Julie’s Holiday Gift Guide

Christmas is in less than a month and a half…(not only that, but both of my boys celebrate birthdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so this is ONE busy time of year!).  So I have been thinking long and hard about Christmas shopping this year as I am a planner and LOVE to get my shopping done early so I can avoid any stores for the next month and enjoy the holiday season with family at HOME just being together.

Today we will be sharing our 2012 Gift Guides with our readers.  Hope these lists give you some great ideas, get you in the holiday mood, and help you get a start (or finish) to your holiday shopping!

For the Moms (Julie’s Wish List):

• “Believe” banner: I LOVE decorating the mantel for the holidays—seriously how cute is this “Believe” banner?!?!  This banner was created by Etsy shop, Bekah Jennings, who is the original stamped-chipboard banner creator in Etsy!  Bekah is a mom of five children, who works with her Aunt Johnell, to bring these awesome banners into people’s home.  You must go check the shop out—but I am going to tell you to wait a few more days until Yellow Friday and see what amazing deal she has for us!!!!

Etsy : Facebook :  Bekah Jennings was also a featured Etsy seller, come read this post!

• Personalized Stacking Name Rings:  I have been eyeing these personalized rings since I was even pregnant with my first.  Seriously, how awesome are they?!?!  You can personalize them with names, so I chose to do Aiden and Andrew, and hopefully (hint, hint husband) once the third one comes, maybe I will be graced with a third ring to join in the adorableness that will grace my finger.  KerriAnn Designs creates lots of affordable personalized jewelry which would make great gifts for any mom and others in your life!

For the Kids (Aiden and Andrew’s Wish List):

• Personalized T-Shirts:  I LOVE the shirts that are created by Etsy shop, Inspired Inceptions!  There are over 100 designs for little ones to create unique t-shirts for your children.  I knew Andrew would LOVE the fire truck one, while Aiden who is finding a new love for space will LOVE the rocket ship one!  Adorable, unique, affordable, and an overall great gift for any child.  These would also be great for a themed birthdayYou must go check out Inspired Inceptions!

• Tinkertoys (for Aiden) and Plan Toys drum (for Andrew) : Doesn’t everybody remember Tinkertoys?  And how hard is it to find drums that you might be actually be able to withstand listening to?  When I saw these two items on the huge selection of toys at the fabulous store of Land of Nod, I just knew my boys would LOVE them.  Stay tuned the blog for more from the Land of Nod soon…
• Christmas Pajamas:  Okay, I am seriously in love with these boys’ pajamas created by Nan’s Fancy Pants.  I wish that they made these for myself because they are some of the cutest things I have ever seen!!!!!!!!!  Aiden is going to love his penguin pajamas and Andrew will look adorable in his reindeer pajamas.  LOVE LOVE LOVE these—you must go check out Nan’s Fancy Pants.

• Llama Llama Time to Share:  We LOVE this series of books and I thought this may be the perfect book for Andrew and Aiden before their baby sister arrives!
• Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Ball Pit:  For some reason, I think my boys could spend many winter days playing in this crazy thing!!!!
• Disney Toy Story 3 Woody Costume Accessory Set for Boys:  Aiden has been asking for this set since visiting his cousin Jack who has it!!!  I think Santa may just have to bring this for my sweet boy who has been waiting for months for Santa to come:)
• Hi Ho Cherry-O:  Aiden LOVES to play board games, but you can only play Candyland so much!  It’s time for a new game to enter this house—any other game ideas for young ones?
• Chuggington Interactive Action Chugger:  The only other request that Aiden has on his Santa list—and I have a feeling that train-loving little brother Andrew may want to join in the fun on this gift!
• “Boo Boo” Penguin Pack:  My boys LOVE penguins, so when I saw this awesome “boo-boo” pack, I knew it would be a great addition to their holiday wish list!  No more crying that the bagged ice is too cold for their face, this boo-boo pack created by Threadshed is a perfect addition to this rough and tumble boy house.  It can also be warmed up in the microwave to help soothe a little one as well!  Threadshed makes several items besides their hot/cold packs, including ornaments that were featured in Better Homes and Garden!  Keep your eyes tuned to our Yellow Friday to take advantage of a great deal from Threadshed!!!!

• ABC, What Can I Be Personalized Book:  We LOVE these adorable personalized children’s books created by I See Me.  The ABC, What Can I Be book, uses your child’s name to show different careers for each letter of the alphabet.  They are perfect for children:  fun to read and what a special way to honor a child.  Andrew also received the My Very Own Name storybook when he was born and it is one of our favorite baby gifts that we received.  These are great books for children of all ages.  They also have personalized placemats, coloring books, puzzles, and more.  Check it out—For readers interested in ordering, the last date to order for Christmas delivery with normal shipping is December 10th (And it looks as of now, they have free shipping using code SANTA that expires today!!).

For the Dads:

• We may live in New Jersey, but we haven’t lost our Hawkeye pride (even with the football season that we have had this year!).  I like the vintage look of this Hawkeye shirt for Chris that I found.
• Between Christmas/Birthday/Father’s Day, Chris always gets a bottle of cologne from me!  I think it’s about time for a new one to be gifted.  Any other recommendations?
• Have you heard of a Sonos: All-in-One Wireless Music Player?  This is ONE of the coolest things I have seen.  Sonos lets you stream all music in every room wirelessly.  You can control the music player with your phone, playing Pandora/Spotify/iTunes library/etc. through the wireless network.  It is easy to set up, sounds great, works great, and every dad (or mom!) would LOVE this!
• Choo-Choo Massage Shirt:  The boys and I may have to get crafty one afternoon to whip up one of these handmade shirts for Daddy!!!

• DIY Earring Organizer:  Find our simple instructions here on how to make!
• Box of Money:  This is for all those people who you can never please, no matter what you give.  Why not just a box of money wrapped in this unique manner?
• Rogue and Co planner:  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these magnetic stylish planners!
• DIY Coasters:  Thanks Pinterest for helping me find some easy to make DIY gifts—hoping to pair these with some great etched mugs?!?!  Any advice on etching—Courtney and I want to try and attempt, but are scared to take the leap into etching!
• Super cute rolling pin:  Wouldn’t this be a great gift for any baker in the family???  And if you take a look around on Anthrolopologie, there are SO many wonderful great gift ideas that I could get lost on their site.
• Out of Print tees:  LOVE the vintage, soft feel of the tees.  Great gift for any avid reader out there!!!!