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diy holiday gift boxes
you may have someone in your life that’s hard to buy for – especially when they don’t just send out a list of what they want. i have a strong love for making gift boxes, so i decided to gift a few relatives (that don’t read the blog) with some this year. if they cook or bake, here are some ideas for how to make your own gift box for that lucky person.
i did all of the shopping in three stores : two small local boutiques with dope pantry sections, and the rest at world market.
DIY GIFT BOX :: FOR THE COOK
for the cook i’m gifting, i focused on staples that i know he uses in the kitchen and then added in a few novelty items to make it fun.STAPLE ITEM IDEAS
lentils
maldon sea salt flakes (this stuff makes EVERYTHING better, including sweets)
mustard powder
italian rice (good for risottos)
hawaiian sea salt
a pretty new whiskSPECIALTY ITEM IDEAS
umami paste
lobster pâté
yuzu pao sauce
fancy pickles
the boxes were bought at joanns and the shredded paper filler is from world market.
DIY GIFT BOX :: FOR THE BAKER
for the baker, we tried to fill with baking staples that we know she’ll end up using – and just added a couple fun things to spice it up.STAPLE ITEM IDEAS
raw honey
vanilla extract
baking soda
baking powder
caster sugarSPECIALTY ITEM IDEAS
some pretty mast brothers chocolate
lemon curd
cupcake liners
cookie cutters
and then i was so into the gift box idea — that i made one for my husband too (he promised not to look at the blog today). he is obsessed with incense and getting rid of the cat litter smell, so i made him his own little scent gift box.
DIY GIFT BOX :: FOR THE SCENT LOVER
ITEMS
palo santo sticks
a couple of sage bundles
vintage matchbooks
our favorite PF candlei put all of the items into a vintage cigar box.
soooo anyway – if you’re stuck on what to gift someone this year, you can probably tell i suggest making them a gift box. if you’re shopping in person, you can throw one together in a few hours. and if the recipient tucks it away in a closet, then you can periodically go in and steal items back one at a time and still win!
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holiday gift guide / for the travelers
you probably have one person in your life that drives you crazy with the amount of traveling they do. because you’re jealous and therefore you hate them. but you only half hate them, right? for the person in your life who loves travel more than your relationship, here are some gift ideas they’ll love.
01. there’s nothing i hate more than earbuds on an airplane. big ol’ headphones do a way better job.
02. i LOVE instant film, but i hate how the viewfinder is never accurate and photos always suck. this printer solves ALL OF THAT
03. a super handsome solution for wrangling their ever tangling cords.
04. everyone wants a dope passport case. don’t they?
05. giving them shoe bags for their suitcase is the most helpful you can possibly be.
06. this hoodie travel pillow is not only super weird, but awesome.
07. there’s no way that a beautiful weekender bag won’t go over well.
08. a phrasebook for wherever they’re traveling to next.
09. a mini travel steamer is the most useful ever.
10. because everyone needs a pretty excuse to stay hydrated.
11. for the drinking traveler, give them the gift of way pro-user plane cocktails.
12. no brainer : a monogrammed leather luggage tag.
13. a pretty little travel beauty set so that they can stay nice and pretty for you. -
printable holiday gift tags
it’s almost time to open that stack of boxes full of gifts in your living room and start wrapping! i always love a fun gift tag to spice up a present – so i made 10 different printable tags for you guys!
as i’ve now said quite a few times, i’m super into hand lettering and the more i do it the more i think i’m improving. i still think i kinda suck, but as allen iverson said : practice. wrong demo?
as always, just print, trim and use a punch a hole for your ribbon.
