2017 FATHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE {inspired by my dad}

June 5, 2017

Happy Monday friends. Did you have a great weekend? We had a whirlwind weekend that started with a trip to Alabama for a wedding. About 30 minutes from our destination we realized we had left the garment bag that contained my husbands suit and my dress for the wedding at home. After a moment of panic we forged ahead and made a quick pit stop at Dillard’s to do a little shopping. Thirty minutes later, a new dress and new digs for the hubby and all was good with the world again.

After a night of celebrating and hanging with family, we headed back home yesterday to more rain. But today’s another day and I’m hoping for a bit of sunshine. 🙂

I have lots of fun stuff to share with you this week on the blog starting with my Father’s Day Gift Guide. I lost my dad in 1983 and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of and miss him. So in honor of Father’s Day, all of the gifts I’ve included in this years gift guide are inspired by the memory of my dad. He loved to have fun, had impeccable style and always had the newest and latest gadgets. I hope there’s a gift on my list that perfect for the special man in your life!

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ONE. Wooden Fractal Puzzle. Such a cool gift to keep dad busy and challenged for hours. p.s. I love the design style of this puzzle–kinda looks like a fun greek key design.

TWO. Men’s Emergency Kit. A great travel companion for the work or leisure travel. This is also a great gift of a recent college grad!

THREE. 50 Life and Business Lessons from Steve Jobs. I’ve read this book and it contains loads of wisdom to inspire dad (or anyone) in work and in life. A great read.

FOUR. Father’s Day Shave Kit. My hubby recently tried the Harry’s shave kit and gave the products and razor rave reviews. He loved it so much that I’m sharing more about Harry’s in another post later this week.

FIVE. Amazon Echo. We received one of these as a gift a couple of years ago and use it everyday. The Echo is an amazing piece of technology.

SIX. Nylon Travel Bags. These bags help keep everything in your suitcase organized and they also cut down on the wrinkles. And the monogram is such a classy detail. p.s. I want a set for me too!

SEVEN. Monogrammed Handkerchiefs! One of the essential accessories I think every man needs to carry.

EIGHT. Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch. Help dad stay fit and healthy in style.

NINE. The Leather Accessories Traveler. This case keep ties, collar stays and jewelry organized and safe. And it’s comeback if dad travels with only a carry on.

2017 Father’s Day Gift Guide

Gift Wrap Inspiration: Blue, Yellow & Silver Wedding Wrap

May 30, 2017

Hi friends. I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. I sure did!

I’m back today with another gift wrap inspiration post for you. Over the years I’ve shared wrapping ideas for birthdays, mother’s day, Valentine’s day and other special occasions but never for a wedding. Today I’m sharing inspiration for a wedding along with a few wedding specific gift wrapping tips. Enjoy!

The past couple of years we have not attended many weddings but this year is different. We have several weddings between now and August and that means some fun gift wrapping for me.

When I wrap wedding gifts I like to use paper, ribbon and embellishments that coordinate with the colors for the wedding. It’s such an easy way to make the gift even more special.

The hubs and I will be attending a family wedding this weekend where the colors are blue, yellow and silver. The color combination is perfect for a summer wedding and it provided great inspiration for wrapping our gift.

Wedding Gift Wrap Inspiration: Blue, Yellow & Silver

Since our gift is in a large box, I used a wrapping paper with a bold pattern. The blue and white lattice design is perfect for a wedding and the pattern is feminine without being too girly.

tip: buy wrapping paper that can work for more than one occasion and then use embellishments to make the wrapping formal or casual, depending on the event

blue & white medallion gift wrap // white grosgrain ribbon // navy silk ribbon

Once the box was wrapped, I tried a wide white grosgrain ribbon around it and then layered a navy silk ribbon on top. I cut the navy ribbon long enough so I could tie multiple bows on top.

To add in the yellow color, I created a flower bouquet for the top of the box using silk flowers I picked up at the Dollar Store.

