How was Christmas for all of you who celebrated this year? We had an amazing time with both sides of the family and got to spend some time with my brother and sister-in-law from West Africa, which was wonderful. We had Mexican food at the in-laws, Scandinavian food at my parents, and lots of little desserts too! Adrian and I open our presents to each other at our home on Christmas Eve before all the family time begins. It’s our own little tradition (and it involves chocolate croissants for breakfast, yum!) He did such a great job, I was so impressed! Plus, I think all the hints I drop on this blog are helpful. Adrian gave me the silver Gara Danielle cuff bracelet, a pair of silver double round hoops from Viv & Ingrid, L.A.M.B. perfume and gray cashmere slippers from Banana Republic. The slippers are divine and there are still a few left on sale on their website. I hope you all had a special time over the holidays like I did! All that’s left is New Years and the small party we’re having at our place, I can’t wait to usher in 2008!

I’m not going to go politico on you all, but today I changed my voter registration from Republican to Democrat. My father-in-law will probably jump for joy (he’s a very involved, lifelong liberal). But really, the party name is not that important to me since I’m more of an independent anyway. For me, it’s about the individual candidate and this way I can vote in the primary for my chosen leader, Barack Obama. Come on, after seeing him dance on Ellen how can you not love him? Haha. But I won’t go too far into the topic since this isn’t that kind of blog. Instead, I’ll segue to these modern piggy banks that would make perfect holiday gifts! (I’m laughing now, what a random transition!) They’re from the fabulous Jonathan Adler, made of fired ceramic, glazed in white and feature artful geometric patterns. Available in donkey or elephant, they would look perfect on any desk or bookshelf. And if you’re an independent, you could just get both and call it a draw!

Congrats to local Valley resident Shaun Breese for her awesome feature (‘My Black Book’) in this month’s issue of Lucky mag! She highlighted some amazing places in my city like The Counter, A.K.A. Green and Frances Vintage. Make sure you check them out if you ever come for a visit. (I promise the Valley is so much more than golf courses and Scottsdale clubs!) But even better is getting the word out about her amazing organic bakery Urban Cookies on 7th Street and Highland! Trust me, these are the best cookies ever, just look at the pictures and ingredient lists on the website. Plus, they are a wonderful company that uses recyclable packaging, waste reducing practices and stresses community involvement. Check out their customizable gift packaging (chocolate art, so cool!) and order a few treats to give as a present or just for yourself!

Tomorrow is the first day of fall and I am so happy about it! It may still be in the 90s in my neck of the desert but shortly it will be my favorite time of year and I can’t wait. Time to autumn-ize my house and celebrate! Here’s my plan: hit Pottery Barn and pick up a few fall home accessories (like these gourd candles and this pomegranate wreath for my front door) to mix in with the seasonal decor I already have, then head over to Illuminations and grab my favorite fall scented candles (YUM!), then purchase my first sweater of the season (like this fab Free People cardigan at Nordstrom) and finally bake up a cupcake storm with this delicious recipe. Best weekend ever! 

Not sure if you’re the party hosting type but if you are, you must check out Plum Party! It is my absolute go-to site for party decor, favors, centerpieces, etc. For a bridal shower I threw a few months ago, I got these cute wire ladies and tied tulle and ribbons on them. It was so simple and added just enough to the tables. I also ordered these unique Blumeboxes, that come in a million colors and have endless uses as vases, centerpieces and gift boxes- I love them! Plum Party has tons of categories, boutiques and fabulous ideas for whatever type of party you are throwing. The great thing is that they aren’t like so many party supply stores that are stuck in the 80s and have such a cheesy style. Their website is extremely easy to navigate and browse for all sorts of items from coaster invitations to paper lanterns to hand painted maracas (yes, they really have those!) So next time you are throwing a shindig, whether it’s over the top or super casual, stop by the ever stylish and clever Plum Party site!

If candles weren’t technically on fire to release their scent, I would rub this one all over me. (Hot wax is not my thing!) And I got it for free with my Aveda Pure Privilege card, whoo hoo! Now if I can only accumulate 50,000 points, I can redeem them for a 3 night spa getwaway in Jamaica, Ireland or Italy. But the decision gets tough when 50,000 points could also translate into hmmm, let’s see, 20 Shampure Soy Wax candles! Smells…soooo…good…

