Graduation Day

I finished my master's degree & graduated this past weekend. It was a lovely weekend & I was very blessed to have a few members of my family in town to celebrate.  I am so grateful for their support during the past two years.  

Here are a few snapshots from the weekend.  We were lucky to have incredible seats for the large ceremony on the National Mall.

Our commencement speaker was Brian Williams from NBC.  He charged us to "take us [the country] somewhere."

My family gifted my with this beautiful bracelet. It has amethyst stones. I absolutely love it and know that I will enjoy wearing it each day.

I have lots of things i'd like to do now that I have "free time" again.  More goals & info on that is coming soon... but in the meantime, I am excited about a long-overdue vacation and a chance to catch up on my sleep!

Gift Guide: For the Kiddos

I said when I started with these gift guides that I would be following the "do what you know" philosophy and posting only ideas on gifts for women.  But by popular request (i.e. request of my bff), I bring you a gift guide for kiddos!


My first piece of advice about giving gifts to kids is to ask their parents what they want or need.  In my case, most of the kids I know are children of my friends.  These friends are my age or a little older, so they are "young" moms.  There may be things that their kids actually need!  Kids grow very fast.  Unlike us, they need new coats, hats and shoes each winter because the old ones no longer fit properly.  I always like to ask what my kids friends might want or need for birthdays and holidays because I think in some instances, my friends feel more comfortable telling me that the child could use a new pair of shoes for when he grows out of his current ones than they might be telling that same thing to a family or work friend. 


In the case of needing clothes or shoes, here are some of my favorite choices for kids: Target, Old Navy, Stride Rite, Baby Gap/ Gap Kids, Carter's, The Children's Place, Etsy, Zulily (daily deals site), eBay.  Used clothing is great for kids- oftentimes you can find brand new or hardly used clothing or shoes at local consignment sales, garage sales or on eBay. 


But what if you don't feel comfortable asking what a child needs? Or what if a parent doesn't have any gift ideas for you?  Here are my favorite gifts for little kids.

Books
I love Karen Katz books for babies and toddlers.  Learning books of numbers, shapes, and colors are also great! You can always go with a classic like The Runaway Bunny or The Rainbow Fish.  Dr. Seuss books are another fun option.

Puzzles
Puzzles are a big thing right now! Many puzzles even make noises of cars or animals or even saying the "ABCs" out loud. I love puzzles because kids can learn so much from them but have fun too.  

Musical Toys
Kids of all ages LOVE noise and music.  Plus musical toys help babies and toddlers with motor skills.  Win-win.  


As a final note, bath toys like bath markers and pajamas are also great gifts for kids! 


For older kids, I usually try to go with a gift associated with a hobby for them.  For example, my 11 year old cousin is really into hockey, so I might look for a t-shirt from his favorite team.  Money is also always a big hit with "older" kids and you can just give them $20 in a card and they will think they've hit the jackpot!  Etsy is also a great source for unique fan paraphernalia.  I got a kid in my life a Justin Bieber shirt from Etsy that is super unique and age-appropriate. 

Gift Guide: For the Eclectic Friend

ec·lec·tic/iˈklektik/

Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.


We all know at least one person whose style we would describe as "eclectic."  (Not to be confused with eccentric, although the two sometimes go hand in hand.)  It is pretty obvious from the name of this blog that I categorize myself this way.  I think "eclectic" people can be so tough to buy gifts for because to others, it may seem like there is little rhyme or reason to what they like.  I know I am this way.  People have to get to know me pretty well to be able to surprise me with gifts I really like.  Here are some ideas- some affordable and some more lavish- for the eclectic ones in your life.

I am absolutely OBSESSED with these beautiful glass ornaments.  They have been everywhere this holiday season- these are from Crate & Barrel and they come in several different colors.  These are no longer available online, but if you are lucky you can find them in stores (I believe other colors are still available online).  At less than $3 (!!!) they are a super affordable and chic gift.

I'm also obsessed with this Christmas tree garland made out of vintage Indian saris.  It is so unique! I think I'll be asking for a couple of these for Christmas.  They are $20 for six feet, but I think I may just ask for them instead of waiting for them to go on sale because I love them so much! At $20, it's an affordable luxury that I'd enjoy for years to come.

credit

Domino: The Book of Decorating is a perfect gift for anyone who loves home décor. Available on amazon for just over $21, this book features beautiful rooms of all different aesthetics- there is truly something for every décor lover in this book! 

I'm definitely a sucker for needlepoint, and this punchy pillow is the perfect touch of humor for any room.  It is absolutely a splurge at $165, but it is so unique and fun!