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diy no sew moroccan wedding blanket tree skirt
first off : longest DIY title ever.
secondly : i am so excited to show you guys our tree skirt! i know i posted last week about not being able to get a tree, but like i said, i always cave and we are totally fine with a smaller sized tree. i’ve always disliked the tree skirt we had, and decided it was time to make our own. i’ve always loved moroccan wedding blankets, but could never afford one – not to mention sequins don’t really go with our everyday decor. so i thought incorporating one into our once a year holiday decorations would mean i’d be ok with some sparkle, and i won’t get sick of looking at it.
as you guys know, i can’t sew. so i came up with the idea that i would glue everything on — it might not be the most indestructible method, but because we’ll only be using it for a few weeks a year, i thought it would hold up ok. plus it was super easy.
materials
- plain white fabric
- sequined trim
- shag fabric
- white decorative true
- painters tape
- a shit ton of permanent fabric glue
01. cut your base fabric down to the size you want. i wanted a hexagonal shape – so we bought a large square, and taped off the sides to create the shape i wanted. then i just trimmed inside the tape.
02. cut a seam in the middle to wrap around your tree, along with a hole in the center.
03. cut 2 – 3″ strips of the shag fabric.
04. lay out all of your pieces onto the fabric, until you’re happy with everything. i was fine with the pattern looking a little wonky because i wanted it to look handmade like a true moroccan wedding blanket. i alternated the order of the sequined trim on every other side of the shag.
05. once you’re happy with the layout, start gluing. then glue all day long. let dry, trim off the overlaps. let dry for 24 hours.
i made a bunch of mistakes along the way, i first cut the hexagon to a certain size and after laying out all of my trims, was short on sequins. so i trimmed down the edges of the base and started over. i had to re – space everything a zillion times before gluing. i was also super sloppy with cutting the shag down as you can probably see, but in the end i’m still the handmade look of it.
my best advice is to buy more of everything than you think, especially fabric glue. i used three bottles!
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baba souk gift guide ( + a discount )
baba souk is one of those online shops where if you go to find a gift for one lady in your life, you’ll definitely end up finding something for every lady in your life. their shop is full of gorgeous patterns and one of a kind objects — and it’s seriously hard to not want to get something yourself. i’ve rounded up some of my favorite items from their shop – and i’m sharing a discount code with you guys that will last today through december 10th! use code ALMOSTMAKESPERFECT for 15% off! now go and get your holiday shopping done already, sheesh.
01. for the friend or coworker : anti evil eye bracelet
02. for the entertainer : graphic cheese plates
03. for the crafter : twig pencils
04. for the jewelry lover : raw quatz earrings
05. for the decorator : striped moroccan pillow
06. for the green thumb : cacti planter
07. for you : thank you cards for post – holiday gratitude -
holiday gift guide / for the cooks
i don’t know about you – but i have quite a few cooking enthusiasts in my family. so i’m always on the lookout for special kitchen items and cooking tools for them. here are 15 of my favorite picks — OH and everything is under $100!
01. you’re guaranteed that they don’t have anything like this unique fern cutting + serving board ($16)
02. the most gorgeous julienne peeler they’ll ever own. and they’ll probably keep it for life. ($52)
03. for real though, who doesn’t want recipes that only require one sheet pan? ($12)
04. gorgeous mango wood serving plates to make their delicious food look pretty ($22 – $30)
05. a modern pot holder that is prettier than any pot holder i’ve ever owned ($17)
06. for when you can’t afford a le creuset (i know i can’t) this is a beautiful alternative dutch oven ($63)
07. a beautiful mortar and pestle is a perfect safe bet for every cook. ($15)
08. a french rolling pin, not only inexpensive and functional, but also looks dope. ($13)
09. modern and affordable food canisters with wood lids, we use them for our coffee ($13)
10. a gorge wood and marble serving board, because everyone wants more marble in their kitchen ($68)
11. snoop in their drawers and replace all utensils that are as old as you. they’ll think you’re the best. ($10)
12. fancy olive oil is the other perfect safe bet for every cook. ($36)
13. and so is fancy salt. especially truffle salt because people love novelty. ($19)
14. everyone wants prettier mixing bowls (maybe?) but no one buys for themselves (i’d think?) ($88)
15. we got a mandoline and that shit is LIFE CHANGING. ($15) -
diy makeshift xmas tree wall hanging
every year i want a tree, but i dread how big its going to feel in our tiny living room — some people in small space just don’t go for it because of that – so here’s an idea for a modern alternative that can still feel like your focal point and smell like a tree too!
and the best part, it takes less than an hour and you can hang and take down in a couple of minutes with no damage to your wall.
materials
- a super long wooden dowel
- fresh greenery (evergreen for the au naturales, but i used rosemary)
- hot glue gun
- scissors or shears
- painters tape
- a saw
01. cut your dowel down into as many pieces as you want. i chose my longest size, and then cut the rest a little shorter than the previous.
