Tag: gifts

girl gang gifts

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gang

photo reposted from Elle Ferguson of theyallhateus

there are different categories of people that we have to shop for over the holidays. one of the best categories to gift is your girl gang. these are your thick as thieves, ride or die, would commit murder for you ladies. they also happen to be the most fun to shop for. these are the people that you can shop for in any direction- sentimental, funny, practical, impractical, and they’ll love anything and everything you get

what’s really nice this year is that different brands are encouraging the girl gang theme and you’re able to find gifts that represent all different kinds of squads. Elle Ferguson and Tash Sefton of the blog They All Hate Us have come up with the perfect example of these kinds of girl gang gifts. They first came out with the best friend t’s that are bought as a set. these are perfect to keep one for you and gift one to your bestie. now they have teamed up with the Australian brand Girl Gang Girls and have come out with a line of t’s and accessories. buy the sets and get one for you, one for your squad or buy a single and keep it for yourself

one of my other favourite best friend gifts are bringing back the old school best friend necklaces or pendants. they’ve come out with some gorgeous high end options that subtly show your united best friend front without being over the top. you can also go the really classic route on  and go for the full best friend necklace or even a bit edgier and be part of the best bitches crew. i found the necklace below and Etsy and it’s well under the $50 price point.

etsy

you can’t forget about the most crucial members of the girl gangs- the ones that moved away (sad face). these ladies hold a special place on the gift giving front because they aren’t around most of the year. these ladies are always just a phone call or a facetime away, but deserve a little more love over the holidays. Etsy has been another great place for me to find gifts for my long distance friends. the mug seen below is one of my all time favourites. customize them or leave them generic but they make one hell of a cute way to drink your morning coffee

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these are only a few of many possible gift ideas for your squad. the possibilities are endless and stores are definitely capitalizing on this theme this holiday season!

xx- aboutthesmallthings

it’s that time of year again!

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Holiday

it’s the most wonderful time of the year! the holiday lights are up, Christmas displays in full effect and holiday music galore! (ok so i could do without the holiday music but that’s just me). my favourite thing about this time of year though has to be gift giving. i always have a hard time buying for myself but love nothing more than to surprise people with a great gift. i’m really not into gift cards (not that there’s anything wrong with that) because i like trying to figure out the perfect present for someone. getting someone the perfect gift is like figuring out a tricky puzzle- you never know the final picture until all the pieces are put together

the challenge each year? how to get everyone the most epic of presents without going bankrupt… i’ve come up with a strategy and solid game plan that has worked for me every year. so i plan to share that plan with you guys over the next few posts! Stay tuned for my Holiday 2015 Gift Giving Guides, Tips and Tricks!

xx- aboutthesmallthings

in bloom

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nothing screams spring to me as much as fresh cut flowers. since there are so many varieties and arrangements that can be created a beautiful bouquet is and easy way to add newness to any space.

this season i have a few inexpensive favourites that i keep playing around with to create new designs. flowers don’t have to be expensive, and you don’t need to buy a lot of them, just know which ones you like and the colours that will best accent your space.

tulips have been my go to for the last few months. they come in bouquets of 7-15 flowers and can be split up in smaller vases to use around the house. the trick with tulips is actually to keep fewer flowers in one vase as they tend to wilt when too many are kept together.

i also have a tendency of buying what people call “filler flowers” and mixing and matching them to create my own spin. i love daisies, carnations and baby’s breath which are all fairly inexpensive and can be mixed together nicely to create different looks each time

most Mother’s expect some form of flower arrangement for Mother’s Day. putting your own spin on it can make the arrangement more personal and less run of the mill. i just put together three mason jars for Mother’s Day which cost nothing to create and will be a nice to change to the standard bouquet of roses or orchid pot.

xx- aboutthesmallthings

it’s all about the small things

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at this time of year everyone is moving so quickly in so many different directions that sometimes it’s good to stop and say thank you to the people that make our every day lives just a little more pleasant. there are always a lot of people to gift each holiday season, and sometimes it’s the people we move to the bottom of the list that actually merit the most thanks. it’s also not about how much you spend, it’s about showing people that you’ve taken the time to acknowledge the difference they make in your life.