These hobnail glass candles from Simpatico are so fabulous.  They look beautiful and smell incredible- the smell is very light and I love it because it gives my apartment a great smell without overwhelming me.  At $28.00, these make a great gift because they are a reasonable gift but not something I would typically buy for myself. They are available from anthropologie and frankly, it seems wrong to not include anthropologie in this post since I think most "eclectic" friends would love anything they sell! 

For a touch of modern, these notecards by R. Nichols are great and fresh! There are tons of options and they are all moderately priced at $18.  You can even add your name to them for a small fee!  I first saw these on Rosa Loves DC and I fell in love! 

These monogram stands would be great gifts for a newlywed friend or someone who just loves monograms and typography.  They are $24 from anthropologie. 

This world map is super cool and unique.  It would be great for a friend who loves to travel.  The watercolor effect gives it a very special feel. These are very affordable, starting at $14.29.

Hope you found a great idea for a friend here! I know I would love to receive any of these items, but I would also get a lot of joy out of giving one as a gift! 


Disclaimer: all of these products were found by me. I do not own any of these (yet) and no company has asked me to promote them. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own! 

Gift Guide: For the Gal Who Has It All

Last night at Blogger Blitz we were talking about the fact that maybe these gift guides floating around the interwebs are happening too late.  I see that point as most of my shopping is done for this year (yay me!).  I'll have to keep that in mind for next year.  In case you are still shopping, here are some affordable ideas for your hard-to-buy-for friend or family member who seems to have everything already! 

I've said before that I love my Land's End Tote Bag.  I have a medium size open-top tote and it is great for school or work or running errands around town.  This season, I'm wanting to add a large bag to my collection and I think I'm going to go with a zip-top so I can use it for airplane travel.  And of course, I would opt to add my monogram.  The large size of this tote is $36.50 plus $6 for monogramming but Land's End offers other sizes at different prices. 

Yall know I also love my Tervis Tumblers and in my opinion, you can never have enough of these!  I have 4 24-ounce tumblers that I use in a rotation.  Love them and cannot get enough! I think I would like to add a mug to my collection eventually.  This would be great to keep at work for hot tea during the work day.  They are microwave safe, after all!  These are $15.00 for the mug- other sizes are offered at different prices. 

Yall know I also love me some Bobbi Brown! This "Classic To Go" Palette from Bobbi Brown is incredible! It would fit perfectly in your purse for touchups from day to day.  The shades are classic and can be worn by anyone.  At $25, this would make a thoughtful gift for a sister or friend. 

This crossbody bag from DSW would be great for any young woman!  It is perfect to carry the essentials.  At $70, it would be a bit of a splurge, but it is still within reason.

I absolutely love these small earrings from Nordstrom Rack.  They are a bargain at $30 (marked down from $78) and I just ordered a pair for myself!  A girl can never have too many earrings and these come in a few color options (2 options still available) and would go with so much! 

Need gift ideas for someone? Let me know via email or comment! A gift guide for "eclectic" friends will be featured on the blog later this week!  

Gift Guide: 15 under $15.00

My first request for a gift guide came from my friend Jenn.  Here's what Jenn had to say:

Oooh I'm having trouble thinking of stuff for coworkers... I have one close friend that I work with that's easy to buy for, but there are two other women in my office that I feel I should get something for. Preferably inexpensive :)

Don't we ALL have people like this in our lives? People who are definitely important to us and who we want to appreciate this holiday season, but who may be difficult to buy for- especially when we are on a budget!  And let me tell you something- everyone has a budget, whether it's a big budget or a small budget!  I 100% believe that with gifts, the thought counts more than anything.  So here are fifteen fun store-bought gifts that are all under $15.  Yes! under $15. Okay... I lied. One of them is $16.00.  But that's still pretty great! There are lots of ideas in this post, so hopefully you may find at least one of them useful!  

I tried to go with items on this list that would be fun at the office, since Jenn originally asked for ideas for coworkers.  I don't know about you but my office is SO GREY!!! Yuck! I try not to make anything too permanent at my desks since I've always been "just" an intern, but I'm gonna have to jazz things up pretty soon just for my own personal sanity! 

monogram mugs $8.00

app magnets $16.00

monogrammed mugs $6.00

fun file folders $6.95

monogrammed koozie $12.00

like & dislike stamps $14.00

lipgloss wand $10.00

may books customizable agendas & journals from $12.00

witty notepads $5.95 

(these say "i was never meant to work")

potholder $5.56

small desk calendar $12.00

insulated tumblers from $6.18

chevron clutch $13.80

small owl pitcher $15.00

this would make a great pencil holder!

sauce dish $5.95

this would be so cute for paper clips & binder clips!

