gift giving guide {5}: things i saw, things i love

So today, I bring you my favorite gift guides from the internets far and wide. Making a gift guide is HARD work. You have to do research, and make the layout look pretty, and insert links upon links upon links. Here are some of my very favorite bloggers and their wonderful gift guides for you to view and appreciate and soak up awesome ideas on.

And because, I just can’t think of it all…

Here’s a link to Design*Sponge’s 2011 gift guides. They have TONS of ideas all of which are original and lovely.

Grace Bonney also posted this post, about skipping the stores and using your hands: gift that will create great memories. I absolutely love this idea and think it’s really about what’s from your heart that counts the most during the holiday season.

Oh Joy! also has quite the incredible spread of gift ideas.

For the collected naturalist

For the sweet treat lover 

For the California girl living in NY

For the girly utilitarian

For the host

For the silly sophisticate

Oh so amazing! And fun! Visit this link for even more gift ideas from Oh, Joy!

Poppytalk is another one of my favorite reads. There is so much inspiration over there it’s like stepping into one of the best hidden shops in Boston. You know those ones you discover by chance? Poppytalk is one of those places.

Here is their Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Dear Santa gift guides via E-Tells-Tales:

So far she’s got a ladies and babies guide etsy-style. And the newest: Her favorite Amazon picks {for all the people on your list}. I love all of her ideas– I feel like we have very similar taste in things (clothes, products) so these guides are ideal for me.

Also, a few weeks ago she posted about this awesome company, which I have already purchased for my sister for Christmas. What a great idea! I’ve been really wanting to share this, but feared that because my sister reads this little blog, that the gift would no longer be as fun.

SO, If your name is Meg Kathleen Burns DO NOT click on that link up there. You will spoil the surprise and that’s no fun at all. So, don’t! Don’t do it!

Joanna Goddard over at A CUP of JO has got her annual gift guide in the works! I love her blog and was pleasantly pleased to find we had some of the same ideas. Beer of the month club? Yeah, I knew that was a cool one.

A CUP OF JO’s Gift Guide 2011

There’s so many ideas you’re head will start spinning! (in a good way)

Another blog that I love is Oh Happy Day, written by Jordan Ferney over in Paris, France. Can we say DREAM?! I think so.

She has 2 gift-giving posts that are worth taking a look at:

10 Things to Give

10 Experiences to Give — again, I love this idea. To give an experience that will make a memory is the best gift of all!

And lastly, the Bloesem Kids gift guide is absolutely incredible for kiddos under 10. Here are some ideas for those tiny people in your life. The ones who make you see things through a whole new set of eyes and the ones who make snuggling just that much better. And to a certain extent, looking at this array of goodies makes me want to be little again!

(Does anyone remember Little People? Dang, I LOVED those. I could play for HOURS with my little people and their little cars and little houses in their little little town. Nostaaaaaalgia.)

Good luck with the gift giving, everyone!! And Happy Holidays to you and yours!! ♥♥

 

P.S. I’m linking up with E Tells Tales today!

goodbye, claire!

I feel like a proper farewell is in order…

To my friend Claire:

Who started off as a blogging friend and became a real life friend in the end.

It’s been through Claire, that I’ve realized what a wonderful community blogging can provide. It’s amazing to me that you can find people in this internet universe that you can connect with on such a real level. I love how we’re different, but also so much alike. I love how we met for lunch and took walks through the summer sun and the fall drizzle. I love how she so evidently loves her family more than anything, how she’s so easy to talk to, and most of all, how she is not afraid to be herself. I’m thankful for the first time we met in the Boston Common and how I instantly knew this girl would be my friend.

Tomorrow she’s moving across the country, and I’m really sad to see her go. I wish her luck and strength and happiness. Sad as I may be to say goodbye, I’m happy for the fact that we can still be so connected through our blogs each and every day. I can’t wait to read about her new adventures in San Francisco, and hopefully our paths will cross again someday!

Safe travels to you and your family, Claire!! ♥♥

Joy the Baker Podcast

You know Joy the Baker, right?

I love that girl’s blog.

SO witty and fabulous.

And of course, the most amazing amount of yummy, too.

Well she and her friend Tracy over at the blog Shutterbean have got a whole bunch of podcasts up on itunes. And they’re free! Bestill my heart.

It’s so perfect for my drive to work– the episodes are short and amusing. Both ladies are pretty awkward, but that’s part of what makes it so awesome. By awkward, I mean amazing, because being awkward is the best. They talk about the most random stuff (like their cats and their most embarrassing moments), and basically they just laugh at themselves the whole time. A good amount of time I find myself chucking a long, which is a perfect way to start my morning and a great way to unwind at the end of the day.

If your looking for something to listen to while driving (or working out, or cooking, or getting ready in the morning) then give this podcast a try. It’s entertainment, that’s for sure.

Visit Homefries for the latest and greatest (and old episodes too!) of the Joy the Baker Podcast and other cool shows too!

Do you listen to any interesting Podcasts? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

instagram link-up

 

Well, like I suspected, I couldn’t stay away. Also, it’s a drizzly morning here in Cape Cod so I’m reading some blogs and cozy-ing up on the couch. I saw this fun link-up from a {little} dash of ash and I had to join in! The photo above is one of my favorites from this summer of instagramming. I love the plate (found at HomeGoods) and blueberries are one of my favorite summer fruits. I can eat the whole carton in a day if I don’t watch myself!

If you’re following me on instagram, then you know I’m addicted. There was simply no way I could choose just one photo to post today (I take way too many), so I decided to choose my favorites from the past couple of weeks.

This photo sharing app has changed my world. I love capturing little snippets of my days that before I passed by without noticing. You can make anything ordinary suddenly unique, and your life instantly seems more detailed and interesting. But then again, maybe life always was this interesting– and now we’re just taking the time to pay more attention to the little things around us.

from left to right: views of Brooklyn, taxis in NY, Boston skyline from canoe, blue sky with clouds, summer blackberries, Charles River water, Beacon Hill sidewalk, sun shower in Back Bay, wedding flowers and favors.

Join the link-up party!