2012 GIFT GUIDE: THE 9-5 GIRL

Today's gift guide is by my friend from college, Kimberly. She works in a financial management office as an executive assistant. In school she always nailed the "stylish, but professional" look, and here are her picks for the people in your life who do the same.

1. iPad with Retina Display ($499) | 2. Ultra Moisturizing Hand Therapy ($19) | 3. Longchamp 'Le Pliage Tote ($145) | 4. Seize the Day Mug ($20) | 5. Topless & Barefoot Nailpolish ($8.00) | 6. Leopard Pumps ($69.99) | 7. Sleepy Hollow Pencil Cup ($16) | 8. Cutaway Collar Jacket ($128) | 9. Olivia Bib Necklace ($118) | 10. Thank You Cards ($20) | 11. Rose Gold Watch ($295) | 12. Sheath Dress ($58.80) | 13. Leopard iPhone Case ($40) | 14. Dotted Tights ($25)

2012 GIFT GUIDE: THE FOODIE

Today's gift guide is by my sister-in-law, Ashley, who is passionate about food and dang good at making it. Her expertise made bringing food to family get-togethers a little intimidating at first, but now it's fun to have someone to laugh with about my epic fails in the kitchen (over a plate of something amazing that she made!). Here are her choices for the foodie in your life:

1. Kitchen Cabinet Mount ($49.99) | 2. Home Beer-Tap System ($250) | 3. Even Dough Bands ($8.95) | 4. Bench Scrape by Rachel Ray ($13.43) | 5. Warm or Cool Face Mugs ($35/set of 2) | 6. Soup and Sandwich Ceramic Tray Duo ($30) | 7. Molecular Gastronomy Kit - Cuisine ($60) | 8. 56-blade Meat Tenderizer ($29.99) | 9. Fresh Valley Canisters ($89.95/set of 3) | 10. Grease Separator ($15.95) | 11. Batman Apron ($19.99) | 12. Electric Coffee Grinder ($120) | 13. Pie Drip Catcher ($14.95)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GIFT GUIDES

2012 GIFT GUIDE: THE TECHIE

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you're half way into a food coma right now and that you're enjoying time with your family and friends! Tomorrow is Black Friday, which means lots of shopping, especially for highly sought after technology and electronics, which makes today the perfect day to post a gift guide!

Today's guide is for the technology obsessed people in your life, and it is brought to you by my friend Drew, who is the most tech-savvy dude I know. I have included his helpful commentary along with his choices below in case you (like me) don't know what a lot of this stuff is. Thanks, Drew!

1. Canon EOS Rebel T3i ($599) Great camera for anyone interested in seriously getting into photography, plus it shoots full 1080p HD video | 2. iGrill Grilling/Cooking BBQ Thermometer ($79) Connects to your phone via bluetooth. Pretty much the coolest cooking accessory ever | 3. Wii U ($300-$350) | Nintendo's new console. Will probably be impossible to find for a few months. | 4. Lytro Light Field Camera ($399) A digital camera with no focusing, you just snap pictures and dynamically change the focus afterwards. Incredibly cool. | 5. iPad fourth generation ($499) Probably the best tablet all around, with the biggest app selection. | 6. Call of Duty Black Ops 2 ($60) There were three huge gaming releases in November, and you can't really go wrong with any of them. | 7. Assassin's Creed 3 ($60) | 8. Halo 4 ($60) | 9. Turtle Beach X42 Gaming Headset ($160) Fantastic sound quality, extremely reasonable price. | 10. Kindle Fire HD 8.9" ($299-$269) Great, affordable Android tablet | 11. Star Wars: The Complete Saga blu ray ($69.99) It's Star Wars. In HD. | 12. Makerbot Replicator ($1,749-$1,999) The "I really love my significant other" option. 3d printers are amazing.

2012 GIFT GUIDE: THE FASHIONISTA

For the next five weeks, I'll be featuring 2 gift guides per week to help you with your Christmas shopping. The first gift guide is for "the fashionista" and the picks are by my college friend (whose closet I borrowed from frequently), Thakshila (AKA Tucky), who went to Parsons in New York City after undergrad and is passionate about all things vogue. Check out her choices below! 

1. Tres Chic Wallpaper ($9/square ft) | 2. Mimosa Mini Candle ($28) | 3. Stripe Sweater ($390) | 4. Alice McCall Amelie Dress ($677.22) | 5. Brown Leopard Print Glove ($9) | 6. A Fragile Mind Art ($20) | 7. Sequined Clutch ($59.90) | 8. Antler Button Stud Earrings ($70) | 9. Sweet Lips Lip Scrub ($9.95) | 10. Etta Gold Captoe Pumps ($248) | 11. Never Sleep Sweatshirt ($40) | 12. Space Foil Print Leggings | 13. Nars Blush ($28) | 14. Viktor & Rolf Perfume ($105) | 15. Grace Coddington Memoir ($19.02)

FREE MASON JAR LABELS DOWNLOAD

Today I want to share a project that I did for the Drifter & the Gypsy blog - free printable mason jar labels! These are great for gifts and so easy to put together - just print, cut, and place inside of a mason jar! Click HERE to download the labels (below). 

HOSTESS GIFT IDEA

With all of the holiday parties coming up, sometimes it's hard to figure out what to bring for the hostess. How about one of these adorable wine stoppers from BHLDN? I'm in love with the little bow!

shop: 1 | 2 | 3

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Things have been so busy lately and I'm working on the set of Nashville today, so I'll just leave you with a little inspiration:

free printable via Shrimp Salad Circus

Check out some more inspiring words on my Pinterest board!

Have a good day!

CHRISTMAS GIFT PACKAGING IDEAS

Can you believe it's November already? That means it's time to start getting your Christmas gifts ready! I think it's so much fun figuring out what to get everyone and to me it's even more fun wrapping up all the presents! Here are some of my favorite Christmas packaging ideas from around the web and Pinterest - Do you have any creative packaging ideas for the holidays?

Sources (from top-bottom, left-right)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

LINK LOVE / 35

These foiled dot napkins have my name all over them:

pets growing up with their humans - So sweet!

I'm making this delicious pumpkiny treat this weekend:

Came across these 2 modern farmhouses this week and it made me want to live in one. Like, now.

via Design*Sponge

via Garden and Gun

& because it's November and we can officially start getting excited about Christmas, this festive room is so cute:

Have a great weekend!