Gift Guide: Your Momma

It's always hard to shop for my mom, because she never wants anything. She's just happy to have her kids and pups under one roof for a few days. I'm so excited to go home for Christmas to spend time with my sweet family, and especially my mom. We always drink Bailey's and coffee, do last minute shopping, and play Just Dance (which is her favorite family activity, ever).

Here are a few gift picks, inspired by my mom -- her favorite things include: tailgating, listening to Fergie, DIY'ing, and drinking Two Buck Chuck. :)

1. This Ultra Light Down Jacket since as a flight attendant, she's constantly traveling from hot to cold weather in the same day. This folds up super compact in her suitcase and is very lightweight: Uniqlo - $70.
2. These mason jar shot glasses, which are perfect for southern tailgates: Sur la table - $10.
3. Nail polish in her favorite color: my mom's favorite is OPI Privacy Please - $9.
4. A fun passport holder, since she jets off to cool places like Rio de Janiero and Zurich: Kate Spade via Piperlime - $68.
5. Stylish flats for exploring cities: these are Coach - $119.
6. Lip balm that she can pop in her purse: EOS via Target - $3.

2013 Gift Guide: Your Brothers

Next, I'd like to share a gift guide inspired by my two brothers. My older brother is a lawyer in Georgia and my younger brother is finishing up his final year of college. Their shared interests include: Atlanta sports, beer, fantasy football, and arguing with me. :)

Here are a few gift choices inspired by my bros:

1. This brass bottle opener, which is stylish, but more importantly functional: Crate & Barrel - $30.
2. A leather football, to toss around during tailgates: Target - $20-100.
3. A classic-looking backpack: Jack Spade - $195. 
4. Cologne: Kiehl's - $35-42.
5. Whisky stones to chill holiday drinks: Teroforma - $20 for a set of 9.
6. Striped socks in their team's colors: J.Crew - $14.
7. Moleskin notebooks for class/work/grocery lists: Moleskine - $9 for a set of 3.
8. A flask to sneak into games - J.Crew - $42. 

2013 Gift Guide: Your BFF

Just in case the million gift guides circulating in the blogosphere don't inspire you quite enough, I'm going to share a few of my favorite gift picks this week. 

First up, great gifts for your BFF. This is inspired by my BFF who may or may not have crafted 700 tassels for the Photo Booth backdrop at our wedding (more on that later!). Her many interests include: kittens, sparkles, Lauren Conrad, and ballet. That's my way of saying she's the cutest person in the world.

Here goes:

1. Kate Spade 17 month planner since she loves pretty school supplies: Kate Spade - $36.
2. Glittery hair clips because she always has a soft spot for them: Ban.do - $10-20.
3. A cheeky iPhone case, since she loves to change hers daily: Rifle Paper Co. via Modcloth - $34.
4. A kitten eye mask so she can feel like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's: CatBird - $24.
5. Ballet flats in her favorite colors: J.Crew - on sale for $99.
6. A monogrammed gold wine stopper (along with a bottle of Rosé, of course): C Wonder - $34.
7. Sparkly gold champagne flutes because they're so festive: !ndigo - $34 for a set of 4. 
8. A soft PJ set so she can feel cozy yet glamorous: Eberjey - $97.
9. Teeny rose gold cat studs, just for fun: CatBird - $159.

My Holidays: 2012

I had a holiday break filled with non-stop family time, which was amazing and refreshing! We played board games, ate great food, and knocked out several wedding planning duties. Incredibly grateful for my friends and the two wonderful families in my life. Here are a few of the highlights...