The final touch was a silver glitter gift tag that I dressed up with yellow and navy fabric flowers from the craft store.

blue & white medallion gift wrap // white grosgrain ribbon // navy silk ribbon

Using different styles of flowers added interest and gave the top of the box a personalized feel.

blue & white medallion gift wrap // white grosgrain ribbon // navy silk ribbon

It’s wedding season so if you’ll be wrapping wedding gifts, keep these tips in mind…

GIFT WRAPPING TIPS FOR WEDDING GIFTS

If you don’t want to coordinate your gift wrap with the wedding colors, it’s always classic to use white or silver wrapping paper.
Always attach a gift tap or card securely to your gift. Or better yet, place the card inside the box and attach a tag with the couples name on it to the outside of the box.
If you’re planning on giving an envelope containing money or gift cards, put those items in an envelope and wrap a ribbon around it. A ribbon will signify that the envelope it is a gift so it doesn’t get missed or tossed out.
Embellishments are a fun way to accent your gift wrap and make your gift extra special. My favorite gift embellishments include silk flowers, oversized monogram letters and crystal beads.

Gift Wrap Inspiration: Tassel Ribbon Tie

May 1, 2017

With Mother’s Day just a few weeks away, you may have gift giving on your mind. If you’re looking for the perfect gift, be sure to check out my Mother’s Day Gift Guide. Once you’ve purchased a gift you’ll need to wrap it so I’ve got a fun and easy gift wrap idea for you today.

DIY GIFT WRAP: Tassel Ribbon Tie

Wrapping gifts is one of my favorite things to do and because I’m a paper and ribbon collector {aka-hoarder} I’ve got a stash of pretty paper and embellishments perfect for the occasion.

I’m always drawn to floral motifs when it comes to Mother’s Day gift wrap so I chose this pretty orange and pink floral blossom paper. I love the bold design and the accent of apple green in the background pattern.

Similar Floral Gift Wrap // Similar Faux Leather Tassels // Orange Ribbon

Wanting to put a different spin on the bow, I decided to create a tassel tie using white faux leather tassels that I had.

You won’t believe where these tassel came from. They originally started out as tassel garland from the Nate Berkus collection at Target. I scored several sets of the garland in white and black on clearance for less than $3!

When I purchased the garland I had the idea of making necklaces but also knew the tassels would make a great gift wrap embellishment.

Making the tassel tie was super easy. I measured a length of ribbon long enough to fit around the box and tie and simple bow. Then I tied a tassel on to each end. Once the box was wrapped, I used the tassel tie like a regular ribbon to embellish the gifts.

Similar Floral Gift Wrap // Similar Faux Leather Tassels // Orange Ribbon

One of the best parts of creative gift wrapping is using items in new ways. These tassels were meant for home decor but make the perfect finishing touch for a gift.

The next time you shop the clearance aisle at your favorite store, be on the look-out for trinkets and charms you can use when wrapping gifts.

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE–ONLY THE BEST FOR MOM!

April 28, 2017

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and making sure mom feels loved and appreciated on her special day (and everyday) is top of my list. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really come to understand the courage, dedication and selflessness that it takes to be a mother. My mom is one special lady and along with teaching me about life she instilled in me the power to dream big and reach for my goals. Priceless gifts.

To help you celebrate your mom on Mother’s Day I’ve curated a gift guide filled with special pieces from a few of my favorite stores and online shops.

♦ Amara.com is a new online shop I recently discovered and to say I love everything on their site is an understatement. They sell a wide range of products from over 300 of the leading home decor, gift and fashion brands around. p.s. I’ll be sharing more about Amara in a couple of weeks along with a fun collaboration I’m doing with them!

♦ BaubleBar continues to be one of my favorite sources for fashion jewelry. Not only are their prices good but their tassel earring collection is hard to beat. I want one of everything.

♦ When we lived in Seattle, Nordstrom was a favorite shopping spot for clothing, handbags and shoes. And now I love shopping their gift and home departments for unique items. Mark you calendar for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale which will take place July 21-August 6th.

♦ Mark & Graham is my go-to source for high-quality leather goods, entertaining items and accessories for both men and women. And I love that so many of their items can be personalized with a monogram.

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DIY Easter Candy Jars {Easter Gift Idea}

March 28, 2017

Welcome to part 2 of the Spring Thyme Recipes & Style Blog Hop hosted by my friend Tamyra at Positively Southern. If you’re coming over from Swirls of Flavor, welcome! I know you enjoyed Gwynn’s post as much as I did. Along with the other participating bloggers, we’re bringing you more spring and Easter inspiration today. I’ve listed all of the bloggers at the end of the post so make sure to stop by each blog and see what everyone is sharing.

