DECEMBER 12 • 2019 | 39

gift guide 2019

The Gift of
Organization

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
E

very family or circle of friends 
has certain people who are 
tough to shop for when it 
comes to gift-giving time. 
They leave you stumped 
about what present 
they’
d flip over; 
yet giving them 
a gift card lacks 
sentiment. 
Lanie Blau Sacks, 
franchise owner of Thirty-
One Gifts, suggests her 
personalized and practical offerings 
can help the busy, hard-to-buy 
friends and family on your gift list 
stay organized and stylish. Everyone 
can use presents like colorful, 
pocket-embellished totes, thermal 
bags or storage items but rarely think 
to buy for themselves, she said. 
Sacks says when thinking about 
how to make gift-giving more 
personal, consider the recipient’
s 
profession or hobby. Any of 
Sack’
s more popular sellers can be 
customized for teachers or busy 
moms with clever sayings stitched 
on the outside. Totes can also be 
customized with plastic sleeves that 
hold photos to show off children or 
grandchildren. 
“The holidays are a great time 
to celebrate the hardworking loved 
ones in your life,
” said Sacks, who 
is also a special education teacher 
in Walled Lake schools. “Maybe 
they’
re driving the kids to and from 
practice and need something to 
keep them organized in the car. Or 
they’
re educating little ones and need 
a place to put all their classroom 
supplies. Totes are sturdy and will 
be appreciated every time they are 
used.
” 
Among Sack’
s favorite picks are 
take-along “
Around the Clock” 
thermal lunch totes at $30 to replace 

other lunch boxes that may be 
showing wear and tear as the school 
year reaches the halfway mark. 
These are also great for grown 
children who are out of the house 
and starting independent lives in the 
workforce. 
“I have a lot of clients who have 
older kids who may either be in 
college or starting careers and living 
on their own,
” Sacks said. “The 
right gift can reflect their profession 
or hobby, and most young adults 
appreciate a gift that helps them stay 
organized when they are traveling 
and on the go.
”
In a selection of fabrics and 
patterns, Sacks also carries utility 
totes and organizers starting at $20. 
The all-in-one organizer is a versatile 
catch-all that’
s great for organizing 
toys or transporting small items 
from one place to another. Other 
totes and bags in her collection are 
great for the crafter who needs to 
tame an assortment of papers and 
scissors, an office worker who needs 
to keep important papers in check or 
for the after-work athlete who needs 
an orderly bag to store workout 
clothes. 
For women on your list who 
can never have enough handbags 
or totes, treat them to new ones in 
tribal or animal prints. 
If the men on your gift list have 
got you stumped, Sacks suggests 
sturdy backpacks, briefcases or 
crossovers starting at $35 that can 
be brought to the office or campus. 
For days relaxing at home, cloth, 
metallic or wooden caddies starting 
at $25 can be filled with remotes, 
magazines or eyeglasses to keep by 
the couch. 

For more product information, go to 
mythirtyone.com/us/en/lainiesacks/
product/4847.

Personalized totes please even the hard-to-buy-for.

PHOTOS COURTESY THIRTY-ONE GIFTS