Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

Happy Monday! I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! My Thanksgiving was so great! Visiting with family really put me in the Holiday Spirit! To match my Holiday Spirit, my favorite things edition has turned Christmas (insert Christmas Carols and Holly here)!

During this time of the year, I absolutely love wrapping presents! I also adore picking out my wrapping paper for the season. This year my wrapping paper has a houndstooth pattern! I just can't get enough houndstooth right now! I love it!

I purchased a red houndstooth wrapping paper roll , a green houndstooth wrapping paper roll, and a black houndstooth wrapping paper roll from Hobby Lobby. I also purchased white, red, green, silver, and gold ribbon to accent my packages. Here's a peek of my Christmas wrapping paper!


I am actually keeping the black houndstooth paper for an everyday wrapping paper. (The package in the picture above wrapped in the black houndstooth paper is actually a birthday gift for a friend. ) Hobby Lobby also has a variety of other black and white papers in their Christmas Wrapping Paper section that can be used as everyday paper. I purchased a roll of black paper with white dots and a roll of white paper with black swirly designs to add to my everyday collection. I purchased these last week when the Christmas wrapping paper was 50% off. However, the Christmas paper is also 50% off this week! If you are near a Hobby Lobby, be sure to stop by and stock up on a few rolls of their beautiful wrapping paper. Happy Wrapping!!!

Hand Turkeys and Happy Thanksgiving!

Reminder: Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Enter here!

I am thankful for so many things this Holiday Season. Among my list of things I am thankful for is my blog friends. I am so thankful for all of you who read my blog and who share the bits and pieces and special times of your life with me! I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that your Thanksgiving is filled with love and memories! Of course no Thanksgiving would be complete without a hand turkey!

Sorry about the hand turkey! I got a little bored in the office today! However, no matter how silly the hand turkey is I can't help but be disappointed that I didn't have crayons or construction paper to add a little flair to my turkey! :) Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S.-I am going to post next week about my Christmas wrapping paper, but I can't let this week end without letting you know that Hobby Lobby has Christmas wrapping paper 50% off!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things AND A GIVE AWAY!

Please Note: The giveaway deadline has been extended until Wednesday, Dec. 9th!

TDM Designs contacted me about reviewing their Nepali line of scarves. One visit to their web-site, and I knew this was definitely one product that I wanted to review! You all know how much I love scarves!

Not only do I love scarves, but I love supporting a good cause. TDM Designs not only makes scarves, but they "create opportunities for poverty-stricken women to generate sustainable income in Nepal." They are also "invested in a literacy and education campaign throughout the country."

When the scarf arrived in the mail I was instantly in love. It is so beautiful, and one of the softest scarves I have ever touched. It is large enough to be a wrap or shawl, but it still looks great worn as a scarf. I was impressed that it wasn't even bunchy when worn as a scarf. Honestly, it is my perfect idea of a scarf-it's beautiful, it's soft, it's comfortable, and it is versatile!

Visit TDM Designs and take a look at all their beautiful Nepali scarves! They would make a great gift for a friend or loved one or a great gift for yourself! Plus with your purchase you are supporting a great cause, and who couldn't use a little good karma! :)

However, the fun doesn't stop here! As a thank you for being a friend and a reader and for sticking around even when I have been to busy to blog, I want to give away one of these fabulous scarves.

Give Away Details: The giveaway begins now and ends Dec. 7th at Midnight EST. To enter, comment on this post! You can earn additional entries by being or becoming a follower, posting about the giveaway on your blog, and tweeting about the giveaway. When you comment, please let me know which of these things you did to earn additional entries.

A scarf similar to the one I am giving away is pictured below. A special thanks to TDM Designs for sponsoring this giveaway!!

Divine Intervention!

In college, I had a huge, huge crush on one of my guy friends. It is actually embarrassing how big of a crush I had on him. We never dated, but there always seemed to be some type of friend-dating tension between us.

My crush ended when I met Michael. I instantly fell in love with Michael and we began dating (and of course got married and lived happily ever after). My former crush graduated, moved, and began dating a girl that he later married. I haven't seen my crush in almost 10 years-that is until this week.

This week my company sponsored a luncheon. The morning of the luncheon I woke up very late. I have a bad habit of being a little late for work, but I was determined I was going to be on time. My first thought was to pull my hair back and not worry with make-up. However, I just had a feeling that this was not a good idea, so I decided to slow down and get dressed normally. Thankfully my hair, make-up, and outfit all turned out great, and I was only 5 minutes late to work. No one even noticed!

Later that day as I was helping with the luncheon, I heard someone call my name. I looked up and saw my old college crush. It was so great to see him and to catch up on the years that had passed between us. However, it was even better that I had my hair fixed and make-up on!

Don't get me wrong! I have absolutely no feelings for this guy (other than being a friend), but the last thing I would ever want to do is see him for the first time in almost ten years and not have my hair fixed and make-up on! Thank goodness for small miracles!

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

I apologize for my absence from the blogging world lately. I have had three major work events back to back, so I haven't had much time for anything except work. Thankfully I found a few spare minutes to share with you one of my very favorite finds.

