The Ultimate Gift Guide: Something for Everyone!

The holidays are upon us! The official count down has begun, and many of you will be schlepping home soon to see your families and friends. It’s not looking very wintery here in Boulder (it was 70 this weekend!), but I’m okay with that for now. It makes my morning run a little easier. And even though we don’t have any snow, its still feeling very Christmas-y! My house is filled with Christmas lights, glittery pine cones, and all kinds of holiday baubles! Pearl St also has their annual Christmas set up and everything is starting to look magical!

Of course, I love spending time with family, making cookies, and drinking cider by the fire, but I LOVE presents! Not getting them silly, I love the hustle and bustle of the stores (despite constantly cursing myself in the parking lot), staying up late at night to wrap by the fire, and picking gifts that I think will fit the personalities of my loved ones perfectly.

I know with finals and traveling and everything else life brings it can be hard to find gifts for everyone. So, being the helpful Mrs. Claus that I am, I’ve put together a Holiday Gift Guide for every person on your list!

For The Hostess-with-the–Mostest

Does your roommate live her life like a Pinterest board, filled with DIY crafts, picnic themed dinner parties, and a house warmed by a home cooked meal? Why not get the Hostesses-with-the-Mostest a set of beautiful glitter spoons? They’re the perfect touch for any holiday get together! You can find them here, on the Lief Shop site!

For the Hot Nerd

Is your best friend a hottie with a secret passion for all things graphic? This Etsy shop sells great retro-prints off all your favorite superheros. A simple, contrasting frame makes this a perfect living room piece.

For The Gadget Guy

For the dude who loves everything technical, yet still looks nostalgically back to his years in the 80s and early 90s: a USB disguised as an 80s style mix-tape. It’s the best of both worlds! This gem holds up to 900 minutes of your favorite beats, so its perfect for any aspiring Skrillex who rocks a flattop.

For The Fit Fashionista

I think most Fashionista’s can attest to the fact that it is much easier to work out if your workout gear inspires you! As soon as I got my new pair of Nike Free’s, I was instantly motivated to workout every day. Sports bras in bright colors or sleek leggings can be found at low prices from Target to Forever21, as well as this neon track jacket for just around $20!

For The Hip Insider

We all have those friends who are a little too cool for school. You know, the ones who always seem to have the newest gadgets, or were born knowing trends before anyone else? So what to get the hipster who knows/has everything? Some kitschy art to decorate their shabby chic-minimalist-brownstone-loft? (See what I did there?) Parisienne graphic designer Vahram Muratyan has created some amazing pieces contrasting Paris and New York in a pop-arty, fun series. You can pick them up on Society 6 for about $35 a piece.

For The Woman Who Raised You:

It’s important to remember the people who made your Christmases so special as a kid, now that we’re old enough to give back. My mom is always tricky during the holidays because she “insists” we don’t buy her anything or she’s really vague about her Christmas wishes; but this beautiful Kate Spade iPad cover is the perfect accessory for any woman! It’s glamorously chic, but with a fun sparkly twist. Perfect for showing off her new toy at family get togethers.

For The Sophisticated Gentleman

Most men love a fine glass of strong liquor. T is more of a scotch man, but others may prefer cognac or bourbon on their evenings off. These bespoke tumblers by Sempli offer a unique and enhanced way of enjoying your liquor by allowing the booze to breathe and develop a rich aroma through the cool swirly motion. Great gift for dad or gramps to toast with on Christmas eve.

For Your Favorite Guy

This season I found it particularly easy to shop for T, and I’d tell you what I got him, but I know he’s going to take a peak into this post and I’m not ready to reveal my secret just yet! But for others, it might be a little more difficult to find something for that special guy. A fine winter sweater is always a great go to for the holidays. They’re classic, comfortable, and you can always steal it a few weeks later to stay warm during the chillier winter months. I’m a big fan of the boyfriend sweater… which is why T is beginning to run low! Hehe…

These are just a few ideas to get your list started… What are YOU asking for Christmas? xo

Good Bye 2011!

