When it comes to birthday gifts, it can be a bit of a struggle to find something that is unique and that can properly celebrate the sheer importance of having your mom, sister, wife, girlfriend, grandma or best friend in your life. You’ll want to look for items that will really knock it out of the park and that will start off her next year of life in style! 

With Pixajoy’s 9th birthday drawing steadily closer, we’ve decided to prepare a thoughtful (yet affordable) list of 13 Unique Birthday Gift Ideas that your friends/family would love to receive.

‘56 Things I Love about you’ Cards 

There are times in our lives that we will feel down and depressed. It can be for a short period of time or it can cling – idly in the back of our minds and make us feel hollow. Everyone can have a blue day every once in a while – including your birthday person. With that in mind, why not remind her of just how much you love, appreciate and cherish them by personalising a deck of playing cards with 56 things that you love about them.

From their courage and energy to their passion and sense of humour, this thoughtful gift will surely banish the blues and have them tearing up from all the love, appreciation and acknowledgement you’ve put into your relationship with them. 

Matching Mugs

If they’re an avid tea or coffee drinker, how about getting your birthday person a pair of matching mugs. It shows them that you pay attention to their habits and will also send out a message that even when you’re apart, you’re still connected with the personalised pair mug as proof. 

Simply select the kind of mug that you’d like to personalise and decorate it with pictures or text that will remind them of all the fond memories you’ve spent together. From pictures of your trips together to quotes and inside jokes that you two share, this thoughtful and not to mention functional gift would also make for a great addition to your birthday person’s home or office.

Personalised Wall Art

Depending on how close you and your birthday person are, you might want to gift them with something that incorporates little bits and pieces of your own unique personality – something that’s incredibly thoughtful and will always remind them of you when they see it! This brings us to gift idea number three – personalised wall art.

Wall art can come in different shapes and forms. It can be a single creative poster, a gallery of framed prints or even a mix and match collage of framed, wood and metal prints combined. Create your birthday wall art by using either fun photos of you both, cool illustrations or quotes that you know they will love. In any case, your birthday person will receive a reminder of your relationship every time they catch sight of the personalised wall art.

DIY Lip balm

Perfect for the cold and dry seasons, DIY lip balms make for great birthday gifts for your friends or family members who have chronically dry lips. Besides being able to help protect the lips from the sun’s rays, lip balm can also help to prevent dry or chapped lips and keep them will nourish and hydrated – something that is said to make people appear younger.

Unlike drugstore lip balms (which can contain a whole chemical cocktail of franken-oils), DIY lip balms are often made with natural ingredients that are free from most chemicals – making them perfect for those who have sensitive skin. Besides that, they’re also fun and far less expensive to make.

Pro Tip: If you’re wondering how to make your own lip balm, here’s a tutorial on how to do so by Katie Wells.

Personalised Calendar Cards

It’s a fact that people enjoy looking at the photos of their favourite celebrities – from Kpop stars such as Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jung-kook of BTS to Hollywood Hotties like Kate Upton, Scarlett Johansson and Emma Stone. It is also a fact that people enjoy looking at pictures of baby animals doing funny things – like a baby hedgehog riding a mini-unicorn floaty or a bunny sitting in a mug. And to top off the facts list, as the year draws to a close, people are definitely going to be needing a brand new calendar.

If only there was a way to combine the people’s love of baby animals, attractive people and the need to keep track of important events. Oh wait. There is! 

Calendar cards would make the perfect gift to bring happiness to your friend every month of the year. Not only are they stylish, minimalistic and practical to have in any home or office, but the fact that they come personalised with images of your birthday person’s favourite celebrity, pets or favourite moments spent together will have them crack a grin every time they see your thoughtful gift.

DIY Pop-Up Cards

Credit: wermemorykeepers on Pinterest

Remember when you were younger and you used to make DIY Birthday cards for your friends and family? Well, Pop-up cards are just like that but with more of a fun twist! 

Unlike ordinary birthday cards, pop-up cards are more interactive and the decorations literally pop-up from the card – something that most people would consider Harry Potter-like with how magical it is.

The best part about it is that they’re fun, thoughtful, inexpensive and not too hard to make. Plus, there’s plenty of easy to follow tutorials on how to make pop-up cards online; ranging from simple to intricate designs.

Pro Tip: If you’re wondering how to make them, here are 36 DIY Ideas for Making Pop Up Cards for different occasions – including birthday themed ones! 

Personalised Notebooks

If you have a friend or family member who loves dabbling in creative activities like journaling, drawing or writing, a personalised notebook would definitely make their day. 

Have the notebooks personalised with their names, favourite quotes, photos or illustrations; a sure-fire way to make it stand out from the other pieces of stationery that they have.

In addition, this charmingly thoughtful gift has the added benefits of helping your birthday person stay on track since science says it’s easier for people to organise and remember information when it’s written down.

Pro Tip: If you’re looking for a sturdier and more luxurious notebook option, you can opt to get them a gorgeous Deluxe Notebook – which is now available in both softcover and hardcover form. 

Embroidered Earphones

Credits: Soda Says on Pinterest

It’s no secret that earphones are just one of those things that break easily. One of the main reasons why most earphones don’t last for more than a few months to a year (at most) is because of how often they get tangled and knotted out of shape. The tangles and bends often put the internal wires of the headphones under undue stress – kind of like a staple: if you bend it back and forth, eventually, it will break. 

