The Ultimate Gift Guide for any style Mom

Do you Mama’s out there know what you’re asking for for Christmas this year? Here are some suggestions you may not have thought of but I’m sure you will love. And for the men out there check out this list for any of the special women in your life and I’m sure you’ll be the star gift giver this holiday season.

1. This cute bar necklace is a great gift for the sentimental mom. I love the idea of having the date of your anniversary or children’s birthdays in Roman numeral form. It looks so classic and chic on this super simple bar necklace. Santa, I’ll take one in each color please.

It also looks great layered with other necklaces. 

Roman Numeral Necklace

2. My number 1 favorite item that I use all day everyday is the Ninja Coffee Bar. My Hubby got it for me last year for Christmas and I still love it to pieces and suggest it for any coffee lover out there. Especially you Stay at Home or Work at Home Moms. This is great because on those days you aren’t planning to leave the house it can make your morning a little extra special. Or perhaps you used to get a special latte or cappuccino on your commute to the office each day but now miss that specialty coffee, this machine allows you to make that latte yourself and brew a plain old pot of joe also. You don’t have to have 2 units out on your counter. I love the lattes it makes and it’s definitely great for any pregnant or nursing mamas that love their coffee too. I find decaf tastes much better in latte form than regular coffee so if I’m craving that 2nd or 3rd cup in the afternoon I can whip up a decaf latte. It’s so versatile, it can make single cups or a pot of any style coffee drink you decide. If you decide to get this for someone in your life I know they will love it, and they will most likely use it everyday and think of you! As you can probably tell from the length of this paragraph, I really do love mine.

Ninja Coffee Bar

3. This next gift may be somewhat controversial, but the iRobot Roomba is a great idea to help make your life easier. I do not suggest or condone you guys buy the special women in your life any other cleaning products or machinery or a stand up vacuum, that will probably not go over well. The Roomba however takes that chore and checks it off of your to do list for you and leaves you with clean floors and maybe some extra time to spend doing something you love.

IRobot Roomba Vacuum

4. This Mom planner is my favorite because they seem to have thought of everything. It includes so many pages you won’t see in a conventional planner.

I love that it has special holiday planning sections with meals, decorations, traditions, etc. And how great is that beautiful floral cover. What Mom wouldn’t want to start the new year off a little more organized.

Mom Planner

5. This next gift I love because it is a continuous gift that brings cheer all year long. I love the look of having fresh flowers in my house, but usually end up grabbing some quick at the grocery store as I checkout or go without. These Bulb Gardens from Plow and Hearth are beautifully arranged and a new one arrives each month so you always have fresh flowers without having to lift a finger. 

You can choose from 3, 6, or 12 month packages and then the anticipation of an awesome gift can last all year. long

Bulb Gardens

Will you be adding any of these to your wishlist this year, or do you see something that's perfect for a special someone?

Step by Step Tutorial to Create a Christmas Outdoor Urn

Creating Festive Holiday Decor Outside can be simple and quick using empty urns you may already have from your summer annuals.  I hate looking at empty pots in the winter so filling them with some holiday cheer always makes me feel better when I step outside or pull in the driveway and catch a glimpse of a full beautiful Christmas Urn.  

First thing you will want to do is gather your supplies.  I used fir branches that were clipped from our Christmas tree to create this look.  You can also ask your local Christmas tree vendor if they have extra branches you can have, most won't mind you taking them since it's less they have to clean up. 

You can use any style of greenery you like, I have also done this look with Cedar branches, and they look great with mixed greenery too.  

You'll need some pruning shears to cut branches smaller if needed, and any embellishments you want for your look.  For mine I used pinecones, red berries, gold glitter branches, some mini bulb ornaments (these have wire on the ends so you can twist them around your branches to stay in place), and plaid ribbon. 

For Step 1, If you haven't already, remove any dead annuals from your urn or clip back any perennials you may have planted.  

Next place the largest branches in a fan shape flat on top of your urn to cover the front.  

Then i take my branches and separate them into 3 approximate sizes.  

Then starting with the largest branches first and in the back I stick them in my urn vertically into the soil.  Then repeat this step with your medium branches working forward, and finally your shortest branches in front.  I keep my shortest branches 1/4 of the way back in my urn so that it creates a pocket to place my embellishments.  If you place your shortest branches all the way at the front of your urn you will have no space to put your pretty details. (I try to place these vertical branches between the forks of my flat laid branches from step 1 so that they help to keep them from blowing away in any wind.) 

