Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
Welcome to our cozy holiday house tour! I've been doing traditional reds and greens the past few years but this year decided there is nothing wrong with the basic Hallmark color palette... it's not overdone, it's classic! So you'll see some needlepoint, plaid, brass, and lots of greenery—layered over my existing "new traditional" decor. Come on in and see the living room, dining room, kitchen, bedrooms, and even the new guest room all decked out.
Linking everything I can to shop below!
Entry & Living Room Welcome
The living room features the tree and mantel so is automatically Christmassy, but this year it also has a puzzle table! One of the things Micah brought with him. We've done a couple already! So cozy and relaxing.
I can’t believe how excited I am about this fake Christmas tree. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where there are Christmas tree farms and cut tree lots everywhere and you can have the magical experience of getting your own… But as an adult having kids and a million things to do and stressful communication with my husband, I grew to really dislike and almost fear the experience. I have some really bad memories of the last few times we tried before we separated.
Well, a couple years ago I realized, I’m a single mom now and I get to choose what works for me and my family! I am shedding the guilt and creating new magical traditions with my kids with fake trees! Without all the stress and mess! And I just got a really wonderful one.
I’m really excited about this tree because it has the more bare fir look of some of the beautiful real trees, but it's fake and pre-lit. Honestly, those firs at Christmas tree yards are like $150 so I’ve never bought one even when buying real trees… But I love the look! This 7.5' Rushmore Fir Artificial Christmas Tree 750 Warm White LED Lights from King of Christmas has the slightly more bare branches, plus, my favorite feature: plastic fronds as well as the fabric ones that the cheaper trees will be exclusively.
It is a magical and stressful time of year! I really enjoy having our home decked out for the holidays, but I've learned in recent years that it takes a LOT of time and I've put too much pressure on myself in the past. Today I'm sharing our little holiday home tour, and how I'm staying sane while creating all this holiday magic. :P
Holiday home tour
I focused on our living room this year. In the past (see other years here) I've done the dining room, kitchen, and downstairs bathroom too! And the arched openings between the living room and dining room and entry. Cedar garland looks great on those, but you have to soak it first, treat it with the wilt proof spray, etc... I thought about buying some this year but gave myself a pass. (Some other year when I don't have two very tiny children to watch by myself all the time.)
I focused on the essentials:
Christmas tree (this is a live Noble fir) with LOTS of lights, colorful mixed with gold ornaments, ribbon, and garland for a variety of textures.
Mantel: this year I just used a lot of faux garland with a strand of lights mixed in, some bows, our stockings, and a nutcracker.
I also always love to bring out that plaid throw, and honestly those green velvet pillows don't really go but they feel special. This chair creates a really cozy, special Christmas-ey moment right now!
Holiday decor... it fills our Instagram feeds and is both inspiring and overwhelming. I love the holiday cheer, but it's easy to feel like you're not doing enough or your tree, fireplace, whatever isn't special enough. There are new trends every year and yet, we want to keep the sentimental stuff the same. Well... I've done holiday decorating several ways and learned how to work with trends, keep it fun and exciting, and not get too stressed out!
This post is not sponsored but I'm working with Wayfair on another project coming up in early 2021, and they also had some questions for me about my tips, advice, and inspiration for their Holiday Edit series. Hope this is fun and helpful!
The Wayfair Holiday Trend Q & A with Suzannah of Create/Enjoy
Wayfair: As holiday trends change throughout the years, what are some core pieces that you consider decor staples? Me: I have a nutcracker that I've had since I was a kid and I love getting it out every year (here's another one I love)! Now Otto loves it too. It's great on the mantel or on a sideboard. Would be really cute to have a small collection of them, maybe I should get one for each member of the family!
We also upgraded to a light-up star tree topper (similar) a couple years ago and I love it. I still add a ribbon bow or something below it and to cover up the cup that goes over the top of the tree, but I love how it glows and carries up the light from the lights around the tree.
Wayfair: What is your favorite holiday decorating tradition? Me: It's not really decor, but I bought myself a set of 4 classic Santa mugs (similar) years ago now, before we had kids, and have looked forward to using them with kids old enough to drink from them since! I used to just pull out one or two, cause Jason and I enjoy drinking our tea or coffee from them to make it feel festive. But they look great all together out on an open shelf!
