Thursday's Unique Picks - Twist on Traditional

I love you more today than yesterday...but not as much as tomorrow!

Thank you, to the Spiral Staircase, I couldn't have said it any better myself.

I hope that you enjoyed my little ode to love to open up today's post.

Love is in the September air.

 Our wedding day, September,8th 2001

Yesterday happened to be the Hubby and my wedding anniversary,
and today is my parent's wedding anniversary!

My parent's wedding day. September 9th, 1972. Yeah, my mom is a hottie and my pop looks pretty slick too!

While doing a little research for this weeks post, I came across this little poem...Looks like we totally lucked out by having our wedding in September.

"Married in January's hoar and rime, Widowed you'll be before your prime;

Married in February's sleepy weather, Life you'll tread in tune together;

Married when March winds shrill and roar, Your home will lie on a distant shore;

Married 'neath April's changeful skies, A chequered path before you lies;

Married when bees o'er May blossoms flit, Strangers around your board will sit;

Married in the month of Roses - June, Life will be one long honeymoon;

Married in July, with flowers ablaze, Bitter-sweet mem'ries in after-days;

Married in Augusts' heat and drowse, Lover and friend in your chosen spouse;

Married in September's golden glow, Smooth and serene your life will go;

Married when leaves in October thin, Toil and hardship for you begin;

Married in veils of November mist, Fortune your wedding ring has kissed;

Married in days of December cheer, Love's star shines brighter from year to year."

"there are a couple of rhymes from popular folklore that believes your marriage will take on certain characteristics depending upon the month you chose..." according to the AnniversaryIdeas website.

Sure, now I am reading this...one would think this would be a useful little poem when choosing your wedding date.
Too late to think about what month the wedding is in now...I guess we should just carry on celebrating the anniversaries and hope for the best.

I love you for Evah! Show your sweetie you will be sticking around for a while. Great art print from sweet perversions designs on etsy.

When I was a newlywed, I for some reason, thought that anniversaries were all about getting fancy jewelry from your hubby every year. Now, I am not saying there is anything wrong with getting or giving beautiful bobbles to mark the anniversary of your wedding day, I am just saying, as I have gotten a bit...older, I think I have gotten a little bit wiser (if not wiser...we can just say craftier).

"I loved you long years", antique postcard from missgaylee's etsy shop. Instead of a cheesy Hallmark card, be romantic and give a vintage postcard.

You know those "traditional anniversary gifts" by year? Traditional doesn't have to mean lame. In fact, I realized that by following these crazy guidelines, it forced me be to be more creative with the gifts.

What is the deal with those "Traditional gifts by year" anyway? Where did this come from? Who made this list? I have been asking myself all of these questions...

"In the United States, the wedding anniversary symbols begin simply, with paper and flowers, and gradually increase in substance and value. The order of gifts reflects the investment that the couple gives of themselves to each other."

Source: Gretchen Scoble and Ann Field, The Meaning of Wedding Anniversaries, page 7.

Lovely vintage gold filled "Happy Anniversary" charm bracelet from Purple Daisy Jewelry on etsy. I love this, and in the case of this gift, I think it might stink to have to wait for your 50th wedding anniversary to get it.

Since the middle ages, in the Germanic region of Middle Europe, they have been associating silver with the 25th wedding anniversary and gold with the 50th wedding anniversary, but it wasn't until 1937

that, "...the American National Retail Jeweler Association issued a more comprehensive list, which associated a material for each anniversary year up to the 20th and then each fifth year after that up to the 75th, with the exception of the 65th."

Source: Cookie Lee, Wedding Anniversaries: from paper to diamond, page 61.

Found in this article on About.com.

Satisfied now?

See, I told you Hallmark didn't make this list up, just as filler for the pages in the back of their calendars.

So this Hallmark card isn't cheesy, it is actually pretty sweet. 1944 Hallmark anniversary card from Holiday Kitschklatsch on etsy.

For this week's Unique Picks I searched for great finds on etsy, keeping in mind the guidelines for "traditional gifts by year". I am hoping to give you some ideas on how you can make "Traditional" a little more fun and maybe even a touch more sentimental.

Let the gift giving begin...

1st Anniversary: Paper
Think beyond a sheet of plain white...

Handmade paper mache cake plate from Little Island Company on etsy.

Since You are supposed to eat the top layer of your wedding cake on your first wedding anniversary for good luck, wouldn't it be great to have a special plate? One that incorporates that traditional gift of "paper"?Double traditions = double fun.

