My {not so} Grown Up Christmas List

*card made on the computer without Ordy's permission...

This year, while compiling my Christmas list, {I neglected it for so long... this is unheard of LATE for me!} I realized that it is pretty sad at my age I still put things together like this.. I'm blessed. But I was super duper careful, because, I have to be "careful what I wish for"... Last year Ordy bought me every.single.thing.

on my Christmas list. I'm talking... EVERYTHING. Lists to me are "ok, heres 30 ideas of what you can get...1, not 30".... I got all. I was thankful, but definitely embarrassed and felt terrible! Ok, no, I was ecstatic...  Just to give you an idea of how speechless I was... when the gifts should have stopped here:

They kept coming... and this limited edition Michael Kors {bling bling} watch came...

And then... the Burberry galoshes. {that I wore today...}

It was DEFINITELY a good Christmas, but it was a bit much. And I didn't want Ordy Boy to do anything like that again... {ok, every girl would love it, but i have to be more careful now so it doesn't look like i'm a greedy greedy want more! HA!} 

So, this year, I've put together practical things and other things that I would probably buy myself later on in the year... 

And there you have it! A look inside my Christmas List... I'll let you know December 26th how that goes :)

**the list is for ideas, i obviously don't want JUST what's on the list or deny anything that isn't on it! trust me, with my family, lists help! I have all my Etsy Homemade shops as stocking stuffers for gifts too- soooo excited for those!

Click to vote daily:

48 Hours of Christmas

Since my last final Thursday night, I have been soaking in all of the joy of the holiday season that studying had robbed from me! It has been INCREDIBLE!

Thursday night, after a straight 12 hour exam day, with blurred vision and a pounding head- I came home to:

a spotless house

Christmas music playing

candles lit

wine poured

crab cakes prepared

Who is this guy? {Mine!} haha I was so touched by his thoughtfulness I couldn't help but give up fighting the tears back... I am so lucky. I love Ordy Boy more than you could ever even imagine! It was such a quiet evening as I let it sink in that I didn't have anything to study that night, or any thing to wake up for the next morning... it was surreal! 

I spent Friday taking care of myself... the much neglected eyebrows, pale skin, and everything else that makes me feel better about myself! 

Saturday was the day I was waiting for. A full day of yard sale and estate sales. That's how incredible Ordy Boy is. He called me last week and said, "booboo, in honor to celebrate finals being over, I think we should celebrate doing nothing but stuff you love on Saturday...estate sales and yard sales." Well, after we found out that this weekend was Scott's, and a freezing day- we decided to not risk a wasted day of running around town and just hit up Scott's. LOVED it. We went with Ordy's parents and had a fun Saturday afternoon browsing and taking notes :)

I bought something. Yep, you probably already know what it is. You know, my weakness... another mirror. It's beautiful and tacky and french and gaudy and i love him. This one is a he. An older, refined,  gentleman of a mirror. I would show you pics but I hate before pics without afters... that's when people wrinkle up their noses and go, 'hmm...not my style but okkkk...' I like when after becomes EVERYONES style! haha unlikely, but I like to pretend...

And to wrap Saturday night up... I prepared these fun holiday gift ideas! I love stuff in jars. Cupcakes, cakes, cookies, buttons, pretty much anything in a mason jar = my favorite. 

I started the cookies with a plain sugar cookie with colorful m&m's... but, I decided I didn't like the way it looked- i'm a perfectionist. So, I changed it last minute- but the pictures are all from when I was doing the sugar cookie- but you can use your imagination and pretend my sugar is brown sugar, etc.. haha

I made these "Cookies for Santa" jars for my friends/mailman/nail technician/etc.. I'm pretty excited about them! I'll show you how! (I know there are tons of variations of cookies in a jar, but these are especially delicious! They're Triple Chocolate Chip

As you can see, it's not the cleanest process... but it's too cute not to do! There are so many different versions of cookies in a jar, this was my favorite AESTHETICALLY. I feel like such a scrooge for ditching the red and green festive, but it looked too cheap to me haha. Too childish, something about the ones without them seemed so "organic" and "pure" haha. Well, simple. 

Here are some labels I whipped up- I can figure out how to post on flicker later... it's 2 am and too late to figure it out now!

Enjoy and don't forget to click!

linking up to:

For the Pet Lover...

For those of you who have the misfortune pleasure of knowing me personally... you already know that i am pretty much obsessed with my dog. The "Mutt" as we so lovingly call him is as much a part of my family as my niece and nephew. Sad, I know- but absolutely true. I love Bandit so much I take offense when others don't think as highly of him as i do... i know he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knows how to spoon/cuddle better than you would ever know!

All this to say, I know i'm not alone. I know there are TONS of people out there who LOOOVE their animal like a family member {sometimes even MORE!} What do you get this Christmas for the pet owner who treats their dog or cat like their child? It's pretty hard because they already spoil their pet so no treat/dog bed/sweater will suffice. Look no further... I have found THE BEST gift for any pet lover!! {you can thank me later}

I have searched high and low on Etsy for a good pet artist. I am so happy to have found an amazing Etsy Artist who does such great work! Take a look at these awesome portraits of these pets {she even does humans too!}

i mean, talk about spot on!