02. shear your greens (we bought a rosemary tree for $7 and i ended up using all of it) start gluing the greenery to your wood. cover the stems with additional pieces, and fill in any gaps with little pieces.
03. let dry, and then attached long rolled pieces of painters tape to the backs. hang and push into the wall as hard as you can to secure.
you can obviously go way bigger if you have more greens and more wood — and make it TREE SIZED OMG! i didn’t though.
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holiday gift guide / gifts under $25
in case you’re playing secret santa this year, you’re looking for stocking stuffers, or you’re trying to stay frugal this holiday — here are some pretty great gifts that don’t cost a fortune.
01. i only live with one boy, but i know he likes facial masks just like i do. so this is more gender neutral than you think based on one boy ($18)
02. some cute recipe cards are the perfect gift for any cook because not only is it inexpensive and thoughtful, but they’ll use them too ($12)
03. but if they don’t cook, they just drink — get them a cocktail recipe book because everyone loves a cocktail recipe book ($14.95)
04. metallic playing cards work for a boy who plays cards or a girl who likes to display pretty items on her coffee table. win win ($18)
05. and when you literally have no idea what they like, just get them a pretty leather key ring ($8)
06. i’ve included pf candles before, but that’s because they’re incredible. every scent is perfect ($16)
07. and because scents are easy and useful gifts, here is my favorite incense ($10)
08. a beautiful ring dish is a lot easier to pick out for someone than actual jewelry ($25)
09. for the craftier recipient, give them a diy kit to make their own candles ($22)
10. you can never have too many tea towels. seriously ($22)
11. rad earbuds seem like the perfect gift because i would never think to buy for myself. plus i can’t use earbuds because my ears are too small ($22)
12. a pretty journal or sketchbook is another gift that works for almost anyone ($24)
13. i rarely buy myself zipper pouches, even though i want 10 at any given time. it’s over $25 with monogramming, so i’m sorry. but maybe you don’t want it monogrammed! right?! ($24) -
mini chicken + waffles
now that you’re hopefully in eat everything mode for the holidays — i wanted to share an appetizer recipe that is SO easy and quick, and perfect for any holiday party you might be throwing or attending, especially because you don’t need any fresh ingredients.
we had a very similar hors d’oeuvre served at our wedding and people went CRAZY for it. so i wanted to make my own much simpler version. this is also my second attempt since the wedding, and i learned from some mistakes so this is my best version for you guys.
mini chicken and waffles
frozen chicken
mini toaster waffles
maple syrup
sea salt
herbs de provence
toothpicks
01. cook the chicken according the packages directions. we used orange chicken without the sauce, because one of the lessons i learned from my first attempt was the frozen popcorn chicken i bought was shit. it wasn’t browned all the way around and it didn’t have a nice crunchy batter like the orange chicken does. so i recommend orange chicken!
02. toast the waffles once the chicken has just a couple minutes left.
03. assemble. that means put the chicken on top of the waffle, and stick a toothpick through. you knew that.
04. liberally sprinkle salt, and MUCH more liberally sprinkle the herbs de provence. because this was my second lesson : the first batch was a little bland. i am a huge advocate of herbs de provence. i put it on almost everything. and i swear it made such a difference with these.
05. drizzle the syrup on top and you’re ready to serve! told you that was easy.
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last minute thanksgiving inspo + happy thanksgiving
it’s another year, and another time i’ll apologize to all of you that don’t celebrate thanksgiving having to deal with all the blogs posting about thanksgiving. but at least there’s a lot of pretty tables for you to get inspired to host some autumnal dinner parties!
i’m signing off for the week, but wanted to share some inspiration to help you set your table or pretty up your guests leftovers.