2nd Anniversary: Cotton

Oooh sexy, let's take this one into the bed room.

Embroidered vintage cotton pillowcases from Sunshine Studio by drawingandcoloring on etsy.

These pillowcases are not only a creative solution to the "Cotton" gift, but I love that they are embroidered with "Mr and Mrs". I don't think this is a prudish way out, I think it is subtle and romantic way to say..."time for bed" (wink, wink).

3rd Anniversary: Leather

OH sweetie, do you remember our honeymoon?

Handmade leather photo album from leathermaps' etsy shop. This shop has an amazing selection of vintage inspired, handmade leather photo albums. Stop by their shop and take a peek, you just may be able to find your honeymoon destination.

Just because it has been a few years since the honeymoon doesn't mean you can't show your sweetie how memorable the trip was! Simply add some pictures from the trip and you will be the sentimental love sick fool you were on your honeymoon.

4th Anniversary: Flowers

Picked fresh and won't wilt.

Gorgeous handmade felt flowers to hang on your wall and enjoy everyday from Lilac Saloon on etsy.

These flowers will last as long as your love for each other (I can't believe I wrote that).

Sappy sayings aside, these handmade felt flowers are a great solution to the "Year Four Flowers" and you could always custom order some in your wedding colors.

5th Anniversary: Wood

 Knock on wood, this will be a hit!

4eva yours! Handmade, customized birch bark vase from bettula's etsy shop.

What wood be sweeter than you and your honey's initials carved onto a tree trunk...well, maybe a portable version like this birch bark vase.

6th Anniversary: Iron

Isn't this ironic?

"Take it off", fantastic wood and cast iron coat rack from paperdollwoodshop on etsy.

Sometimes after six years of marriage you may need a subtle reminder like this graphic wood and cast iron clothes hook, hanging in your bedroom.

As it says in this item's listing, "Life is too short for small talk...".

7th Anniversary:Copper/ Wool

This is just my two cents...

Ultra easy, ultra thrifty D.I.Y. gift, I gave to the hubby on our seventh anniversary.

I bought a cool little frame and framed a penny from the year we were married. So maybe pennies aren't made of copper anymore but it's the thought that counts .

(I had to dig through lots of coin jars to track down a 2001)

With all that dough you saved by giving this gift you will be able to buy a nice bottle of wine...

Sweater Wine Bottle cozy from The Unique Bird on etsy.

Get cozy with your honey and wrap the wine bottle in a wool sweater wine bottle cozy. How romantic, reminiscing about your wedding day over a lovely bottle of wine. Copper check. Wool check.

8th Anniversary: Bronze

This is not a bust.

Vintage bronze "Good Conduct" medal from GypsyCaravanBeads on etsy.

Eight years into marriage, you really should be awarded a medal "For Good Conduct".  You have done your duty, so why wouldn't you deserve this, "light hearted" gift of bronze.

9th Anniversary: Pottery/Willow

You are here (well, my hubby and I are).

September 8th, 2010

Not to stray from tradition but...

Last night we had tickets to the Columbus Clippers baseball playoff game. I decided it would be nice to surprise him and have our anniversary displayed at the bottom of the scoreboard. Surprise! He decided to do the same thing to surprise me...

"9th Anniversaries Sarah & Christopher" haha. At last It wasn't my grammar error.

Were they just trying to be funny because we both contacted them separately?
Did they really think there were 2 couples at the game with the same anniversary and names?
Was it a simple spelling mistake?

I swear I spelled it right. Oh well, you get the picture. It was sweet though.
Now this is where I will put the traditional spin on this gift.

I was thinking, if I could get a photo of our name on the scoreboard I could put it in a frame made of "pottery". Done.

Maybe you would like to do something similar for your 9th anniversary. You don't have to do something as fancy as going to a baseball game, a night out to dinner also works. Snap a photo, and then you slip it into a great pottery frame.

Handmade ceramic frame decorated with willows, from Chutney Blake Designs on etsy.

How about that, one gift that incorporates both traditional gifts, pottery and willow.

10th Anniversary: I'll save that for next year's post...

not to leave you hanging.

For my loving parents...

38th Anniversary: I really wanted to find something to help you out Dad...but you lucked out.

You pick.

Such a sweet vintage anniversary card from ric rac and buttons' etsy shop.

After 20 years, there are only "Traditional" gifts every five years...so this gives you a few years to save up for 40 because...

40th Anniversary: Ruby...