Having trouble finding the perfect gift for someone? Let me know and I'll try to help find something awesome!


Disclaimer: all of these products were found by me. I do not own any of these (yet) and no company has asked me to promote them. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own! 

Updates & A Request

Greetings, blogland!  I hope if you are reading this, you enjoyed a healthy and restful Thanksgiving holiday.  I had a nice trip to visit family, but I have to say that I was itching to get back to D.C. for once in my life.  I am just ready to get this semester of grad school wrapped up and put away!  Several things have been on my mind, so please excuse the hodgepodge and please jump in to express your opinion if you'd like to!

• I've noticed lately that it really gets under my skin when bloggers repeatedly publish spelling or grammar errors in their blog posts.  I know that I'm not perfect and I do not expect anyone else to be perfect.  I can forgive an occasional mistake. Even though I proofread, I know I will sometimes make mistakes too and hopefully, as my readers, you can forgive me.  That said, I think I may need to unfollow a few blogs based on mistakes made over and over again.  I think this standard applies even more to bloggers whose blogs are monetized.  I do not make money off of this blog but I know that plenty of bloggers rely on their blogs as their secondary or primary sources of income.  I support those blogs by reading them so clearly, I have no problem with this. However, if I made grammar and spelling mistakes all the time at work, I wouldn't have a job.  The fact that some bloggers are so lazy that they admit to completely skipping the proofreading process all the time drives me crazy!  (I'm sure we all skip that process from time to time, but some people make a habit of it.) If you blog and make money from that blog, your blog is a professional activity for you.  As such, you should treat it and your readers with the same professional courtesies as you would treat your "customers" in the workplace- whether those customers are internal to your organization (your boss or coworkers) or external.  I will get off my soapbox now, but I just had to get that off my chest!  For the record, if you ever spot a mistake in my blog posts, let me know! 
• I am gearing up to put together some gift guides for the holidays.  I did this last year, but I'm hoping this year's guides will be even better.  I've decided to focus 100% on gift guides for women as I'm basically worthless when it comes to knowing what a guy might like to receive for the holidays- I buy my dad and brother the same things year after year. 
• For these gift guides, please let me know if you'd like to see gift ideas for a specific person! I've realized that in the past few months, I've provided several people with advice on birthday gifts, holiday gifts and hostess gifts.  I love trying to think of something that the recipient would like and most of the time the ideas I come up with work quite well!  One of my friends likes to joke that I should abandon my professional pursuits and become a personal shopper- haha!  Anyway, if you have a friend or family member who is crazy difficult to buy for (I am in this category myself) let me know about her and some of the things she likes and I'll see what I can come up with!  Feel free to let me know a budget too.
• The SEC Championship Game is this Saturday and boy am I excited to see LSU whoop up on Georgia!  (Yes, "whoop up on" is a technical term...)  I took advantage of the Cyber Monday deals and ordered a new television.  I currently own a 22 inch tv and I will be moving to a 46 inch tv.  It may be far too big for my apartment, but we will see!  We will definitely feel like we are AT the game when we watch it on tv!
• Is anyone else just not really into decorating for Christmas this year? Normally I jump right on it, but since I'm only going to be in DC until mid-December this year, it seems almost pointless to me to decorate.  I do have the decorations taking up prime real estate in my closet though, so I'll be pulling them out sometime this week or weekend.

Hope you have a great week! Thanks for reading this word-filled, pictureless post!

Is It Really That Time... Already?

Is it just me, or are people buzzing about Christmas way earlier this year?  I feel like an old fuddy duddy saying this, but when I was a kid, I really thought the Christmas rush didn't start until after Thanksgiving.  Maybe I am just more aware now.

At any rate, I recently started putting together a list of what I need to buy for Christmas in an attempt to start buying now and buy gifts gradually.  This will be really helpful for my bank account, I hope. It will also give me more time to find things I really like for people.  As much as I hate spending the money, I do enjoy the process of finding gifts for others (and hey, for myself!) and I'm told by a lot of people that I have great taste, so hopefully they like what I pick.  Of course, there are the standard hard-to-buy-for people on my list.  I have just learned to coax such people into telling me about SOMETHING that they want! Anything! 

This Christmas, I'm really going to make it a focus of mine to buy gifts from small businesses as much as possible- through etsy and through online websites.  It is so easy to support small businesses from wherever you are these days! 