The excitement around this day has really slowed down now that retailers offer their sales all weekend, sometimes even starting the day before Thanksgiving. But I still love to see the sales, and save up a few purchases until Black Friday weekend. This year there are four specific things I'm shopping for. Sharing those below, plus a (short) list of favorite retailers whose sales I always check for.
My 4 Black Friday/Cyber Monday Purchases
1. Growing kid clothes.
Lucy will be going up a size soon so I bought her a ton of basics plus some cute sweaters and dresses for next January through spring. I've been really tired of Target and Old Navy kid clothes lately but I've been shopping for the kids at lot at H&M. Some faves below. Hanna Andersson is all 40% off as well, been trying to only buy their jammies for the kids cause they're just so much better than any others!
2. A TV
Our TV conveniently started biting the dust the other week. We're actually pretty happy and proud of how long it's lasted (and how long we've held out buying a new, cooler one when the old one worked just fine.) We bought it in 2009. Ha! We've decided not to go for a Frame TV, rather, just something with a narrow frame (they all have that now). We'll still put it above the fireplace but I think it will look a lot better than the current one with its huge shiny black frame around the 46" screen. I want this one; Jason wants the bigger version. Note: Target will price match if the price drops before 12/24, so you can buy now and just check the Cyber Monday deal, rather than hedging your bets in case it drops lower then, or sells out!
Target is doing buy 2 get 1 free books through 11/27, and their base prices match Amazon's, so that is a great deal. I bought myself two home decor books while buying a gift book already, and am really tempted by some others. My family does lots of books as gifts so this is a great deal for us to shop! This is also a great sale/time to buy kid Christmas (or any) books or cookbooks.
4. Everyday flatware
We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this year and we're still using our dishes, flatware, pots/pans, and a few other things from our wedding registry. Which is so cool, and we love them for the most part, but we've never loved our silverware (the handles are so heavy they always slide off the plate when you stack them) and we've lost a lot of the smaller forks. I decided we could treat ourselves to a new set this year! But it's taken me a while to do the shopping, and now a lot of the options are on sale. I'll have to report back on how this shopping goes cause so far I haven't found the perfect set!
Favorite retailer sales
I'll add to this list as I find them!
Gap Factory -- 50-70% off everything plus extra 10% off with code GFFRIYAY
Gift guide season! This time of year you'll see a lot of gift guide posts, on blogs everywhere. I've produced them in the past too, in ways I think I can add value. I’m not going to be a "one-stop resource for everyone on your list" like some great websites and blogs out there, and as most of you know this is not my full-time job so I don’t have the time to put in to creating a bunch of gift guides and monetizable posts that someone might shop from. I also can’t share too many of the gifts I’m actually buying because my family reads this blog!
So this year I'm scaling it back and I’m going to keep it really authentic: this post is looks like a gift guide but is honestly the most genuine one I could share: it’s all for me! My Christmas list is simple this year. For the reason I started blogging in the first place (I get excited about things and like to tell other people!) I'm sharing it here and I hope it is helpful!
Defining myself in one short phrase… Mom of young kids, homebody, interior design lover, a little bit crunchy/appreciating natural products. Right? If you know anyone else like me and are looking for gift ideas, you’ve come to the right place!
Happy holidays!! Our home is decked out for the season and we're all enjoying it!!
I kind of went all-out last year (for me, relatively) and I know this year I'd have to scale back a little due to having a newborn. We have even more on our plates than I'd figured (cascading renovations/projects after completing our upstairs bathroom last month) and are limited on shopping due to stay-at-home orders. However, this is the first year Otto really knows what's going on, and so far he loooooves Christmas.
So we're a little less festive than last year, but I'm really happy with what I was able to do! Here comes a practical, no-frills, not-just-for-show tour. I cleaned up, but not a ton. This is how we are really living this season!
Tudor revival historic home Christmas home tour
First of all, welcome! This is the view from the front door. We have a big window on the front of the house and we've tried the tree in a couple different places but love it in this corner.
I get really overwhelmed by all the sales and shopping this time of year... but there are three things I've learned I have to check off my holiday shopping list right away!!
It's Small Business Saturday, and more important than ever this year to support small businesses locally and around the Internet. But it's also harder than ever to walk around downtown and pop into local businesses in-person. I've come up with 9 ways to support small businesses safely in COVID/quarantine times, and am sharing my favorite local Portland-area companies, many of which you can shop from anywhere!
