Schwag for my ladies

I don't have bridesmaids. Why? Because all of my girlfriends have more than earned the titles of Maid of Honors. And so it is that I have four of Maidens of Honor. :)

I've been in my fair share of weddings and I've gotten some pretty nice schwag. Honestly though? The one sterling silver bangle with my initials engraved was only worn at the wedding I was in (certainly it helps that my initials spell out ARM and so I HATED wearing the bracelet like it was labeling my arm) and the one crystal mikasa dish for potpourri? I think it was sold in a yard sale a couple of years back.

Now, it's not that I didn't like the gifts I received. It's just that none of them were particularly useful to me. I know it's brutal but I'm also trying to be completely honest.

So when I was thinking about my ladies I really tried to think of things that would be 1) useful, 2) classic, 3) fun, 4) personal. After a lot of brainstorming, I came up with the idea to give them all 1) something matching and 2) something personalized/individualized.

The matching something is a Coach Signature hobo-style mini pouch (4.5"x7.5") in Leaf Green:

I picked four of these up at the Coach outlet in Reading, PA near the family vacation home for a measly $59 each!!! One of our theme colors is green (like bamboo) and I feel like this size is reasonable for any of my ladies. Granted it's not a purse of the current coach collection and it was bought at the Coach outlet BUT - it's still authentic Coach, of a classic design, and versatile enough to be used casually or for going out for a "date-night." Also as a bonuse, the Coach outlet wrapped each of these in the signature tissue paper, sealed them with the Coach stickers and provided me with Coach boxing/packaging. Not too shabby for "outlet" quality, eh?

For the personalized/individualized items, I'm planning on doing stationary from DesignHerGals.com - featured on Oprah and allows you to design little cartoon characters of each ladies' likeness WITH outfits and accessories and everything OR small bottles of their personal scents/perfumes.

All together, the total package for each lady should not exceed $100 and will completely fit within our budget! :)