Holiday Gift Guide - Sonia's Picks

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Who is OVER turkey? First there's the real deal roast turkey on Thanksgiving, then there's turkey soup and then turkey sandwiches and then...more turkey soup. So. much. turkey. Anyone get creative and make turkey meatballs or turkey pot pie with their leftovers? 

Sonia is wrapping it up today with her gift picks for this holiday season (click here for Michele's picks and here for Leah's picks). With Thanksgiving officially behind us, holiday gift shopping is on. Sonia has some amazing ideas for you and with today being cyber Monday, it's THE day to get gift shopping handled. 

First up are ideas for your sister, mother-in-law, neighbor who walks your dog, mailwoman who hates Dunkin Donuts giftcards, or...you (no shame in having a wish list!!!).

1. 2018 planner - Help her start the new year right. You can't go wrong with this chambray striped planner.

2. Jar candle - Nothing comes close to the scent of this peppermint candle - so festive. And bonus, it's on sale, which is unheard of for this beauty.

3. Do One Thing Every Day That Centers You: A Mindfulness Journal - Great little journal for anyone in your life who could use a bit of ommmm, which around this busy time of year is just about everyone.

4. Birch candles - These candles come in an assortment of sizes and will be sure to make any holiday party a bit more festive.

5. "You're Amazing" and "I Know" mugs - This set of black and gold mugs are a fun and cheeky addition to any coffee lovers collection.

6. Trinket dish - Who couldn't use a colorful trinket dish to help corral all the little odds and ends that collect on your kitchen counter?

And here are her picks for home related gifts.

1. Cake stand - Pile this blue and gold plate up with some tasty holiday cookies and it will make any hostess's day!

2. Snack bowl - MoMA has partnered with Nordstrom to offer select items in their stores, and this "flooded" snack bowl is on my wish list!

3. Candle holder - I love this metal candle holder,  gifted with some white tapered candles and you'll be good to go.

4. Alphabet cookie cutters - For those who like to give gifts that include experiences, these cookie cutters will offer hours of fun for any bakers in your life.

5.. Cable knit faux fur throw blanket - In a neutral beige, this knit and fur blanket will be a cozy addition to any living room.

Instead of gifts for him, Sonia rounded up some amazing kid gifts. I think the toddler apron from Anthropologie might be my favorite...and going under the tree for each of my daughters this year (thanks Sonia!).

1. Race car - High quality wooden toy car that will keep little hands busy playing for hours. 

2. Unicorn doll - If your little lady is as into unicorns as mine, then this plush little number will be sure to bring some holiday smiles. 

3. View master classic - You can't go wrong with this classic, it's made children happy since the 1970's.

4. Wooden dollhouse - Because I would have loved this sweet black, white, and green doll house when we were kids, I'm are betting that little ones nowadays will love it as well.

5. Toddler apron - All hands on deck during the baking season, deck your little helper out in this floral apron and get baking!

6. Pom pom canvas bin - This canvas bin will come in handy to help control the post holiday toy explosion.

7. Magnetic tiles - Kids of all ages love playing with magnet tiles, so do yourself a favor and put out a bin of these colorful tiles at your holiday feast and keep the kids table entertained. 

Thanks to Sonia for this great round-up and happy Cyber Monday to you! Hope you scoop many, many fantastic bargains.

- Leah

Holiday Gift Guide - Leah's Picks

We're back with more holiday gift ideas and today they're MY favorites (Leah...that's me). Like Michele's picks, I have 3 categories of goodies for you: Home, Her and Him. I gave you all sorts of price points and truly would love to own each and everything on my list, which I think is the best read on whether you're giving a good gift - do you want it yourself.

Here are my picks for the home - his home, her home, their home...your home...

1. Faux Fur Throw - Cozy and a little glam. This is a great gift because most wouldn't spend this much on themselves for a throw blanket ($79), but everyone wants this throw blanket. 

2. Bird Water Globe - A plant in a beautiful planter with this self-watering globe would make the perfect gift for just about anyone, including those hard-to-gift family members...we all have them.

3. Echo 2.0 by Amazon - I own the first edition and I'm obsessed. My whole family is. My favorite part of morning routine is when my daughter asks Alexa to tell her a dinosaur fact. While I don't know as of yet, I'd be willing to wager that Amazon is going to put these guys on sale for black Friday later this week. 

4. Illustrated Globe - This little globe (comes in 4" and 9" ) is from Target (great price point) and there are a ton of places to pick from: London, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Washington DC, New York, Chicago, LA and USA. It's just such a sweet gift for someone with a special connection to one of these great places.