Today I’ve got a fun and simple Easter gift idea for you.

One of the things you might not know about me is that I like to take the road less traveled. And when it comes to creative projects, I like to put my own twist on things. Take for instant Easter baskets. This year when it came time to make Easter baskets I wanted them to be unique. An ordinary woven Easter basket wasn’t going to cut it. This year I decided to create Easter Candy Jars instead of a traditional basket!

Medium Jar with Rope Handle {also available in small and large size} // Pink Stripe Ribbon // Green Dot Ribbon

Aren’t these the cutest candy jars ever? And boy are the easy to make.

Once the idea of Easter jars struck me, I headed to Hobby Lobby for glass jars. There were a lot of styles to choose from but these jars with a rope handle caught my eye. The jars come in three sizes and with my 40% off coupon the largest jar was less than $7.

sale alert: next week all the jars will be 50% off.

I filled each jar with Easter grass, a chocolate bunny and candy. And once that was done I tied a pretty ribbon on the handle.

Just think of all the ways you can customize an Easter Candy Jar by using different candies, ribbons and grass. And once the holiday is over the gift recipient can use the jar to hold a candle, pencils or whatever they want. #twogiftsinone

Part of the fun in creating unique gifts is giving them out. I can’t wait to deliver my Easter jars to friends and family so they can enjoy their special treat.

DIY EASTER CANDY JARS

Thanks for stopping by today and sharing in my ‘Spring Thyme’ fun. Next on the blog hop train is Tamyra at Positively Southern so head over and see how she’s bring spring style into her home.

Clutter Cafe (read part 1 here)
Viva La Vintage For Your Home (read part 1 here)
Swirls of Flavor (read part 1 here)
Confetti Style (read part 1 here)
Positively Southern (read part 1 here)
Totally Tailgates (read part 1 here)
M. Jones Style (read part 1 here)
Life at Lydia’s House (read part 1 here)
LindaG Loving Home (read part 1 here)

Gift Wrap Inspiration: DIY Paper Gift Bags Using Wrapping Paper

February 20, 2017

If you know me, you know that I’d rather make my own gift bags versus buy them at the store. Handcrafted gift bags are easier to make than you might think and you probably already have the supplies on hand.

For my latest gift wrap project, I made some spring inspired gift bags using wrapping paper, ribbon and craft bags from Paper Mart. I created a variety of sizes and decorated each one differently to show you how easy it is to customize handmade gift bags. And I created a how-to guide that you can download (link at end of the post).

Once you’ve made your first handcrafted gift bag you’ll see how quick and easy it is to make a bag to fit any size gift or any gift occasion.

DIY GIFT BAGS

Blue/Blue Striped Wrapping Paper // ‘Periwinkle’ Floral Wrapping Paper // Mini Chevron Bags

You can see that I made different styles of ribbon handles for each bag. My favorite is the braided handle on the large striped bag.

To create the braid, I cut three equal lengths of ribbon and braided them together. Once the ends were inserted through the holes at the top of the bag, I tied them in a knot to secure the ends.

On the large floral bag below, I punched holes on the corners and in the center and tied ribbons through the holes. I used white hole reinforcements to protect the holes from tearing.

tip: Everyday office supplies can make great gift wrap embellishments.

Kiwi Satin Ribbon // Navy Satin Ribbon // Mini Chevron Bags

The mini chevron bags I taped to the front of my gift bags holds a kraft gift tag. The bags would also be great to hold sweet treats with an Easter gift.

Paper Mart sells the chevron bags in three sizes and 8 colors and I love using them in gift wrap projects.

Periwinkle Floral Wrapping Paper // Mini Chevron Bags // Similar Craft Flowers // Silver Glitter Gift Tags

I you want to embellish your bags even more, you can glue on fabric or paper flowers like I did.

Blue/Blue Striped Wrapping Paper // Kiwi Satin Ribbon // Navy Satin Ribbon

Periwinkle Floral Wrapping Paper // Mini Chevron Bags // White Gift Tags // Paper Hole Reinforcement

Paper Mart has one of the largest selections of satin ribbon on the market with over 50 colors and 10 widths to choose from. #oneofeachplease

Spring is gift giving season. Stock up on your favorite wrapping paper and ribbon so you can personalize your gifts with a handmade gift bag.

