Wedding Season is Here!

Wedding Gifts at Engravables Plus

We just love weddings.  We also love engagement parties and bridal showers.

This is the perfect opportunity to show someone how much you care about them with a special gift and we think personalizing it takes it up a notch.

Our favorite wedding gift for the couple:

Monogrammed Wine Glasses

Monogrammed Stemless Wine Glasses

Our favorite bridal shower gift:

Twisted Stem Flute

Personalized Champagne Flutes

Our favorite bridesmaid gift:

Engraved Silver Frame

Engraved Silver Frame


Our favorite groomsman gift:

Stainless Steel Thermos

Stainless Steel Thermos


Our favorite flower girl gift:

Personalized Heart Box

Silver Heart Box

Our favorite ring bearer gift:

Glass Mug

Personalized Hot Cocoa Mug

For more wedding gift ideas, go to our website, using the link below:
Engravables Plus

April Showers...

It seems that much of the country has had SO much rain in the past couple of weeks, and although we are really happy that places like California are seeing the water level their reservoirs rising, we're about ready for some sunshine and warmth, which seems to be on its way.


The great part about April showers is that they are followed by May flowers.  We love flowers!  We also have a bit of a "thing" for vases, and find that they can make a very sweet gift or memento, either on their own, or filled with some gorgeous blooms, seashells, or candles.



Four of our favorite personalized vase options:

Keystone Vase

Simple. Clean. Elegant. 
Our Keystone Vase is a large, heavy rectangular glass vase.
We love the thick bottom which anchors a filled vase nicely on the table, and also love the flat sides which are perfect for a personalized message, monogram, logo or small verse.  This vase looks great filled with pebbles or seashells.

Buy the Keystone Vase Here

Bud Vases

Sweet.  Affordable. Versatile.
Bud Vases make a perfect gift for a those on a budget, both for the vase and for the flower to go in it.  We firmly believe that one rose is every bit as special as a dozen - maybe even more so!  This vase looks wonderful with an interlocking monogram engraved on it, or a few lines of text.

See our Personalized Bud Vase Here

Classic.  Understated. 

The Large Glass Vase is equally comfortable with flowers, or filled with water and floating votive candles. 

Go to Out Large Personalized Vase Here

Large Glass Vase

How Frame Choice Impacts Your Photo

We love to personalize picture frames with engraving for our customers, and are always curious about what is going inside once the engraved photo frame arrives at their home or business.

We definitely sell more silver toned frames than any other color, between aluminum and silver plate, but we also offer black frames and natural wood frames as well.  Here, we're going to use one of our favorite landscape photos that we found on Tumblr, and show you how the choice of frame interacts with the photo inside.

Let's start with this gorgeous picture that we found on
theblueworld.tumblr.com
It's just such a beautiful landscape and makes us want to travel, NOW!




Now, back to the task at hand, once you've returned from your wonderful trip, what frame should you use for your favorite vacation shot?

This is our silver frame:  CG23712 4x6 Personalized Silver Photo Frame
We just engraved a simple date at the bottom of this frame in Script font.  (It's a bit hard to see in this picture.)  What we notice in this silver frame is that the lighter colors are enhanced - clouds, white horse, and buildings are highlighted, and the greens really pop.

Engraved 4x6 Silver Frame

Next is our personalized natural ash wooden frame:  FM854 Engraved 4x6 Wood Picture Frame

Again, just a simple date at the bottom, but there's plenty of space to engrave one or two lines at the top or bottom of the wooden frame.  All of the colors are a bit more subtle in this frame.  The brown castle shows nicely, and the colors seem somehow warmer with the wooden frame compared to the silver one.

Engraved 4x6 Natural Wood Frame

The third engraved picture frame is our black frame:  4x6 Black Metal Personalized Frame. 

For this frame, the aluminum frame is painted smooth black, and the lettering is laser etched into the photo frame, revealing the silver metal underneath.  This has the broadest border of the three frames we're showing here, and can fit up to three lines of engraved text at top and bottom of the frame border. For the picture in the black frame, the darker colors - shadows, horse - show up a bit more and all of the greens look really vibrant.  This is a favorite frame for us, because it seems like any photo really pops with the black border surrounding it.