Then add your embellishments in the pocket you created.  My red berries and glitter branches have stakes that allow me to stick them into my soil, while my mini bulb ornaments and bows have wire that I twist around my desired branches.  

Then step back and enjoy your lively Christmas Urn.  

If you live in a location with a lot of snow like I do, then you may want to occasionally brush off any large amounts of snow so that the glitter branches and pinecones stay nice looking.  But small amounts of snow just add to the festive look I think.  

Do you have any regular outdoor winter plantings or many outdoor urns to fill? 

4 Tips to wearing a red lip you must know

Do you ever see a gorgeous bright red lip on someone and are dying to try it but then less than a half hour later end up taking it off? Every few months I would buy a red lipstick to try out the bright red lips I was seeing on Pinterest only to be disappointed and maybe attempt again a few months later. In my many trials and errors, here are a few tips I learned along the way.  Keep reading to find out what you can do to rock a bold red lip this holiday season. 

#1
Don’t make too many other changes
It may be tempting to try your red lip exactly as you saw it in a magazine or on Pinterest with an elaborate hairstyle or lots of dark eye makeup, but I’ve found that it’s best to keep the rest of your look as close to your normal as possible. If you usually wear your hair down it’s best not to test your bold lip with a slicked back ballerina bun for your first go or else every glimpse in the mirror and you may be shocked.

#2
But do change your makeup a bit
If you aren’t used to being very made up keep the rest of your look simple but make slight changes if needed. If you tend to wear pink rosy cheeks you may have to switch to contoured or bronzed cheeks to compliment a red lip. Little to no eye shadow with just long lush lashes help a red lip stand out without being too overdone. 

#3
Try wearing red clothing
To keep from feeling your red lip is overpowering wearing a red dress or top helps draw some of the attention from your new lip look toward your outfit as well and the two brights tie together so your red lip isn’t standing on its own. 

#4
Keep your lip style the same
If you’re used to wearing a simple gloss don’t try your first red lip with a bright matte lipstick. Everytime you look in the mirror you’ll feel like you’re looking at someone else. Stick to the same with your bold lip, try a red glossy lip or a light stain or balm with a gloss over top. If you usually wear a matte lipstick then keep it similar with your red lip. 

Creating a Christmas Mantlescape on a Budget

With a 2 year old and a 5 month old at home, this year I've decided to take it easy on Christmas decorations.  With less energy and free time to hang garland from my stairs, mantle, tops of furniture, light fixtures, and outdoors I decided to keep my decorating simple and minimal. So I will be showing you how a I created a mantlescape on a budget. I reused every item from previous years, and I'm sure you can find some of these items in your home too.  (If you will be hanging garland this year check out this post on how to style and hang it.)

 I have been loving black and white and green Christmas decor, however a lot of what I already have is red so I went with a black, white, and red theme. I keep an old window above my mantle most of the year, so this is usually the backdrop of my mantle.  Then I started with some Christmas Village houses.  I spray painted them white to give them a cohesive look and keep with my neutral look.  

  To then fill in some of the spaces, I made these paper cone Christmas Trees using scrapbook paper that matched my look.  If you don't have scrapbook paper in the colors you would like you could also create these in 2 layers, using plain cardstock with a layer of wrapping paper on top to give some pattern.  

Next I added some texture with pinecones, you can wander your backyard and pick some or at any craft or big box store. In the Christmas section they will have bags of pinecones, and most smell like cinnamon, YUM!  I used a grapevine wreath that I change out for each season and adorned it with some red berries, pine cones and a black and white striped ribbon and hung it as my centerpiece on my window.  If you don't have or can't find an old window, the wreath can simply hang from a command hook above the rest of the mantle. 

Since I love to have my mantle lit up at night I added in some simple white votive and pillar candles, two of which sit on my grandmothers pewter candlesticks. These add some varying height to the mantle and remind me of going to her house and staring at her hutch filled with all pewter trinkets and her lit up Christmas Village. 

Grapevine Wreath $4.74
Pinecones $5.32
Scrapbook paper $14.18
LED Pillar Candles $12.00
Votive Candles $11.99
Christmas Village Houses $24.95
Black & White Ribbon $6.00
Pinecone Berry spray $3.99

For a Grand Total of $83.17 if you have to purchase every item including the candles, (but I'm sure you have some of these things already lying around the house) you can create this simple modern mantlescape.  I was able to make this mantle without purchasing one item this year, #Momwin.  And it may be my favorite Christmas Mantle I have done to date, Until next year I'm sure.