Holiday gifties!

Here are some of the things I'm craving and giving this holiday season.

Image from mccreascandies.com.

McCrea’s caramels are not only delish and corn syrup free, they’re made right here Boston.  Sold at Barney’s, Boston Public Market and on-line.

Image from food52.com.

Hot Cocoa on a stick. Just swirl and go!  Hello stocking stuffer! And thank you Jennifer for comparing lists.

Image from urbanoutfitters.com.

The Fuji instant camera will be fun for my daughter to click, shoot and print.  There are all sort of fun frames and photo albums for displaying pics, old school. (Camera is on sale at Urban Outfitters for $80 right now!)

If you haven’t wandered into Urban Outfitters lately, you’re missing one of the latest and greatest collections of chemical free, all-natural products out there.  Oh, and everything is very reasonably priced.  There’s a super selection too, for men who groom.    I’m hoping Santa will slip a single use mask, or bath soak in my stocking this year.

Image from megcohendesign.com.

Meg Cohen’s luxuriously soft and yummy arm sox.  I got this gray one and it’s so awesome to be able to use my fingers and still have warm hands.  Not to mention, a tres chic look.

Image from amazon.com.

For curling up in front of the fire, a good book is a must. I’m pining for City on Fire, Garth Risk Hallberg’s debut novel about life in NYC in the 1970s.  The thousand pages took 7 years to write and ten publishing houses battled it out for the right to publish it.   

Image from bedbathandbeyond.com.

Finally, this pocket sized version of the beloved old Simon game will stash nicely in carry on baggage for some wait-at-the-gate fun.

Apres holiday madness, I’m going to throw on a face mask, swirl up some hot cocoa and settle in.

Happy Holidays!  xoxo ~ LB

Holiday 2012: Gift Guide

One of my friends asked if we could share some ideas for gifts as the holiday season approaches.  Gifts for ladies (sisters, aunts, cousins, friends) in the form of accessories and other fun finds.  We love giving (and receiving!) and were happy to assemble this list.  Maybe we can get a little holiday shopping done at the same time. :-)  By price-point, these are some of our favorite finds this season!  Happy shopping!

Under $50

I found this first gift item in J.Crew while standing in line to check out.  I almost bought several just to have gifts 'in case'.  My iPhone gets drained regularly, so what girl wouldn't LOVE to have a back-up battery in her purse/tote?  Love the prints and colors, especially this cheetah.  At $39.50, it's a great gift!

Image from jcrew.com.

This set of 3 gold bangles is another great find at J.Crew.  For $39.50, it's totally useful gift which I have given before.  Every girl needs these in their jewelry drawer.

Image from jcrew.com.

Another fun gift I've given to others (and to myself) are these fun Farmer's Market Baskets from Anthropologie, priced at $14.00.  I have several on my counter holding shallots and garlic and a bigger one ($20 each) holding avocados.  These are the smaller ones pictured below.

Image from anthropologie.com.

Pinkberry yogurt is one of my latest addictions.  Seriously, sometimes we make late-night Pinkberry runs for small cups of chocolate hazelnut swirled with peanut butter (with dark chocolate crunchies on top).  Yum.  If you have a friend near or far with their own Pinkberry nearby, why not send a gift of swirly goodness?!  From Pinkberry.com, you can both purchase e-gifts to be emailed, or have gift cards sent.  Brilliant! In amounts as low as $5, send a friend a tasty treat.

Image from pinkberry.com.

One of my favorite online stops is The Stationery Studio.  They have everything under the sun that's paper, from personalized cocktail napkins to party invitations.  I was recently trolling for gifts, and clicked on their 'Colorful Notepads' section under stationery.  For around $30, you can get sets of really lovely, personalized pads.  And who can't use more fun paper for mundane things like grocery lists?!

Images from thestationerystudio.com.

