New Cookbooks Perfect for Holiday Gifts

One of my favorite gifts – to give or receive – is a great cookbook. There are so many cookbooks that came out this year that would make the perfect gift!

Here are some ideas on how to gift a cookbook:

Pecan Pie Short Bread Bars with Drizzled Chocolate

Don’t you just love making a treat that is like, just a little less effort? Guys, I love a good pie (and I really love a great pecan pie). Forget “easy as pie” – this is “easier than pie!”

Especially at this point in my pregnancy (hey, 29 weeks!), I’m getting tired on my feet, and my belly is getting in the way. Like, to be honest, the idea of rolling out a pie crust right now is not my idea of fun!

8 Gifts for Homebodies

I love this time of year, when the house gets all cozy with Christmas decorations and the fireplace and pajamas all weekend. I am definitely a homebody, and as this bump grows (25 weeks and counting!) I’m finding myself loving being home even more as the urge to nest starts to kick in.

This is probably my most favorite gift guide of all time – someone give this list to Santa for me, k?

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Foodies & a GIVEAWAY!

So are you team “Yay V-Day” or are you team “Hallmark Holiday move on?” I feel like in our house we’re kind of somewhere in between, but I do love a holiday that gives you an excuse to acknowledge people you love, whether with a little sweet treat or a little gift.

And for you, dear, sweet readers, I have a little treat for you!

Holiday Gifting: Teens

To me, teens are always the hardest group to shop for. Sometimes, it comes down to budget, sometimes lack of ideas, and sometimes I have no recollection of what I would have wanted as a teenager. Plus, I mean, they have so much more technology than we did!

In each of our guides, I’ve talked about gifting based on what you think that person really wants and wouldn’t gift themselves. I don’t particularly enjoy gifting money, but I do remember as a teenager always loving having my own money and I do know my nephews appreciate hard cold cash more than any gift I would give them at this point.

No. 1 A Lumee phone case, this one is doublesided with lights for ultimate photo taking // No. 2 The ONLY way I’m gifting $$$ this year! If we are giving money, we are giving it in a creative way & I love these can safes. // No. 3 Create Your Life notebook, for those cerebral teens & soon-to-be-graduates // No. 4 Headphone earmuffs (you can also find headphone beanies for the fellas) // No. 5 Lightbox // No. 6 Sugarfina treats // No. 7 Polaroid instant print camera! I might need to add this to my own wishlist // No. 8 Sonos compact speaker

Dear Santa

For me, the key to gifting is picking an item you wouldn’t expect the recipient to treat themselves to. Maybe it’s a more extravagant item, maybe a little outside of their spending comfort zone (ya know, I don’t looooove to spend $35 on lipgloss for myself, but my best friend? You bet!). This approach helps you to select an item you know they’ll love and really feel the thought that you put into it.

After all, it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?

This year, my letter to Santa has a little bit of everything, from beauty to clothes to accessories to my favorite pan I cannot live without (so I obviously need a second one).

No. 1 Dyson hairdryer // No. 2 Ruffle blouse // No. 3 My favorite All Clad pan (similar)- total workhorse in my kitchen and I would just love love love to have a second one // No. 4 A subscription to Magnolia Journal because JoJo is my homegirl // No. 5 A cozy pair of slippers // No. 6 A pretty scarf in neutral colors // No. 7 The Waterford New Years Ornament I ask “Santa” aka “Hubby” for every year // No. 8 Fittingly the iPhone 8 – you don’t even want to see my phone screen right now…// No. 9 Burberry lippy in military red // No. 10 A new pair of black flats, because the pup ate my good pair.

Holiday Gifting: The Hostess

There is an etiquette saying, “always ring the door with your elbow.” I love this sentiment, especially around the holidays – it’s meant to say that you should always go to a friend or family’s home with your arms full.

Bringing hostesses a little something for themselves is one of my favorite gifting opportunities. It’s a way to show how grateful you are to that person for having you in their home and for the gift of their time. It doesn’t have to be a big or expensive gesture, and often something you love is the perfect gift – they’ll think of you whenever they see it!

No. 1 Potholder set // No. 2 Pretty gold bluetooth speaker // No. 3 Pine scented dish soap & lotion // No. 4 Sweet little honeypot // No. 5 Rewined candles – champagne is THE BEST scent // No. 6 Rosemary trees – Trader Joe’s has them! // No. 7 A beautiful ornament – my FAVORITE gift to receive // No. 8 A light box // No. 9 Gold mixing bowl set // No. 10 Your favorite home made cookies in a pretty jar

Holiday Gifting: The Ladies

We’re kicking off our gifting week with gifts for the ladies! From big to small, there are so many great gifts for women to really make them feel special, which is always my goal in gifting to the women in my life. I think these ideas are perfect for everyone from your mom to your best friend to your wifey.

If you’re like me and not that into gifting cash for the holidays, I have two simple tips when thinking about gifts for the ladies (which really works for everyone):

  1. Think about what she’s really into (does she love to get her hair blown out, go for manicures, take photos, cook?)
  2. What would she probably not buy for herself, but still love to receive?

No. 1 A luxe bag in a neutral color to be worn year round // No. 2 Gloves with an extra special detail, like a sweet bow // No. 3 A beautiful pot for her kitchen // No. 4 The fresh sugar lip suite – I love these, want to try them all, but just can never bring myself to buy them for me // No. 5 A beautifully designed aromatherapy diffuser // No. 6 Fun and trendy earrings in a seasonal color // No. 7 Treats from Sugarfina // No. 8 Cozy slippers in a neutral color to go with all her favorite pj’s

 

gifting a little love

with valentine’s day right around the corner, it’s time to wrap up a little dose of love for that someone special. i wanted to give you all a few ideas, some inexpensive and some a total splurge, to gift to the man in your life before the holiday goes into full swing – and before i get covered in pink and red glitter and icing bringing you lovelies some valentine’s day ideas (more to come).

so here we go:

valentine's day gifts for him

if you are early on in a relationship or you agree to not spend much, making his favorite dish and a book of love coupons can be great. think of this as the year one option. if you want to make a small gesture, i love the mini NFL helmets and a book (about the same team, or league). this is a great two year option (as in, you’ve been dating for two years)

going a little further is a humidor – great on its own and i’ve had a positive experience gifting one to my boyfriend. if you want to spend a little extra, include a cigar sampler. ask one of his friends what he likes or go to the cigar shop and ask for a suggestion. i would recommend something in the middle range – not too heavy, not too light and not too long – my boyfriend likes nicaraguan blends. this is again a great two year option, but also, three, or four, or five, and so on. if he likes cigars he will love this.

finally, the splurge. someday, i will splurge. today, not so much. but if you want to splurge, an extra special watch will do it. i know my boyfriend prefers the breitlings, and i love the ones with the blue face. these watches all have sapphire crystal, so it has a nice blue glaze in the glass on top of the blue face. it’s also a timeless, classic purchase that will last forever. plus all your love. because, i mean really – what more could you give beyond a watch like that?! this for me would be like a year 10 gift. as in 10 years of marriage, not even 10 years of dating 😉

there’s also the classics, like a tie, a bottle of scotch, sporting event tickets, concert tickets, etc. An experience or consumable is always a nice gift, too – never forget that!

well i hope this little guide helps you or at least sparks an idea for you. i would love to hear your ideas, too!