9 ways to support small businesses at Christmas 2020 (gifts and more!)
I've gathered some ideas for gifts as well as other holiday season purchases you can choose to make from small businesses instead of the big online shopping machines.
1. Coffee subscription or gift set.
A lot of coffee roasters offer a subscription that would be a great gift, or have gift sets--Nossa Familia is a really wonderful coffee company in Portland and they have these great gift sets!
2. Small shops online.
But leave extra time for shipping! Unlike Amazon, it takes more than 2 days for a lot of small businesses to pack and ship orders, so plan ahead.
Re-Play recycled plastic dishware are the only dishes we use for Otto. We have plates, bowls, cups with two different kinds of lids, and utensils. They come in every color in the rainbow (but of course I just get the white, ha). They're made in the USA and super affordable, but are 20-30% off for the holidays! They also send hand-written notes with every order. Great company.
There are also a bunch of small candle shops with great gifts. Wandering Lark is one I tried out last year--my mother-in-law is a connoisseur of authentic evergreen-scented candles and I got her a sample set. Wandering Lark's O' Christmas Tree was a big hit!! She loved it!
3. Subscription or share from a local farm.
If you want to get a really generous, useful gift and support a local business and farm... you could buy a 1/4 cow as a gift! Or just plan ahead for yourself and spend your dollars locally this winter. It often takes months for a share to be ready, so this is a gift that you'd print out at Christmas and redeem later. Our favorite in the Portland area is Kookoolan Farms. You could also do this with a CSA veggie share for the summer!
4. Fitness club membership.
A lot of gyms are small businesses and many are closing these days. Some of the barre gyms near me offer virtual classes right now, though! A month or two of a nice fitness club would be a great gift.
5. Get holiday meals or gift cards from local places.
Since you're probably not hosting or going to any big family dinners, or going out to restaurants, or spending hours in multiple grocery stores... if you want some fancy food, order Christmas Eve dinner or any special meal from a local nicer restaurant. Here are some incredible options in Portland for Thanksgiving dinner that you could try any time this season.
Take out gift cards are also an AWESOME gift--my parents got us some gift cards to our favorite local takeout place, a Hawaiian place called 808 Grinds, right after we had Lucy and we so appreciated it.
6. Etsy.
You could easily buy all your gifts on Etsy. There's so much variety there's seriously something for everyone. A few Etsy shops I have personal experience with or have my eye on:
Gift someone a membership to a favorite local winery! Wine clubs usually give you a couple bottles a year, discount on any more you purchase, and unlimited free tastings at the winery. It's hard to use those right now, but hopefully in 2021... This would be a great luxury gift for someone who has everything else!
8. Small shop gift cards or shop online by phone.
There's an antique store in our town that does a Black Friday discount, and I would have loved to go this year but I just don't feel comfortable going out any more than necessary. I'd love to support them, though. Check with local businesses like this to see if they'll sell you a gift card or merchandise credit to use later or give as a gift--my mom would love that!
Local toy stores also could do this. Piccolo Mondo is the one near us (although you can also shop them online!).
The shoe store in the town I grew up in, Gimre's, also sells online and has good brands you can buy elsewhere, like Birkenstock, Dansko, etc. They ship and offer curbside pickup.
For smaller stores that may not have much of a website--call! They may be able to describe products to you, or may sell things they've featured on their Facebook or Instagram.
9. Make your own gift certificates. We've done this for my parents and in-laws in the past. Often they'd rather spend time with us than have more stuff, so we type up a little homemade gift certificate and add logo and words for what it is--tea tasting at Smith Tea is a really great one! Then they can "redeem" it on a little date together whenever you both have time. In this case, whenever quarantine is lifted and it's safe to go out!
I am keeping it real simple this year and only shopping these three places for Black Friday/BF weekend sales! Sharing some of what I'm shopping below!
With one exception, I realize I'm only buying (slowly) consumable things because we have everything we need that lasts longer. I don't need new pots and pans or vacuums or whatever else is usually on sale for Black Friday, but I do need clothes for my growing children and things for me and Jason that wear out or are a new style. Plus, I keep a pretty minimal wardrobe and household (I don't usually want to own two of the same purpose spatula or too-similar shoes, e.g.) and our budget isn't huge for seasonal spending. So, here are the stores I've found my favorite pieces and deals at, and what I'm shopping for!