Etsy Artist: Mandy Wolfe

Etsy Shop:  Art by Amanda (click to visit)

Product: Portraits With a Modern Twist

Extra Bonus: Quick Turnaround, Pleasant to Work With, Super Nice and Professional

Mandy specializes in custom artwork of all kinds. She works from your photographs to create portraits in gouache, watercolor,colored pencil and charcoal and offer both a pop modern style similar to those found in comıc books as well as realistic works that aim to catch every last exact detail. She truly is an amazing artist! I have been looking for someone to capture Bandit's playful personality in an artwork that wasn't "stuffy" or "weird" to own. This is something I can proudly display! I feel like she did SUCH a great job capturing Bandit's cuteness and adding an incredible artistic piece to my collection! She captures so much in all of her paintings and makes it fun with a fresh pop of color! İf you have a piece of artwork in mind that you want created and you would like to discuss it, all you have to do is  contact her and figure out details. She is so incredibly friendly and accommodating. She didn't make me feel silly for explaining to her Bandit's personality and stressing that I wanted her to capture his "sweet" look, not his "mean" look {which is hard to do...} and she did a great job!

And NOW, for the moment you've all been waiting for **Drumroll** BANDIT'S PORTRAIT!

I mean, could he be any cuter?? She captured him perfectly! I am obsessed!

This is one Christmas present that is well worth the investment. A chance to immortalize my favorite pooch, ummm yes please! I have been staring at Bandit's portrait and cannot wait to get an amazing frame for it! Her artwork ranges from $40 + and for me, this is so worth every penny. I know it is such a unique gift for that person who is hard to shop for! If you don't want to be responsible for the right picture to choose for Mandy to paint, gift certificates are available for purchase as well!


I am so excited about finding this Etsy artist. She has been such a joy to work with and deserves every bit of business she gets! I wish her much good luck as she is so incredibly talented! I can't recommend this gift enough and am honored to feature her for one of the 12 Days of Christmas - Etsy Edition! 

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Coffee lovers everywhere, you're welcome.

Ok, so it's not fair to limit this gift for the coffee enthusiast. If I had to put it in a specific category it would be: for-the-really-stinking-cute-person-who-can-appreciate-adorable-handmade-clever-things, who can also be a coffee/tea drinker.

I absolutely went crazy when I saw these on Etsy. Crazy because I loved the amount of detail the Etsy-artist put into her work, and because of how affordable her products were! These can easily make a great gift at a stocking stuffer budget! I mean the options are endless for who you could give this gift to! Mailman, teacher, friend, etc. It's such a cute item at such a great price!!! (Special holiday price makes gift giving so much more appealing! Buy 3 get 1 free... 4 for the price of 3? sign me up. I mean where else can I get 4 {CUTE} gifts for $15??? {think of all the happy coworkers who will be delighted you thought of them!}

It's so much fun wrapping your generic coffee cup in to "spice" it up and keep your drink warm without burning your hands on the thin cardboard cup. I absolutely LOVE this coffee sleeve.

With names like, "Purple People Eater", and, "Booby Pink", I knew I loved WithLuvLuLu before I even heard from her!

That's not all, they double as a cute cuff for a bracelet!!!

Add a rhinestone pin/embellishment/brooch and VOILA! you have recreated:

credit

Etsy Artist: Lailah

Etsy Shop:  With Luv, Lulu (click to visit)

Product: Coffee/Tea Sleeve (& Bracelet!) (100% Acrylic Yarn with a cable in the center  washable/dryable for the inevitable drips and are approx 3 inches tall. The stretchy pattern fits from the tiniest to the largest coffee house cups)

Extra Bonus: Sweet Seller, Attention to Detail, Cute Product/Shop, Fast Turnaround, SPECIAL HOLIDAY DEAL! (Buy 3 get 1 free until 12/25/10!), and CUTE PACKAGING (so you can save time and ship straight to the gift recipient's house!)


Lailah's been crafting as long as she can remember and is a native Southern Californian, but has been living in Northern Virginia for the last 6 years. She loves being creative, making things and loves being able to make someone happy with something that she's made. {Lailah, mission accomplished!!} She hopes that by doing this she can make more people happy and spread a little bit of joy around.  Cah-yute. Too cute. She sent the coffee sleeve in adorable packaging, so you don't even have to do anything to it but GIVE IT AWAY!

Keep her in mind as you think of that "one gift" you need to get someone. Great stocking stuffer idea!

The Bee's Knees

Noun--the bee's knees

1.  Something excellent, outstanding.
   

   We had strawberry shortcake for breakfast on Saturday and the kids thought it was the bee’s knees.

I mean that in every way. These earrings are the bee's knees. no, really... ok, so other than the fact that they're really called that- they are superb little earrings!

I was so impressed with the quality of the earrings, they do NOT resemble any Forever 21 poorly made earrings. They were so adorable and unique. I am so pleased with them, you will be too!

I have extremely sensitive ears and can wear earrings for only so long before my ears get irritated, red, and hurt like whoa- I can honestly say that I forgot I had these in until I went to brush my teeth before bed and noticed them. They are so lightweight, I think that has a lot to do with how comfortable they are. I can't believe I forgot I had them in!

Etsy Artist: Lindsay

Etsy Shop:  Pinsies (click to visit)

Product: Adorable Dahlia Stud Earrings 

Extra Bonus: Nicest Seller (Such a Pleasure to Deal With!), Affordable Shop, GREAT Items, Seller Has GREAT Taste, Fast Shipping, Item Came Perfectly Packaged so it Can Ship Directly to Whoever You Wish to Give Them to Without Worrying About Wrapping!


Lindsay was so super nice and I was so shocked how quickly I received the earrings (even with it being Thanksgiving weekend!) She carefully packaged everything in such adorable tissue paper and thoughtfulness. After getting the package and seeing how carefully packed everything was, I knew I could order some for my friends and family and have them sent directly to their homes without worrying about the presentation. I love her shop. You can tell how trendy she is through her pictures, like someone I'd love to meet!


More products in the Pinsies store for you to love:

Go visit her shop! Tell me which one YOU like the most!

Think of Lindsay before you purchase another pair of generic earrings at the mall! Help a local Etsy artist do something she is passionate about! It is well worth every penny to support artists like Lindsay!