Gift Guide To Shop Small This Holiday Season

holiday warm and cozy vibes

Small businesses are the heartbeat of what we believe in – living the American dream, courage to step outside the box, creativity to run a business how you want, generations of Americans continuing the tradition of their parents and grandparents, families working together to bring their dreams to fruition, and less government (more freedom). They are the soul of this country. This support may look one way for some, and different for others. You can buy goods, or services. Some ideas are to order food to-go from a local restaurant, buy gift cards at local restaurants and stores, get that photography session of your family with a good local photographer, or buy from a local maker. Let’s support them (if your means allow), because they need us more than ever! If you have any other favorite small shops, let us know about them and we can feature on our Instagram. Below are some faves. Support Small Business Gift Guide shop small cancer gift guide

  1. Sunday Candle Co.: This company is woman-owned and based in our hometown in Denver, Colorado. Her packaging is so pretty, candles look beautiful and we can smell them now. Give the gift of warm and cozy.
  2. LA Antler Co.: Addie had me hooked on antlers years ago when she helped me with this fun photo shoot for Real Simple. She lives in the Rocky Mountains, and not only is she fun and amazing, her antlers are special, too. They are as authentic as you can get. You can buy them for chic mountain home decor, or as a necklace, keychain and ornament. I have a necklace, and this year I want the twine-wrapped antlers for my home.
  3. Shop Gage Huntley: There is no censorship to the custom jewelry you can buy at this shop. They make us laugh, and some products are things we want to say, but never do. We will let the pieces speak for themselves.
  4. Copper Fox Company: These personalized wood cutting boards make a lovely gift for families, newlyweds, parents, grandparents and even those who love to play hostess. Charcuterie boards are hot as ever, and it would be fun to have a beautiful board to display those meats and cheeses on.
  5. Made by Mary, Faith Over Fear Necklace: THIS is amazing. I asked for this for my birthday. All the worries and fears cloud my head way too often, and I just need to breathe, and remember to have faith in God, in the people I love, and in myself!
  6. Oxford Pennant: We love a good pennant, and Oxford has something for everyone. We love so many, it was hard to choose, but this forever mistletoe brings us so much cheer this holiday season! Gimme Some Sugar on Christmas, and everyday after.
  7. Olivia Care: Jenna loves this hand sanitizer spray. It’s made in Cali and smells amazing. Plus it softens your hands and does not dry them out.
  8. Harper Made: We bought this mountain necklace as a gift, and wanted to keep for ourselves. This is a beautiful gift for the mountain loving girls in your life, and a good price point, too! The mountains are calling…we must go!
  9. AVYN, bras for the modern mom: I am not breastfeeding, and wear this bra all the time – I love it (Jess). If you are breastfeeding, or know a new mother in your life, get her this! These women are awesome, and their bras are comfortable and cute. We SO wish we had this when we were moms of babies, and breastfeeding.
  10. Cole and Dainer: We love Nicole, the owner of this shop, and her products are so cozy and beautifully made! The prints are our favorite! Whether your shopping for a baby blanket, home throw, burp cloths or even masks, her products made a lovely gift for a friend (or yourself).
  11. G Michelle Designs: This is a local Colorado girl who can make custom signs, anything for weddings, personalized mugs, and ornaments for Christmas. She’s dang good at calligraphy and barre, too! These ornaments are totally customizable (color background, no color background, names, shape, etc.) and the gnome ornament are new and our favorite! Prices are $12-$15. Gnomes are hot again this year – spread gnome cheer to everyone on your list! Email her at gmichelledesigns@gmail.com to order!
  12. Ski Town All-Stars: This cool company designs and customizes hats in Vail, Colorado. You can get hats made for your company, or maybe a funny phrase you’ve always wanted on a hat for friends or family. They have some already made, like this Corona one, or you can make your own. Check them out.
  13. Aksels: This company has really fun hats for kids and adults, especially if your in CO. We love their printed socks, too. My son loves the feel of their masks. You can pick up at their warehouse, find their products in stores, or ship from their website. If you’ve ever been to a concert at Red Rocks, you need these socks. One of the best concert venues ever! Yes, please.
  14. Not pictured, but on our IG is this adorable CIAO bag we can’t get enough of from the ever-so stylish Brooke at Antlers & Rose.

Favorite Locals Shops We live in Colorado, and there are a few shops we just love. They have gifts for everyone, and well, they are the cutest!! Stop in to say hi, and keep them busy (and open)!

  • Fleur de Lis, a paperie: Jenna can create Christmas cards, invites for baby showers, parties, and wedding invitations is really her thang! Show her some love with all your paper and invite needs!
  • Andiamo Oils: We LOVE ourselves some doTERRA essential oils! Seriously, we use them daily. Jodi has the knowledge to help you if you want to add (or diffuse) oils. We love some of the other face and vitamins products, too. You can set up an account for $35 and get 25% oils for the year, or just order through her to see if you like them. No minimum purchase every month, which we love. SOOOO good!
  • Patterns and Pops: These girls are the cutest. They have try on shopping parties on IG, which are really hard to not shop because it’s so easy and the items are so cute. Shop in person, IG or online. IG is our favorite!
  • Valleygirl Boutique/Ruby Jane: They have several locations throughout Colorado, so wherever you are, you can find them. If you’re not in CO, you can shop online! We love the Edwards store, and the Highlands one. They have great, affordable fashion at all price points, and home and gift items, too!

Happy gifting!

