Holiday Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers to WOW!

December 13, 2015

One of my favorite parts of holiday gift giving is finding unique and fun stocking stuffers to fill Christmas stocking for my family. With only 12 days left before Christmas, I’ve been surfing the web and shopping the aisles to find items that I know will bring a smile on Christmas morning.

Just for you, here’s my round-up of practical, personal, fun and useful stocking stuffers ranging from $4.99 to $49.00!

FOR HER

Honey Jar $7.95 ♦ Travel Jewelry Case $19.95 ♦ Monogram Stickers 20/$5.25

Imprinted Pencils 6/$10.50 ♦ Watercolor Garden Agenda Notebook $23.00 ♦ Scented Candle $12.99

Faux Suede Gloves $12.90 ♦ Handbag Organizer $19.99

FOR HIM

Leather Panel Gloves $14.90 ♦ Roll Up Travel Charger $29.00 ♦ Thermos Insulated Water Bottle (the best ever) $24.99

Buffalo Check Dopp Kit $14.99 ♦ Brass Money Clip $20.00 ♦ Men’s Valet Tray $9.99

iPhone Zoom Lens & TriPod $22.00 ♦ Men’s Grooming Kit $12.99

FOR ANYONE

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix $14.99 ♦ Sonic Toothbrush (a great travel piece) $11.99

Power Bank Charger $23.99 ♦ Mini Tape Gun $4.99

Self Inking Address Stamp $39.00 ♦ Leather iPhone Case $49.00

Happy Shopping!

Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Entertaining

November 30, 2015

There’s nothing like entertaining during the holidays. From sit down dinners to causal cocktail parties, creating a festive setting for a holiday soirée takes only takes a few special pieces. Here are my gift picks for entertaining-ware that will make you the star of the party!

SERVEWARE

No. 1 A fun twist of traditional Christmas plates– Dapper Animal Plates

No. 2 A beautiful tray with a festive message–Plated Brass Tray

No. 3 A fun accent on the dinner table–Reindeer Salt-n-Pepper Shaker

No. 4 Tilt Bowls are perfect for serving up any type of holiday finger food {available in red and clear}

No. 5 A sweet little tiered stand to sever up sweets–Gilded Petit Four Stand

No. 6 Dots & stripes to glam up the buffet–Metallic 3-piece Cheese Knife Set

♦♦♦

DRINKWARE

No. 1 Because cooper mugs are cool–Copper Mugs

No. 2 No matter how you say it, say Cheers to the season! Cheers Champagne Flutes

No. 3 A chic way to serve wine, water or just about anything–Bird’s Beak Glass Carafe

No. 4 Personalize a party with these Acrylic Stemware Glasses {set of 4}

No. 5 Hot toddies call for classic Santa Mugs

No. 6 Why not serve custom martinis in festive martini glasses–Set of 2 Stag Martini Glasses

FUNWARE

No. 1 Indulge their sweet tooth with a fun Deer Candy Jar

No. 2 Gift your favorite cookies in this classic Winter Cottage Cookie Jar

No. 3 Whoever gets theses Santa Hat Lidded Bowls will be Ho, Ho, Happy!

No. 4 A personalized platter makes a great gift–Melamine Holiday Tray

The Art of Holiday Gift Wrapping

November 29, 2015

Since I love to wrap gifts, I thought it would be fun to share my easy formula for creating stylishly wrapped gifts. Even though it’s a pretty simple formula involving paper, ribbon, tags and a fun accent, it’s what I do with these items that turns my wrapping into an art.

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Holiday Gift Guide: Fashion Gifts

November 25, 2015

Clothing is one of the most gifted items at Christmas but that doesn’t mean you have to gift a basic sweater, a simple pair of gloves or a bundle of basic socks. Why not gift fashion with ultimate style. Here’s my His & Her Fashion Gift Guide and every item is $50 or less!

