gift ideas – the Spiff

Beauty, gift ideas, gifts, mother's day, west town mall

Mother’s Day Gift Guide – Because She Birthed You

May 4, 2015 No Comments

Being on the cusp of full on motherhood, I’m excited to bring you this gift guide so we can all celebrate our mom’s together! And on a completely unrelated subject (and if my husband’s reading this) growing the child in your belly counts as being a mom so gifts are totally acceptable at this point in time ;)

If you’re stuck on what to get your mom and she hasn’t given you any hints, I like to take the, “what would make her feel pampered?” approach. Which is the question I used as inspiration to bring you these items.

Bring on a happy Mother’s Day with any of these great gifts all found at West Town Mall…

1. Godiva Chocolate: I don’t think this needs much explanation. It’s delicious.

2. Ugg Slippers from Dillard’s: If wearing these comfort clouds around the house isn’t enough of a luxury, thinking about going home and relaxing in them will help get her through a busy day.

3. Vera Bradley Travel Cosmetic Bag: Travel bags fall under the category of things you really need but don’t want to purchase for yourself. Give her this gorgeous one that’s lined inside so even if her makeup breaks it won’t be ruined.

4. Urban Decay Naked Eye Shadow: Pamper her with these gorgeous shades from Sephora (and throw one in the bag for yourself…I won’t tell).

5. Boscia Cleansing Kit: Giver her the gift of flawless skin with this Japanese cleansing system. It’s the least you can do to make up for that rebellious phase.

6. Chico’s Jewelry: I just couldn’t take my eyes off these tortoise shell pieces from Chico’s – they’re gorgeous! They’ll go with so many things, but especially pair well with your loving card :)

Also, be sure to bring her to West Town Mall Thursday night May 7th for a night of indulgence! I’ll be there giving away prizes and there will be a fashion show, but I figured I could stop with “I’ll be there.” ;)

Beauty, christmas, gift ideas, gifts, west town mall

Gift Guide for the Hardest Person on Your List (and it’s All Under $25)

December 8, 2014 No Comments

We can all admit to having at least one person on our list who we’re stumped about because we may not know them so well. Do they wear silver? Do they like candles? Do they wear underwear? Maybe we can’t answer any of these questions, but we can still get them a great gift and look like we spent a lot doing so.

I really like this list, and let me just say how incredibly distracting it can be tracking these items down online. I mean…I’m searching through websites of some great stores, it’s REALLY hard not to go on a rabbit trail of shopping. But I pushed through and did it just for you. And by the way, all of these items can be found at West Town Mall!

1. Vera Bradley ID Case – Everyone can use this at some point. It’s perfect for those instances where you need to carry a few things but don’t need a purse. Football games, intense shopping days – this will really come in handy and all you spent was $12.

2. Yankee Candle Travel Tin – Ok, this is pretty cool. It’s a tin that contains a scented oil that you release by pulling up the lid. Pull it up a little or a lot, the scent is supposed to last 4 weeks. This particular one smells like Christmas cookie, but they’ve got all kinds of scents and I just think it’s such a great idea. Buy several (they’re only $5.99!) so the person you’re giving them to can have everything they own smelling like a Christmas wonderland!

3. Kate Spade New York Sticky Note Set – I truly believe that great style means having cute things even if you’re the only one to see them. Give someone the gift of great style this Christmas with these glamorous sticky notes. They’re perfect for magazine surfing, or for making them look really good when leaving a note on someone’s desk. They’ll love you for that. And you’ll only be out $16. Dillard’s is where it’s at.

4. ShutterBall Remote for Smartphones – What’s everyone taking these days? Selfies. What’s going to help a person more easily take selfies? This remote. It comes with a stand so you can set up your phone and take a picture with this remote from up to 60 feet away. Any fashion blogger would love this. Any fashion blogger with a blog that rhymes with sha shmiff would absolutely love this. ;) Oh and hey, it’s only $19.95! Get it at Mori’s Luggage and Gifts.