Ah well, Christmas has come and gone. And I failed my promise to bring you 7 days of Christmas. My attention span only ran for 2 days… hmm it explains a lot…  Anyways, Christmas time is always fun in my house! The 9 days leading up to Christmas is called the “Novena”, where Colombians sing carols and prayers around the tree with various instruments and enjoy traditional treats. Christmas eve is the final celebration where we sing the prayers and songs all together and enjoy Christmas eve dinner: pernil (roasted pork leg), rice, pan de yucca, and other Colombian dishes before giving presents. My brothers and I celebrate with my mom on Christmas day with a big breakfast (I made breakfast pizza!), presents, and usually head to my aunt or uncles house to continue celebrating. I must have been a good girl this year because Santa brought me an Ipad! Woo!

Dad as Santa. 

(My homemade holiday treats and breakfast pizza! I did werkk in the kitchen this break…)

My cousin is a CAKE BOSS! She made that beautiful chocolate and fondant present shaped cake herself!!

And now that Christmas and Hanukkah are behind us, we’re all looking forward to a promising New Year. This year I won’t be toasting with my friends or ringing in the New Year with the NYC ball drop. I’ll be in a very remote and rural jungle region on the Pacific coast of Colombia for the next week working on my tan, surfing, and chilling with locals. So until I write again, may everyone have a wonderful and brilliant New Year! I wish everyone the most happiness, love, and success in the upcoming year and WORK HARD AT YOUR RESOLUTIONS! (one of mine is to actually keep all of mine this year!)

Oh, and one last picture because my brother is too cute:

6 Days of Christmas

Happy Hanukkah! I’m not Jewish but I have plenty of Jewish friends and a wonderful Jewish boyf, so I’ve played my fair share of dreidel and lit a few menorah in my life. To celebrate the first night of Hanukkah I continued a tradition I started last year: Latke Dinner! This traditional Jewish snack? side dish? goodness? are supppppper easy to make! Simply peel and shred potatoes, add some onion, egg and flour, scoop into patties and fry those babies in some hot oil. They’re delish with the usual apple sauce or sour cream. I decided to add some Christmakkuh flair by eating them with my homemade cranberry chutney (which was great since I didn’t have apple sauce…)

I’ve continued my mission to bake every holiday cookie under the sun by making a pretty cranberry noel. But I also got into the spirit by getting a winter-inspired manicure! Instead of the usual dark purple or deep red holiday-hues, I opted for a winter white with a white shimmer on top (it softens it).

So for all you girlie girls: instead of dark reds, browns and purples, try other colors that encompass the winter season like mint green, peppermint pink and white (think peppermint nails with one nail painted bright white), gold glitter or pearl.

The holidays are in full swing! And I feel like I still have so much to do before I leave for Colombia next week! Gah!

7 Days of Christmas

Well now that finals are over, I’m free to go home and RELAX. Hey girl!I’m very glad to be home, but I was hoping to leave Frozen Boulder for Sunny LA. Instead I got Gloomy LA. Ew bro! Like, I’m tryna get a tan! Since I can’t do that right now, I’ve spent my time working out, listening to Rodrigo y Gabriela, eating too much food, and baking Holiday treats!

Because Christmas is only 8 days away (eek!) I’ve decided to dedicate one post a day to something Christmas-y. I know Christmas/Hannukah has crept up one most of us this year, so it’s my hope this will help get you into the holiday spirit!

I’m starting off with some great holiday treat recipes! Indulging in sugary, sweet delights is one of the best things about this time of year! Sweets always make great entertaining treats, hostess gifts, or a cozy past time during chilly days. So far I’ve made Flourless Peanut Butter, Toffee-Pretzel PB cookies (aka a Take 5 cookie!), sugar cookies (TBDecorated), and almond-apricot thumbprints.

By PB cookies were a basic gluten free cookie (yay healthy!), but to add some dynamic flavor I mixed in broken pretzels, chocolate chips, and toffee bits to create my Take 5 cookie (before leaving Boulder, I made homemade Take 5’s, pics coming soon!). They turned out sweet, salty, chewy, and delicious!

 

My almond-apricots were just as easy! Instead of using almond butter like Martha does, I replaced it with 1/4 teaspoon of pure almond extract to get the rich flavor! The dough ended up being rather creamy and soft, but works perfectly for the plumb thumbprint shape! I also baked half the cookies with the jam, and the other half without and added the apricot before they cooled. Both works great!

 

Next on my list is: peppermint marshmallows, cranberry noels, almond biscottis, and dark chocolate-cran-orange cookies. Stay tuned for lots of carols, gift wrapping, and fun holiday stuff! xo