Having a sleepover with my BFF:

Bowling and dinner with my family to celebrate my Dad's birthday:

Spending Christmas with my siblings and my sweet pups for the last time as a single lady:

Epic Scrabble, Spades, and Catch Phrase battles with my family:

Visiting Lucas's family in Wilmington and taking long walks on Wrightsville Beach with the pups:

Attending an engagement party thrown in our honor, which was lovely and thoughtful:

Visiting with our sweet niece, Kaya, which was such a joy:

Hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing holiday season. What did you do? xoxo Jill

Holiday Wrapping Inspiration

Here are a few of my favorite gift wrapping ideas, spotted around the web. This year I stuck to using paper with gold and silver accents to match our gold and silver tree, but these ideas are so creative and lovely.

I'll be traveling back to Georgia tonight to spend a bit of time with my family and then it's off to North Carolina to visit with Lucas's sweet family. Happy holidays to you and yours!

Sources: {Personalized name packaging via You Are My Fave, Pear packaging via Mint Design Blog, Typographic packaging via ManMade, Foliage packaging via HeyLook}.

Photo Booth Fun!

Cheeeeese! SO much holiday party love right here.

Holiday Party 2012

We went to the Wildfire holiday party last night at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, which is a charming, old hotel smack dab in the middle of Union Square. The cozy room we stayed in had a four poster bed, plush carpet, and a roomy bathtub, so it was the perfect place to get ready before the party. We got together with a few friends and ordered pizza before the festivities began, so we could get some carbs in our system. :) The holiday party itself was a blast - we had casino games like black jack, craps, and roulette, photo booths with props, festive food (think: ham and roasted chestnuts!), and, of course, drinks! Fun was definitely had by all and I truly work at the best company in the world.

 

P.S. - "How Drunk Can You Get at Your Office Christmas Party?" I can state, with confidence, that every single person at the party last night broke these rules. :)

2012 Holiday Card

P.S. - our 2011 holiday card, if you're interested. :)

Gift Guide: Your Momma

My mom never wants us to get her anything, so sometimes it's tough to shop for her. Here are a few gifts that make me think of her:

1. Monogrammed tray because she is the ultimate, Southern tailgater: Etsy (varies $30-$60).
2. Fresh wreath to hang on the door: Williams-Sonoma ($75).
3. Driving loafers that she can walk comfortably in during her work trips: Tory Burch ($275).
4. A Handmade Weddings book, since she is great at sewing, baking, and crafting: Nordstrom ($25).
5. Clip on earrings, which would look great with her red hair: Kate Spade ($48).
6. A soy travel candle, which would make her hotel rooms feel cozy: Jonathan Product ($10).

DIY Holiday Ornament

While in GA for Thanksgiving, we made a few DIY holiday ornaments. It's a really simple, festive craft project.

Here's what you'll need: 

-Straight pins

-Seed beads (optional)

-Styrofoam balls (we used 1.5'' and 3'', but you could use any size)

-Twine or fishing line

-Sequins

What to do:
-Take your twine or fishing line and tie it around your ball. Leave enough line to tie a loop.
-Take a straight pin and put on a seed bead (if you wish) and a sequin - push it into the ball.
-Repeat, and make sure to slightly overlap the sequins.
-Fill up the entire ball with sequins.
-Hang on the tree and enjoy!

That's all! It's an easy DIY project and it will really add sparkle to your tree.

Holiday Gift Guide: Your BFF

Sometimes I'm at a loss for what to buy Lucas, my family, or my coworkers, but I feel like it's always easy to buy gifts for my BFF, Kristina. I know her so well that I can always find a million things that I know she'll love. Here are a few gifts that are BFF-appropriate, inspired by my best friend since Kindergarten:

1. "What Would Audrey Do?" so she can read about your shared idol: Amazon ($10).
2. Gold mercury glass votives to decorate her new place: One Kings Lane ($25).
3. Gold stud earrings: Bing Bang ($40).
4. Pink NARS Lipstick, which would look pretty with anything: Sephora ($24).
5. A Birchbox subscription, because she loves beauty products almost as much as she loves getting packages: Birchbox ($120).
6. A pretty scalloped bangle: Kate Spade ($48).
7. A polka dot peplum top, which would look pretty for the holidays: Dorothy Parker ($27).
8. A ladylike purse in her favorite color: J.Crew ($238).

