// DIY "Get Cozy" Gift Basket

Gift baskets are one of my absolute favorite things to give people as gifts. You can make a gift basket out of anything and with any theme. I love that! It's a great way to squeeze in a lot of special little treats for a variety of people, too. For the Michaels Makers December challenge, we were tasked with coming up with a DIY gift and showing how we'd wrap it. Well, my basket isn't really "wrapped" but I like to think that it's more about the presentation than actual wrapping.

This is my "Get Cozy" Christmas basket! It's overflowing with hot beverages to suit any taste. Coffees, teas, and cocoas, too! Since there are a lot of family "clusters" at our Christmases, this is the perfect solution for gifting something for everyone, without spending a fortune and without needing to get too specific. 

I included a bevy of goodies in this basket. Everything from whole bean coffee, chocolate covered espresso beans, tea (loose leaf, sachets, bags), a few different hot cocoa mixes, some fun neon cocoa marshmallows, local honey, and DIY coffee syrup (caramel!) The coffee syrup is great becasue you can get so many servings out of one little batch. I tossed in a fun tea towel, box of caramel chocolates, and some tea bags for the loose leaf tea, also. The basket itself is a galvanized tin from Michaels and I just added some floral foam to fill it out a bit before adding a cozy blanket. I used a variety of glass jars from Michaels to hold some of the goodies in the box. (These remained water-tight for me since they were standing up - If you decide to spend a basket like this in the mail, you might want to try a different type of jar just to ensure they don't leak in transit!)

You can get super creative and add chalkboard labels, or even add a bit of chalkboard paint to the front of the jars to highlight what each item is. I had planned on adding some pie boxes filled with some ooey gooey pie we made for Thanksgiving, but uh... we sort of ate it all haha! 

I definitely plan on giving a bunch of gift baskets again this year. Filled with treats like this, homemade banana bread, DIY/handmade trinkets, etc. There's just something so fun about gift baskets! Giving and receiving them is so awesome. It's like a gift that just keeps on giving, ya know?

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If you're still mulling over what to give your loved ones this year, check out the holiday gift guide from Michaels. If you didn't catch our dream tree reveal or tree decorating tips, be sure to check those out, too! And finally, if you're in the crafty mood and want to give the gift of a homemade trinket, check out the DIY gift projects on the Michaels Pinterest page! My fellow Michaels Makers are sharing their own DIY gifts and wrappings below, too. Inspiration overload!

Are you a gift basket type of person? What type/theme basket would be your ultimate favorite to receive? I might need to share a few more of the ones I end up making! xo

An InLinkz Link-up

// Valentine's Day Gift Guide For Him + Her

Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday! I don't care who denounces it as a "true" holiday but I love everything pink and red and white and glittery and love-inspired. I stress it to Mike every year just how much I love V-Day. Last year I whipped up a pretty large Gift Guide for Him + Her and once I stumbled upon it I was inspired to do it again! If any of you are last minute shoppers like me, maybe this will come in handy. Whether you have a boyfriend/girlfriend/partner to shop for, or you want to treat yourself or inspire your sweetie, feel free to take a look at my favorite picks for the year!

For Her: 1 - valentine's day card // 2 - heart necklace // 3 - ban.do heart clip // 4 - pink sunglasses // 5 - with all my heart tee // 6 - hunter boots // 7 - kate spade travel tumbler // 8 - rifle paper co. ombre phone case // 9 - theBalm blush // 10 - mr + mrs lowball glasses // 11 - coffee mug // 12 - essie polish // 13 - heart umbrella // 14 - ban.do bobbies // 15 - red wedges

For Him: 1 - bacon of the month club // 2 - single malt scotch // 3 - whiskey rocks // 4 - bowties for equality // 5 - deep tea diver infuser // 6 - travel cocktail set // 7 - red backpack // 8 - shaving kit // 9 - vintage-inspired gumball machine // 10 - pajamas // 11 - supper hero apron // 12 - military soap kit // 13 - super power strip // 14 - headphones // 15 - literary phone case

Any of these appeal to you?! I was stoked when Mike looked at my "For Him" list and liked everything on it. I'm getting pretty good at this gift giving thing!

// Last Minute Gifts Worth Giving

Y'all, I'm a last minute shopper. Every year I say I'm going to do better, then I don't. I'm left scrambling for the last thing I can order or swipe from the shelves... but I promise I really do try! Rather than wrestle up a different gift guide for every person in your life, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things to gift people with! Even if you can't wrap it under the tree for Christmas day, you can be sure to give a gift that they will love! 