5. Daphne Stemless Wine Glasses by American Altelier - Don't these scream CELEBRATE!!! So fun and fancy.

6. Utensil Holder by Rae Dunn - I'm fully on the Rae Dunn bandwagon. I own about 6 of her mugs (you can find them at TJMaxx/Marshalls/HomeGoods) and they're as stylish and sturdy as they look online. This canister full of fun utensils would make a great gift for a new homeowner. 

7. Wooden Candle Holder - Two of these sweet, simple, rustic candle holders with two tapered candles would rock a secret santa.

1. Classic Retro-X Waterproof Vest by Patagonia - This classic Patagonia vest won't go out of style. It looks great and it's truly warm.

2. The Ultimate Ski Book - My husband is a big skier and this book would make him giddy. It's also a beautiful coffee table book, which I can totally appreciate.

3. Travel French Press by Bodum - For a serious coffee aficionado, french pressed coffee is the ticket. This travel mug is also a french press. Boom.

4. eTip Apex ClimateBlock Gloves by The North Face - Every New Englander needs a legit pair of gloves. These are low profile and perfect for cleaning off a car on an icy morning.

5. Hooded Cotton Sweater - Doesn't this sweater look perfectly casual and comfortable? And it's super reasonably priced.

6. Larimer Crew Socks by Smartwool - Stuff his stocking with these stockings...errr, socks. Seriously though, Smartwool knows their socks. They keep your feet warm and cozy in all weather, and on your couch. 

Finally, gifts for her.

1. iPhone case by Sonix - I have a Sonix case for my phone and I love it. It's so sturdy and so feminine. 

2. Monogram gem necklace - I love colorful accessories because I don't dress very colorfully. I picture this jeweled necklace over a simple white t-shirt and it makes me smile. 

3. One line a day journal - For the woman who wants to feel inspired and get a little deeper in 2018, but (like most of us) doesn't have time for meditation or yoga or spiritual retreats. Writing just one line a day (or every couple days) in this beautiful book will make her feel like she's moving in the right direction.

4. Air max thea knit sneaker by Nike - Like many, I'm all over fashion sneakers. I also can't justify buying another pair. But, if they were a gift...

5. Striped infinity scarf - Again with the colorful accessory. Great contrast for your standard black winter coat and so cozy.

6. Smith's rosebud tin gift set - This is my favorite lipgloss, it gives the perfect shine. It feels great and smells delicious. 

7. Metallic shopper - I don't consider myself very girly, but there's something about rosegold that has my heart. This big ole tote is so cool and so practical and so reasonably priced.

Stay tuned for Sonia's picks next week! And good luck mentally and physically preparing yourself for Thanksgiving. I fully plan to take down an entire pie. I'll stretch it over the course of 48 hours...maybe 72...but it's gonna happen. 

- Leah

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One Mantle Two Ways

If you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you saw a teaser for this post on last Friday. We didn't want to keep you waiting...too long...so here we go.

We went a little Target crazy. Remember Supermarket Sweep? Contestants charging through grocery store aisles and slamming cans of tuna in their cars? Or, really it was the huge hams because they were worth the most. Anyway, we were those contestants, but in Target instead of a grocery store and (gently) slamming glittery ceramic trees into our carriage instead of hams. 

We thought it would be fun to show you a couple different, low cost ways to style your mantle this holiday season. You don't have to head to Pottery Barn and drop $500 to bring the season into your home. Both stylings cost a fraction of that...especially when you take advantage of upcoming Black Friday sales...

First up is a whimsical styling.

We brought in a pop of literally every color in felt pompom garlands, festive pillows and a bright ceramic tree. The color is balanced by some modern, white ceramic trees and the coolest white and gold reindeer.

If you wanted to layer more (and spend a bit more), we would recommend more of these fabulous pompom garlands strung across the mantle and even one draped around the mini tree. They're so fun.

Next up is a rustic styling.

We left out the color in this version, with the exception of green - which doesn't really feel like a color. It's nature! Even as a bottle brush tree...

Keeping the decor to wood, gray and white is so soothing and so beautiful. 

So different, but equally festive.

And now, where to find all this fun stuff! Most of what we used is from Target, some is from the old holiday decor stash, and some is from around the around house (like the handled basket). We pulled together exact or similar sources for you. 

1. Tree lumbar pillow  2. White ceramic tree  3. Colorful ceramic tree  4. Felt pom pom garland  5. Ceramic deer with gold antlers  6. Teal snowflake pillow

1. Wood deer  2. Felt leaf garland  3. Faux mohair throw blanket  4. White ceramic tree  5. Wood nesting houses  6. Snowflake garland  7. Ivory cable blanket  8. Bottle brush tree  9. Mini tree

Thanks for reading. If you'd like to get these blog posts in your email box, don't forget to subscribe! 

- Leah