4x6 Engraved Black Frame

So, there you have it.  A lovely landscape, with three different options for personalized frame style with three very different impressions and styles.

To see more of our frame styles, click  HERE to go to all of our engraved photo frame options.

Top Valentine's Gifts

Some people are so intimidated by Valentine’s Day that they simply refused to participate in gift giving. That often doesn't go over well with the person who got nothing. There’s no need to get stressed about a little something for your beloved for February 14^th.  We can help you make it personal and special, and can usually get it in your hands in a week or less.

Our Favorite Personalized Gift Ideas:

MONOGRAM

A monogrammed wine glass is just so timeless. Check out our Connoisseur White Wine Glass, here.  We also have a red wine balloon version.

Monogrammed Wine Glass

A silver jewelry box takes it up a notch.  Adding a shiny trinket inside a box takes it up a couple more.  Silver Jewelry Box

Monogrammed Silver Jewelry Box

A wooden box with a simple monogram could be the perfect gift for the man you love.  Tuck a few sweets inside.Wooden Jewelry Box

Personalized Wood Box

A SPECIAL DATE

There’s no need to get too fancy about it.  In fact, is simple is better.  On a stainless thermos, Here, or a photo frame with a pic of the two of you, or the view you were looking at, or the concert you went to.

Personalized Stainless Steel Thermos

A SPECIAL PLACE 

We love a rocks glass with the coordinates of where you first met, or kissed, or proposed, or whatever. Click here for our 11 oz On the Rocks Glass.  We also have a larger 14 oz version.

Engraved Rocks Glass

A QUOTE

A line from a song, or a poem looks great on a jewelry box, or a frame, or a stainless steel thermos.  Our favorite frame for this is our  CG23223 Silver Frame, which holds a 4x6 photo and has plenty of room for a verse or two.

Engraved 4x6 Silver Plated Frame

YOUR ART 

Engraved Wine Glasses with Art

We are ridiculously happy to add your  artwork to our products for a very special gift.  We’ve done wine glasses with horse art, a rosewood box with piano keys engraved across the top, travel mugs with emoji’s.  Dream big!  Give us a call or send us an e-mail and we'll work with you.  It's no extra charge.

Check it out at Engravables Plus. HERE

It's All in the Stars

"We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle." 

                                                                                                                    -Marilyn Monroe                                         

Living in rural New England, we love to see the stars in the night sky.  And there are so many metaphors for stars, ranging from grains of sand to windows of heaven.  References to stars are everywhere.  Perhaps that's why we are so fond of using personalized stars as gifts for special people or awards for top achievers.

Silver Star Paperweight

Our Silver Star Paperweight can be personalized with up to four lines of text.  We can engrave a logo on the star with no extra charges or setup fees.

Brass Star Paperweight

We also offer a brass version, which is very classic for the traditionalist.  See our Brass Star Paperweight here.  Personalize the brass star with a name, a date, or a short verse.  It also looks really neat with an engraved circle monogram.

For a bit more modern touch, how about a Crystal Star?  We can engrave a logo and or text on the back, which shows through the glass as white lettering.  The personalized star can stand on a shelf or be used as a paperweight on a desk.

Engraved Crystal Star Award

Our star key chain is a favorite gift for school sports teams and theater groups.  We also personalize the star key rings as company awards to recognize milestones such as a 5 year anniversary.  Gold Star Key Chain or Silver Star Key Chain come gift boxed and are a reasonably priced gift at $9.95 each, with discounts starting at 25 pieces.

Gold Star Key Chain

Silver Star Key Chain

Last, but certainly not least is our  Star Keepsake Box.  This lovely star shaped silver box can be personalized with a monogram, a name or special date or a logo.  We engrave the star keepsake boxes for a salon who gifts a box with a lock of hair for baby's first haircut.  

Monogrammed Silver Star Box

"For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." 

- Vincent Van Gogh

To see more personalized and engraved gifts, to go Engravables Plus.

How to Choose the Right Wine Glass

A nice set of stemware makes a great gift for wine lovers from experts to newbies.