5. Bliss Mistletoe Gems – The problem 10 out of 10 women face this time of year is dry hands and lips. So will you be spot on with the gift of these ultra-hydrating, antioxidant rich moisturizers. Visit Sephora, give them $15.00 and you’ll walk away with a sure thing.

6. Tarte Ladies Who Lash Limited Edition Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler Set – Can you remember the last time you bought an eyelash curler? Exactly. Give a glamorous one to someone else and throw in a mascara for the low low price of $23. You can also get this at Sephora.

7. Altar’d State Sign – So hopefully you know enough about this person to know if they have a dog or a cat. If you don’t, they’ve got a great selection of really happy signs that anyone with a pulse would love! This particular sign is only $12.

christmas, Fashion, gift ideas, gifts, stocking stuffers

Christmas Gift Idea

December 3, 2014 No Comments

When people say books/magazines/newspapers will one day be extinct, I want to take my pointer finger and poke them in the eye.

I’m considered a “millennial” and I’ve always enjoyed turning actual pages and even the smell (yes, the smell) of hand-held reading material. Can you smell your computer screen? No, it tickles your nose. I don’t know that because I just leaned in and tried it, I’m just taking an educated guess.

I love getting magazines in the mail and have been a faithful subscriber to a couple for years and years. I have a giant stack of magazines in my office to prove it (I’m singlehandedly trying to disprove that they’ll ever be extinct by hoarding them all up in my house). So I for one think a magazine subscription is a great gift idea!

It is literally the gift that keeps on giving. And what’s great for you, the gift giver, is that they’re fairly inexpensive. In fact, I bet if you’re gutsy enough you could call one and negotiate the price down since they really just love having subscribers.

Here are a few of my favorites…

Lucky

I’ve been getting Lucky for almost 10 years now (A-OH! ;) I feel in love with them back in the day because they featured real people wearing real clothes. Sure there was always a perfectly coifed celebrity on the cover, but inside were pages and pages of real outfit inspiration. For exactly 9 1/2 years now I’ve been picking up every issue just to jog the creative part of my brain, and it’s helped me produce countless outfits. Oh and one of their featured writers, Jean Godfrey-June, is basically my writing inspiration slash hero. If for no other reason, pick up a copy just to be whisked away by her brilliant writing.

InStyle

Another great thing about having a magazine subscription is you get introduced to products you may have never come across. Working in marketing, I love to pour over the ads and see what it is they’re selling me and whether or not I’m going to fall for it. And when I run out the door to Target to buy what it is I saw, I get a little smile on my face because they did their job well. I also have a big interest in celebrities, mostly to see what it is they’re wearing and how they’re wearing it. They’re getting styled by the best in the business, so why not get inspired by them, right? InStyle artfully combines fresh must-have products with celebrity fashion, in a way that doesn’t feel cheesy or pushy. It’s like having a well informed / well connected girlfriend send a giant book of notes to your mail box every month.

Food Network

No this isn’t fashion related, but we wear what we eat at some point, right? Ok, that’s a terrible way to look at it. I just love cooking and food and this mag is a great source of recipes and fun food facts that can increase your cooking know-how.

Magazines I’ve not been impressed with…

Glamour – I tried them for a while, but got choked on the political messaging they kept trying to shove down my throat. And too much women’s lib. Yeah I know we’re great, but so are boys.

Elle – I’ll pick up one of these every once in a while (I’ve got the one with Kristen Wiig on the cover because it’s Kristen Wiig…I’d pick up a discarded corn dog wrapper if she’s written on it. But for the most part this one is super high fashion. As in the crazy things they wear down the runway-kind of fashion.

If you’re looking to skip the tactile experience of a magazine, they’ll sometimes offer just the electronic experience for a lesser cost. Which if going all Jetson’s on your reading material is your thing, have at it. I’m going to be enjoying pages with my fingers and nose for as long as I want (honestly, that sounded better in my head).

gift ideas, God's love

Don’t Start Stressing, Read This Instead

November 26, 2014 1 Comment

Hey.