J.Crew Factory. Everything is 60-70% off plus an extra 10% off at checkout (or 20% off if you spend $100 I believe. Plus free shipping. I ordered these jeans yesterday cause I really wanted to get them before they sold out, and free shipping no minimum so why not! I've been wanting some like this a while.
Old Navy. 50% off everything and $4-5 thermal tees today. The prices below don't reflect the extra half off. Free shipping when you spend $50.
Target. Lots of great women's sweaters 30% off! Plus toys are buy one/get one 50% off, and there are a few electronics-type deals I looked at--we bought this TV mount for 50% off for some changes planned for our living room!
There you have it! Hope you have a great long weekend!
My birthday is coming up, and I've decided from here on out for birthdays and Christmas I'll be asking for the same thing: beautiful coffee table books with inspiring interior or lifestyle images, that look beautiful styled on shelves or a coffee table! There are few things more relaxing than flipping through a big paper book of lovely homes and decor, drinking tea, time to myself... plus, they look so nice on a shelf, mantel, console table, etc. in my own home!
I've rounded up my 9 favorites - some I own and some are on my wishlist - for beautiful mostly modern traditional decor inspiration, lifestyle/entertaining, home organization, and more. You'll love these, too!
9 best coffee table books for styling interiors
Big, hardback books look so beautiful on open shelves, a bookcase, a side table, a buffet... anywhere!
Here are my 9 faves--they have great content AND look beautiful as part of your decor!
Habitat: The Field Guide to Decorating. This is a best-seller for sure and you'll see its spine in almost any styled shelf with coffee table books. It's also a fantastic book with lots of helpful decor principles from Lauren Liess, who always creates beautiful, unique spaces. I got this one from the library but should have bought it!
Down to Earth: Laid-back Interiors for Modern Living. This is Lauren's second book and features several different homes she's designed recently, so shows off several variations of her style plus how to get the looks. I own this one and love it!
Make Life Beautiful. This one is available for pre-order now and I'm sure will be so popular on Christmas lists. Studio McGee has an incredible story of fast, authentic growth in their brands; they share about their story plus how they create spaces for intentional, beautiful everyday living. Their spaces are high quality but also so livable.
Made for Living: Collected Interiors for All Sorts of Styles. Amber Lewis of Amber Interiors has finally written a book and I would buy it no matter what it was about, but this one looks gorgeous and useful, too! It's about layering and styling and features some of her most recent incredible projects. Also pre-order and will be on everyone's Christmas list this year if you don't already have it!
Pacific Natural: Simple Seasonal Entertaining. This one is also really popular on styled shelves, etc. by lots of designers, but looks so beautiful to read through as well. Dreamy styled picnics, organic tablesettings for outdoor dining, California vibes... it's full of recipes but also decor/party styling tips.
The New Southern Style: The Interiors of a Lifestyle and Design Movement. Also brand new/pre-order, this one looks so beautiful and fresh. It shows off 30+ homes of creatives and designers in the south and southwest (including Shea McGee, even) and talks about the changing style and culture of the south.
Beautifully Organized: A Guide to Function and Style in Your Home. This is more than an organizing book... the ideas in it are more glamorous than your typical minimalist organizing guide, as well as high on function. She walks you through five simple steps and talks about home as a place for hosting as well as living practically.
Live Beautiful. This one includes design more on the high-end side than most of the others on this list, but features quite a few real homes of designers and others (like Jenna Lyons) that are really visually inspiring and exciting.
Old Home Love. This is the oldest book on the list but historic homes are timeless! This couple has so much experience renovating old homes and really keeping their charm.
Hope you enjoyed this list! Add to your wishlist or check back on this post for gift ideas this holiday season or for a design-loving friend's birthday or housewarming!
This kitchen is making a case for white cabinets still being "in" right now, seriously!! I had so much fun with simple decorations in it for Christmas and it totally goes with my clean but classic living room and dining room decor this year. Take a look to enjoy this new kitchen in this fun season!