Buying wine glasses can be surprisingly intimidating if you start looking at the huge variety of sizes and shapes for different wines, but it really doesn’t have to be complicated.  If you’re buying for someone, including yourself, who likes a nice glass of wine, but doesn’t need a dozen different glasses for each varietal, we can help you to simplify the selection process.

There are so many different kinds of glasses for different kinds of wine, but really, you just want to find that favorite glass that you can use every day and feel comfortable using.   This requires a consideration of a few factors:

Quality:  You'll want to choose a glass that's nice enough that it looks and feels good to you, at a price that you’re willing to pay, not only to buy the glasses, but to replace one if it breaks. 

Care:  Crystal stemware is lovely, but the extra care that it requires makes it impractical for many people.  If you’re not into hand washing your stemware right after dinner, it’s probably better to go with glass instead of crystal.

Shape:  The basics include flutes for sparkling wines, small glasses for champagne, and wine glasses.  There are many specific shapes designed for different wines, but we think it is fine to go with one all-purpose wine glass, or perhaps three glasses designed generally for reds, whites or sparklers.

The Anatomy of a Wine Glass

Anatomy of a Wine Glass

A couple of key points about wine glasses

The stem allows you to hold your wine glass without warming the wine with the heat from your hands.

The bowl is where you’ll find the most variation between glasses.  Red wine glasses are wide, allowing a large area for the wine to breathe, while white wine glasses tend to be a bit narrower.  Champagne flutes are quite narrow to prevent the bubbles from escaping.

Monogrammed Red Wine Glass

Red Wine Glasses

Red wine glasses have a larger bowl to help aerate the wine as you drink, and to allow to complex aromatics to flow up.  SHOP FOR OUR FAVORITE RED WINE GLASS HERE.

Monogrammed White Wine Glass

White Wine Glasses

White wine glasses are narrower and smaller to keep the wine cool and to focus the more limited aromatics from a cold glass toward your nose.  SHOP FOR OUR LARGE WHITE WINE GLASS HERE.

Personalized Champagne Flute

Champagne Glasses

The tall narrow shape of a flute preserves the bubbles in sparkling wines and pushes them up the glass, which makes a pretty presentation.  SHOP FOR MONOGRAMMED FLUTES HERE.

Engraved Wine Glass

All Purpose Glasses

These large, versatile wineglasses are intended for either red or white and are perfect for everyday use, as well as large parties or receptions.  SHOP FOR ALL-PURPOSE WINE GLASSES HERE.

Engravables Plus, our favorite thing to make a nice wine glass nicer is a bit of engraving to personalize it.  Anything from a simple monogram or logo, to a special name or date works well.  Shop our entire selection of glassware HERE.

Our Favorite Summer Glass of Tea

Monogrammed Iced Tea Glass

On a hot summer day, we love a big glass of Arnold Palmer, which is half iced tea and half lemonade.  We think our Iced Tea Glass is the perfect choice for a big glass of anything cold, preferably personalized with a monogram and a nice fruity decoration.

Rumor has it that Arnold himself prefers his mixed at about 70% iced tea to 30% lemonade, which is a bit less sweet, but we’re going with 50/50 here.

Arnold Palmer Tea

Iced Tea:

4 tea bags
1 tea kettle filled with boiling water


Tea Directions:  Tie the tea bags together attach to the handle of a large pitcher or jar. Pour the hot water over the tea bags and into the pitcher. Set aside for 5 minutes to work its magic.

Lemonade:

1 cup Simple Syrup, (1 cup sugar +1 cup water simmered in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves, then set aside to cool.)

1 cup lemon juice
1 lemon, zest
2 cups water

Lemonade Directions: Mix the Simple Syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest and water.

To make an Arnold Palmer, fill an Iced Tea Glass with ice.  Fill halfway with iced tea, then add lemonade to the top.

Adapted from Tyler Florence, Food Network 2008

You can change the flavors by using different types of tea bags paired with the lemonade.  English Breakfast, Earl Grey or orange pekoe tea will give it a different twist. You can also add strawberries, raspberries, or watermelon for a fruity pop of flavor!

Don't forget to order some monogrammed Iced Tea Glasses.  They really complete the presentation.  A set of 4 or 6 makes a nice personalized gift for your favorite hostess, or wedding couple.