Here are a few of my suggestions:

• StickyGram magnets, iPhone cases and iPad covers! - StickyGram allows you to build these gorgeous cases for your tech devices using images you've shared on Instagram! You can even make gorgeous magnets to hang around your home. Tomorrow is the last day to order magnets for US delivery, but you can always give the gift of a StickyGram giftcard, that way you know the recipient will get the photos he/she loves the most! I have an iPhone case and I love the soft, matte texture. It's so much nicer than the glossy ones out there!
• BirchBox Subscription - If you know someone who loves makeup and trying new products, this is totally the perfect gift! You can sign the recipient up for 3, 6, or 12 months! There's even an "Ultimate" package where you can give the gift of some fancy additional products. BirchBox now has a Men's subscription box, too! If you've tried BirchBox and didn't exactly love it, you can also check out Ipsy, Beauty Box 5, and Glossybox, just to name a few! (These are as low as $10/month!)
• KiwiCrate Subscription - KiwiCrate is the ideal "hands on" gift for any child in your life. Monthly projects range from gardening to science projects and even craft activities! (Sign up with this link and you'll get $10 off your first order!)
• Craft Coffee Subscription - I'm a huge fan of this subscription service and I held onto my first batches of Craft Coffee for far too long (I wanted to savor them!) If you've got a coffee lover in your life, look no further. There's nothing quite like a nice, refreshing cup of coffee to start each morning!
• Denik Notebooks - I'm totally biased since I designed the two featured, but I love the cause and I love the quality of the product. For each notebook sold, Denik donates a portion of the proceeds to help build schools around the world. They're currently fundraising to build a center in Mali, Africa! Everyone who has ordered one so far has nothing but nice things to say and I'm so grateful for the opportunity!
• Amazon Prime - The gift that keeps on giving! Amazon Prime is by far one of the best gift ideas I could think of when I considered folks who spend time online and shop often. I've had Amazon Prime for years and it's such a good investment! For just $79, you get free, 2 day shipping on most Amazon orders for a full year! We do so much shopping on Amazon so it really makes a difference! (Students get it for half-off!)
• StitchFix - I'll sing the praises of StitchFix until I die, I'm sure of it. If you know someone who loves clothes but isn't a huge fan of the mall or crowds in general, this is the gift for her! Give the gift of great style and allow her the opportunity to try everything on in the comfort of her own home. It makes a world of difference in the actual decision making process!

Today Mike and I have so much shopping left to do! We spent roughly 9 hours out and about shopping yesterday and came home almost empty handed. That's never fun! If you're stuck feeling the same way, hopefully some of these suggestions will help!

Now let's hear YOUR suggestions! I need all of the help I can get! Have you picked up anything fabulous for those in your life? xo

// InStyle Holiday Giftguide

Today I'm sharing my pick's from the InStyle Boutique that just launched on Monday! InStyle put together a large gift-guide this year to help you shop this season's must-have holiday items. I chose to highlight the accessories department as I'm constantly trying to incorporate new pieces into my wardrobe so my typical cardigan and dress combo doesn't fall flat. I'd be happy to own each and every one of the pieces I selected haha!

Here's what I chose:

1. Tommy Bahama Melifont Knit Scarf. I love infinity scarves during the cold weather seasons. They're functional and fashionable. The dusty grey color is definitely a favorite.
2. FigLeaves Passionata Glamorous set. Kind of loving this red lace bra. It's such a fun, feisty color!
3. Tommy Bahama Felted Floppy Hat. I've always wanted to be a "hat" person. Always. I love the carefree, bohemian look felted, floppy hats give to any outfit.
4. Fossil Medium Patchwork Zip Pouch. Perfect for pens, mascara, and cash! This is exactly what my purse needs.
5. Kenneth Cole Leather Notebook. I love notebooks! And this one is no exception.
6. Dooney & Bourke Nubuk Chelsea Shopper. I love a classic tote silhouette, and I love that this bright red and brown combo sort of balance each other. It's classy but still makes a statement.

InStyle's Holiday Boutique is a limited time, exclusive pop-up gift shop living on InStyle.com. The Holiday Boutique will be live on from 11.11.13 until 12.27.13. The Boutique features holiday gifts from over 30 fashion-forward brands! There's everything from $15 bracelets to a $90k necklace (!!!).

I'm currently gearing up to start my own holiday shopping, which is way better than my typical course of action: wait until Christmas Eve and then scramble to find gifts for everyone. I'm feeling a bit better about this year though. Gift guides are one of my favorite parts of the holidays on the internet. It's kind of like letting someone else do all of the hard work for you haha!

If you want some funds to help you with your holiday shopping, check out the sweepstakes! How does $3,000 sound to you?! InStyle is giving you a chance to win their shopping spree! Absolutely no purchase necessary - just enter your information to enter! And if you're interested in keeping up with the latest trends, feel free to follow InStyle on Twitter and Facebook!

This post is in partnership with InStyle and their Holiday Boutique. Thank you!