I am definitely noticing some trends in potential holiday gifts.  There have been some wonderful DIY ideas floating around on pinterest.  Everything from jolly rancher-infused vodka to homemade hand and foot sugar and salt scrubs.  In the past, I've gone for homemade baked goodies as gifts for people and I still may do that this year.  

Otherwise, I'm really feeling monogramed gifts this Christmas.  I'm sure I'll post some ideas about what's on my list when I figure that out!  I'm trying to make more effective use of pinterest as a tool by "pinning" great gift ideas that I find online so I don't lose track of them. 

Are you ready for the season yet? 

Oh yes- and for posterity's sake, congratulations to my newly engaged best friend, Miss Courtney!  I'm sure her wedding happenings will be well documented on this blog... eventually! 

Last Minute Gift Help

Hello everyone!  Did you miss me?  I took a little two day blogging break.

Well, now that I'm back I have a confession to make... I have a total of 1 gift purchased for Christmas.  Oops.  I have to say, when you live in D.C. and don't have a car, it isn't exactly easy to run to wherever and shop, in my opinion anyway.  I do a lot of online shopping but with finals, I didn't even really have much time to do that this year.

So... now that finals are over, I have to start finish my shopping.

Here are some things I know I'll be picking up:

Sephora Lip Wand Collection, $10

Starbucks Christmas Blend Coffee

B&N Gift Card for Nook

But, I am having two major issues with gift giving this year and I will happily take your advice!

First of all, I do NOT know what to get for my brother.  He's a big time fisherman who just bought a brand new boat.  I don't know the first thing about fishing accessories or something I can get him that he might like.  Does anyone out there have this issue?  I would love to find him something nice in the $40-$50 range.

Secondly, there is someone I buy gifts for who is not the best gift receiver.  This person just tosses aside whatever gift he/she receives with a really quick "Oh, thanks."  It irritates me SO MUCH.  Even if I get a gift I wasn't expecting or don't like, I try to seem like I like it, you know?  When people act so entitled about receiving gifts, it really takes the fun out of giving them for me.  Does this ever happen to you? How do you deal with it? 

And, before I go, I wanted to share the "swanky" gift that my sweet friend Emily got for me for Christmas. (Sorry, Emily- I didn't have a chance to take a photo of my actual gift before I left D.C.)

Emily ordered a CUSTOM lucite catchall for me from Nico & Lala.  Mine looks like this, but the colors are blue and beige.  It goes so perfectly with my apartment!  I am planning a bathroom revamp after the holidays (once I get my new shower curtain) and I can't wait to showcase my catchall in my new bathroom.  Thanks so much, Emily! 

Holiday Gift Ideas: What to Buy for the Kiddos

Well, in the past couple of days, I've covered what to buy for the guys and the gals, so it is time to move on to the kiddos.

For the tweener girl:

Why wouldn't a tweener love sparkly perfume?  This is from Sephora for $18. 

For the tweener boy:

I think I'm going to reference my post on gifts for guys on this one.  My little cousin is a tweener now and his big holiday gifts are going to be games for his Wii and a hockey jersey, since his favorite sport is hockey.  Similar gifts would be good for any tween boy.

For the kid girl:

I looovveeeddd everything to do with play kitchens when I was a kid.  Who didn't?  I recently saw felt food on another blog and I thought, what a genius idea!  Aren't these so sweet?  A great sewer could even make them.

Felt food breakfast, $26.50 on etsy.  There are even a lot of sellers on etsy who sell the patterns for felt food for you crafters out there.

For the kid boy: 

What kid doesn't love walkie talkies? These are kind of pricey at $50, but you could certainly find more affordable ones if you try.

For the baby:

A couple of my friends have had babies recently and it is so fun.  Every baby thing I see, I want to buy, especially on etsy.  For Christmas, I think I will buy a book for the sweetest new baby I know.  A love of reading should begin at an early age.  The twins I used to babysit for would read with me for a really long time (they sat through the entire Cat in the Hat!), even at 18 months old, because their mom read to them when they were little babies.

Karen Katz books are really fun for babies because they have flaps that baby (or mom) can lift up.  This box set is only $15 from Barnes and Noble.

Holiday Gift Ideas: What to Buy for the Gals

Personally, I think that girls are SO much easier to buy for than guys, but that's just an opinion.  If you are looking for a gift for your mom, aunt, sister or friend, look no further.

For the nester:

Why not give your homebody girlfriend something great for her home? 

These pillow covers are modern and neutral.  They would go with any décor and could be spiced up with complementary pillows in bright colors.  They are a steal at $27 for the pair.

