Betsy on Etsy: Guide to Personalizable Gifts

A well-chosen personalized gift can be a thoughtful way to express your regard for a friend or loved one. That said, we’ve come a long way from the same-old, same-old world of monogrammed sweaters.

Fortunately, Etsy provides countless ways to give that special someone a custom gift that doesn’t necessarily involve working their initials into a swirly, diamond shape.

How do you form a leaf into the likeness of a person? Artist Jenny Lee Flower doesn’t use Photoshop — and there’s no tracing involved. “Just a keen eye,” she assures us, “and terribly sharp little scissors.” The result is a surprisingly beautiful one-of-a-kind silhouette. ($65)

When it comes to custom gifts, you could hardly get personalized than this: these sterling silver fingerprint cuff links ($199.99) are little metallurgic works of art — and there’s no two pairs alike in the world.

Feed someone a holiday feast and they eat for a day: give them the recipe, and next year maybe they’ll do the hosting. For $45, Etsy seller thirteenwinks turns your recipes into hangable works of art.


Will your dog or cat feel left out when the presents are opened? Of course not — they’re animals. Still, if you’re looking for a personalized gift for Fluffy, you can’t do any better than these aluminum pet id bars ($30) which are as lightweight as they are durable.

Who says print is dead? Etsy maker Luciana Frigerio folds the pages of hardbacks to produce arresting three-dimensional lettering for your favorite bookworm. ($150)