GIFT GUIDES: THE PHILANTHROPIST

Receiving a ton of gifts at once is fun and all, but it can sometimes make you feel a bit greedy. The holidays are all about spreading cheer to those you love, but doesn't it feel good to give to someone you may not even know? This holiday gift guide is dedicated for the person who wants to give, and give back.

31 BITS

PHOTO VIA 31 BITS

Minimalist jewelry is all anyone is wearing these days. A simple metallic necklace is a statement all its own, but it's much more meaningful when it serves a real life purpose. 31 Bits is dedicated to providing Ugandan artisan women with a market for their beautiful craftsmanship skills, and has an ever-growing jewelry collection with something for everyone.

LOVE WITH FOOD

PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM

If subscription boxes are more your style, Love With Food may be your gift of choice. These monthly packages of organic snacks give back by passing a portion of sales to charities devoted to fighting childhood hunger. These packages are a definite way to win to your loved ones' hearts (and tummies).

S'WELL

PHOTO VIA S'WELL

We all get thirsty, and S'well water bottles are here for more than keeping your hydration stylish. These on-trend, stainless steel hot & cold bottles are partnered with UNICEF to help ensure the recipient isn't the only one hydrating. They donate a portion of their sales to the charity to ensure that kids around the world are getting access to clean, drinkable water.

WARBY PARKER

PHOTO VIA WARBY PARKER

While some choose glasses purely as a fashion statement, many have them as a necessity. Warby Parker has acquired quite a following as of late, and for good reason. Their glasses are stylish and practical (and don't worry 20/20s, they offer equally great sunglasses too), and they serve a great cause. The company is partnered with VisionSpring, who helps them follow through on their promise to provide someone in need with a pair of glasses whenever they make a sale.

GIVING KEYS

PHOTO VIA GIVING KEYS

Who says your house key can't be a fashion statement? Giving Keys took it to the next level by engraving inspiring words on each of their variety of accessories, inspired by two of the co-founders who were homeless before starting the company. The company aims to transition people out of homelessness, much like two of the three founders were able to do.

SHOPPING FOR A CHANGE

PHOTO VIA SHOPPING FOR A CHANGE

If you aren't sure exactly what to get someone this Christmas, Shopping for a Change just may be your ideal place to start. Bringing together the work of a variety of undiscovered artisans from all around the world is what makes this shop so diverse, covering everything from fashion to home goods. 

SSEKO SANDALS

PHOTO VIA SSEKO SANDALS

You simply can't go wrong with a pair of sandals as versatile as Sseko Sandals. If you're not sure exactly what type of shoes your recipient loves, leave it up to them to decide! With so many unique ways to tie the sandals, it's hard to believe that it gets better. This charity is devoted to working for women, and sending them to college. Is that a respectable shoe or what?

NOONDAY COLLECTION

PHOTO VIA NOONDAY COLLECTION

If you're looking to give something a little more authentically global, Noonday Collection is the place. This shop provides a market for artisans around the world to display and sell their unique, culturally influenced work to markets they would normally have a hard time getting into, and the recipient gets an amazing piece of a far away land because of it!

WORLD WILDLIFE FUND: ADOPTING AN ELEPHANT

PHOTO VIA WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

If you're telling me you've never wanted to have a pet elephant, I'm probably going to assume you're lying. With World Wildlife Fund's Adopt an Elephant package, you have a chance to do your part to keep these babies around. When you symbolically adopt an elephant, they'll use your payment to ensure that an elephant is taken care of with food and water. They even send a plush elephant so you never forget about your friend on the other side of the world.

DRIVEN COFFEE

PHOTO VIA SO MUNCH LOVE

It's hard to live in the modern day without knowing at least one coffee snob. It's okay to be a coffee snob, especially if that mean's you're supporting an ethical coffee business like Driven Coffee. The brand donates a portion of its sales to a variety of charities, and has an incredible selection of coffee to boot.

DECORATING A KID'S ROOM FOR THE HOLIDAYS

This post is sponsored by The Land of Nod.

It's the day after Thanksgiving, so let the Christmas decorating begin! Before I finished decorating our mantel or hung up the Christmas lights outside, I decorated Levi's and Elle's rooms. Christmas through my kids' eyes is the best gift of all, and so I wanted to bring it into their rooms (check out Levi's nursery here). I designed Elle's big girl room with The Land of Nod, and I wanted to her modern decor style for Christmas. There's no other retailer that creates and sells modern decor for baby's and kid's like The Land of Nod.

