In Buffalo, we don’t say “I love you,” we say “GO BILLS” and I think that’s beautiful.
No, seriously. I mean, I tell my friends I love them all the time, but I also end a lot of conversations with GO BILLS. It’s just one of those things that once you’ve spent a few years in Buffalo, it becomes second nature. Even my friends who could care less about football (I still don’t understand how, but hey, it takes all kinds) throw in a GO BILLS every once in a while.
And while most people know Buffalo for our years and years of football sadness and the absurd amount of lake effect snow that the greater Buffalo area gets – just google this past weekend’s snowstorm, if you’re unfamiliar – there is so much more to the city of Buffalo. In my six years in the Queen City, I got to explore the arts and theatre scene, peruse some stellar bookstores and poetry events, watch the breweries and cuisine culture grow – and, although it seems antithetical to having lived in and then left Buffalo, I never liked wings until I moved out of the 716. Making that discovery (turns out this girl just likes a good mild-medium sauce vs. the face-melting chaos my dad likes!) made me even more excited to come back for visits and design my own Buffalo Wing Tour. Give me a Blue Light and a basket of flats, and I’m the happiest gal around. I’ll pass on the blue cheese, though.
So, all of that said, if you’re shopping for a gift for your favorite Buffalonian (or updating your own Buffalove collection), I’ve got your back. Make sure you hand it to them with a hearty GO BILLS – it’ll make it that much more special.
Buffalo Wall Art
These wall art pieces are perfect gifts for showing off some Buffalo pride, or a great way to bring some hometown love to a displaced Buffalonian. Enjoy a minimalist version of Buffalo’s skyline featuring some of our most iconic buildings with the Buffalo Skyline Wall Art as seen in the left hand side of the above photo. This 8″ x 10″ reverse canvas-style wall art is available with two stain color options for the frame, shown here in red-brown, and comes with a sawtooth hanger on the back for easy decorating. The black line art on a white canvas makes it so this piece is easy to coordinate with just about any already-existing decor style, so you won’t have to worry about it clashing with other art pieces.
For a different way to express your Buffalove, the Buffalove string art is a fun wall hanging to bring some color to a smaller space. This 5 inch tall x 5.5 inch wide sign features a solid color string art of a bison with the word “buffalove” in script below it – including a heart instead of the o! The best part about this piece is that you get to pick all the colors, so you can really customize it to fit your fave person’s vibe. As with almost all the string art signs in my shop, this sign comes with an attached burlap twine so it’s ready to hang as soon as it arrives.
The Buffalo Map Heart Canvas is a great piece if you’re looking for even more color. This 8″ x 8″ canvas hanging features a hand-drawn, minimalist map of the greater Buffalo area, including a little bit of Lake Erie, Niagara Falls, and Canada across the river. The map section is outlined with a heart shape, with your choice of color to make it your own. No matter what part of Buffalo you’re from, this map is a lovely way to bring your hometown to wherever you might be now.
Buffalo Decals & Apparel
R: single color Buffalo Skyline Decal
If it’s a car (or laptop, classroom window, mirror, etc.) that could use a little more Buffalove, these decals are a great gift idea! Each vinyl decal measures approximately 4.75 inches wide x 3.25 inches tall, and features a silhouette of a bison with the Buffalo skyline running through the center, complete with the word “BUFFALO” in the lower half. The two-color skyline decal uses the skyline as a dividing point between two colors of your choice (shown here in red and blue). The single color version keeps the same design but in one solid color for both pieces of the decal. Regardless of which version you choose, each decal comes with transfer tape already applied, as well as application instructions, so all you’ll need to do is peel the paper backing from the decal and apply it to your surface! These decals are made with permanent vinyl for long-lasting application. Plus, you get to customize the colors to add your own flair to your favorite city.
Maybe you or your giftee have plans to attend a game soon – and trust me, I know how cold tailgating in the winter can be. Keep warm with one of these cute Let’s Go Buffalo sweatshirts, available in unisex sizes S-5XL. These cozy sweatshirts come in either white or sport grey, with the design in either red or royal blue, so you have a few different color options to best suit your game day outfit. Each sweatshirt has a silhouette of a bison printed across the chest with the words “let’s go” in a cute handwritten font above the word “BUFFALO” in a team-inspired font style. The text is “cut out” of the bison silhouette in a negative space style, so the color of the sweatshirt fabric shows through. Plus, since it doesn’t have a specific team name, this sweatshirt can easily be worn for college sports, hockey games, or just showing off some Buffalo pride.
Finally, if you’re anything like me, you just want to run through a wall when our beloved quarterback hurdles over another team’s player. If you’re not a Bills fan, you might be surprised to learn that this is a common experience. The last time that Josh hurdled a guy, I was immediately inspired to create some artwork out of it. It took a few days and a LOT of drawing-erasing-redrawing-adding-deleting-etc., but I am so incredibly proud of this drawing and I absolutely had to put it on ALL THE THINGS!
For so many years, Buffalo has been the absolute laughingstock of football, and it’s still so wild to me that we’re actually good. I will never forget when we made the playoffs in 2017: I was pacing back and forth around a Buffalo Wild Wings in California, waiting for the outcome of the Bengals-Ravens game in a room where I was the only Bills fan. I had that whole room congratulating me as I cried like an idiot in my jersey because it finally felt good to be a Buffalo fan. It’s been a few years and it still doesn’t feel real, and yet I still encounter haters who think our recent success is just a flash in the pan. Well, we know our quarterback can hurdle over the haters, so here we are hurdling over EVERYBODY.
This Buffalo QB Hurdle collection has something for everyone. The unisex long-sleeve t-shirt comes in 8 colors with sizes S-2XL (with additional size options, should you need them – just shoot me a message!) and is perfect for watching the game at home or to wear on a victory Monday. If long sleeves aren’t your style, the short sleeve version also comes in a wide variety of colors and sizes, and makes a great layering piece. If you’re trying to keep warm at the game, the unisex sweatshirt is a comfy and cozy way to get you through the tailgate. For a trendy twist, the womens’ cropped sweatshirt combines football and fashion.
Whether your favorite Buffalonian is hurdling the haters, keeping warm in a snowstorm, or wanting a little piece of home to hang on their walls, all of these items make a great gift (and I won’t tell anyone if you want to gift some to yourself, too). Find all of these and more in The Anchor & Bird decor shop and at The Anchor & Bird Apparel – currently 20% off through November 30th.
And, most importantly, GO BILLS!