When will I receive my gifts
Most of our gifts are personalized (hand painted, printed, engraved or embroidered) and made to order. Some gifts are personalized in house and others come from vendors across the country. We aim to customize all gifts within 7-10 business days, but some gifts may take longer to create. During peak busy seasons (April – June, November-December) production times are likely to increase. Please take into account production as well as shipping times when placing your order. Many of our items are ready sooner than the 7-10 day timeframe, but please contact us if you need your gift to arrive by a certain date. We will do our best to accommodate you and let you know your options.
Estimated production time for personalized gifts
Monogrammed and stamped jewelry: 2 weeks
Embossed items: 3-5 business days
Embroidered Items: 7-10 business days
Engraved Items: 5-7 business days
Hand painted items 5-7 business days
Personalized stamps: 5-10 business days
Personalized plates and bowls: 10 business days
Puzzle name stepstools – 2-3 weeks
Stationery: 5-7 business days
Vinyl and heat pressed items – 5-7 business days
Remember to add 2-5 business days for shipping gifts to their destination.
Can you “rush” my order?
We are happy to produce your gift, when possible, within 48-72 hours for a fee. Depending on the items you need, we will let you know if we can expedite the personalization and shipment of your gifts. Note: There is a greater chance of rushing an item that we create in house. (ex: hand painted, vinyl, and some embroidered items) Since rushing your order puts you ahead of other customers, there will be a $15 rush fee per personalized item if you wish to receive your gift within 2-3 business days of placing your order. This fee is in addition to the cost of the item as well as whatever shipping fees may apply. We will confirm rush details and fees with you before proceeding.
I need my order by a specific date. Is that possible?
Often yes, but it depends on the gift(s) you are ordering and whether or not we are creating them in house or ordering them from one of our vendors. If you need your gifts by a specific date, please type in your request in the “special instructions” box when you place your order or give us a call. We will confirm if we can indeed get your gifts to you by the date you need them once we’ve checked production times and shipping transit times. We will also let you know at that time whether there will be any additional rush fees or shipping costs in order to receive your gift by the requested date. We will only charge you once you’ve confirmed you wish to pay any additional fees this may incur.
The gift I want is out of stock, can I still order it?
If an item you request is out of stock at the time you order it, we will let you know when it will become available. There is a chance that it could be discontinued and if so we’ll recommend some alternatives.
How do I let people know a gift has been ordered for them?
Many of our personalized blankets and furniture have a 3-8 week turnaround time and are considered special orders. On all special orders, we will send a complimentary special order notice to the recipient letting them know that a personalized gift has been ordered for them from you (via Kidoodles Inc. or Initial It Gifts).
What types of payment do you accept?
We currently accept Visa, MasterCard, or Discover on a secure server for all online orders. If you would prefer to place your order over the phone, we do accept payment with a credit card, Quickpay/Zelle or Venmo. If you wish to pay us with a personal check, please note that we will not ship your gift until we have received payment. You may make your check out to Kidoodles Inc. or Initial It Gifts and mail it to 3142 Kayjay Drive, Northbrook, IL 60062.
What are my shipping options?
All domestic shipments from our store will be delivered via UPS ground service. Delivery times are based on shipping from Northbrook, IL and are approximately 1-4 business days depending upon where we are shipping your gift. You will receive an email from UPS with tracking information once your gift has shipped from our store. Please take into account production as well as shipping times when placing your order. An additional charge will apply if you request next day or second day air shipment. We will contact you for approval of these charges before we ship your gifts.
| Product Total | UPS Ground |
| Up to $20 | $12.95 |
| $20.01 to $40 | $13.95 |
| $40.01 to $50 | $14.95 |
| $50.01 to $75 | $15.95 |
| $75.01 to $100 | $18.95 |
| $100.01 to $150 | $20.95 |
| Over $150 | $22.95 |
Certain overweight and oversize items may cost more to ship. We will inform you at the time you order if this is the case with your gift..
If you wish to send your gift to a P.O. Box address, your order will be shipped via the US Postal Service and priority mail cost will apply depending on the weight and destination of your gift.
Can I send a gift internationally?