Merry Everything: DIY Soy Essential Oil Candle

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We have our favorite brands of store-bought candles from Anthropologie, Paddywax and Homesick. We will continue to buy them, but we’ve (actually just Jessica) has always wanted to make her own DIY candles. Since it’s the holiday season, and all the warm and fuzzy vibes are everywhere, now was the time to attempt our first DIY candle. Happy to report, I’m hooked. I can’t wait to play with all the scents. I love the smell of doTERRA’s Holiday Joy. It smells like Christmas, which makes me happy.

Materials:

  • Soy candle wax,
  • Essential oils, Holiday Joy by doTERRA
  • Candle wick
  • Glass jars
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue
  • Candle pitcher, double boiler pot
  • pencil or popsicle stick (to hold the wick in place while the candle hardens)

Directions:

Step 1: Melt the wax. I filled a pot 1/4-1/2 full of water, and set the boiler pot inside. Pour 3 cups of wax flakes in the boiler pot, and turn the stove to high to melt the wax.

Step 2: While the wax is melting, prepare the candle jar. Use the hot glue gun to gun the wick to the bottom of the jar. Wrap the top of the wick around a pencil or stick and set on top of the jar in the middle. This will keep the wick in place while the candle hardens.

Step 3: Once the wax has melted, wait a couple minutes until the wax cools to add the oils.  The 3 cups wax made two candles for me, and I used approximately 75 drops oils. It seems like a lot, I know, but when the wax hardens, the smell weakens, and I wanted to smell all those amazing scents. If you plan to a combination of 3 to 4 oils, use about 20 drops of each.

Step 4: Let the candle harden for 24 hours. Once it’s set (and white, no longer clear), cut the wick and add a label. I use my Silhouette CAMEO cutting machine to design and cut a Merry Everything vinyl design.

Have a merry and bright Christmas, everyone!

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DIY Gift: Custom Candles

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Not only can our kids make DIY crayon candles covered with rainbows, hearts and crayon splatter. We can make DIY candles too, but more sophisticated ones. I can see more melted crayons and candles in our near future for DIY holiday gifts. It’s a gift that’s sure to SHINE!

To see how we made the crayons with the kids, see the full tutorial on Momtastic. But basically, all you have to do is heat the crayon with a blow dryer (continuously} and draw. We found that black crayons worked the best to write words and monograms.

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DIY Hostess Gift: Crayon Candles

DIY crayon candle craft and hostess gift with kids

We melted crayon wax a couple weeks ago, and the project we shared with Momtastic quickly became one of our favorite DIY hostess gifts. We haven’t actually given any of the DIY candles away because we love what our kids created so much, they are on display in our homes.

Learn how we made the DIY custom art melted crayon candles here.

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YOLO DIY Cosmetic Bag

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My sister-in-law and I went shopping, and I tried on a pair of designer jeans on sale for $100 from $200ish. I liked them, but didn’t really NEED them. You know, that age-old teaching we teach our children and tell ourselves – need vs. want. Do I really need this? Or, do I want this? My sister-in-law said, “Just get them. My new motto in life is YOLO.” I did a semi-smile and nod reaction, then asked, “What the heck does YOLO mean?” You may be thinking that I live under a rock, and perhaps I do, but I honestly had no idea what YOLO meant. She shared her hashtag wisdom upon me that day and told me that YOLO stands for…You Only Live Once. #YOLO

What powerful words that we often forget. You Only Live Once. We have one shot at this ONE beautiful, amazing, hard and miraculous life. Why waste it? Make the most of everyday, and live your best life…and life will give it’s best to you. YOLO!

Long story short, I bought the jeans. And, I learned what YOLO stands for.

Shortly thereafter my sister-in-law embarked on a new journey in a new city with a new job. She was nervous, but brave. I sent her off with a reminder of what she taught me that day, and some tips to go with it.

DIY YOLO Cosmetic Bag

You’ll Need:

  • Cosmetic bag {mine was $3 from Target}
  • Acrylic paint
  • Golden GAC 900 Medium, to make regular paint into fabric paint
  • Freezer paper
  • X-acto knife
  • Paintbrush
  • Gifts to go inside. I found most of my gifts {see below} from my favorite small town bookstore, The Bookworm
  • Watercolor paper
  • Watercolor paint
  • Gold sharpie or gold leaf pen

Directions:

First, I used Microsoft Word to design my YOLO to place in the middle of the bag. Print YOLO on regular computer paper, then trace it onto freezer paper.

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 Use an X-acto knife to cut out the words and a border. Then, iron in onto the costmetic bag.

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Paint YOLO with black ink.

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Design a pattern around YOLO. I chose to do triangles, so I randomly made a geometric triangle shape print with Frog’s Tape. Then, paint inside the triangles.

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Shop for all your small gifts that go inside the YOLO bag.

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Once your YOLO bag design is complete, start to make the tags to go along with each gift. Cut watercolor paper into triangles. Freehand the words of wisdom for your friend in gold sharpie or gold leaf pen. Then, use soft watercolor over it.

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My tags read:

Wear red | red lipstick
Set your own direction | Compass button
Indulge in sweetness | Curly Girl chocolate bar
Remember to laugh | Blue Q funny chewing gum box
Celebrate | Hyrda Soap Hangover Bath Tea Bag
Stop to smell the roses | Paddywax Rose scented candle
Believe in yourself | Quotables The Sky is the Limit matchbox
Be Kind | Be Good to People chapstick

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curly-girl-chocolate-bar-indulge-in-sweetness-pink-watercolor

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stop-to-smell-the-roses-candle-diy-gift-pink-watercolor-tag

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Attach the labels to each item.

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Place all the fun items inside the DIY YOLO cosmetic bag and gift.

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