Holiday decor!! So fun. We're all so ready to see our homes decked out for the holidays already, right?! My holiday decor is almost entirely done (just need to play around in the kitchen!) and our home is feeling so, so festive. Thanks to Home Depot for partnering with me on our holiday decor this year! I wrote a post for the Home Depot blog about how we chose our real and faux greenery, how we installed it, essential accessories, and more. Please head over and check out the post!
Last year I went with ivory and black decor (see it here). It was nice, but I wanted something a little more... old-fashioned? Warmer? Less minimal? this year. I'm still a little afraid of too much color, but I brought in some coffee-colored satin ribbon, ivory velvet ribbon, and wooden bead garlands that look so good with classic evergreens.
Otto will be 20 months old at Christmas this year, and he is such a fun age and getting to really enjoy holiday decor, colors, characters, and new activities. At Halloween he loved the scarecrows we passed at stores and now he loves brightly colored Santas and snowman faces. He also loves our lit-up Christmas tree and the little animal ornaments I just bought this year.
Christmas is a very special time for both of our families, and Jason grew up with (at times 4) other kids in the house and a mom who did a great job of making the holidays magical for them, and all about family. All of this really has us thinking about what kinds of traditions we want to continue and create new for our family.
Childhood favorites: We’re bringing in some favorites from our childhood, like we just ordered Otto a personalized playful stocking that we hope he can use every year (sold out, here's a similar one). For subsequent kids we'll order them something similar, but not matching. I also ordered the cutest baby Santa hat, although that’s partly for us to enjoy how cute Otto looks at it! He does like it, though.
Christmas tree! This one has been really important to Jason and me, too, toddler in the house or not. Every year that we’ve been together we have cut a tree down, but this year we had to fudge the tradition a little because our favorite tree farm is pretty far away, and we just don’t have time with Jason studying and our limited weekend time together to go up there this year. So we picked out this live tree at Home Depot (I’ll actually be sharing more about that experience and their selection of live and faux greenery later).
Christmas itself: We live close to all of our parents so we’ll get to do the same classic Christmas Eve traditions with Jason‘s mom and then Christmas morning and brunch with my parents. We are lucky that Christmas Eve is the big day for Jason‘s excited Christmas Day is for mine, so we don’t have to trade off every year or anything. We get to see both sides in important ways every year.
New traditions: We’re also hoping to create our own new traditions, but it’s been a little hard choosing what we want to add. Visits to Santa was not part of either of our childhoods so we’re not too attached to that option. We did go to ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo this year which was fun, but I’m not sure we'll need to go every year. However those are the kinds of things that we think we should start doing most Christmas seasons, just some kind of special festive outing. Going to a tree farm might satisfy that, or driving around looking at Christmas lights, or other kind of touristy thing.
Bundled up the baby and saw the zoo at night for ZooLights!
Christmas movies: Next year Otto might be old enough to pay attention to and understand Elf, one of our favorites, and Muppet Christmas Carol, family classic for both of our families. Right now he doesn’t really watch TV or understand what’s happening much, I don’t think.
Santa mugs: It’s silly but one of my favorite things to pull out of our Christmas decor boxes are my Santa mugs (similar). I have a set of four and when I ordered them it was pre-kids and Jason reassured me that someday we would use them and our kids would all drink hot cocoa out of them. I think about that every year. For now I just drink my tea in the one or two that I unpack each year. But I really love them!, and they are our only festive dishware so I hope these can become part of the traditions too.
I guess I’m saying I’m kind of reaching here and really trying to build traditions, and Jason and I have talked about it but not had any brilliant ideas. We both love Christmas and decking out our house and then spending time with our families, so maybe that's enough? But in our journey as parents we are also trying to create a kid-friendly household and lifestyle and are happy to change to accommodate our kids more.
Sounds like it will have to be something that evolves overtime! I’d love to hear your Christmas traditions, with little kids especially. Always love to hear from you guys in the comments below!
SO many sales popping up these days, it is getting exhausting! (And this is coming from someone who loves a good discount and watches for the big ones.) There are a few new sales to share for Cyber Monday so I'm keeping it REAL short and sweet!
It's not a deal if you don't need it, remember? Turn the other ear to all the sales banners popping up on every website everywhere and check out my SHORT list below of a few of the really good ones!
Best of Cyber Monday and Cyber Week sales for home decor, gifts, and clothing
Juniper Print Shop 40% off digital downloads, 25% off prints, through 12/2: Small business run by a designer I love. So many cool original and unique prints!
