Tip Jar: Another (Albeit Strange) Way to Clean Your Toilet

Just seen on Apartment Therapy: Clean Your Toilet with Kool-Aid. I can’t wait to hear what Mama Judd thinks of this!

Christmas Theme for DIY Tile Coasters

I love the DIY tile coasters I’ve made for my friends and family this year.  (See my tutorial here.)  But I hadn’t considered all of the fun ways you could use them at Christmas – even as Christmas decor!

Our friends over at Primitive and Proper used chip letters to spell “JOY” for some 3D dimension to her tiles.  The word ideas are endless for cute (and easily changeable) decor.

Image found here.

Visit Primitive and Proper here to see how she did it.

Free Christmas Printables

You simply shouldn’t miss all the free holiday printables in Blogland right now.  Click below for free gift tags, dinner menus, labels and more!

West Elm

Click here to download these examples and many more from West Elm!

How Does She Blog

Request the beautiful gift tags and gift boxes download by emailing the How Does She blog here.

Alannah Rose Blog

This fantastic treat tag is available (for free, people!) here.

Crafts and Such Blog

These tags, originally created for the blogger’s child lunch boxes, would be great as gift tags, too.

Visit Crafts and Such here for the download.

Craftily Ever After

Download the spin on the trendy World War II poster here.

Today’s Fabulous Finds

This subway art for the holidays available here.

At Second Street

Love this banner on a hearth!  Banner available here.

Just Devine Style

Christmas tree print available for download here.

Whisker Graphics

Holiday garland available here.

A Little Lovely Blog

Download available by subscribing to the blog here.

I Love It All

Love the font on these gift tag!  Download them here.

Sparkling Events

More than just labels available here.

Christmas Gift Ideas (for anyone!)

There are only 12 days of Christmas shopping left and every day counts.  I hope I’ve helped you with my gift ideas for her, for him, and for the fam, but if not there are many gender-neutral gifts for that special someone.  Heed the list below for great gifting success this holiday season!

Pointing bookmark: I don’t have much tolerance for reading books these days, but I’d use this bookmark if I did.  In the past, I’d fold the corner of the page all the way to the paragraph I was reading.  In hindsight, that probably wasn’t good for the book – at least the creators of this bookmark must think so. Use the finger to keep track of the last line you read.  Available here.

Golden Ticket iPhone Case: Everyone loves Willy Wonka!  Whenever Doug or I find something we’ve been looking for we bust into the “I’ve got the golden ticket” song.  With this phone case you can actually have a beautiful golden ticket and a golden day every day.  Available here.

Tea Tumbler: Steep your tea on the go with the removable strainer in this glass mug.  Definitely handy for late-running mornings. (Oooh – It’s pretty, too.)  Available here.

Air Plant: These cute little plants don’t root in soil!  If indoors, they need to be submerged in water for 2-3 hours every two weeks.  That’s easy enough for office living! Available here.

Lunch Bag: A subtle message can go a long way in the office environment.  Protect your grub from food-prowling co-workers by purchasing here.

Fish Eye Camera: See the world differently!  Capture that Kodak moment with this fish eye lens camera, which produces circular pictures from its 170 degree view.  Available here.

Car Seat Warmer: Give a warm tush this Christmas!  There’s no need to buy a new car just to get heated seats.  Plug into your cigarette lighter and heat your bottom and back with 60 watts of warmth.  Available here.

Unique Christmas Gifts for Her

It’s easier to buy gifts for women than it is for men. Every woman loves lotion from Bath and Body Works or a sweet-smelling candle.  But we can do better!  These items caught my eye as creative alternatives to cookie-cutter gifts for women.

Parakeet Clutch: This parakeet clutch puts a bottle of fragrant lotion to shame.  Who doesn’t love the cheerful yellow and the polka dot lining?   Tweet the old fashioned way! Available here.

Coin Purse: If she prefers to carry her goods in a smaller vessel – or needs somewhere to stash her money for the meter – look no further than this sassy coin purse. Available here.

Pill box with a ‘tude: If you can’t get enough vintage sass, encourage her to take her meds with this pill box.  Available here.

Lip smudge: This Etsy lipstick was featured on HGTV for a reason: it’s smokin’!  The mix includes Macadamia Nut Oil, Sustainable Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Sustainable Palm Kernel Oil, and Beeswax, among others.  Mmmmm. I don’t know what all of those things are but it sounds delicious.  Far more creative than the lip gloss in the Victoria Secret line.  Available here.

Fake tattoo: I’ve seen a lot of women in mock-tattoo shirts lately (and not just among my clientele).  For that woman on the edge of a life-long decision, encourage here to start with a disposable option. Nylons available here.

Tea light holder: I’m in a “I-love-anything-white-ceramic” phase and I don’t think I’m the only one.  Opt for this tealight candle instead of a predictable scented jar.  Available here.

Looking for more ideas? See my Christmas gift for families here and my Christmas gifts for men here.