Download DIY Gift Bag Tutorial

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To see other projects I made using Paper Mart products, check out these posts…

Valentine’s Day Centerpiece

Creative Ways to Decorate With Wrapping Paper

Holiday Gift Wrap

This post is in partnership with Paper Mart. My love for wrapping paper and ribbon as well as all opinions of Paper Mart products are 100% my own.

Gift Wrap Inspiration: Pleated Paper Valentines Wrap

February 3, 2017

Whew! We made it to Friday. I have had a jammed packed week and I’m glad the weekend is upon us. Even though I have some work to catch up on this weekend, I also plan to enjoy some down time and watch all the festivities surrounding the Super Bowl. And yes I’ll be rooting on the Falcons!

I’ve got a fun and easy gift wrap inspiration post for your today, just in time for all your Valentine’s Day gift giving.

Because I wrap a lot of gifts during the year, I am always experimenting with different ways to manipulate the paper to give my gifts some flair. For my Valentines wrap this year I decided to do a little pleat treatment with my paper.

It’s really easy to pleat gift wrap. To start, determine the amount of paper you’ll need to wrap your box and add about 8″. The extra paper will allow you to create multiple pleats in your paper and still be able to wrap your box. You’ll be creating your pleats horizontally across the width of the paper.

The first pleat I made was pretty deep (about 3 1/2″) and I’ll explain why in a minute.

Once you’ve made your first pleat, continue pleating your paper with small folds. You want to create enough pleats so they stand out on your gift.

Once all your pleats are made, turn your paper over and tape the pleats down on each edge of the paper. This will hold the pleats in place.

And now all you have to do is wrap your gift.

The reason I made the first pleat extra deep was to create a pocket that could hold a Valentine’s Day card. Pretty clever, right?!

The pocket can also hold money, a photo or a sweet treat like a chocolate heart.

You can find the free printableValentine’s Day cards I designed here.

I added bows and ribbon to complete my Valentines wrap and just love the way the packages look.

Pink Pom Pom Ribbon // White Ruffle Edge Ribbon

Similar Heart Gift Wrap // Similar Pink Damask Gift Wrap

I wrapped these Valentine’s Day gifts with extra love because they are headed off to my moms house.

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Valentine’s Day Gift Guide | Gifts Under $50

January 30, 2017

I love Valentine’s Day. It’s not only a day to celebrate with your special someone but it’s another day when you can show your family and friends how much they are loved. In honor of Valentine’s Day I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite things to help your find that perfect gift. Whether you’re shopping for mom, dad, hubby or friends this gift list has you covered. And even better, all the items are under $50!

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Valentine’s Day Gifts For Her

one // For someone who loves to lounge around on the weekends but wants to do it in style. And who doesn’t love animal prints?

two // This colorful and whimsical clutch, with a cute pom pom detail is perfect for an evening out or a weekend shopping.

three // Because a girl can never have too many pairs of cute earrings. And these would be perfect for a Valentine’s date night.

four // Always on the perfect tote bag for work, weekends and travel. This is a good one!

five // I love the bright and bold floral pattern on this oversized scarf. This is a great piece to transition for winter to spring.

six // A fun floral art piece to brighten up someones home during the dull winter months. It’s the perfect size for a bookshelf, bathroom wall or as part of galley wall arrangement.

seven // I’m currently buying this candle in my office and all I can say about the scent is ‘amazing’! And there’s a hand cream, room spray and soap available in the same scent.

eight // And if you’re giving a candle as a gift, why not throw in these adorable matches.

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him

one // Order these chic monogram beer glasses today and let him celebrate Valentine’s Day early while watching the Super Bowl!

two // The man in your life will surely stand out at the office with the embossed document holder. Available in black or brown.

three // Stylish plus wallet are not two words that usually go hand in hand when it comes to mens wallets. This one has it all and I love that it is compact.

four // If he’s into fitness and health and being the best he can be, he’ll love a subscription to Men’s Health magazine.

five // These headphones are sleek and sexy and are perfect when he wants to watch the game in silence.

six // If your guy is a fashionista like mine, he’ll love the look and style of this watch. And you won’t believe the price!

seven // He’ll enjoy walking the dog if you get him this bluetooth cap.

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Check back tomorrow to see the adorable Valentine’s Day cards I designed just for you. You’ll be able to download and print them for free!