Plaid and Ponchos are two of the hottest fashion trends this winter and this Plaid Poncho is chic in every way. $38.00

These Stone Drop Hoop Earrings are definitely a one for them, one for me gift items. Available in 5 stone colors $46.80

This Reversible Faux Leather Tote w/Wristlet may just be the perfect handbag and it’s available in 6 color options. $48.00

Need a great gift under $10 then this Giant Birds Hill Tribe Clutch is a winner! Only $6.99 and available in a ton of pattern/color options.

Layered or along, with jeans or slacks, this Jacquard Check Pullover Sweater is red-hot. $29.99

I adore this Pearl Snowdrop Keychain and think it would make a beautiful bag charm too! $48.00

This Faux Fur Hand Warmer is such a chic way to keep your hands warm. $29.00 available in 6 fur colors

Because every girl needs a few statement necklaces in their wardrobe. This Tribal Inspired Layered Necklace is such a fabulous look at it’s only $13.90.

Help him keep warm and cozy with this Luxury Plush Robe. $49.00

The perfect gift for all the men in your life Leather iPhone Slip Wallet $39-$42 available in 4 colors

The perfect go with anything Plaid Woven Scarf. $35.00

You may want to get him one in every colors–1/4 Zip Sweater Vest. $29.70 available in 7 colors

For those times when a baseball hat is just too casual–Flecked Tweed Fedora $35.00

He’ll love this classic Silver Plate Personalized Pocket Watch for years to come. $45.00

Put a little pep in his step with Happy Socks. $12.00 per pair

Happy gifting!

30 Days of Holidays: Gifts For The Home

November 24, 2015

It’s the first day of my 30 Days of Holidays series. Over the next 30 days, thru Dec. 23rd, I’ll be sharing all things holiday with you. From holiday decor and entertaining inspiration to gift giving and gift wrap ideas, I hope to inspire you in new and creative ways to celebrate the season.

What I’m sharing today is the first of several holiday gift guides and it’s all about great Gifts For The Home! I think this round-up of items is so great you just might want to buy one of each of yourself. Happy gifting!

Pamper your friends and family with a box of Monogrammed Soap. They will feel like their visiting a luxury hotel overtime they use it. $49.00

Candles don’t get much more stylish than this Pineapple Jar Candle and the scent will make a cold winter night more comfy. $26.00-$38.00 available in two scents

This Cutting Board Set is the perfect gift for someone who loves to cook or entertain and the cooper details will enhance the style of their kitchen. $59.99 for three boards and the stand

Mix and match or buy all one color when gifting these beautiful Helianthus Goblets. Their morning glass of OJ will taste so much better. $10.00

Add a little flair to family game night with these Dice Motif Appetizer Plates. $24.95 set of 6

A beautiful Gold and Glass Lantern like this will be a year round gift for anyone you give it to. $29.99

This Gold Mirrored Tray is the perfect piece to accent any room in a home. $34.99

I love the look of this Wall Mount Vase and so will the person you gift this to. $69.00

Keep your family and friends warm this winter with a luxurious Faux Fur Throw. This is one of my favorites on the market. $90-$139

Pair this Wing Bowl with their favorite holiday candy and you’ve got the perfect gift. $24.99 (extra 10% off with code TurkeyDay)

This Mother of Pearl Clock is the perfect accent for a bookshelf, tabletop or bedside table. $79.00

Have you started your gift list and if so, is there a really great item on it that I need to know about? Do tell!

Busy as a bee & Mad About Plaid!

September 17, 2015

midwest living

Hello friends. You may have noticed that posting on the blog has been sparse this week for several reasons. I’ve been busy as a bee with work and projects and on top of that I’ve been fighting off a cold and haven’t felt good. I guess that sudden change in cooler weather caught my system off guard. Anyway, the combination of buy and sick hasn’t left me with the time or energy to blog.

I did want to pop in today to share one of favorite on-line shops with you, one which I have mentioned quite a bit here on the blog. Mark & Graham can do not wrong in my book. I love every one of their items and especially love their totes, cosmetic bags and small travel accessories. Mark & Graham has been flooding my inbox with their new fall introductions so I thought I’d share a some of my favorite plaid piece with you today. If you’re not excited for fall yet, these gorgeous plaid items will definitely put you in the mood.

