Beaded Things: A new twist on an old classic

I’ve never much understood the whole ’silver spoon’ concept when it comes to gifting a new baby. Don’t get me wrong, I get the appeal of a keepsake. But at the end of the day, it’s still just a spoon — Not even a fully functional one, at that.  It’s not as though you’re ever going to actually break it out of its display case to feed the baby, right? 

In apparent agreement with this line of thinking is Becki Sekerak, the owner of Beaded Things. Several years ago she created a stainless steel, personalized baby spoon that you — gasp — can actually use at mealtime. We’ve been doing exactly that since receiving our own baby spoon last week, and have been really pleased with the result. Per Becki’s instructions we’ve been hand-washing the spoon and leaving it out of the dishwasher, which is no huge sacrifice (sure beats polishing silver!), and the spoon has held up beautifully. It measures 5.5 inches in length and can display names that are nine letters or less; Also, with names that are seven letters or less, Becki can incorporate embellishment beads along with color. The entire stem of the spoon is wrapped in hand-sculpted wire, which besides looking really cool, actually gives the spoon some substance and weight. 

Have a pregnant girlfriend with a penchant for all-things non-traditional? Have a family member who chose a really zany name for her baby and is now feeling a little self conscious about that choice? This spoon would make a funky, whimsical, thoughtful new baby gift.  The spoon sells for $25 and is available here.