25 Days of Christmas - Day #7 "The Elf on the Shelf"

By: Danie

Happy seventh day of Christmas!

So if you are like me, you had no idea what the heck "The Elf on the Shelf" was... apparently this thing has been around for-ev-er. Well I suppose when you enter the "mommy hood" you start caring a little more about things targeted for the little dudes and dudettes. Thanks to pinterest, I am now in the know about this magical elf business.

The story of the elf is as follows:

"Based on the tradition Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s, this cleverly rhymed children's book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. During the holiday season, the elf watches children by day and reports to Santa each night. When children awake, the elf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location. This activity allows The Elf on the Shelf to become a delightful hide-and-seek game."

First, this would be the most awesome gift for any little ones in your life. It is so special and you will be thought of when their little elf appears each year! This year my son will be seven months old on Christmas day and he will receive his elf. I know, a little premature but I really wanted to be the one to get him his elf and it felt extra special since it was his first Christmas.

We will have to name our little Elf since Mikey isn't quite able to and I believe his name will be Siggy or Schatzi {this is German slang for sweetie, my grandma called me that when I was little and Christmas was generally when we would see her}. I am so excited to start our little holiday tradition! Check out what some people have done with their elf on a shelfs {looks like I have to get a little creative}.

Pinterest {more Elfin' good ideas}

So I think you should get to ordering your elf!

25 Days of Christmas - Day #6 DIY Wreath

by: Ashley

Howdy! So we had a great weekend of inspiration, and now it's time for another Christmas DIY.

This one is super easy!!!

Here was my inspiration:

Source: whipperberry.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Very pretty right?? Well I wanted to change mine up a little bit. I absolutely love lace so I wanted to see I this type of wreath would look with it.

Here is the final product. I should add a ribbon like the one above for some extra pizzazz!!!

25 Days of Christmas - Day #5 Holiday Party Dresses

by: Ashley

I am so EXCITED!!! Because I FINALLY got an engagement party dress.  It's not at all what I was looking for but I am going to totally rock it because it is HOT and from one of my favorite stores!

Oh and you may be asking how this fits into our 25 days of Christmas posts... well take this as inspiration for your own Holiday parties!

Before I reveal this dress, check out my inspiration.

I thought I was going to go with a gold dress, and I absolutely loved these:

These are all pinned on my Pinterest board.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any gold dresses like these that I could actually afford.  And I bought my honey a black and purple dress shirt so a black dress would coordinate better.  Here's my inspiration for black dresses.

Check out the Pinterest board for these dresses.

So I went shopping for my dress and after trying out the department stores (Macy's and Dillards), I decided it was time to go to old faithful Francesca's Collection.  I can't find a picture online so I guess you guys will have to wait until I show it off in a few weeks!!!!  But I'll give you a hint... it's very similar to the third one above. Now just to find some shoes to go with it!

Happy Holidays!! and hope you enjoy your parties :)

25 Days of Christmas - Day #4 Personalized Gifts

by: Ashley

Wow these days keep flying by and I still have a huge to-do list before Christmas!!

Here are some gifts that are more personalized for your close friends.  My very close friend introduced me to this site called ThirtyOneGifts.  Their mission statement is awesome! All about celebrating, encouragng and empowering women :)

Just remember that you have to place your order by December 12 for guaranteed Christmas delivery (that gives you a week to shop their catalog online!).  Oh and the monthly special is really great too - for every $31 you spend, you get a gift (like a wallet or flat iron case) for just $5.  Here are a few items from the catalog below, but check out the website because there is so much more including totes, organizers, and lunch bags. 

Happy Shopping!!!! (21 more days!)

25 Days of Christmas - Day #3 Gift Ideas for the Men in our Lives

by: Ashley

I'm really excited about this post!!! Because not only do I get to hopefully help you guys figure out what to get the boys in your life, but it has definitely helped me do my research as well.  I hope you feel inspired with this list!

