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Personalizing Thank You Gifts with Quotes

"The manner of giving is worth more than the gift."
Pierre Corneille (1606-1684), French dramatist
Great ideas for using thank you & gratitude quotes to create unique personalized gifts, presents & keepsakes – written, printed, embroidered, engraved, painted, or even iced!
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A heartfelt and meaningful quotation can elevate the simplest gift to something really special – a gift incorporating a favorite quote is a lovely personal and creative way to thank someone! From engraved photo frames to cakes with quotes written in icing, read on for some great ideas... And if you don't yet have a special quote in mind, have a look at my thank you quotes pages.


Customizing thank you gifts with quotes: easy ideas you can do yourself

Create your own unique thank you cards – or personalize store-bought cards – with the quote of your choice. Use a fancy font if you are printing the quote, or try a calligraphy pen to make a handwritten quote look more impressive.

Favorite quotes and art work can be made into pin-back buttons and badges, which make fun token gifts when you want to say 'thank you'. You can also buy transparent key fobs that you can customize by slipping in a favorite quote.

But don't limit yourself to writing quotes on paper – you can buy pens for writing on almost any surface. Fabric pens and crayons are easy to use and great for writing and drawing on t-shirts, tote bags or even cushion covers and pillowslips. Glass pens are much less messy than glass paints and can be used to great effect on wine glasses, bowls and dishes, and even mirrors. There are even permanent markers that will write on stone – perfect for writing on a smooth river stone or beachcombing find to create a thank you quote paperweight.

You can buy ceramic and porcelain pens to write quotes and create designs on plates, mugs and other pottery items. Remember, though, that your quote or design will need to be heat-fixed in your kitchen oven to make it permanent.

Need thank you quote inspiration? Here are the best thank you quotes for all occasions.


Gifts that can be printed with quotes

Giftware companies produce a wide range of ready-made items featuring well-known quotes – from t-shirts and tea towels to mugs, magnets and key chain. The trick of course is finding the winning combination of the item you want with the quote you want!

Etsy and Folksy are fantastic sources of beautiful crafty gifts, many of them featuring quotations. What's more, where possible, the designer-maker-sellers are generally only too happy to customize their items with your chosen quote and/or design. Even if a particular seller doesn't advertise customization, it's always worth asking – they may well be able to create a special 'one of a kind' item just for you.

CafιPress and Zazzle are two more options worth checking out. While their selection of gifts isn't as quirky as that of Etsy and similar sites, there are plenty of fun customizable options, from water bottles and bags to mouse mats and flip-flops! These sites are also a good source of personalized iPod, iPad, speaker and phone cases, sleeves and skins. Every item they sell can be printed with any quote you can dream up.

Once you know what kind of thing you are looking for, it's worth checking Ebay too.

If you want to use photo images together with a quote, then photo stores and studios, as well as online photo printing sites like Snapfish, will create custom mugs, notebooks and magnets, as well as photo jigsaw puzzles, calendars, and posters, all to your exact specifications.

Or how about a photo-printed canvas featuring your artwork and a favorite quote?

Or a photo book of personal photos, plus thank you and gratitude quotes? The possibilities are endless!

Kicking things up a level, your chosen quote might look great as a wall decal or wall stickers. There are some really beautiful designs available – again try Etsy and similar sites, or check out a company that specializes in interior design wall decals such as Wallhogs or Dezign with a Z.

Do first check that the recipient will go for the idea though – they may think it a big deal to stick your choice of quote up in their living room or bedroom!

Gifts decorated with embroidered quotes

If you're the crafty type then how about embellishing a cushion or keepsake pillow cover with a favorite thank you quote, or creating a cross stitch quotation bookmark or wallet? Adding a thank you quote to an item of clothing, a handkerchief, or a pillowslip looks great too, and creates a really special and personal gift.

Of course there are plenty of people who will machine embroider a quote – or anything else – on an item for you if time is short, or if you simply don't have the skills. Again try Etsy and Folksy or for custom embroidered clothing check out Zazzle or Vistaprint.


Gifts that can be engraved or carved with quotes

Almost any metal item can be engraved – from photo frames to trinket boxes, key chains to pewter tankards. Jewelry is, of course, the traditional gift to have custom engraved with a message or favorite quotation. The classic engraved jewelry item is the locket, which can enclose a tiny photo or keepsake. Rings, bangles and bracelets (and charms for charm bracelets) and larger pendants can also be adorned with quotes, as can the back of a watch.

If a gift of jewelry seems a little too intimate, then a jewelry box or casket engraved with a quote would make a beautiful and practical gift for a woman.

