-ready box, too.


Personalized Umbrella ($25) from Fill-R-Up. I don't know anyone who couldn't use an extra umbrella- do you? You choose the colors.

A Personalized Photo Collage ($4.99 at Shutterfly). I mentioned this one before; we made one for the children's inspiring preschool teacher who retired last year. It wasn't anything fancy or expensive, but it was heartfelt and meant a lot to her.


Which brings me to my next point. Ask any teacher what gifts mean the most to them, and they're sure to tell you it's the notes from parents and handmade gifts from the kids, not the "World's Best Teacher" mugs. Give them something that's heartfelt and you can't go wrong. Or, if you want to go the gift card route, I'd suggest skipping a very specific type of store (you don't know, for example, that a teacher really wants to shop at Sephora or H&M, do you?), and buying an Amazon.com gift card or American Express gift card instead. Sure, everyone would love to get cash, but giving paper bills can be awkward. An American Express gift card can be a more elegant way to give a teacher money to spend as he/she wishes.

But that's just my opinion. What do you all think?


Psst! Want more holiday gifts picks? We've got 'em! Visit these links:

2010 Gift Picks for Guys
2010 Toy Gift Picks
ALL of our holiday gifts picks (just keep scrolling down!)
ALL of our favorite all-time gift picks (yep, keep scrolling)

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Highlighting by Lilly

Hands down, these are the prettiest highlighters I've ever seen. They're by Lilly Pulitzer, of course. No doubt they'd make some of my most tedious paperwork much more pleasant. Keep them in mind as a cute stocking stuffer (or teacher gift) this holiday season. A set of 5 costs $10 (not so bad) at See Jane Work.

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