Shopping for Christmas: Mens Gift Guide

holiday shopping, mens gift guide

The holidays are our favorite time of the year. Being together with loved ones around good food, and making precious memories are what we hold most dear. Our family has beautiful traditions, and we want our children to hold those close to their hearts (just like we have), more than the presents and all the “excess” the media and retail outlets prioritize.

Having said that, we like to give a good gift like anybody, and we are going to get our holiday shopping done early this year. As we run around trying to clean and cook for a lovely holiday, we want to have those shopping items off our list. Plus with all the struggling supply chains, shipping delays and job vacancy woes, there’s not time to waste.

We’ve put together Christmas gift guides to get those ideas flowing for you. We hope it’s helpful and you find something for the man/men in your life.

Men’s Holiday Gift Guide

  1. No Bull Shoes: These are so good looking, and Jessica’s husband loves them. He had them for a year, and they’ve held up great. No bull shoes:
  2. Vuori Joggers: Just like we love being comfortable, the men do too. These feel like butter, and your man will thank you.
  3. G Shock Watch: These watches have such rugged look, which we love. Plus, they are excellent quality. We avoid the apple watch, so this is a perfect go-to for us. Perfect for teens, too.
  4. Theragun: This is actually on our husbands list this year! If he’s extra nice, he will wake up on Christmas morning to this.
  5. Stanley Water Bottle: This is our favorite water bottle, so let’s hydrate the men, too!
  6. Greenlights Book: We absolutely LOVED this book. It’s a wonderful read/gift for any man or woman in your life.
  7. Men’s Cheyanne Sorel Shoes: These almost look like Converse, but they look warm, comfortable and not bulky at all. Plus, they are water bottle for the winter elements.
  8. Huk Waypoint Hoodie: The men in our lives LOVE these shirts. They are so comfortable, they wear them year-round. If your husband loves to fish, they have fantastic fishing shirts, too!
  9. JBL Speaker: We have both big and small JBL speakers, and bring them everywhere. We love them, and the quality of sound. Also, a good gift for the teen in your life (our 13-year-old is getting it this year).
  10. Microspikes: If you live in an area with snow, these are a must. We like snowshoes, but use these way more. They are easy to travel with, quick to put on, and provide great traction. Great for women, too.
  11. Carhartt Beanie: There’s something about a man in a Carhartt beanie that we love.

 

 

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Reading Must-Have For Kids: DIY Bookmark

diy-confetti-bookmark-blue-book

Our kids love to read. But, we know those days of reminding them to read over and over again can be frustrating at times. Summer can be especially difficult, and we understand; they spend all year learning in the classroom, and they just want to play. At the same time, it’s important they read. So, we have a few tricks up our sleeve to get our kids reading in the summer.

First, we find good books. No one likes to read a boring book. So, it’s important to pinpoint our child’s interests, and then find books with that subject matter to keep their nose in a book.

Second, make a nook where they are comfortable and feel cozy. This doesn’t have to be an expensive thing. Our kids love their Blankie Tails, and a stuffed animal on the couch when they read. We try to keep the reading environment calm, too.

Third, make crafts related to their books. It’s always fun to read a book with interesting characters, and imaginary worlds. So, we try to incorporate crafts/art with the book they are reading.

Finally, entice them. We haven’t figured out what the reward will be after they read a certain number of books, but kids love a challenge. It can be an ice cream date, or a treat from a store!

Today, we have a project for all the reading we plan to do this summer – DIY confetti bookmarks.

confetti bookmark-open-book

We like our kids to read from actual books. We know the days of a Kindle are in our near future, but before our kids get electronic with their reading, they need bookmarks to keep their spot on a page. One of Jessica’s kids went on a field trip of his dreams this year, so this idea stemmed from his end of year gift to his friends. He developed wallet size photos of his entire class at the field trip, and made DIY bookmarks with the same method we’re showing you today. For my daughter’s class, we added a lot of sparkle and glitter. It’s a party in a book! Gotta love that!

Materials:

Directions:

Step 1: Cut the size of the bookmark you want with a piece of cardstock.

Step 2: Once the tool is hot (about 10 minutes), set the sheet protector on top of the bookmark and begin to press down with the tool along the edges of the paper bookmark. Don’t press directly onto the bookmark, but make a tight outline of it, along the edges. Remember to leave the top of the bookmark free from any fusing because you need to insert confetti.

fuse-tool-sheet-protectors

photo-fusing-tool

Step 3: Now, you should have shapes of bookmarks on the sheet protectors. We were able to make 4 bookmarks per sheet. Next, cut the bookmarks out. Cut close to the edging, but not along the fused “dots.”

fuse-tool-sheet-protectors

Step 4: Fill the bookmark with confetti. Leave the top open for a hole punch and yarn tassel.

star confetti

confetti-star

hooray-confetti-bookmark

Step 5: Fuse the top of the bookmark, and then use a hole punch to punch a hole on the top. For small confetti, you will need a smaller hole punch.