And for a man, how about an engraved money clip, tie clip or cufflinks? An engraved pocket knife or Swiss Army Knife is another idea.

And if metal jewelry isn't what you're looking for, then remember that leather can be engraved too. Again try Etsy and similar sites – cuffs, bracelets, belts and guitar straps are just a few of the options.

Glass looks beautiful when it is etched or engraved. Drinking glasses and stemware (perhaps champagne glasses?) are an obvious choice, but glass bowls and mirrors can also look fantastic engraved with quotes and sayings in an elegant font.

Wooden items can be engraved and carved with quotes, and can look gorgeous – think of a hand turned bowl with a quote scrolling around the side, or a keepsake box with a quote on the lid (or even hidden away inside). Any hand carving work is going to be pricey due to the time and skill involved, but laser engraving has made wood engraving much more affordable. Pyrography, where the message or design is burnt into the wood using a special stylus, is another cheaper alternative to carving and – done by the right hands – can look fantastic.

Painted quotes on gifts

Acrylic paints will work on most surfaces, although painting on plastic and unglazed ceramic (for example terracotta) will work better and last longer if you have used a good primer first. Ideas for items to paint include photo frames, keepsake boxes and plant pots (add a magic message plant for the greatest effect!).

If you have silk paints, then a scarf featuring a favorite quote (or multiple quotes!) would make a beautiful gift. As well as scarf blanks, silk painting suppliers generally carry cushion covers and small items such as lavender bags and spectacle cases for you to decorate however you wish.

Many craft studios allow you to paint your own design on ceramics and pottery. Why not paint a favorite quote around the rim of a plate or dish, or customize a coffee mug? Plan ahead though, as you will usually have to wait a few days for the item to be fired and delivered back to you. If you don't have enough time, get hold of some ceramic or porcelain pens, or check out the plate painting kits that can be easily heat fixed in your oven at home – see these if you are in the US, and these if you are in the UK.

Of course, glass can be painted too, but glass pens avoid the mess of paints and come in a wide range of colors. The resulting stained glass effect can look very pretty on all kinds of glassware. And don't forget fabric paints and pens. There's no need to limit yourself to t-shirts – fabric paints can be used on everything from aprons and cushions to bed linen, napkins and tablecloths!


Cakes, Chocolate and more!

Customizing and personalizing gifts shouldn't be limited to keepsakes – cakes, chocolate and other edible treats are always appreciated and they'll make an even bigger impression if they're customized with a thank you quote!

Create your quote on a cake by spelling out the words with sugar letters, or – if you have a short quote or a very long cake – with alphabet candles (both available from specialist cake decorating suppliers). Of course, if you're very skilled you can pipe icing letters directly onto the cake to great effect.

Other options for edible quotes are gummy alphabet letters (like these from Haribo), a giant fortune cookie or personalized M&Ms.

And don't forget alphabet chocolates – check out these fantastic, and very yummy, alphabet truffles, perfect for creating quotes, sayings and messages, and these fabulous artisan chocolate letters. You can also have your quote or message embossed on chocolate – take a look here for inspiration or google "personalized message chocolates" to find suppliers in your area.


Other ideas for gifts featuring thank you quotes

  • Alphabet beads can be strung together to make quote bracelets and necklaces. They're available in plastic, wood, ceramic or silver, so can suit every budget. And if you want something really different, use scrabble tiles or old computer or typewriter keys to spell out your quote!
  • A 'magic bean' message plant. These are amazing and great fun! They're available with all kinds of messages, including, 'thank you', 'congratulations' and 'best wishes'.
  • You can get custom fabric transfers on Ebay at a very reasonable price. Simply iron them on to t-shirts, tote bags, pillowcases or any other fabric item to make a really original thank you gift.
  • Etsy and similar sites are gold mines of beautiful items featuring quotes, such as personalized paper cuts and paper flowers and bouquets with your chosen quote printed on the petals.

The finishing touch – thank you quote wrapping paper & ribbon!

Wrap your thank you gift in thank you quote wrapping paper, and tie it with thank you quote ribbon!

If you're lucky, or search long enough, you might just find commercial paper featuring thank you quotes, or at least the words 'thank you', otherwise buy plain gift wrap and customize it yourself with a marker pen, paints, crayons, ink stamps (which, of course, can be custom made with the quote of your choice), or – if you've got time on your hands or want to do a little project with your children – even potato prints!

Ribbon printed with the words 'thank you' is easier to get hold of (try Ebay), but plain satin or grosgrain ribbon can easily be customized to great effect with pens and ink stamps.