Despite the proliferation of my forename these days, back when I was a wee tot it wasn’t all that common. In fact it was rare enough to be nigh on impossible to buy anything with my name on it. You know the things I mean, those velvet eighties hairbands which had names emblazoned on them in fabric pen or a super cheesy fridge magnet or even a mug with the description underneath about your name’s characteristics and your personality type. I can remember feeling a bit miffed that my name wasn’t a distinguished classic like ‘Elizabeth’ or ‘Mary’.
Fast forward twenty or so years and it’s a rather different story. It’s now so popular that we’ve even got two Laurens on the Rock My Ltd team! We distinguish ourselves using the moniker Lolly (me) whilst Lauren C sticks with the full length version in case you were interested.
It’s clear that the ‘hurt’ of not having anything with my name on when I was a child has stayed with me as I’ve grown older (I know talk about first world problems) because I’ve gone a bit overboard introducing name related items into Hector’s nursery; at the last count it was five and I probably won’t stop there.
With this in mind I thought I might share some of my top customised interior finds with you in case you were looking for something similar. Rest assured it’s less about the gimmicky mugs and more about super gorgeous products that anyone would be proud to display in their home.
The Cushion
One of the first things I bought Hector was a name cushion from the Australian brand Miles & Tate. All of their cushions are custom designed with unique patterns handpainted onto a neutral background. I opted for classic monochrome but if you’re after something more colourful then that option is available too.
The quality of their products is high and although Hector currently uses his cushion to bop people on the head with (I blame his father for teaching him the trick) I know that he’ll love it in years to come. The brand also now offer the option to include birth details on the back of the cushion for a small additional charge which I wished had been around when I purchased it as I think it’s such a sweet touch.
The Plaque
Another Australian brand for you to gawp at is Zilvi; they’ve got it going on over on the other side of the world. They produce beautifully rustic wooden signs for you to hang and drape over shelves at your leisure.
Their blocky name signs which are cut into 3mm lightweight wood are perfect for bedroom doors or walls. I also adore the round name plaques with birthdates as well. Ste may have been treated to a Dad Flag in the past too…
The Wall Art
I’ve talked about the beautiful letter-brushed art prints by Paperfelt on these pages before but I couldn’t not mention it again.
Brenny is the owner of the store and hand letters your chosen name to order before printing it for your own use using archival inks on high quality paper measuring 8″ by 10″. Names are available in black, grey or blush; Hector has his name in black and it looks amazing. I’m tempted to get my name mocked up in blush as well…
The Building Blocks
One of my most treasured buys has to be Hector’s set of building blocks from Little Sapling Toys on Etsy. Granted they are based in the US so obviously there’s a fairly high delivery charge but the blocks themselves are reasonably priced and gorgeously made. The blocks are safe for all ages and developmentally appropriate for ages 9 months and older.
You can choose from three different woods – maple, walnut and cherry – as well as selecting whether you want uppercase, lowercase or even pictures on opposite faces of the blocks. Plus they arrive in their own muslin bag so you can store them away if you want to when they’re not in use. We opted for Hector’s first and middle name and they’ve been worth every penny.
The Pennant
I literally just ordered Hector his very own flag pennant from This Paper Book this afternoon after spotting them on Instagram (honestly that site is such an enabler!). Whilst I’m not able to attest to the quality of the products from personal experience just yet I can say that the brand is ticking all my style boxes. You can purchase the products on their own or add a timber base to help your flag stand tall.
Do any of you have a passion for a bit of customisation in your kids’ bedrooms? Do any of you fancy adding your own name into the mix? Why not share your own finds with us in the comments box below…
Ah no – now I want them all!
Should this baby ever come out (can you tell I’m overdue and over-sensitive?), I think I will treat him (myself ?) to the building blocks, they’re gorgeous!
Oh and being stuck with a not overly common name, I definitely sympathise with not ever being able to get any of the named paraphernalia! On the rare occasions I did see something, it always had the differently spelled version of my name!
Maike are you Dutch? I know a Maaike and a Meike but not come across a Maike before! I’ve never been able to find anything with my name on it, obviously not over here, but even in NL my name is uncommon. At least people there know how to say and spell it though! We deliberately gave our son a British name (Benjamin) as I didn’t want him to have the problems I had having an unusual name that can’t be pronounced or spelled correctly over here!
I’m German but the name is Dutch, my mum fell in love with it and apparently my spelling is the one more common in northern Germany (not that I ever noticed that – and I grew up as south as possible anyway!). We’ve also decided on a relatively neutral name for our little boy to avoid juts that as he grows up ?
I hear you Maike – there was always a Laura but never a Lauren. I mean honestly it’s two letters but no there was never anything with my actual name on it. So frustrating!
I have been wondering where those lovely ‘My Dad is better than batman’ frames were from – thank you – have just ordered one! Have spent money before 8am – always good 🙂
Nicola
Always happy to enable Nicola! They’re super cute 😉
It’s SO refreshing to be able to buy all these gorgeous goodies even when you decide to name your child something slightly out of the ordinary. I love personalised things for Bertie’s room and funnily enough ordered a pennant the other day too ?? Gorgeous round up lovely! Also worth mentioning I definitely loved my velvet name headband ?
Ooooh great minds think alike Laura re the pennants! I just knew you would have had a velvet headband – I’m still so jealous even now 😉
You could have had one too! The lady I got mine from had a little stall selling all sorts of scrunchies and hair clips. She wrote the names on the bands herself, with your choice of hearts, flowers, stars etc. I’m sad you missed out ? Xxx
Oh My. This just bought years of childhood (sad/disappointing) memories back! My name is Ellen and when I was aged 5 & up till about, well, 37! there was never ANYTHING with my name on. I remember dragging my poor Mom & Stepdad round those touristy tat shops on holidays looking for something, anything! with my name on, but alas no. One year my hero stepdad planted a customised plastic coin tube holder in a shop with my name on just so I could have the joy of finding it. For that he is my hero! So yeah these are REAL issues!
Our 1st baby is due in November and deciding on names is hard. But it has made my mind wonder back to those years of not ever finding anything with my name on. But this post means I will always have SOMETHING! Thanks guys!
Ellen your stepdad is a total hero! I mean honestly that’s real love right there. What a superstar. I secretly also wanted to be one of those kids whose parents sent in a birthday card to be read out on children’s TV; it never happened. Funnily enough Hector loves watching that segment on CBeebies even at his young age.
I’m glad you’ll be able to buy something for your first baby with their name on xx
If I could decide on a flippin name for this bump I’d definitely be ordering right now. Lovely roundup. X
Well doll you’ll have to let me know when you’ve decided and perhaps I’ll get something for baby when they arrive xx
I could never find anything with my name on when I was little so when my parents came back from holiday with a wooden dolphin plaque with my name specially lasered into it I was beyond excited. I still have it now (although I’m not the biggest fan of dolphins!). My sister (a Sophie) also used to protest and just buy things with different names on it, her name was Miranda for quite a while… To make up for the lack of things with MY name on I have also indulged a little and bought Arthur all the things, including canvas bags with his initials on for clothes changes at nursery, toy bags for his playroom and my friend bought him the Beatrix Potter letters spelling out his name too. I think the wooden name plaques would make an excellent addition…
Just bought two of the Flag Pennant’s with wooden bases from This Paper Book, one for me and one for a Christening gift (that would be a good blog post). Thanks for sharing Lolly, I always love your finds. Thank you