Thanks for stopping by the blog! There are so many things I had planned to post about today, but I really felt impressed to scrap all of that and write about something else. Take 84 seconds to keep reading…

I started feeling overwhelmed last week, and as I allowed my thoughts to progress it started to come in waves. Work was piling up, the house was a mess, blogs were looming and then the holiday cooking and shopping and list making…Oh {freakin} My!

Then I realized if I don’t get control of this situation I’m not going to enjoy one minute of the holidays. And I’m the type of person to want to savor every second, so I don’t want to spend the next month stressed out, and I’m certain neither do you.

First I started meditating on Hebrews 4:11, “labor to enter into His rest.” Which means CHOOSE to enter into God’s rest. I’ve started making a concerted effort to just be still and quiet. No phone checking, no noise. Just being. Even if it means driving in silence.

This helps keep the noise down in my head (there’s a constant stream of songs going up there) and it helps me to hear and recognize God’s voice.

Next I start to really list out everything I’m stressed about and give it a time frame. Sometimes we have this long list in our minds and it seems like it’s going to take us HOURS AND HOURS. When really it won’t. When I start making sides for our Thanksgiving meal tomorrow, I’m not going to be slaving over the stove the entire time. Some of that will be spent with the food in the oven.

There will be some free time to get other things done which makes it easier.Earlier in my mind, it was me running around the flour-bombed kitchen with a crazed look in my eye while the pot boiled over on the stove.

The key to enjoying the holidays is to schedule in time to just be (even if it’s the 84 seconds you’re giving me to read this), make a list and be realistic about your time, but most importantly – labor to enter into God’s rest.

He so wants you to enjoy this season. And if you’ll have those moments of quiet time with Him, He’ll lead and guide you to do exactly what you need to do at exactly the right time to do it.

I promise. I see it happen in my own life every time I finally let go and listen.

Thanks for reading. I so appreciate you stopping by the blog. I’m so blessed in that I get to do what I’m passionate about, but it would be me talking to a wall if it weren’t for you.

Let’s make this Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s the most stress free ones yet!

Speaking of which, enjoy my segment from yesterday where I talk about gift ideas for the guys!

Beauty, christmas, gift ideas, west town mall

Gifts for the Boys

November 25, 2014 No Comments

Um can we talk about how easy boys have it? Their getting ready process is simple, their going to bed process is EVEN SIMPLER, they get to skip the whole child bearing thing and they’ve got a plethora of things to buy when it comes to shopping for us.

Women, on the other hand, we get to pluck. And then we get to stare at the tool shelf for 20 minutes trying to figure out what to buy our boys.

I’m hoping this list will help with that. Not the plucking thing, but the what-to-buy-the-boys thing. Together with these two stores in West Town Mall, shopping for the men on your list won’t be as painful as waxing your underarm (yeah we to do that too).

The Art of Shaving

This store smells so good. It is one cigar smoking, suit wearing man holding a pit bull away from leaking testosterone all over the mall floor.

They’ve got everything when it comes to your man’s grooming ritual – and (most definitely) then some. Eye cream, mustache conditioner, after shave, razors, cologne. Their products are perfectly manly yet highly luxurious, and they work to give him the closest shave possible without irritating his skin.

Pick up this power shave kit for a Black Friday steal of $100 (normally it’s $175). What’s great is that there’s all kinds of gifts at different price points, giving you all kinds of options for the men on your list!

Mori Luggage and Gifts

Whether it’s the table top punching bag or a waterproof speaker, Mori’s has a great selection of both the fun and the practical.

I’ve noticed a lot of boys have a strange fascination with monkeys. You can feed that obsession with this Pocket Monkey that features all kinds of tools…12 to be exact. It’s got a bottle opener, a screwdriver, ruler, straight edge, orange peeler, iphone stand and headphone cord wrap – just to name a few.

Alright I think I’ve given you plenty of ideas even Tim the Tool Man Taylor would be proud to open on Christmas. Time to go shop!