What to give the girls?

It's probably way early to be thinking about this, but I just keep getting ideas for things to give my bridesmaids.  Most of my girls are pretty practical and have waaaay different senses of style -- R loves sewing and crafting, A loves her dogs and gardening and line dancing, B has a more high-class sense of style, J loves yellow (I mean LOVES yellow. And Chapel Hill blue.). K is classy and not into girly stuff while other-K loves anything a little fun and different and laid-back. I don't want to get them wildly different gifts, but I want whatever I give them to be something that I'm pretty sure they'll enjoy as their awesome individual selves.

Though I'm DIYing a ton of things for the wedding, this is one area that I don't want to go DIY-crazy with. I know that I love love love handmade gifts, and a few of my bridesmaids are that way, too, but a few aren't -- and I want to err on the side of giving more rather than less with my ladies. It means so much to me that each of them will stand with us, and they've each been important in my life or in Johnny's life. I may cut corners elsewhere, but not with them.

The first thing I saw that made me think "I HAVE to get these for the girls" were these hangers on Etsy. I'd seen them before in pro pics of wedding dresses and found one I'd love for myself. The more I wanted one of my own, the more I started thinking that this is the kind of thing that a woman with any sense of style might like but might not go out of her way to buy for herself. Visions of awesome pictures aside, I think these will be a neat gift.

By Janagaildesigns

I'm also a sucker for handthrown pottery mugs. Maybe it comes from going to hippie college or all the weekends I drooled over the pottery wares at the Carrboro farmer's market. They can be chunky and organic-looking or sophisticated-yet-unique, and I'm going to be on the lookout for some nice ones to gift to the ladies.

I looooove this one by Justmare!

I'm not really including the pashminas my bridesmaids will wear as a "gift" since I'm asking them to wear them, but I'll probably still put them in the gift bags with the rest of the goodies. Still not sure exactly which pink I'll be ordering -- I have one of the salmon and one of the dusty rose, and it's still hard to decide!

From La Purse

I'm pretty sure I'll be packaging it all in a totebag -- probably the one thing that I'll make myself unless I find a really good deal. There are lots of cool DIY totebags out there, so I think I can find a project that will look good enough to pass even my most discerning bridesmaid's tastes.

I was tempted to go with the "bridesmaid survival kit" theme, giving them some little bottles of different liquors and aspirin and bobby pins and whatnot, but if I had a choice between receiving liquor and a sewing kit or a freakin' awesome mug and hanger, I'd go with the second choice!

What would you love love love to receive as a bridesmaid? Is it something you'd get yourself or something you probably wouldn't spend the money on but would love to get as a gift?