(Extra) Special Gifts

I know I've posted a lot about gifts lately, but they were all ones we gave. We were also extremely lucky to have received some truly wonderful presents from family and friends. Creative, unique, handmade, off-the-registry gifts (you know how I LOVE off-the-registry).

I hope you'll indulge me as I share a few of these fabulous gifts with you - perhaps some of you will find an idea for the future (I know I've stored some away for upcoming events)!

The first gift is one that keeps on giving...for 12 months at least.

Yes, that is a BOX of champagne

Like Coyote, I was also surprised at work with a lovely bridal shower and the gift above came from my coworker (and friend), D. She put together a case with 12 bottles of champagne and we are to enjoy a bottle each month of the first year of marriage (you saw a sneak peek at month 1).

The bottle for October!

Now this an incredibly thoughtful (and generous) gift under any circumstances, but D went above and beyond...she had a baby just 2 weeks before our wedding and somehow managed to pull this together too. Amazing.

The next gift is something that required a lot of coordination and effort by my fabulous bridesmaids (especially MOH J). Before my fashionista bridal shower, they collected recipes from all the women invited to our wedding. The end result was a beautiful book with many delicious dishes!

Ignore the stain to the left of the LOVE statue. My last cooking escapade apparently involved splatter

Some of the yummy dishes

I LOVE to cook and now have an easy way to access some of those recipes that Mr. Turkey and I grew up with and have grown to love over the years.

Another wonderful, unique shower gift came from MOH J and Bridesmaid M. Knowing my love of Etsy, Philadelphia and anything personalized, they ordered this fun print to commemorate our wedding!

Shame to do all the blurring

Mr. Turkey and I have been fighting over the best spot to display this print since, um, March. We need to get on that.

The Turkeys are both very fortunate to have talented, crafty relatives and now have two lovely gifts made just for us. My Aunt A took my old t-shirts from high school and beyond and made a comfy queen-sized quilt. It's fun to tell Mr. Turkey all the stories of my "glory days". :)

You can see more of the quilt (and my awkward face) in this post

Mr. Turkey's cousin M (now my cousin too!) had already made us personalized placemats and napkins, but for our wedding did something that the Scrabble lovers of the Hive (Bracelet, Genie & Warbler come to mind) will truly appreciate.

The chosen word fits well for a Philadelphia couple!!
And yes, that's Aunt A's quilt to the left

I had seen something similar on Pinterest and loved (pun intended) the idea of Scrabble accent pillows. What a fun surprise to receive our very own handmade set!

The final gift I want to share with you is extra special. Mr. Turkey's family has had these spoons in their family for generations and we were trusted to hold onto them.

In pretty good shape for triple digit age!

You have to look closely, but that's a 'B' (our new last name)

So, there you have it - some special gifts from our wonderful family and friends. I definitely plan to "borrow" almost all these ideas at some point (well except for the heirloom or sewing ones - no talent in that department).

What off-the-registry gifts have you given or received? Anyone else trusted with a family heirloom and have good storage / maintenance tips?