Serena & Lily25% off almost everything through 12/3. This is Serena and Lily‘s best sale of the year! I recently used their Sutter Velvet Quilt and shams, plus some throw pillows, and this winter bedroom makeover I did. Such nice quality, and everything is curated so beautifully so it all mixes and matches well. With the 25% off, it’s a great time to check out their beautiful bedding, lighting, and more.
Targetup to 50% off. Tons of categories. Overwhelming. High points: furniture, 30% off clothing (men, women, and kids) plus extra 15% off, half off this Instant Pot. I do recommend checking out the clothing, though, if you've been needing basics for you or anyone in the family. Also this beautiful candle that also smells amazing and rarely goes on sale!
Pottery Barn up to 50% off everything in-store and online through Monday: 40% off all throws, 20% off all armchairs, 30% off all stockings and tree skirts, 25% off all dining chairs, 25% off all dinnerware and entertaining. Up to 50% off lighting, they have some great pieces.
Madewell 30% off plus extra 10% off. This one was a surprise to Madewell fans out there! Never seen them discount their product this much. Makes it much more affordable luxury!
Okay, that's it, I'm tired just thinking about it. I just ordered a few more things from Target I've been eyeing, and I do still have some gifts to buy, but I hope to be done shopping for the season soon!!
Updated to cover all of Black Friday weekend (11/29-12/1)!
As I shared in this post... I really try to keep calm on Black Friday and have learned to pare it down to the sales on things I really, actually want, and are actually better deals than usual. With that in mind I'm sharing the sales I'm actually looking at this year, the really good discounts, and my favorite products for myself and gifts.
I didn't crowd this list with every single big retailer and their BF coupon code; nope, I kept it manageable and listed just the best ones I can actually recommend you spend your time on!
Top 12 Home Decor, Gifts, and Clothing Black Friday Sales
Home Decor & Gifts
World Market up to 50% off! through Sunday. 40% off all furniture, 50% off toys & games, 50% off mugs (great gifts!!), 40% off clothing & jewelry, 50% off throw pillows, 50% off baskets! I look to World Market every Black Friday because they have some really great sales on home stuff as well as jewelry/toys/gifts. A lot of these items do not go on sale outside Black Friday, so it is definitely a great time to buy.
Urban Outfitters buy one, get one 50% off through Saturday. You could probably buy all of your gifts at Urban Outfitters, they have something unique, fun, and quirky for everyone! I always love their home pieces (like sconces, which you often want two of anyway) during this big sale, but they also have some cute smaller items like candles and this sloth heating pad I shared about in my gift guide!
Serena & Lily 25% off almost everything through 12/3. This is Serena and Lily‘s best sale of the year! I recently used their Sutter Velvet Quilt and shams, plus some throw pillows, and this winter bedroom makeover I did. Such nice quality, and everything is curated so beautifully so it all mixes and matches well. With the 25% off, it’s a great time to check out their beautiful bedding, lighting, and more.
Targetup to 40% off home plus extra 15% off with code TURKEY through Saturday. Rugs, furniture, Hearth & Hand line, candles... lots of trendy pieces for you or gifts!
Wayfair up to 80% off. It'll take some searching but you could find extra great deals on anything you need for your home here... great place for rugs, lighting, and more. My bedroom light fixture is from Wayfair and is on sale right now. I get lots of compliments on it! It is great in an entry too!
Pottery Barn up to 50% off everything in-store and online through Monday: 40% off all throws, 20% off all armchairs, 30% off all stockings and tree skirts, 25% off all dining chairs, 25% off all dinnerware and entertaining. They have some really great classic Christmas stuff! Love these stockings.
Abercrombie 40-50% off entire store through 12/2 plus free shipping, no minimum. I've rediscovered Abercrombie lately and they have THE BEST sweaters and a ton of options for jeans. Excited to try these Curve Love skinny jeans!
J.Crew Factory 60% off everything plus extra 50% off clearance through Sunday. I have been loving J.Crew Factory lately for jeans that are good to wear to work--it is so hard to find high-waisted, straight jeans that don’t have frayed edges! I love a couple of options from J.Crew Factory. Definitely size down at least one size in these and others. I am ordering this sweater for sure! I also found some of the coolest patterned socks that I am totally buying my brother-in-law here!