With just a little over a month until Christmas (eeek!), I have been on the look out for cute and affordable Christmas gifts. On a recent visit to Kohl's I found the perfect gift for the little ones in my life. Kohl's is offering hard back books by Laura Numeroff, author of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. The books are $5. Along with the books, you can purchase a plush animal of the main character of the story for $5. Here's a picture of one of my favorites-the plush pig and the book, If You Give a Pig a Party.For $10 you can get a precious gift for the children on your Christmas list. These books and plush toys also make great baby shower gifts! The best part is that all the proceeds from the sale of these items also go to the Kohl's Cares for Kids Charity. Kohl's currently has the pig, the moose, the mouse, and the cat and the corresponding books. I love them so much I actually bought the moose and pig (and the books) for my future children. Not sure when Michael and I will actually have kids, but when we do they will have books and cute plush toys! :)

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

It's no secret that I love clothes, shoes, and accessories! I especially love clothes, shoes, and accessories that have an added feminine touch like bows or ruffles. This type of feminine detailing is one clothing trend that I hope sticks around.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces in stores right now.


The above bangle bracelet is accented with bows on each side. The bracelet is available in both silver and gold at Ann Taylor Loft and Ann Taylor Loft Online.

This ruffle front tank from Old Navy makes a wonderful layering piece. It would look great under a plain cardigan sweater or cute jacket. Gap Outlet also has a similar piece that is a ruffled, sleeveless tee. I purchased it in three different colors (gray, black, purple). I couldn't find a picture on-line (and have no talent for taking pictures myself), but be sure to check it out if you have a Gap Outlet near you.

Old Navy also has this ruffle front cardigan. I think it would look great with jeans or dress pants. What a great way to add a few feminine touches to your casual or work wardrobe.


One of my favorite accessories for this time of year is a scarf. This woven scarf with ruffle trim is absolutely beautiful. This scarf is available in store and on-line at Ann Taylor Loft. Follow this link to see how cute it can look in your wardrobe.


There are so many cute feminine flats out right now. It is definitely a shoe lovers paradise! I, being a cheap shoe lover, added these precious bow flats from Target to my collection.

I hope you have enjoyed a few of my feminine wardrobe favorites! What are your current favorites?

P.S.-I have a big work event this week, so I might not be in the blog world that much. However, as a way to ask for forgiveness I will be hosting a giveaway soon!

Also, I will try to get some decent pictures of the ruffle tee I mentioned earlier in this post to share. There are also a few items that I recently added to my wardrobe that I will try to get some pictures of. I have recently found some really great items, but unfortunately I can't find pictures of them on-line to share.

Thanks Oprah!

Because I am part of the blogging world and because I have so many wonderful blog friends, I heard about Oprah's 50% off offer at Payless. As soon as I read all the posts about it, I immediately texted "Oprah" to get my coupon.

I have been trying very hard to cut my spending lately. However, I have also been in desperate need of a pair of metallic shoes. After work on Friday, I headed to Payless with my coupon and found these little beauties!

I love a ruffle, but I have to admit that I was unsure about the ruffles on this shoe. That is-until I tried them on. This shoe is much cuter on than it is off. I was able to purchase this shoe (tax and everything) for under $10. I love when I get a cute pair of shoes cheap!

Don't worry if you missed the Oprah coupon, Payless now has a buy one get one half off special. Check it out if you have a tight budget but crave a pair of new shoes!

A Bow in Her Hair

I meant to post about this earlier, but Halloween came and went so fast that I didn't have a chance. I had planned on taking Scout to the Halloween Festival before it was canceled, so of course I wanted her to look cute. I purchased a bee costume for her (that is hilarious), but I was worried she would get hot and not want to wear it the entire time.

I thought that instead of her having to wear the costume the entire time that at some point I could take off her costume and replace it with a cute bow or hair decoration. I think I have probably told you this before, but Scout hates bows. The first time she was groomed they put bows in her hair and she definitely wasn't happy. Thankfully I was able to capture her disgust at this on film (see pic below). This picture still makes me giggle!


I decided to think outside the box, and I created this collar for her. All it took was a cheap collar, some hot glue, and a little ribbon.


She was more than happy to wear this type of bow, and it looked so cute on her. Here is a picture of her wearing her bow collar. I'm sorry you can't see her little face. She was busy playing with favorite toy.

Even though this was a Halloween collar, you can make this collar for your dog for any occasion-all you have to do is change the color of the ribbon. I am going to make her a red bow collar next, so she can help cheer on the "dawgs" during the next game day. The bow collar is a fun and cheap accessory for your pooch. Oh, and it is easy to make!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

I recently won a giveaway hosted by Gleatie at Windowboxes and Weissbier. I won two reusable bags from Emma's Closet. I have to admit that I absolutely adore reusable bags, and these are no exception. They are so precious and can even be embroidered!

I chose the houndstooth pattern with a red monogram. I'm not an Alabama fan (I do cheer for them if they are not playing Georgia), but I am crazy about houndstooth! Here's how my bags turned out.


The reusable bags come in a variety of patterns and sizes. They are reasonably priced, and I think they make a perfect gift for any girl on your Christmas list! I am a true believer that a girl can never have too many totes! Make sure to check out all of the bag selections at Emma's closet! Also, a big thank you to Gleatie and Emma's Closet for the wonderful giveaway!!!