I first added a little cheer to her art wall with this "Santa Said So" print and felt garland. Nod also has the cutest stockings for kids. Since she already has quite a lot of pink in her room, I thought this kitten stocking would go purrrrrfectly.

I replaced her woven hanging for this "holidays greetings" banner too.

Having your own personal Christmas tree is pretty cool, and this one from Nod is adorable. It comes with its own Christmas tree skirt and felt ornaments.

But my favorite item of all (and Elle's too) is this sweet Clara doll and her Nutcracker companion. Watching The Nutcracker Ballet and listening Tchaikovsky's music brings back so many memories for me as a dance and musician.

Elle got the coolest unicorn from Nod, and I thought it would be fun if Chilly (the unicorn) had a bit of Christmas cheer too. So, I put a wreath her as if she was a prize winning unicorn.

To get Elle's whole room, be sure to shop the look below. Photos by Rennai Hoefer.

Striped sheets Duvet Santa Said So print Unicorn Holiday Greetings banner Kitty stocking Felt garland Clara Doll Nutcracker Mini tree and ornaments

ADDING HOLIDAY CHEER TO YOUR NURSERY

This post is sponsored by World Market. 

Experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a child is magical. The excitement they have for their stockings, the twinkle lights and all of the ornaments doesn't even compare to mine. So, it makes complete sense to me to sprinkle some of the holiday magic in their bedrooms. I've partnered with World Market to show you how I've added some holiday cheer to Levi's nursery.

His nursery is already rich in color with navy blue, gray, maroon, and gold making up the majority of the color palette (see his original makeover here). Bright red would obviously clash, so I went with more of a woodland theme for his room with a touch of muted reds. World Market had everything I needed even down to the little critters of the forest like glittery porcupines and foxes.

Since the mirror is the focal point of his room I added a wooden star in the center and some greenery on top. I also picked up the coziest gray and white throw. I really want to steal it and put it in my living room now.

I also added a gold garland to his crib that says "happy holidays" (note: I do not recommend placing a garland on your crib if your child is older than a newborn. They could potentially pull it off and strangle themselves. I just wanted to place it here for an additional idea if you're bring home a newborn for the holidays).

I put a 7ft tree in his room with strands of popcorn and fruit loops (placed out of his reach), and I placed all sorts of little critters around his room. 

I think my favorite is this little fox with a plaid scarf. I also found the cutest advent calendar made out of wood (in store only). Counting down to Christmas makes everything more exciting don't you think?

Reading Christmas stories at bedtime is one of my favorite childhood memories. I found the old book my mom used to read to me during Christmas time and pulled it out for Levi. I also found a cozy, fuzzy pillow for his chair and changed out his brass cacti planters for brass stars. It really is the coziest reading nook!

Of course, I've added some cheer to his minimalist, modern bookshelf. This lumberjack nutcracker is the perfect touch for a little boy's room. A little reindeer too for good measure.

Stay tuned for Elle's room, and shop Levi's nursery below. World Market is going to have an amazing black Friday sale too. Be sure to be on the look out Wednesday night!

GET THE LOOK:

All photos by Rennai Hoefer; this post contains affiliate links.

GIFT GUIDES: THE CUSTOMIZER

It's officially gift giving season. The time to think of the perfect something for the perfect someone can bring on stress, but why complicate it? I know how much most people hate giving out gift cards, so I put together this gift guide to help you choose goodies perfectly tailored to everyone on your shopping list.

CUSTOM MINIMALIST JEWELRY

PHOTO VIA CAITYLNMINIMALIST

With it becoming more and more of a trend to have jewelry to be kept on consistently, minimalist jewelry doesn't seem to be going anywhere. It's easy, beautiful, and adds a delicate and feminine twist to any look. CaitlynMinimalist on Etsy has found a way to make the minimalist jewelry trend even more personal with this gorgeous bracelet. Just send her a note with what you want included on the bracelet (or a variety of other jewelry offered in her shop), and she'll make the handwritten note into a beautiful piece of jewelry.

BEAUTY SUBSCRIPTION BOX

PHOTO VIA BIRCHBOX

If you have a friend or relative who's really into makeup and beauty (or wants to get into makeup and beauty), a beauty box subscription like Birchbox just might be exactly what you're looking for. If the person you're buying for is on the picky side, all you have to do is answer a few questions about them, and Birchbox will ship a variety of goodies to their door to pick and choose from.