Old Navy 40-50% off everything through Monday. Honestly, you can tell Old Navy must have a big markup because they do 50 to 60% off sales on select items pretty often. But the discount off the entire store is unique to the holidays and it's a good time to buy stuff that doesn’t often go on sale, like maternity and college/other sport branded tees etc.
Loft Outlet 50% off everything plus extra 15% off, through Saturday. They have more of the same that you’ll find at Loft (also doing a 50% off sale), but at better prices. Good place to buy work clothes. Tons of selection of sweaters also great for blazers. I am in love with this heart bobble sweater! I would normally get it in ivory but I think I have enough ivory sweaters, and I don’t have any red ones right now! I’m going bold!
Targetdoorbuster deals throughout the store including pajamas starting at $5 and sweaters starting at $10. Target goes a little crazy and I swear will have a different deal every week now until Christmas… But for Black Friday they are doing some bigger sales like these. I order a lot from Target because they give you free 2-day shipping most of the time, or ship to store, and returns are so easy. I just ordered these PJs!
Madewell 30% off everything through Sunday. So much style, good quality, everything is flattering. Higher prices but 30% off is the best sale they ever do and they don't do it often. Love their sweaters! Also, I just learned they have some incredible services like mending jeans that wear thin or tear, hemming jeans for you, and recycling any brand of old jeans.
Banana Republic Factory and Gap Factory 60% off everything plus extra 15% off online, through Saturday. You can shop both with the same/consolidated cart. Gap Factory has good basics and Banana Republic Factory has great work clothes. I love this blouse and this sweatshirt!
Good luck shopping and happy holiday season! May it be low-stress and fun!
I am only doing one gift guide this year, which means every single thing on it is really good!! I've included gifts for homebodies and DIYers, as well as your parents, kids, and girlfriends.
This faux fur throw is oversized and glam. Comes in a pretty gift box and is on super sale right now!
If you know anyone who likes to cook but doesn't have an Instant Pot... perfect gift, solved!
I love a cheese board but this slate one is so cool and unique, and comes with labels. (Also get this soapstone chalk to go with!)
Tech:
Rave reviews from friends about these Yeti mugs that keep a drink hot for HOURS. I love the classic coffee mug (but with lid, great for when you're around kids) and they come in a ton of colors--I'd love the white one for myself! They also come in travel mug shape.
I've seen vibrating foam rollers for twice this price, but this one is very highly rated. Great for the workout junkie or hardworking DIYer!
WorkTunes headphones--genius. Ear protection/noise canceling, but Bluetooth so you can play music while you demo. Jason used some that have a little noise canceling while demoing/rebuilding our bathroom this fall. These would be a safer choice! He wore them all day sometimes... made his solo house project time much more enjoyable!
For your parents:
This sweet book "My Grandpa: In His Own Words" is a journal for grandpa to do for the kids. We gave my dad one last year, perfect for him as a proud new grandpa!
Cashmere wrap. So dreamy and warm, perfect for mom or MIL! Like a cross between a scarf, a throw blanket, and a robe--and cashmere! This comes in several colors and is on an amazing sale for Black Friday week.
For an older kid who is interested in cooking, love this kids' knife set--practical and fun!
I have heard these Magna-Tiles are THE toy kids love for hours and hours of play. Multiple people have said they are a must-have! Otto's played with them at the library and I think will be ready for them in another year. They're great for preschool age for sure.
The cutest easel with chalkboard, whiteboard, paint cups, magnetic letters... a classic!
Cashmere again, but this one's a versatile oversized scarf that comes in even more colors and is also an amazing deal right now. I love the camel, of course, but the black and grey would also go with everything. Or pick a pretty color for some real luxury!
Full-length sherpa robe! I've seen fuzzy robes around a lot but none this long. When you want a cozy robe, don't you want your ankles to be warm, too?!
I feel like most of us could use a slipper upgrade... the key to long-lasting ones is real leather and real fur (never gets stinky!). These are high quality and on sale!
I would really love to have nearly all my shopping done Thanksgiving weekend this year... would be so nice to cross off my list! I'm hoping to take advantage of the sales that have already started (Black Friday sales started way early this year!)!
