Stapler // Coffee Table Book // Pendant Light
Planner // Cozy Rug // Notebook
Rose Pillow // Loveseat // Furry Pillows
Office Chair // Bookends // Lamp
Throw // White Desk // Travel Mug
P.S. Increase productivity with these office design tricks!
*This post may contain affiliate links.
When it comes around to gift-buying time, it’s always tricky to know exactly what to get your man. In truth, it can be a key moment. Of course, the best gifts are personal and based on an understanding of your man as an individual, but even so there are a number of gifts which would likely be loved by many. In this post, we are going to take a look at a few options. If you have an occasion coming up and are feeling a bit lost, take a peek below…
Fitbit
These health tracking devices are obviously all the rage right now, and they make for a perfect gift for pretty much anyone who might enjoy tracking and monitoring their fitness data. If your man is a health nut, or just wants to be more mindful of his steps, a Fitbit is going to be appreciated and a good choice for you to buy for him. Bear in mind that you don’t have to go for the branded option, and there are more affordable ones out there which do more or less the same thing.
Beard Growth Kit
If your man has a beard, then that opens up a huge number of possibilities in what gifts to buy. Whether or not he tends to put much care into his beard, you can be sure that there is a beard product he will enjoy. If he struggles to grow a thick and full beard, you might want to consider buying him a beard growth kit. As you can see here, these kits come with quite a few accessories, so it will feel like a gift he is really glad to receive.
Wallet
There are certain gifts that just always go down well no matter what, and regardless of the type of guy your man is. One example of this is a wallet, and this is going to be especially well received if his wallet has seen better days or if he is in need of something a little different. In any case, splashing out on a new wallet is a great way to show your man you care, and it’s something that can be both practical and fashionable – something a lot of contemporary men are happy about.
A Weekend Away
Of course, they say the best gifts are experiences, and that can certainly prove true. So when you are thinking of something to get your man, why not think about buying him a weekend away? This is ideal if you are thinking about trying to get him a romantic experience, or you just want to make it clear how much you enjoy spending time with him. Think whether there might be somewhere he always wanted to go. If so, that’s the one to go for, and he is bound to love it.
P.S. Need more gift ideas for the dudes in your life? Check out this post, this post, and this post!
*This post may contain affiliate links.
We all get down sometimes, and one of the things that I find helps is to buy yourself a little pick-me-up. Everyone loves to receive gifts, who cares if the gift is from yourself!? At least you know what you like, and it’s going to be exactly what you wanted! In this post, I’m going to be looking at some of the awesome gifts that you can buy for yourself if you’re feeling down. So, if you want to know more, keep reading down below.
Something For Your Skin
The first thing that I am going to suggest is something for your skin. Whether this is some face wipes, toner or moisturizer, it doesn’t matter. Just think about something that you don’t have right now that would be a nice treat for your skin, and head to the store to buy it. Or, if you can only purchase them online, get on the internet and put it in your cart straight away. It’s always nice to feel your face all soft and smooth or to look at yourself in the mirror and notice a change in how your skin looks.
Make sure that you read the ingredients and reviews before you make a purchase. This is just to ensure that you aren’t allergic to any of the ingredients and that people can vouch for the fact that it works the way it says it does. While all skin-types are unique, customer reviews of skincare products can still be your best friend.
Jewelry Always Works
Or, if you want something a little different, gift yourself some jewelry. This always works when it comes to cheering yourself up. Look at earrings, necklaces, bracelets, maybe even an opal belly ring! More ideas can be found over at Urban Body Jewelry if this is something that interests you. It’s always a great feeling to see something shiny and new on your body, even if nobody else can see it!
Choose something that you think is awesome, and it will cheer you up massively when it comes. You might even find that when you put it on for the first time, it gives you a confidence boost, and this will help you with the blues that you have been experiencing.
Makeup!
Finally, makeup is always a great way to make yourself feel better if you’ve been feeling a little down in the dumps. Those beautiful colors have a way of bringing a smile to your face, as it gives you the opportunity to try out something new! Enjoying your time creating new looks in the mirror is as fun as it gets for someone who loves makeup. With makeup, it’s more than just the product, it’s creative expression!