For the girly girl:

Girly girls are probably easiest to buy for.  In addition to this bracelet, look for a sweet pair of ruffled gloves, a fun pair of earrings or a unique scarf.

This fun bangle from Kate Spade is $48, a reasonable price for a nice gift.  They are offering free ground shipping on all orders right now.

For the student:

This laptop sleeve from Jonathan Adler is fun and affordable at $28.95.  It is a great gift for students who use their laptops daily.

For the girl on the go:

This bag is great for the friend who is always carrying everything around in her purse.  It is a great buy at $28.80 from Forever 21.  (Just don't expect it to last forever!)

For the pampered lady:

If you are going to give someone a lotion or skin care item, make sure it appeals broadly and is high quality.  Nobody really needs another bottle of lotion that smells like evergreen for the season.

This hand cream from L'Occitane en Provence is pricey at $26.00, but it is so, so worth it.  This cream is AH-mazing!  If you've never tried this stuff, they also sell it in trial size at Sephora for about $10.  It would also make a great stocking stuffer.

For the blogger:

If you know someone who loves to blog, consider buying a gift certificate to a blog designer for them.  Some designers will do a preset blog template for as low as $25.

For the hostess:

Get your favorite hostess something unique that she can use.

I found this "sweet" cake stand on etsy for $25.  You can find many variations of this design on etsy. 

Don't forget that the most meaningful thing you can give a friend is your time, especially if you live far away from each other.  It doesn't have to be about the gifts at all.  In fact, my best friend and I do not exchange gifts.  Not even for our birthdays or holidays.  We started doing this out of necessity when we went away to college, but I think we will probably keep doing it even if we could afford to buy each other gifts.  It means way more to me to spend time with her over the holidays than any gift she could pick out for me.

One fun tradition we did start is buying ornaments for each other every year. We buy two ornaments just alike and exchange them every year.  We alternate years: I buy in the odd-numbered years, she buys in the even-numbered years.  It is a fun and very inexpensive (the ornaments are usually around $5 a piece) way to celebrate together.

What about you? Do you have any great gift ideas for the women in your life?

Holiday Gift Ideas: What to Buy for the Guys

Buying for the guys in your life can be one of the most difficult things to do, whether you are gift-hunting for a boyfriend, husband, dad or brother.  I'm definitely no expert in this area, but here are some of my ideas.

For the reader:

The nook from Barnes & Noble is a great gift for any reader in your life! They start at $149.

What if you guy already has a nook or kindle?  Consider buying him a great leather cover, like this one:

This is a very affordable option from B&N for $30.

For the sports fanatic:

The sports fanatic in your life probably already has all the basics, least of which is a large t.v., so give him something that he can never have enough of: sports paraphernalia. 

Every NFL and collegiate football team has an online sports shop.  This jersey is a bit pricey at $129, but it is sure to be loved.  If a pricey jersey isn't in your budget, look for a great t-shirt or polo shirt in your guy's favorite team's colors.  

For the wine lover:

It is pretty easy to make a wine lover happy these days.  There are always new gadgets on the market for wine.  If your guy doesn't have a decanter yet and he loves wine, you should definitely go with that.  If he does have all the basics, try something like this:

Electric Wine Chiller from Target for $79.00.  

For some reason, this product did not get good reviews on the Target website, but my dad and aunt both own these and they really like them.  You can even set the temperature for red or white wine.

For the kid at heart:

I don't know much about specific products that are on the market right now, but I do know that guys love anything to do with their Xboxes, Wiis and Play Stations.  Rifle around in your guy's game collection and find something he doesn't have, or maybe keep an eye out for what is new.  If all else fails, the 16 year old kid working in the entertainment department at Target or Best Buy will be able to tell you what the bestsellers are.  The great things about these is that you can find them at different price points.

For the tech geek:

If you can afford it, spring for the iPhone 4.

Starting at $199 from apple.

If you've been waiting to get an iPad, hold out a little longer.  Rumor is the second generation will be hitting stores in the new year.

For the frequent traveller:

My dad travels almost every week for work, so for his birthday this year, I got him a luggage rack from home.  Well, actually this started when I purchased a luggage rack for my apartment for his visits, and he asked for one for home too.

Luggage rack from Bed, Bath & Beyond for $29.99.

If none of your ideas seem "right," get your guy a few little nice things to open: his favorite candy or snack, coffee blend, a new pair of socks or underwear, etc. and top it off with a Visa giftcard that he can spend on whatever he wants.