I’m excited for the holidays, but I also get anxious around all of the shopping opportunities this time of year! I am a little bit compulsive about getting the best deal and saving money sometimes, but that means it I can really overthink it and stress out about Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping. But, over the past few years I’ve developed some tools that help me get good deals on stuff I want and need, but still keep this time of year festive and fun rather than just stressful.
I do spend more money this time of year than any other, not only on gifts but also on home decor items and clothing for me and Jason. It’s tempting (and really it’s just practical) to wait a couple weeks if you know that there will be a good sale on something coming up. But don’t go crazy about it… And, don’t be irresponsible with your spending and lured by all the retailers' shiny deals.
I’ve put together 5 key tips for how to responsibly shop Black Friday and cyber Monday sales online!
Make your list beforehand. Common items to go on great Black Friday sales are electronics, toys, cozy winter clothing/slippers/accessories, bigger-ticket kitchen items, home decor, and tools. Favorite items in retailers' "My Favorites" lists or your shopping cart, and if/when they go on sale the prices will update automatically and you can just finish your order. I also track specific retailers... I know from previous years that Old Navy often does 50% off everything, and other places I shop like Abercrombie and Target will also do big sales. I pick out things I might want ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Week to save time and keep me focused on what I actually want--not just what's on the biggest sale!
Make your Christmas gift shopping list beforehand. Wouldn't it feel so good to get your holiday shopping almost entirely done on Thanksgiving weekend, and know you got good prices on everything?! I've never achieved that, but by starting my gift ideas/actually purchased list (I use Google Sheets so I can track how much I'm spending as well) early, I can check the list while looking at BF/CM sales.
Set a budget for Black Friday and Christmas at the same time. Around this time of year I buy gifts but also holiday decor and things I've been holding off buying for me and Jason. Be prepared to spend extra money November and December, and set aside money if you can. Don't forget about those extra non-gift purchases when thinking about your Christmas season budget.
Set aside time on your calendar for checking purchases off your list so you're not frantically scrolling and trying to type coupon codes from your phone (in bed Thanksgiving night, in the car on the way to Thanksgiving dinner, or when you'd just rather be spending time with family). This used to mean putting "Early Bird sales" on your calendar from 6am-10am on Black Friday... thankfully it's 2019 and you can skip the stores and crowds and fit it in whenever you want--most sales start Thanksgiving Day, and retailers will have some deal or another through Tuesday or Wednesday of Cyber Week.
Don't worry too much. If you miss a sale because you forget to finish an order or check a favorite retailer during Black Friday weekend, don't stress about it. There are tons of sales during the holiday season and you'll probably get a good deal just about any time between now and Christmas. Also, remember, it's not a good deal if you don't need it,so don't over-analyze potential purchases or feel the pull of the sale too much.
Hope these tips are helpful and hope you have a peaceful, productive, anxiety-free shopping season this holiday!
I'm not sure if the first official day of fall is the equinox or the first rainy Sunday I buy pumpkin stuff at Trader Joe's. It sure feels like fall after this weekend. I'm drinking their fall spice tea as I write this and it's cold and rainy outside!
I honestly don't usually do much for seasonal decor other than around Christmas, but this year I'm inspired by the warm tones and fall branches I've been seeing in my Instagram feed and I'm jumping in while there's still plenty of time to enjoy my festive fall decor before the holidays.
I still don't want to go overboard; that's just not me. But I like to add a few bits of seasonal vibes here and there in our homes, keeps it feeling fresh and makes me happy!
I went to JoAnn this past weekend and bought some fall florals. I combined those with some pottery, plaid, and wooden decor I already had for a natural-plus-orange themed fall look that will work for Halloween and probably even Thanksgiving!
TIP: Especially when the seasonal colors you're using are not common elsewhere in your home (I don't use much orange, red, purple, or yellow), stick to only one or two new festive colors to keep everything feeling cohesive.)
I had some interest in mantel styling tips this year and it's out first Christmas with our big wood mantel, so great timing! I put together some festive fireplace decor and have some ideas for you! Santa comes in ONE WEEK (he comes at night on the 24th, you know) so if you want to dress up your stocking hanging for him you still have some time. ;)
You can even use these tips if you don't have a mantel! This post contains affiliate links.
Here's our Christmas mantel decor this year. Here's what I did, with ideas you can use at home!
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