1. For the Fitness-Obsessed Guy

2. For the Techie
(Prices quoted for products are from Bestbuy.com)

3. Gifts for the Quirky Guy (all products below from Uncommongoods.com)

4. For the Fashion-Impaired Guy who needs some help!!
(Jeans from Lucky, Sweater from Macy's, and Scarf from Banana Republic)

5. For the Beer Connoisseur (all products below are from RedEnvelope.com)

25 Days of Christmas - Day #2 DIY Pearl Ornament

Wow - time is flying by. It's already December 2 which means only 23 more shopping days!!! Earlier today I was already stressing about all the things I have to do this weekend. Putting up the Christmas tree, helping my mom put up her 10 ft Christmas tree, shopping for Christmas gifts, shopping for an engagement party dress, finding the perfect gift to give to the host and hostess of the engagement party, wrapping up a couple more DIYs to post for you guys... Ahhhh the list gets overwhelming!!!

And I'm sure you guys can all relate.  This time of year is supposed to be cheerful but sometimes it just gets so demanding and stressful! Well we hope to take some of the stress away and give you some awesome gift ideas as well as some fun DIY Christmas decoration ideas.

I saw this pearl ornament on Pinterest pinned from Do It Yourself Divas blog.  Click the link to their blog to see the ornament or check it out here on my Christmas Pinterest Board.

So I decided to give it a try - and I'm so happy that I did!! It came out beautiful and will be my favorite ornament on the tree this year. The DIY Divas did it with a broken necklace - well I didn't have one of those laying around so I bought these glass pearls from Michael's:

I started out using super glue.  It actually worked really well but got messy and sticky.  Probably better to use a hot glue gun.  And I would totally recommend using tweezers to hold the pearls instead of getting the glue all over your fingers.  And whatever you do, don't try to use that fabric or jewelry glue - it doesn't dry fast enough and the pearls just fall off!!!

Just keep gluing the pearls on until you've covered the ball.  And that's all there is to it.  Add a ribbon and voila! You have a Hand-Made ornament for your tree.  This would also make a pretty cool present!!

Ok - so I told a friend of mine that I was going to be doing another Christmas Gift Guide today. But the truth is that I totally ran out of time to do the proper research.  But I'm not going to leave her empty handed!!  This website has some really AWESOME deals on decorations and crafts.  So if you aren't feeling very DIY - you can score some great deals on decorations.  It's called Save on Crafts but while they offer products for crafting, they also have a ton of products that are ready to go.

Like this Rhinestone Crystal Sphere for $8:

Or this oh-so-gorgeous ribbon and pearl garland for $24.99:

Ok - so as a special gift this December - Dani and I won't be posting just Monday through Friday.  Look for our posts on the weekends too!!! Especially this weekend since I'll be coming back to you with another Christmas Gift Guide!!! I have some really AH-MAZING inspiration for what to get the guy in your life, whether it be your honey, dad, brother or best friend!! Oh and Dani gave some awesome inspiration for gifts girls would love to get from their boo... but now we'll be throwing out even more ideas for what to get our best friends, sisters and moms.  

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me.......

By: Danie

One ring a sparklin'

I am so excited to kick off 25 days of Christmas! Also to share with the world that I am engaged to my best friend and I am officially the future Mrs. Shutka. I couldn't be happier about spending the rest of my life with the man of my dreams :)

Soo.... Ashley and I thought it would be a fantastic idea to get ready for Christmas by giving everyone Christmas ideas for him, her, grandmas, grandpas and a few DIYs in there to spice it up!

Obviously I am in the mood to talk about gifts for your lovely lady;) You really cant top the engagement ring but try these items to make Christmas extra special for her {whoever she may be}

You could give your lovely the key to your heart in that little blue box {every girl's dream}. Tiffanys has so many key pendants in a variety of prices. Trust me the look on her face will be priceless!

Watches are always a great gift for your lady, she will wear it everyday and every time she looks at it she will think about you. There were a lot of rose gold watches and mixed metallics, if you have a trendy gal head over to Nordstroms because they have a great selection. I LOVE gold..... it is my favorite so of course I chose a gold Juicy Couture, I like the leatheresque straps and the bulky face.

What better a way to say I love you than a puzzle! It isn't the most traditional gift but how thoughtful and fun?!? You can find it at personalization mall.

The jewelry trunk isn't expensive or romantic but I couldn't get over how awesome and vintage it looked and your lovely has to put all that jewelry somewhere :) It's not the most common gift but its thoughtful and any gal would love it!


You will be getting a double dose of us every week until the 25th! So check back for some more awesome gift ideas.