I hope that you have found this post helpful, and now have a few ideas about awesome gifts that you can buy yourself if you’re in need of a pick-me-up. Feel better soon! xoxo
Buying gifts for loved ones right now is proving pretty difficult. The coronavirus pandemic means that many shops are closed and we’re unable to leave our homes to browse different options. On top of this, we can’t hand the gifts we settle on over in person, as social distancing guidelines prevent us from going to one another’s houses. At the same time, birthdays and other important days go on and you’re going to want to send that perfect gift to the person you love. Now, there are endless potential gifts out there for all different kinds of people. But for now, let’s focus on the foodies in your life. Here are a few different gift ideas you can have delivered straight to the foodies in your life…
Pretzel Gift Boxes
Who doesn’t love soft pretzels? They’re delicious. These come in a range of flavors, from cinnamon sugar to vanilla sugar to various options with melted chocolate, caramel or other dips. This is a gift that can be delivered straight to your loved one’s house in time for their birthday through esprovisions.com. They’re bound to bring a smile to your loved one’s face!
Edible Arrangements
Flowers are a popular birthday delivery. But why not offer an alternative that the recipient can eat? Edible arrangements are essentially lots of pieces of delicious fresh fruit, cut and prepared into the shape of flowers and arranged into a bouquet. You can get all sorts of different arrangements with different varieties of fruit and even chocolate dipped options. Yum!
A Snack Subscription
For the gift that keeps on giving, consider a snack subscription. This can see a box of delicious goodies arrive at your loved one’s house every single month – generally for six months or a year. There are subscription boxes suited to everyone out there. From chocolate lovers to vegans, people who are gluten free and much much more. Browse the wide variety out there and settle on the options best suited to your particular foodie.
Edible Photos
There are companies out there who will print pictures of your choice onto the icing sugar of delicious treats. This is a cute and sentimental gift for those who are nearest and dearest to you. The image could be one of you together, a picture of a pet, or anything else that they might like!
These, of course, are just a few potentially great gifts for the foodie in your life. It’s important to still make an effort with people during these difficult times. It’s easy to feel alone – especially on dates where you’d usually be out celebrating with your friends, such as birthdays or graduations. Hopefully, one of the ideas outlined above will offer the perfect surprise to show a loved one they are thought about and loved!
Photo above via Eastern Standard Provisions
When a loved one tragically passes away, it can feel like the end of the world for those left behind. Dealing with loss isn’t a discussion often had, and it’s not a topic that many people feel confident in talking about. But it is a hugely important for those going through it, and one which everyone will experience within their lifetime. The experience can be lonely, and it’s usually made even worse by the fact that a lot of people simply don’t know how to start a dialogue with someone who has been bereaved, and will even go to the lengths of avoiding them out of awkwardness. Of course, this only serves to make the person grieving feel more isolated, exactly when they need the most support.
This difficult, but often undiscussed, situation can be doubly tough if you don’t have the tools to work through grief. Mourning for someone is definitely a process – and one that no-one can put a time limit on. People who have lost a loved one often talk about it in terms of learning to live with the pain, rather than it being something that goes away. And I agree.
There are of course steps you can take to help you process your negative emotions and work through what you feel, and it can be helpful as you do so to find ways of remembering the person you have loved and lost.
Being able to create memories can be a hugely important part of the mourning process, so consider what you could do once you feel ready to express yourself. When the focus of arranging a funeral is over, and you feel ready, creating a lasting memorial can be helpful. It gives you a tangible connection to the person you have lost, and provides a way of feeling close to those we can no longer see or speak to.
If there’s a special view, a place in nature or a walk you used to take together, dedicating a memorial bench is a lovely way to remember someone you loved. It draws on a base of shared memories and provides a location you can go to when you need to remember that person. Your bench can feature a plaque or carving with an inscription, naming or commemorating that person, sharing a memory or containing a special piece of verse, a passage from a book they loved or song lyrics that remind you of them.
In life, our clothes are a tool of self-expression. If your loved one had a favorite garment – perhaps a treasured dress or an old sweater – there are ways to use this piece of clothing to provide a lasting link to them after their passing. You can even have a memory bear made using fabric stitched together from a patchwork of their favorite items. This simple but effective idea is especially lovely to help children who have lost someone dear. They can cuddle with the bear and remember the person they loved so much in life. The same principle could also apply to anything soft and squidgy really – from a cushion to a quilt. Equally, a much-loved item of clothing can be preserved and framed.
