Tuesday, November 22, 2011

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Hey guys :)


So, I've obviously done a little rearranging with my blog--I get in the Christmas mood really early. But, at least I waited to change it until the week of Thanksgiving!

I'm home for Thanksgiving Break and I couldn't be happier.

I wanted to create a little post for all y'all out there that are looking for perfect gifts this holiday season--whether you're planning in advance, or rushing to find one at the last minute.

Many of the titles or name of the website are hyperlinked so you can just click on the word and it'll take you directly to the website. Hopefully these ideas will be helpful :) snuggle up with your peppermint latte or hot chocolate and enjoy!

Clothes

I don't know about y'all, but the biggest things on my wish list this year are clothes and shoes. I used to be all about cliche brands that everyone wore (ex: American Eagle, Hollister, etc.---I know we all went through this phase, don't even lie), but now, I love finding unique boutiques and less popular stores when searching for new outfits.

Some of my favorite sites include:





This site has the CUTEST clothes for extremely reasonable prices. I found this website through Julie because she noted its great game day section--which I agree is fantastic (even for those UNC girls that can never find clothes in Carolina blue). The jewelry section has adorable statement pieces that will make any outfit amazing.





This has been my holy grail site for a couple years now and it never lets me down. It seems to always find the cutest dresses to add to its collection. Besides the amazing quality of the clothes, its reasonable prices continuously keep me coming back for more. This site has provided many cocktail/birthday outfits for me.





If your person really loves eccentric and unique pieces, this site is definitely for them. This site has dated and out-there clothing, but that's what I love most about it.


For the Sorostitute in All of Us

Everyone knows there are 3 main things sorority girls love:

1) Sorority Brands



We are devoted to Lilly Pulitzer, Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, J. Crew, and plenty more. If the person you're getting this gift for is all about her sorority, it's most likely that she'd absolutely flip over a gift from any one of these companies. Visit any of their websites or ebay (since they are sorta pricy) to find cute gifts.

2) Monograms, monograms, and more monograms




For some reason we are absolutely obsessed over our 3 initials on every freaking thing we own: shirts, hats, towels, rings, bags, necklaces, etc. I promise, this choice in gift would never turn out to be a failure. Some sites for monogramming paradise include Mrs. Monogram and The Pink Monogram

This year, Ann and I are actually getting each other monogrammed rings (pictured below) to replace our nasty, worn out friendship bracelets :) toooooo cute



3) Reppin' that sisterhood


Lastly, we love anything and everything that says our sorority on it. Seriously, we can't get enough of it--we like to wear our sorority proudly. Go into a sorority sister's room and it's filled with boards, wall decorations, shot glasses, tumblers, and picture frames, all decorated with their greek letters. A website that I find a lot of good ADPi accessories at is All That Jas. As picture above to the right, Lilly Pulitzer also has a lot of unique prints for different sororities.


My Treat




Using this website, you can get HUGE discounts on haircuts, shopping, hotels, etc. Many, if not all, items have an option for making it a gift. Maybe give your girlfriend or mom a day at the spa for half the regular price.

If All Else Fails...


One thing I love doing is listening to stores or restaurants people love, and them getting them gift cards there. Now don't be a cheapo and put like $5.00 on there. Provide them with a reasonable amount of money to spend, and this way, they can get themselves a nice purchase and you don't have to worry about picking out something they don't like.

Yummy


A present that seems to never get old is the gift of baked goods. Cookies are delicious and comforting and show that you put time and love into making the person's present. I have spent time figuring out what cookies I want to make this year, and this one is top on my list:

Pudding Cookies


They look delicious!!!!

BE UNIQUE!!!

There are so many good ideas I just want to share with y'all! Give this person the least cliche gift you can--the more personal and meaningful it is, the better. Create a book on Shutterfly for them with tons of pictures of you two and include all the reasons you love them! Order them a custom made palette or a pre-made 88 palette from Coastal Scents. As a make up lover, I don't know what I would do without my Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette!!! Make them a CD of your favorite songs, make your own card, decorate a wine glass, etc. A unique idea that I've always loved is decorating a small box, and then neatly taking decorated sheets of papers, writing fun activities on them (ice skating in Rockefeller Center, sit down all day and watch full episodes of SNL on Hulu, etc.), and give it to the person, telling them all the activities are redeemable at any time. 

Where mah boyzzz at?!?


I decided to throw in a few little ideas for the annoying, I mean amazing boys in our lives ;)

Fratdaddies



Similar to the sorority section above, frat boys will always be happy with a new shirt from Vineyard Vines, a koozie, new croakies, or an awesome shot glass to add to their collection. Additionally, you can never go wrong with a tie/bow tie.

Sports/War



Get them tickets to see a sports team they like (most likely UNC Basketball) or buy them that new video game they've been wanting (most likely COD:MW3). They'll be kissing your feet for weeks.

Belts

Lastly, one of my sorority sisters sells these awesome needlepoint belts! They are extremely unique and well made for the price. Her website is: here and this is the Facebook page for it: here. Please support her and check out her selection.



I hope this post helped all of you find ideas for special gifts this holiday season.

Everyone get excited for Thanksgiving and make sure to be grateful for all the food you're about to inhale. 

More blog posts coming very soon!!!

Love,
-Alexa Dorian


1 comment:

  1. Hey can you give the recipe for the pudding cookies? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete