Coming up with the perfect gift is a secret hobby of mine. I really try to put a lot of thought into the person I’m giving it to & what they would want, but maybe didn’t think of. I pay attention throughout the year, jot down notes of something they may have said and use that list to help generate ideas when it comes time to get them something.

Celebrating milestone birthdays is cause to really get creative and think outside of the box. For my brother-in-law’s 40th birthday last month, I wanted something original and unexpected.

He loves to kick back with an occasional cigar, so not only did we pick out some nice cigars but we gifted him a custom cigar box branded with his initials to go with them.

I love to shop locally or handcrafted whenever possible and Etsy is a great resource for finding the perfect handmade items you’re looking for. A shop by the name of Swanky Badger Design, creates an assortment of these customized cigar boxes and they even supply a bed of wood excelsior (wood straw).

We just simply adhered a little chalkboard decal to write a personal birthday message on the inside lid. You could certainly paint the entire inside lid with chalkboard paint & write details about the cigars you purchased, a cool quote or even an artistic drawing if you’re really creative!

I’m not sure who gets more excited, the person receiving the gift or me waiting for them to open it. Like I said, I take pride in the gifts I give and try to put a lot of thought into them so watching them open it and be surprised at the uniqueness of it really puts a smile on my face.

If you’re needing additional gift ideas, one of my very first posts on the blog was 30 Gifts for 30 Years to celebrate my dear friend Holly’s 30th birthday. She absolutely loved it!

How amazing is this?? Mark from Swanky Badger wants to give one of my lucky readers a chance to win their very own customizable cigar boxes! You’ll get to choice from one of his 9 designs and it’ll be shipped directly to you. Just gain entries by following the instructions below —

Follow Up — Congratulations to our randomly selected winner, Ryan M. !! Thanks everyone for participating! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy 40th Birthday Matt!