My Christmas was great! I hope you all had a memorable long weekend too! I am not venturing out to the shops today since it will be way too busy but I do have a few gifts to exchange so I will make a trip to the mall sometime this week.  There is no way I can resist all the after-Christmas sales, and even if what I want is sold out in the stores, plenty of shops have online sales as well! Here are a couple I am going to check out this week: Ann Taylor Loft’s “Ultimate Sale,” Anthropologie’s “Boxing Day Sale,” Neiman Marcus “After Christmas Sale,” and Banana Republic’s “Winter Sale.” And exclusively online, shopbop is having huge markdowns! One more sale to keep in mind is that it is time for Nordstrom’s “Half Yearly Sale for Men” (just in case you want to pick up a few items for your sweetie too!) So far, I am planning on getting the Chalet slippers at Banana Republic (for about $20 0ff) that I featured in my shopping picks awhile back and a cashmere faux wrap dolman sweater from Loft marked down from $119.99 TO $49.99! We’ll have to see what else I’ll snap up, I have been searching for a perfect pair of black pumps and a new black bag but I’m taking my time. And if you’re interested shopbop has the L.A.M.B. plaid blazer I featured a couple posts down for about $150 off now! Happy sale shopping!

Only days left until wrapping paper will be flung around the family rooms of the world…but what do you do if you still need to purchase a gift and you are fresh out of ideas? Never fear! Hit your local big box stores for sure-to-please gifts that aren’t damaging to your already blown budget! Here are a few options that I turn to when I am in a gift jam. If I need to pick up a gift for a hostess of a party or for that co-worker or friend that gave you a gift but you didn’t get them one (I feel sooo bad when that happens!), throw together a pampering basket! Head over to any department store or even Target and pick out cute slippers or super soft slipper socks, a nice beauty product like sugar scrub, bath soak or a facial mask, a pretty nail polish and toe separators or a nail file. Then toss in her favorite magazine and some quality chocolate and you’ve got a no-fail basket that will please pretty much every woman! Onto a speedy gift solution for guys (or less girly girls!), I usually create a movie night gift. Grab a bog bowl (some stores even sell retro popcorn bowls) and fill it with classic movie treats like Goobers, Milk Duds, Junior Mints, Raisinets or Sour Patch Kids and of course microwave popcorn! Bed Bath and Beyond has a set that has all these items put together for you! Then, put in a gift card for movie rentals or a must have DVD to add to their collection. So those are my two no-fail, last minute gifts that I turn to when I’m in a rush! I hope you’ve enjoyed my gift guides for this holiday season and I hope your holidays are stress-free, full of joy and focused on all the things that truly matter!

I don’t know if I’m the only one who remembers “Pizazz” from the 80s, it was bracelets and necklaces and banana clips that had little compartments of makeup (mostly frosted pink lip gloss and bright blue eyeshadow!) attached to them? I loved those things since they were like toy beauty products that I could get away with using during elementary school! And now I’ve been noticing brands such as YSL, Dior and Kimora Lee Simmons are re-inventing the wearable makeup art form beyond the plastic tackiness of Pizazz. After browsing all the options, my favorite is from Juicy Couture, which is random because I usually don’t like much from this label. But I have noticed some of their jewelry is really cute! Neiman Marcus has an exclusive Juicy Lip Gloss Charm bracelet that is simply adorable with its pink silk ribbon and heart shaped charms. The charms are filled each with a different flavored lip gloss on one side and a mirror on the other. It also comes in a pretty gold gift box so it makes a perfect present for any girly girls that you are shopping for this Holiday season!

Part of me loves digging through my stocking even more than opening presents on Christmas morning. As a kid, I loved finding little toys, Lip Smackers and candy in there. Today, my husband and I don’t have any children yet but we still stuff stockings for each other and it’s fun trying to get creative beyond the usual chocolates and gift cards that can easily fill them. I’ve discovered a few online stores that have unusual or even down right wacky items for stocking stuffers.  The first is the ever popular Urban Outfitters, their site has an entire stocking stuffer section with tons of great ideas. I would love to find the delicate Filigree Leaf Earrings or a pair of cute Sparkle & Fade Skinny Rib Sweaterknit Tights in my stocking! They also have funny products like the Poo Poo Santa candy dispenser or the Hangover Chill Pill eye pack. Another store, Fred Flare, also has a whole stocking section. Fred Flare takes first prize in unique, full of fun gifts! To see what I mean, check out the Crazy Cat Lady action figure or the Mod Edie Clutch. They have lots of smaller items too like keychains, from the adorable Yummy Donuts to my favorite, the Sixteen Candles talking keychain. Lastly, another site Wishing Fish features their own great stocking stuffers. Wishing Fish has a wide selection with everything from silly kitchen helpers like the Butter Boy to useful Gardens-in-a-bag to wonderfully girly lip balms from Spain’s Perfumeria Gal.  Their products are so diverse and interesting that there is sure to be something for everyone on your list.  That’s it for stocking stuffers from me! Next week will be the last Gift Guide before Christmas arrives, can you believe it?