If you have lots of treasured artifacts from your time with that person, you could consider creating a memory box. In it, you can place all sorts of things – letters and cards you exchanged, old photographs, memorabilia like concert tickets and small souvenirs, pressed flowers and other little tokens. This approach is especially lovely because there is always something new to rediscover or a different memory to recall depending on what you pull out of the box.
If you feel like carrying your loved one close to you, memorializing them with a piece of jewelry is a great way to hold them close with something portable that you can carry around wherever you go. Sites like Memorials.com can even help you to incorporate the ashes of a family member into an elegant piece of jewelry that you can wear and love forever, and pass down through generations.
A connection to the living world is a huge source of comfort for many, so it can be a really nice idea to plant a tree or a shrub in memory of a lost loved one. This gives a beautiful connection to the world as well as a place you can go to enjoy some quiet time and remember that person.
Have you honored a lost loved one in a way you found to be especially helpful to your grieving process? If you’re comfortable, I’d love to hear about it below. Sending all my love to anyone hurting or mourning a loss. xoxo
I’ll be honest. I had the idea for this post over a month ago. I wanted to document some of the outfits I actually where as a work-from-home freelancer, specifically showcasing how I use pieces from my beloved Le Tote subscription to build the looks. I snapped photos of seven of the outfits I wore over a couple weeks. Outfits that I wore in my home office, but also to run errands, work from the library, and out to dinner with Chet.
Things got busy with work, we had some friends come into town, and blogging sort of took a backseat. Then, everything started to escalate with the Coronavirus and I was lucky if I could peel myself away from the news for long enough to actually do anything productive.
While my work-from-home looks have looked a little less put together this past week, I still thought I would go ahead and share this post. Especially as all but non-essential services have gone remote, more folks than ever will be throwing together work-from-home looks. I’m not one of those people that’s going to preach at you about getting dressed in your best first thing every morning when working from home. I usually start working around 7 am every day, but rarely change out of pjs until 10 or 11. You gotta do what works for you and helps you be the most productive. But what I WILL tell you is that you should wear outfits that make YOU feel good.
…And if you’re sick of everything in your closet already, you don’t have to leave your house to get clothes from Le Tote. Just sayin’.
Ok, enough of my blabbering, here are 7 work-from-home looks I put together with Le Tote pieces —
1. Flare Hem Sweater, Jeans and a Cuff Bracelet
2. Black Sweater and Floral Trousers
3. Tie Neck Blouse and Jeans
4. Boxy Ribbed Sweater with Charm Necklace and Boots
5. Yellow Cardigan and Printed Pleated Skirt
6. Red Tunic with Gold Locket and Jeans
7. Floral Peplum Button Down under a Cardigan with Skinnies
Which look is your favorite? 3 and 4 probably felt the most like me, but 5 was a lot of fun! Also, shout out to all those snaps where I’m in socks! Not wearing shoes is probably my favorite perk of working from home. 🙂
If you’d like to try out Le Tote, click this link to get a free tote!
P.S. Since I know this is a concern these days, here is info on Le Tote’s cleaning process.
When you set up your capsule wardrobes based on the season, it can get a little difficult in the weird in between times. Here in North Alabama, there are definitely days in late February/early March where we could bust out the barbecue and then days when I’m running to wrap up in an extra blanket or two. If this sounds like your current climate situation, I would recommend swapping out a few of your winter pieces for more springlike items and to ease your capsule into warmer weather. You don’t want to pack up your cozy sweaters and stow them away only to sheepishly pull them back out on one of those random frigid mornings!
But swaps don’t have to just be about temperature control! After months of dark hues, maybe you want to throw in a pastel or two. If you’re drawn too chunky cocktail rings and statement necklaces for winter party season, maybe you want to switch out for something more dainty! Just because capsule wardrobes help us embrace minimalism doesn’t mean BORING. Have fun with it!
Here are 12 swaps you can make to turn your winter wardrobe into a WINTER-TO SPRING wardrobe —
Swap a turtleneck for a vintage inspired tee shirt.