Yes. We ship internationally through the US Postal service and charge you the actual cost of what the US Postal service charges. Their pricing is based on the delivery time, size of the box, weight and distance. Please contact us before placing your order so we can give you an estimate of cost and timing.
Can I pick up my order locally instead of paying shipping?
Yes. Just click the “in store pick up” button during the check out process and you will not be charged shipping. Or, if placing your order over the phone, let us know that you wish to pick up from us. We will contact you when your order is ready to arrange a convenient pick up time at our Northbrook showroom. You will be charged the current sales tax of 10%.
Can you paint any design on any item?
Yes. As you browse through our site, you will see various designs that we hand paint on baby gifts, furniture, accessories, and more. You can have any of our designs in the colors you wish applied to the product of your choice. The cost of the gift includes personalization and the painting of the designs. If you don’t see a design you’re looking for, we’re happy to try to paint it for you. Please contact us to discuss your ideas.
What are my embroidery options?
We offer a variety of fonts and thread colors for you to choose from. We embroider most of our items in house once or twice per week depending on our order volume. We aim to turn around embroidered gifts within 5 – 7 business days. Please let us know if you need your gift by a certain date and we will do our best to accommodate your order if it is possible. Please contact us with your requests prior to ordering so we can discuss your needs.
Click here to view fonts
Click here to view thread colors
What is the correct format of a monogram?
There are several monogram formats for women’s gifts. We use the “female” monogram format with the first name initial on the left, the last name initial in the center (larger) and the middle/maiden name initial on the right. For example: Beth Ann Jones would be personalized BJA.
For guys, we recommend the block format with all letters being upper case, the same size and in the following order: first name initial, middle name initial, last name initial. For example: John Michael Green would be personalized JMG.
Although we recommend the above formats for monograms, you can have your gifts personalized however you would like. When ordering, enter your initials, monogram format and font and any special instructions you have.
What is your return policy?
We can not accept returns on personalized items. We are careful to confirm the spelling of each name, monogram or line of text that goes on our personalized gifts. Please check to see that you have spelled all names correctly. Although we try our best, sometimes mistakes are made. If we have made an error, we will redo your gift at our cost. If the mistake is made by the customer, we will redo your item as a courtesy for 25% discount off of the original price within 15 days of the receipt of the order.
What should I do if my gift arrived broken or damaged?
If your order was damaged in shipping, please contact us immediately. We will file a claim with UPS and replace your item. Emailing us photos of the damaged item is extremely helpful in the claims process. We will only accept returns on damaged items 30 days from the date of shipment. If you have any questions please feel free to email us at info@initialitgifts.com or call us at 847-509-7769. We will be happy to help you.
Can I bring you my own items to personalize?
Yes. We are happy to custom paint your items as long as it’s something that we do not carry. Examples are: storage containers, party favors, bulletin boards, etc…Our custom paint fee is $40 per hour. Please contact us to get a price quote.
Can I bring you my own items to embroider?
Yes. Kidoodles Inc. and Initial It Gifts offers embroidery services for items purchased elsewhere to have embroidered. Depending on the season, it may take any where from 5-14 business days to have your item completed. Please let us know your time frame when requesting custom embroidery.
The starting price for having outside items embroidered is $12 for a line of embroidery. It is $8 for each additional line of text added. A typical “line of embroidery” includes a name, monogram or initials. If a name is longer or personalization is requested in a size larger than normal you may be charged an additional fee. If the material or item is very different from what we embroider we will need to evaluate it and let you know if we can personalize it for you. Turn around times will increase from April-June and October – December.
Do you offer discounts on bulk orders?
It depends. We typically do not offer discounts on items that we personalize. When purchasing multiples of the same gift, please keep in mind that we are individually customizing (hand painting, vinyl design, or embroidering) each item. It takes us time to create each gift whether or not it’s personalized with the same information, colors and designs. On occasion, we are asked to discount bulk purchases of items that require no personalization and we are happy to accommodate these discounts when possible. Please contact us with your requests.
What is your privacy policy?
Kidoodles Inc. and Initial It Gifts will not sell or give out your personal information to third party companies or mailing lists.