Unique Christmas Gifts for Him

Looking for gifts for families or neighbors? Check out my suggestions here.

Buying for men is the most difficult part of my holiday shopping.  They like things (i.e., tools) that are totally alien to me. It is particularly difficult to buy gifts for Doug. I avoid electronics (because he knows better than I do) and clothing (because he is certain anything I buy won’t fit him).

So this year I’ve kept my nose to the ground while I’ve been shopping.  I’m hoping to leave you some gift ideas that have impressed me this season. Happy shopping!

Buckhead Pillow: Approximately 96.2 percent of my male family members are hunters. (Some of you might cringe to know that my family eats elk meat far more than beef.) So I’m not surprised that this pillow caught my eye. I’m using a lot of fabric appliques for embroidery so the felt buck calls to me. And who doesn’t love that rustic red and black plaid? My family would be proud. You can purchase it here.

Dude Bag: In full disclosure, Doug says he would never carry this man bag. His exact words were: “There’s probably someone out there who would use it.” (This is why I can’t buy for this man.) There are such men and I can think of several. Maybe the problem is that I want to tote it around, too? At any rate, you can purchase it here.

Fight Club Soap: I’d use this soap and men love the movie Fight Club way more than I did. Encourage him to clean up with this replica soap, which is available here.

Mustache Hanky: One of my old dear friends carried a hanky in high school. I have no clue if he still does – but the whole thing seemed very strange to my former 17 year old self. Looking back now, that was pretty hip! Pairing a hanky with the mustache trend, this hanky is a great gift for the man in your life. Even Doug endorses this gift. You can purchase it here.

Fire pit: Is your main man a huge University of Utah fan?  Is he looking to stay warm at those wet tailgates? Any Ute fan would be proud to show off this fire pit at his next barbecue.  You can purchase it here.

Unique Christmas Gifts (Family Edition)

Each birthday or holiday that rolls around, I start my gift search from scratch by searching “unique gift ideas” or “rare gifts.”  The searches lead to the same old sites: Uncommon Goods, Gifts.com, and Red Envelope.  They have many interesting gift ideas but I’m never too impressed.  And after you visit them frequently, you realize how un-rare those gifts are.

While I Christmas shopped this year, I kept tabs on gifts that I would give.  Over the next few days, I’ll show you what I’ve come up with!  Today I’m listing gifts I perfect for my family or neighbors.

Table Topics: Our family doesn’t usually need prompts for conversation, but my Stepfather loves (and I mean loves) to throw out questions that will get the family in an interesting conversation.   Table Topics is a box of questions that would likely make my Stepdad happy.  There are four editions of this game: original, family, couples, and girls night out and it can be purchased here.

 

 

Die Cut Calendars: I’ve only seen a handful of these 3D calendars and boy did they sell out quickly! (My favorite of the season was a 3D zoo calendar available here but it has already sold out!)  The Golden Retriever calendar at left is available at Urban Outfitters here.

 

 

 

Silhouette Family Tree: I think many family trees end up looking too cluttered.  This tree, with all its simplicity and its emphasis on silhouettes (which are totally hot right now), really caught my eye.  It’s available on Etsy here but be sure the seller can get it complete before you need it!

 

Bundt Cake: You probably have a sweet spot for bundt cakes if you’ve seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding. (“There’s a hole in this cake!”)  You also might be a big fan if you’ve eaten anything from Salt Lake’s Nothing Bundt Cakes.  I had a bite of one once and am still reminiscing.  I think a bundt would make a great gift for a neighbor or cowker.

 

 

East Coast Cupcakes: If we’re going to talk about cake, let’s go big.  As in across-the-country-big.  Any trip to Washington D.C. is not complete (or so I hear) without a top at Georgetown Cupcake.  The shop is – surprise, surprise – a cupcake shop in Georgetown.  In full disclosure, I have not ever had the cupcake tasted ’round the world, but apparently I can.  They’re shippable!  Check them out here.

 

 

 

Winter Landscaping

We heard the storm a-blowin’ all night Saturday but we still weren’t prepared to wake up to this on our front yard.

Doug set out to cut down the lower limbs that he could do on his own.

Wait, wait . . . you see that, too?

He cleaned the walks in those shorts, too.

Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Objects

I hope this post encourages you to see things in a new way.  I’ve been trying to do just that with my new office. This is one of its sad, sad corners.   (Stay tuned, soon I’ll show all the improvements!)

What do you see?

I see bulky grandpa-style chairs taking up far too much space in such a small area.

But my friend Becca, a photographer, saw huge potential in those old worn chairs.  (Remember Becca?  I painted a chair for her use during an engagement photo shoot.)

Here’s what she saw . . .

Beautiful, right?

What object have you turned from ordinary to extraordinary?

I was featured!

Show some love to Create My Event, which featured my “Our Lil’ Sunshines” party on its website last week!