The One-Year Anniversary

My dear readers. I have to sincerely apologize for my unannounced hiatus. I've been training for a marathon (that's a week-and-a-half away) and for awhile there, I was simply focused on putting one foot in front of the other for hours at a time. Please forgive me. I promise not to create such an absence again.

That said, I have some beautiful weddings coming down the pike that you'll adore. Before we delve into those, though, let's talk anniversary gifts, shall we?

I'm not one for following traditions completely. I like to do things my own way and indulge in traditions that I feel are significant for me. For instance, our "wedding cake" was a pie bar full of natural, different-flavored lovelies. My husband and I aren't huge fans of cake and so, for us, this made sense. Skipping a first dance, though? Nah. I wasn't going to give up that intimate tradition for the world.

Anniversary gifts? Just like partaking in a first dance, I'm following the guidelines to anniversary gifts. I halfway adore them because they narrow the playing field by giving you a recommendation on what to buy and they're also like a game: They give you a word ("cotton," "wood," "lace") and let you get as creative as you can. For instance, my husband and I just celebrated our one-year anniversary two nights ago. We decided to keep our gifts fairly inexpensive. According to tradition, the first year of marriage is meant to be celebrated with "paper." So, I bought him a subscription to his favorite magazine.

Another idea I had? Framing a vintage map of his hometown or county or state. Beyond the nostalgia, it'd look adorable in our house. Maybe I'll keep this one on file for a birthday gift.

Image from The Wifestyle Files

Next year, I'll be brainstorming different ways to materialize the "cotton" conceit. Right now, I dreaming of a gorgeously-crafted hanging quilt, like the Museum Collection from Pottery Barn.

Image from Curio Home

Our third anniversary calls for "leather." If my wallet agrees, I'll hopefully be able to buy him a modern and tailored version of a Lay-Z-Boy, like this:

From the Pale & Interesting store

Let's skip anniversary four's gift for right now, since I haven't come up with anything for "fruit/flowers" yet (a membership to jelly-of-the-month club?). Anniversary five is "wood." My dream? To buy us this and (slowly, but surely) convert it into our home.

Image from Zoopy

So that we can have rooms like this...

Image from Life Cycle Construction

Image from Willow Decor

Image from Remodelista

Image from Perfectly Imperfect


Image from House and Home

Image by Lindsay Christensen Designs

What did you get your honey for your anniversary? Do you follow tradition when it comes to anniversary gifts?