So, if you have friends or family who would need and appreciate a new pair, why not take it up a notch and add some reinforced personalisation in the form of DIY embroidered earphones. By embroidering the earphones, it serves the dual purpose of making the wires a little thicker so that they don’t roll over themselves and get tangled while also making the earphones appear unique and one-of-a-kind. The process of making embroidered earphones is also pretty easy and is not very costly.

Pro Tip: If you’re considering this option, there are plenty of tutorials on how to embroider earphones available online and helpful videos on YouTube.

Personalised shot glasses

When shot glasses are involved, you can bet that a good time is sure to follow. Which is why they make for an excellent keepsake for birthdays – especially for those who’ve just recently turned 21 and are finally able to legally take a shot!

From elegant patterns to cheeky quips, personalised shot glasses are also great for commemorating special moments. Their uniqueness will also set them apart from the generic glasses that you can get from the store. In addition, they will also make for a great addition to any kitchen or home bar.

Pro Tip: You can always choose to either personalise a single shot glass for your birthday person or buy them a set of personalised shot glasses for when they have guests over.

Personalised Photo Book 

If you want to give someone something extra special and meaningful, why not consider making them a one-of-a-kind photo book for their birthday. They’ll love the fact that you’ve taken the time to pull together all your photos, inside jokes and little anecdotes to create a gift that can’t be found or bought in any old store.

In addition, photo books also give you the creative freedom to design a completely unique looking book. They’re fully customisable and are available in a wide range of different sizes, types, materials and designs. One of the most popular kinds of photo books that you can make for Birthdays is the Imagewrap Hardcover or Softcover photo books. Of course, if you’re looking for something a bit more fancy, you can always opt for the Layflat photo book – a photo book that has the ability to lay flat at 180° to give you a seamless and uninterrupted view of the photos inside.

As for the paper materials used to form the pages, one of the more popular choices include the Premium Photo Lustre paper, which has a subtle sandy texture and a gorgeous pearly sheen that softens your images to give it a more decadent appeal. 

Additionally, by adding little personal touches – like stickers, backgrounds or text, into the photo book that you’re designing as a gift, you’ll also be able to create something that perfectly embodies your relationship and showcase how truly well you know your birthday person. 

Pro Tip: Softcover photo books are a great option if you want a more fun, casual and modern look. If you’re going for something a little more elegant or romantic, a layflat or window die-cut hardcover photo book would definitely serve your purpose.

Personalised Photo Pillow 

When it comes to comforting (and comfortable!) gifts, personalised photo pillows will definitely hit the mark. Great for parents, grandparents, friends and kids, personalised photo pillows are a thoughtful and ultra-comfortable gift that can be used to decorate the living room, bedrooms and even office spaces.

Add a touch of your own personality by designing a pillow that’s just as fun, colourful and comforting as you are! Use photos of special moments, funny quotes that you know they’ll appreciate or go the minimalist route and design a pillow based on their names or initials. In any case, these soft, velvety gifts will definitely be much appreciated!

Pro Tip: Little spills and accidents can happen to anyone. Getting a personalised photo pillow with removable covers will ensure that your presso easy to clean should they ever get dirty.

Personalised Tote Bags 

What do you get someone who’s obsessed with both style and practicality? A beautiful personalised tote bag of course! Roomy and long lasting, your friends or family members will love toting around a bag that was designed with them specifically in mind. 

As tote bags are also unisex item, they can be gifted to people of both genders. The high versatility of these bags also makes it a go-to accessory for different occasions such as work, gym, going out or even going to the store.

Besides personalising the tote bag with images, texts or illustrations, you can even go one step further and get them a colourful accessory – like a personalised luggage tag to match their new bag! 

Pro Tip: The personalised tote bag from Pixajoy comes with dual handles which enables you to carry the bag in multiple ways – such as by hand, hanging off the crook of your elbow or carried over the shoulder.

Homemade baked goods

You can’t have a birthday without cake or presents. If you fancy yourself a sort of whiz in the kitchen or consider yourself to be a rather competent baker, then you should definitely consider baking your birthday person a special birthday cake.

If you think cakes are too mainstream, you can also opt to make other types of homemade confectionaries – such as cupcakes, cake pops or maybe even a birthday pie! Your birthday person would be both touched and ecstatic to know that you’d gone through the effort to bake them something special on their big day. 

Plus, if you happen to know if they have any restrictions against certain kinds of food items or ingredients (like if they’re gluten-free, have any type of food allergies or religious restrictions) you will also be able to create a one of a kind treat that caters to their dietary needs – which also comes off as super sweet and thoughtful! 

Pro Tip: If you happen to be looking for easy to make recipes, you should definitely watch some YouTube videos by Tasty or Tastemade. They have a plethora of different recipes that range from beginner to advanced levels for you to try your hand at.

Now that you’re no longer having trouble figuring out what unique gift to get for your friends or family for their birthdays, it’s always important to remember that no matter what you end up buying or making, just as long as it comes from the heart, your birthday person is sure to love it.    

If you’re interested in creating your own unique and personalised gifts, do visit our website at:

Pixajoy Malaysia | Pixajoy Singapore