Under $100

I have loved these earrings for a while and they are still on my mind.  I'm not normally enamored with logo earrings, but these by Tory Burch are classically lovely while giving a little twist on a stud earring. They come in silver, gunmetal, or gold.  At $68, they make a present that I would like to receive. (The smaller logo earrings are $58.)

Image from nordstrom.com.

Every girl/lady needs updated cosmetic bags.  Lisa and I have always loved the cosmetic bags by Henri Bendel; they come in several sizes and keep going and going regardless of the abuse.  Between $48 and $132, they make great gifts, either one large one or a couple smaller ones.  In my purse right now, I am using 2 of them.  You can go with the classic brown and white stripe, or the current print, which is entitled 'NY Minute'.

Images from henribendel.com.

Who doesn't love a personalized gift?  If you have the time (20 day production time plus shipping time, so order soon!), iomoi.com has the best iPhone covers for $68.  Personalize using either a monogram or name (depending on the design) and impress your girlfriends or sister-in-law.  There are 60 different designs from which to choose! Be sure to know which iPhone version your recipient has before ordering.

Image from iomoi.com.

A friend convinced me that I needed one of these and after I bought one, I had no idea how I lived with out it.  Every lady should have a substantial wrap in their closet and this one by Nordstrom is $98 and comes in 9 colors.  While mine is a basic black, you can flirt with 'sandshell' or 'pine bark', as pictured below.

Lisa mentioned these jackets a few posts back.  Uniqlo puffer jackets are on trend, lightweight, and completely affordable at $69.90.  They arrive in little carry pouches, so the gift recipient will never know what's inside until they open it. So fun!

Images from uniqlo.com.

Under $200

I have been searching around for a golf cuff bracelet for myself, but one that's a little less 'Wonder Woman'.  I found this Kendra Scott one at Neiman Marcus.  For $150, it's a good price-point and lovely, timeless piece.  I can see this on any lady wearing a sleeveless sheath dress or silk top.  

Image from neimanmarcus.com.

If you know your recipient well, why not customize a Longchamp Le Pliage bag for her?  With a 3 week lead time, you can choose the bag size you want, the handle length (hand or shoulder), the colors (endless combinations), hardware color (golden, nickel or bronze) and any monogramming you want.  Lisa and I travel with the largest bag as our 'carry on' bag all the time.  I tried designing the largest bag and added initial embossing on the leather; my total bill was $192.50.  

Image from longchamp.com.

For a great evening bag (or day shopping!), the Rebecca Minkoff Mini M.A.C. Shoulder bag would be a welcome addition under my tree!  The $195 price puts you right under the $200 mark, and on Nordstrom.com, it comes in about 8 colors.  I love how you can wear it cross-body, keeping your hands free at holiday parties in the future.  (I kind of love the grey!)

Images from nordstrom.com.

Fantasy gifts

Lisa's top gift desire this year is a (HINT HINT) Vitamix blender. Lisa 'juices' regularly and would love the treat of this blender which apparently purees anything in it to pure liquid - no lumps and bumps.  Honestly, it would be a great gift for anyone that blends regularly.  The Classic starts at $449, with the professional at $529.  Not a gift for your friend down the street, but one that you might want to leave clues for about the house.  Just saying.

Images from vitamix.com.

If a very serious gift is to be given, then a classic Chanel Reissue 2.55 bag is at the top of my list of fantasy gifts.  Oh, wait, is this about giving and not receiving?!  Any lady would love to have one of these in her closet.  I'm a fan of the 2.55, but in the original, Reissue, version. Coming in 3 sizes, the Reissue has the original Chanel clasp (no CC lock), chain shoulder strap (no leather entwined), and all the lovely details that Coco put into this bag (like the zippered compartment on the inside of the front flap where Coco put her love letters).  A classic now and forever; a forever gift.  Priceless (but really in the thousands, depending on size). 

Image from myfashionjuice.com.

Whatever your holiday gift-giving needs, we hope this has helped!  Happy elf-ing! ~ LB & JH