Swap dangly statement earrings for dainty geometric studs.
Swap your chunky knit scarf for a silk scarf.
Swap every day pearls for every day hoops.
Swap a parka for a polka dot rain coat.
Swap black hoodie for a creme fleece pullover.
Swap heavy duty flannel for a lighter plaid option.
Swap a midi skirt for a mini.
Swap a white button-down for a white crop top.
Swap a chunky knit sweater for your lightweight crewneck sweater…
and dark colored pieces for WHITE.
Finally, for those super unseasonably warm days where you just want to go for it, swap black skinnies for black shorts!
Have you ever tried seasonal capsule wardrobes? Any more advice for transitioning from one season to the next?
P.S. If you’re more of a one and done capsule wardrobe person (or the concept sparks your interest), you can get a checklist PDF of my 50 Piece All-Season Capsule Wardrobe right this way!
Guys! I am so obsessed with my new photo wall. I’ve been toying with the idea of putting one up for months now but it always just seemed like SOOO much work. Choosing the photos, getting them printed, then framed, and – MOST DAUNTING OF ALL – hung.
(Hung straight and without making the wall look like swiss cheese with all the nail holes, that is.)
Well, then I discovered Mixtiles and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally pull the trigger on the photo wall of my dreams! I still took great care to choose my photos, narrowing down a field of many to 12 of my favorites. I wanted them to all have a cohesive color palette (blue, red, green, and light maroon) so that the arrangement would look nice in our living room. This helped weed out some contenders. Also handy was the fact that the Mixtiles website will tell you if a picture is going to be lower quality when printed as soon as you upload it. So that eliminated a few more.
My 12 winners included:
All I had to do was upload the photos, select the type of frame I wanted, and the next thing I knew they were on my doorstep. And best of all? They hang WITHOUT nails and are removable, reusable, and leave no marks. Perfect for people (like me) who are indecisive and want to play around before they settle on the ideal placement.
I would highly, highly recommend Mixtiles if you’ve always wanted a photo wall but were too scared to take the plunge! I’m already itching to order more!! They are beautiful quality and the perfect addition to any home.
Do you have a photo wall?
When we moved to Alabama, I was so excited that we’d have a backyard. Coming from a big city, where it was starting to feel like we were living on top of our neighbors, I was excited for the extra space. Our first summer here, we hung out in the backyard a bit. Did some grilling, sat outside chatting with friends, even planted a few things. But the mosquitoes were pretty horrendous. In a true case of “the grass is always greener,” I started to miss our screened-in balcony in Miami.
But this summer we showed up with an action plan! We splurged on a pop-up tent (more like a pop-up gazebo…this thing is pretty huge) that offers a bit of protection from all the bugs. It’s proven to be the perfect place for eating dinner, reading a book on a lazy afternoon, and just CHILLING. We’ve even run an extension cord from our kitchen on a few occasions so we could hook up a box fan. Hello, GLAMPING!
Do you hang out outside in the summer? Do you have a porch, a stoop, or do you just head to the park? Let me know in the comments below.
Wherever you’re chilling, this drink would be the perfect accompaniment to a relaxing summer’s evening. Enjoy!
Cocktail Recipe:
Ingredients –
– 1 bottle of Prosecco
– 1 cup Limoncello
– 1 cup raspberries, muddled & for garnish
– 2 lemons, for garnish
Instructions –
At the bottom of a wine glass, muddle approximately 4-5 raspberries.
Fill each glass half way with Prosecco, then fill the remainder of the way with Limoncello.
Garnish with fresh sliced lemon and raspberries before serving.
P.S. Other summer faves are linked HERE.
It’s Friday! To celebrate the end of the work week, let’s do a bit of online window shopping, shall we? I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect dress for spring and my eyes keep getting pulled in the direction of stripes. There are so many options that are colorful, airy, and fun…and the stripes feel a little less expected than a floral print. What do you think? What prints are you feeling drawn to this spring?
If you’re in the market for a STRIPED DRESS, here are 5 options I found from one of my favorite online shops, Lulus…
Option 1 –
Option 2 –
Option 3 –
Option 4 –
Option 5 –
Which would YOU choose? xoxo
Finding delight. 