Step 6: Cut yarn, and add a cute and colorful yarn tassel.

CONFETTI-BOOKMARKS-YIPEE-HOORAY

confetti-bookmarks

diy-confetti-bookmark

Now, all you have to do is find a good book, and read, read, read!

confetti-bookmark-book

star-confetti-bookmark

star-confetti

SHOP THE POST:

easter baskets

We’ve gathered some of our favorite gifts for the kids Easter baskets this year. Hop to it!

easter_girls basket_jsorelle

FOR THE PRETTY LITTLE LADIES
1. Pink Bunny Coin Purse, Paper-Source
2. Tropical Romper, The Children’s Place {I just bought this for my daughter – LOVE}
3. LIL tOOders Superhero Custom Cape – enter a giveaway for a free cape {including an Anna or Elsa cape from Frozen} here.
4. Melissa and Doug Bright Flashlight, Yo-Yo
5. Sunglasses, Gap
6. Melissa and Doug Watercolor Paint Set, Amazon
7. Bunny Jute Bin, Land of Nod
8. Frozen Snow Wand, Target

easter basket ideas for boys

FOR THE HANDSOME GENTS
1. Aviator Sunglasses, Gap
2. Swimways Torpedo Bandits, Amazon
3.  LIL tOOders Superhero Custom Cape – enter a giveaway for a free cape here.
4. Woosh Frisbee, Amazon
5. Green Puppet on a Stick Pen, Amazon
6. Galvanized Bucket, Pottery Barn
7. Melissa and Doug Habitats Reusable Sticker Pad, Amazon
8. A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee, Amazon

{images via The Children’s PlaceGap, Target, LIL tOOders, Amazon, Yo-Yo, Paper-Source, Pottery Barn, Land of Nod}

new {i see me} book: goodnight little me

We are BIG fans of the I See Me books, not only as bloggers looking for great gift finds, but as mothers.

My son is one and a half, and LOVES to read books. We have a couple I See Me books, and love that they are personalized for our sweet boy. It makes reading more personal, special and fun. They are fantastic, unique gifts for babies and kids for birthdays, showers and now during Christmas time (hint, hint! This is coming up soon).

When we received our new I See Me book Goodnight Little Me, we stopped in our tracks to read it immediately! First of all, I love the larger size of the book. I also love the rich colors and seeing my son’s name spelled out on each page. This book presents a sweet parade of animals and lullabies page to page with whimsical illustrations. This sweet books is written by Jennifer Dewing and illustrated by Mary GrandPre, known for her magical illustrations from the Harry Potter series.

Books being the best resource for learning, we point out all the animals in the parade on each page, count the letters of his name, point out each letter of his name. There is so much to look at, read, and get lost in our imaginations in this book. It is the perfect book before bedtime and for all ages. Right now he likes to just listen and look. Before I know it we will be teaching him to read this book himself. My son will always have this book in his collection, with a special dedication written inside from his mother and father.

Order your book now! Get FREE shipping when you place an order for $75 or more.

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goodnight little me

goodnight little me

goodnight little me

{Images via I See Me}

holiday craft party ideas

Nothing sounds more fun to me than getting together with the ladies, sipping on some vino or bubbly, grubbing on a cheese plate and doing crafts! Seriously, my kind of party. Some talented bloggers recently hosted some fun parties we’re going to share with you today. Make a date, buy the supplies {don’t forget the wine} and have some DIY fun.

Mary Costa Photography, Mix & a-Mingle Holiday Craft Party by Studio DIY

Melanie, a really talented blogger behind You Are My Fave {from Colorado like us}, let us share her Martha Stewart Holiday Craft Party idea with us. So cute, and looks like a great time. For a full tutorial, please visit You Are My Fave. Photos by Nicole Coleman.

Gather some old books, visit a library $1 book sale and host a DIY party to create a Book Pages Tree like Organized Clutter did.

Sugar and Cloth made an adorable Color Block Ornament Garland at their holiday party. See how here.

Paper {whites} hosted a lovely Holiday Craft party for her book club and the festivities included a cookie exchange, champagne sipping and gift tag creativity. Look at the goody bags below {I want} and look at more details here.

{images via Mary Costa Photography, Organized Clutter, Sugar and Cloth, You are My Fave/Nicole Coleman, Paper {Whites}}