for instance, i have by far the best building superintendent you could ask for. he is always smiling and pleasant and knows everyone by name. he is always so grateful that when we have an issue in our apartment that we are understanding of the time it takes to resolve the problem. this is someone who at times moves to the bottom of a holiday gifting list but it’s the smallest thing to show you appreciate the time he takes to remember your name that counts. the best gifts i’ve found in these situations is a nice bottle of wine, a gift basket for his family or anything of the homemade baked variety

this year, i’ve been baking away in order to say thank you to the people that help me the most in my life. my budget is tight this year but a few ingredients at the grocery stores and some dollar store wrapping go a long way to make someone feel special at holiday time. this is a great office gift for people you’d like to thank but aren’t able to go out and buy gifts for. cookies and pastries definitely say a sweet “thank you” over the holiday time

remember, at the end of the day, it’s about the small things in life that make the biggest difference

xx and happy holidays! aboutthesmallthings

it’s a guy thing

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i love buying gifts.  i would rather buy something for someone else, than for myself. this bodes well for my friends and family because i am often picking things up just because it reminds me of them. some of my favorite gifts to buy are for the men in my life though- they aren’t much in the way of shopping and can go months wearing the same 5 pairs of socks. (they wash them, clearly, but they have huge heel holes before they’ll even consider getting new ones)

it’s for this reason that shopping for the boys for the holidays is so much fun for me. there are so many places that are starting to cater more and more to holiday gifting for men. a lot of retailers have begun to create catered displays and merchandising stories that not only give you one item to buy but a whole themed gift

Depending on the kind of theme you’re looking for, there are a number of places that you can find an elevated selection of themed items.

Man Theme #1- The Bar Man: The bar man is probably the easiest man to shop for. most retailers offer an array of glasses, decanters or sets that can grouped to create a beautiful gift. Chapters (yes, Chapters again, they really have become one of my favorite retailers) has a full section dedicated to holiday gifting for the men. they have rustic looking gin sets, mason jar shakers and shot glasses as well as the standard wine and whiskey glasses. the nice thing about this plan is the full gift will run about $30-100 depending on what you’re looking for

Man Theme #2- The Gamer: I know the immediate thought when you hear gamer is World of Warcraft, but there was a time when games meant exactly that- board games. another series of gifts i’ve found lately for men have been the vintage domino games, or even yahtzee. They’ve turned the old plastic versions into works of art with finished wood boxes and beautiful typography. some of the options to create a great set are desktop tennis, tumble tower (which is really just jenga), dominos- the possibilities are really endless. these games can run from $28-$45 so they also won’t break your holiday budget

there are more man themes to come! stay tuned for more man theme holiday gift ideas in the coming posts

xx- aboutthesmallthings

Holiday Faves- The Best and Worst Decision Ever Made

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julep

about a year ago a good friend of mine confessed that she has a bit of a problem. she had signed up to an online service and found that each month she was going a bit overboard. of course, concerned for my friend, i inquired if there was anything i could do to help her out. to this she laughed, smiled, and pulled out the most amazing beauty and nail polish collection i had seen in a while. clearly, i wanted in.

my friend had stumbled upon Julep’s online Maven program. For under $25/month you’re signed up as a member to their site. “Mavens” are entitled to Friends and Family deals, Secret Stores, and a monthly package delivered to your door filled with a selection of nail polishes and beauty items.

Before signing up, the site prompts you to take a survey to determine what kind of “Maven” you are (i’m boho chic, which hit the nail right on the head). Each month, you are sent a selection of items that fits this character. You have the choice to either keep the package selected for you, or you can select another package for a different “Maven” type. What I especially enjoy about the program is if you decide one month you don’t want your package and you need a gift for someone, you can change the shipping address to go directly to a friends house. (perfect for birthdays and holiday gifts!)

The truth is I’m not much of an online shopper, call me old fashioned but I still like to touch and feel clothing before I buy it. that said, i can never make a decision when standing at Sephora or the pharmacy over what nail polish color to buy. now, each month, I’m shipped 2-3 amazing new colors that are preselected for me. as long as you don’t go over board when your selections are made available (you can add on to your monthly Maven box) then the site is totally affordable and very worth it

Check out their site at: http://www.julep.com/maven.html