I think this Monogrammed Plaid Tote is the perfect fall bag for a day of shopping or taking to the football game. The navy colorway is pretty cute too.

How cute are these Monogrammed Plaid Pillows? At just $39 for the pillow cover, I think they’re a really great Christmas gift. You can find the herringbone style here.

A girl can never have too many scarves and this Green Plaid Blanket Scarf is too cute to pass up. $49 includes a single letter or three-letter monogram.

This Essex Plaid Handbag could be used as a gym bag, travel bag or business tote and it’s currently on sale.

Mark and Graham have lots more plaid items to choose from so if you’re mad about plaid like me, head over to their site and have fun shopping.

I’m taking the rest of the week off to get well and get caught up on work and projects so I’ll see you back here on Monday!

this is not a sponsored post, just me sharing a site and products I love

Gift Wrap Inspiration: Flowers and Denim

August 31, 2015

Hello friends and Happy Monday! Sorry for the last blog post today. I had a morning meeting and then had to get a few things checked off the to-do list so I’m late getting this post out. Anyway as the saying goes, ‘better late than never” so here I am with some gift wrap inspiration for you.

Whenever I’m looking for a new idea to inspire a gift wrap project, I usually don’t have to look far. The inspiration for this wrapping came from some flowers I spotted while on an evening walk recently and a denim shirt I had in my closet. This package is headed to a girlfriend and I just know she’s going to love the wrap.

The box I used for this package is a two-piece box with separate lid and I wrapped each piece in the beautiful floral paper I picked up in the dollar ($1.50) section at #Michaels. Then I added a denim heart, also from Michaels and adhered it with tape around the edges so it could serve as a pocket.

{p.s. my local Michaels just restocked the dollar area and there are lots of really cute fall and Christmas items you should check out}

{p.s.s. the denim hearts are on clearance at 80% off and they have denim pockets too}

The finishing touches are a pink gift tag with hand lettering and a silk bow and flower that are clipped onto the edge of the heart using a small clothespin.

ribbon from May Arts

Wrapping gifts is always fun but when you can create a beautiful box using just a few items and in less than 10 minutes it’s even better.

I hope you give this gift wrap idea a try. If you can’t find denim pieces at your craft store, you can always cut up old clothing that is slated for the thrift store.

Happy wrapping!

sharing on:

Girlfriend Gifts

August 28, 2015

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had already begun doing some Christmas shopping. I hate to wait until the last minute when the items have been picked over and store shelves are bare. One category of gifts that I tend to buy early is girlfriend gifts.

Finding that special gift for a girlfriend can sometimes be challenging so my method for selecting the perfect gift is to tap into that persons style. Think about the colors the person wears, the items they decorate their home with and their passions in life. When you look for gifts that connect to a person’s lifestyle and soul, you’ll always find the perfect piece.

Here’s a round-up of gifts that I love and that I think my girlfriends would love too.

♥♥♥

These Jardin Des Vases are ideal for that friend that has a crush on blue and white and loves to decorate.

I have a long list of friends that would love this Brass Pineapple Dish so I’m planning to add a few to my gift closet.

If you have friends who run their own businesses , the Morocco Madness Stationery will make them feel special and is a perfect way for them to personalize correspondence to their customers.

A cute little Trinket Dish like this one is great for all the stylish friends on your list.

These chic Stone Stud Earrings are for the fashionistas in your life.

My go-to gift for girlfriends or anyone for that matter is Candles and I just love this little collection from Voluspa.

Do you have a friend that needs to take a little more time for themselves? Gift them this adorable Bird Teapot and encourage them to take a few minutes each day to do just that.

♥

Now that you have some great gifts to consider, you’ll need a fun way to wrap them. On Monday I’ll be sharing a chic and simple gift wrap idea with you so until then, enjoy your weekend and happy shopping.