EMBOSSED ACCESSORIES

PHOTO VIA FOSSIL

Fossil is a brand we all know and love, serving up trendy (practical) leather goods at a variety of price ranges. If you're looking to treat the accessories lover in your life, give Fossil's free embossing service a try over the holidays. The recipient is definitely going to feel stylish with their new tote in hand, and all the more special with the extra thought of customizing.

ENGRAVED TECH

PHOTO VIA UNIQFIND

If you're really looking to treat someone in your life with the newest piece of tech, Apple offers an engraving service for both their iPads and iPods. Whether you want to write lyrics of a special song on the back of your husband's iPod, or simply engrave your mom's name into her new iPad, the extra detail makes a meaningful gift even more thoughtful.

ENGRAVED HOME GOODS

PHOTO VIA POTTERY BARN

If you know someone who is constantly renovating their house (like me), what better investment than a personal home gift? This copper ice bucket by Pottery Barn is a great gift for the entertainer in your life, and the ability to engrave the gorgeous copper makes it all the more personal.

PERSONALIZED MAKEUP PALETTE

PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM

If you have a friend who just doesn't feel complete without a swipe of eyeshadow on her lids, why not allow her to make a palette with all of her favorite shades? MAC Cosmetics offers a gift card for the recipient to create her ideal combination of shadows (and if you're totally opposed to the gift card thing and are feeling gutsy, you can create it for her). Just in time for New Year's glam!

PERSONALIZED TEA SETS

PHOTO VIA BIG FAT BAKER

If you're looking for a way to warm up a loved one's life, why not introduce them to the soothing art of tea? Teavana offers a variety of holiday sample sets for the tea-drinking newbie, and it's a heartwarming way to connect with someone you care about (after all, who doesn't want to chat over a cup of tea?). If you're not clicking with any of their holiday sets, why not just pick out a few flavors your friend will love, and maybe one you recommend?

CUSTOM SHADES

PHOTO VIA URBAN OUTFITTERS

It's not just women who appreciate a good accessory. Sunglasses are a universal way to dazzle anyone in your life, regardless of their style. Ray-Ban gives customers the ability to create their own custom shades, a great way to add a unique spin on a classic style.

CUSTOM PLANNER

PHOTO VIA BUZZFEED

With the year coming to a close, your friends and family are going to be looking to get a start on next year's plans. A custom planner from Paper Source is an incredible way to excite the stationery lover in your life, while helping them get organized in the most fashion-forward way.

GENERAL SUBSCRIPTION BOX

PHOTO VIA BEST OF QUARTERLY

Maybe you're really into this whole "gift that keeps on giving" idea that comes with a subscription box, but none of the people on your list are exactly beauty girls. Don't worry! Quarterly Co. has a variety of subscription boxes at diverse price range covering an even more diverse area of interests, so you're bound to find something the recipient will love!

*This post contains affiliate links. 

HOLIDAY PATIO DECOR

This post is sponsored by Hayneedle.

In Arizona we use our patio the most starting in November and going through April. The visions of snow covered pine trees and crisp cold nights with a fire don't really apply to us. Instead, it's blue, sunny skies, 80 degrees and t-shirt weather. So, to make the outdoors feel more like the holidays I partnered with Hayneedle to spruce up our patio with some simple holiday cheer. 

About six months ago we finally got patio furniture after being married for 9 years. Having a nice seating area has been so nice for our guests and our family (click here to see the our summer design). We chose very simple, clean and modern pieces to work with, and that has allowed us to easily change out the color scheme when we want. 

I never have decorated over the top for the holidays. I'm pretty minimal when it comes to decorating our tree, our front yard and even our backyard. So, for our new-ish patio I simply added a pop of red here and there with boho red outdoor pillows and some pretty lanterns. 

I also placed faux evergreen topiaries in white pots and hung a wreath on our blanket ladder. Geraniums are also a nice pop of red for your outdoor patio. Of course, succulents an also add that pop of green that you might be missing. You can find non-traditional planters to place them in such as this drink bin. 

At night we like to take out our fire pit and cozy up with blankets. In fact, this past weekend we even roasted s'mores with our friends. 

To read more about this makeover and see more photos, visit Hayneedle's blog. You can also find my style board featuring all of the products. 

GET THE LOOK:
Bench and chairs
Fire pit
Blanket Ladder
Wreath
Topiaries
Red lantern
Area rug
Moroccan poufs

Photos by Rennai Hoefer; this post contains affiliate links; product was given for this post.