REALLY Last Minute Gift Idea

Have you ever googled “last minute gift ideas” and found suggestions that included the words “shipping and handling”?  Whenever that happens to me, I think that those people obviously do not understand procrastination.

Last minute gift ideas, to me, means I’m on my way to their house and am hoping to pick something up along the way.

And I’m running late.

Obviously you are much better prepared than I am and you would never desperately scan the shelves of a drugstore in order to find something, anything!, to toss into a gift bag for a holiday gathering or birthday party.  So this really last minute gift idea is purely for your entertainment.

And my survival.

REALLY Last Minute Gift Idea: The Recipe Gift Bag

1. Grab an index card and write down your favorite recipe.
2. Stop at the grocery store and purchase a gift card to cover the cost of the ingredients.
3. Check out the kitchen items aisle and buy a tool used in the recipe.  Cookie cutters, zesters, flour sifter, silicone muffin pans – something cheap but slightly “specialized” for your recipe so it looks like you put some thought into this!
4. Buy a reusable grocery bag – you can get them at the cashier – and put it all inside. Eco-friendly and creative!

The best part about this idea is that you can easily adjust it to fit any budget and personalize it to be used over and over again.

And that’s how you do procrastination right.

Photo credit.

Recycled Business Cards from 123 Print

I’m the kind of person who wants to be environmentally concious, but loves to save a buck.

These two values have come into conflict on more than one occassion.  It can be expensive to choose eco friendly products, and the easiest way for me to help the environment is usually to just consume (and buy) less whenever possible.

And so it was with extreme hesitation that I began the search for recylced business cards – that is, business cards made with recycled paper, not someone else’s business card that they’re no longer using because they got fired or something.

I’m going to a BlogHer conference in Chicago this summer and I want to take business cards with me.  Apparently people show up to these networking events and expect you to have more than a cocktail napkin with your email addresss hastily scribbled on the back of it.   If at all possible, I’d like to hand out business cards that are printed on recycled paper – because I’m pretty sure that most of them will be used to hastily scribble someone else’s email address on the back of them and it would be nice if they were at least doing it without killing a bunch of trees.

However, I will be paying for these cards myself so cost is a major factor.

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Cocktail Rings – Because They’re Fabulous

One of my favorite ways to make a fashion statement is with a great cocktail ring.

Nina Garcia lists a cocktail ring as one of the essential elements of style in her book The One Hundred.

And Nina Garcia knows her shit.

A cocktail ring is basically an oversized ring.  It’s perfectly acceptable, and actually prefered, to go with a fake.

What I love about a cocktail ring is that it takes absolutely no effort and it makes a big statement.  It says you tried, without having to actually try.

And did I mention they’re cheap?

(See examples for as little as $5 after the jump!)

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Comfortable Sandals That Aren’t Flip Flops: Clarks

Last Friday morning I pulled on running pants and a t-shirt and slipped on an old pair of Old Navy flip flops to run my daughter to day care.

“Mommy, why are you wearing flip flops?” my daughter asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked, wondering if she was going to suggest that slippers would be more fitting for the rest of my ensemble.

“Well, couldn’t you at least put on some real shoes?”

She’s four.  And I couldn’t have been more proud.  Even my four year old understands that leaving the house in flip flops is the epitome of laziness.

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Friday Flops: ULTA eyeshadow brushes

It’s fun to show you all the things I want to buy or things I’ve bought that I love.  But anyone who goes shopping as much as I do knows that some things you buy suck.

I cannot even tell you the hatred that I have for my new eyeshadow brushes from Ulta.

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Cheap Purses For Spring

It’s officially spring.

I love when the seasons change and we get to put away the clothing and accessories we’re starting to get tired of and go shopping for new things.

For me, spring and summer fashions are all about light and bright.  I think of sunshine and being outdoors, and my wardrobe and accessories reflect a more playful attitude.

One of the first things I do when the seasons change is go shopping for new purses.

And my favorite kind of purses are cheap purses.  Scratch that.  Cheap, cute purses are my favorites.

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