P.S. - gift guide for men!

Holiday Gift Guide: Your Favorite Guy

Here are a few perfect holiday gifts for the best guy in your life (I've given most of these things to Lucas in the past, actually):

1. A cozy sweater with elbow patches, that will bring out his true professorial self: J.crew ($198).

2. New glasses to truly complete the look: Warby Parker ($90).

3. A new watch, since you always ask him the time: Nixon ($125).

4. Classic, rugged boots that will look both simple and stylish: Clarks ($120).

5. A new overnight duffle to replace the Adidas bag he carries from college: Fossil ($248).

These gifts will (hopefully!) be appreciated year round. I'd love to hear what are you giving your favorite guy? XO

Holiday Movies

The week after Thanksgiving means that it's finally holiday movie season! Without a doubt, I have to watch these four movies over the holidays every year. What are your favorites?

{Seen Above: Love Actually, Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone, The Holiday}

Merry Christmas 2011

Our 2011 holiday card! P.S. - I am going to do my best to post more often...

Sparkly Holiday

May you all have a wonderful holiday. Images via here.

Rifle Paper Co. 2010 Holiday Cards

Rifle's entire 2010 Holiday Collection is amazing, but I especially love their custom illustrated cards! You can get your cards customized with portraits of your entire family (including pets!). Aren't they adorable?

Fun Commercial

I am loving this Tommy Hilfiger holiday commercial. Not only does it feature one of my favorite Vampire Weekend songs, but I also love the cute clothes and the entire concept of the video. Reminds me of my own wacky family. Every time this comes on TV I get so excited for the holidays!

Spiced Apple Toddy

The thought of eggnog makes me want to gag, but I always loved apple cider growing up. Doesn't a spiced apple toddy sound delicious for a warm holiday drink?



Recipe:

To make the baked apple, peel, quarter, and core an apple (Braeburn or other seasonally appropriate variety). Dust apple quarters lightly with ground cinnamon and allspice. Wrap each quarter separately in foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. (To make slices to garnish glasses, cut another apple into ¼-inch slices and bake until just softened.)

Combine Calvados (French apple brandy), apple, and sugar in a hot mug. Muddle apple (or mash it with a spoon), add boiling water, and stir until pulp dissolves. Lightly grate nutmeg on top.

Seen on ReadyMade.

Two Days...

...until CHRISTMASSSS BREAKKKK!!!! I can hardly wait. Studying for my last exam is absolutely tortuous!


Here are my fun Christmas break plans:

1. Visit Kristina in Pine Mountain. We'll do our usual routine of eating, wearing footie PJs, watching Gossip Girl and the OC, drinking hot chocolate, and playing dress up.

2. Wrapping Christmas presents! I love these pretty presents:
From Such Pretty Things via concrete and honey.

3. Watching Christmas movies with my Mom and dogs! Movies on my list? Home Alone (1 & 2!), The Holiday, Love Actually, and Four Christmases. My all time favorite is Miracle on 34th Street (the newer one...) but I watched it with my Mom and brother over Thanksgiving Break!

4. Playing Wii with my fun little brother.

5. Attending my hilarious older brother's Festivus party next Friday.

6. Hopefully painting a table and recovering a chair with my mom! She got a free, beat up table and chair from a client, and we're going to re-do them! For the chair, I want to use a fun fabric. I've been inspired lately. I like this before and after project: Spotted on Ready Made.
Spotted on ish and chi.

7. Going ice skating in Centennial Olympic Park with Eli and Robyn!

8. HOPEFULLY spending New Years with my wonderful boyfriend.


Here are my not-so-fun Christmas break plans:

1. Studying for the GRE.

2. Being away from Lucas most of the time :(

3. Reading 5 books for my directed reading next semester. Blah.

I think the good definitely outweighs the bad - luckily!