When I travel, I really like to seek out local goods and shops, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out “where the locals would go”. In order to share some of my favorite finds in different cities (and countries!), I created a “My Faves” resource, broken down my state. I hope it will help guide someone to a great shop they otherwise may not have found! If you know of a great shop from your travels, please tell me about it in the comments below.
Happy Gifting!
A trip to Target this morning dodging all the back-to-school shoppers brought to mind this post from 2015, so I'm re-publishing it for anyone looking for ideas for those heading off to college this week...happy gifting!
Yes, I realize everyone is just now hitting their summer stride, but it's not too early to think about those recent high school graduates who are headed off to college next month. Many of you may have already gifted them with cash - which is always a useful gift - but let's explore some other potential "going off to college" gift ideas that may be a bit outside the mainstream.
I admit - I love cool office supplies. One of my favorite online shops to buy fun, colorful supplies is poppin.com. The best part about Poppin is that they have a vast array of colors to choose from...which makes it easy to gift grown-up desk supplies in the recipient's college colors! We know a recent high school graduate who's headed to Kennesaw State next month so we gifted her with yellow and black supplies and post-it notes - perfect for getting her started freshman year. Another advantage to a gift like this is that it's gender neutral - suitable for guys and gals!
Image poppin.com
Does anyone else remember walking into your drab dorm room and immediately wanting to cover it with posters to mask the white cinder block walls? Ok, maybe that was just my experience, but another option for those heading away to college is a little piece of home...via a hometown poster. Here in Nashville, Anderson Design Group and Hatch Show Print both offer unique options for adding a little touch of home to a dorm room.
Image Anderson Design Group
Another way to send a little piece of home with a college freshman (or even a friend who's moving away) is with a piece of simple, state-inspired jewelry. On a recent trip to Knoxville, I found a Tennessee bracelet made by Gleeful Peacock at one of my favorite stores, Bliss. Gleeful Peacock has an array of state jewelry on her website, so maybe a bracelet or necklace from your home state would make a great send-off gift.
Image Gleeful Peacock
I'm a big fan of practical gifts, too, and one of the things I remember about being a college freshman living away from home was that suddenly I had to go buy household stuff like laundry detergent myself. Gift a practical gift like a small laundry basket filled with a couple of fluffy towels, laundry detergent, dryer sheets and maybe a roll of quarters to feed the laundromat machine. Or, a freshman first aid kit with basics like Band-Aids, headache medicine, first aid ointment, and the like could come in very handy.
While all the gifts I've mentioned are potentially great gifts, don't forget that most of those moving off to college simply don't want to be a victim of "out of sight, out of mind". In this day of text messaging and instant everything, sometimes a simple piece of mail or a postcard can really brighten their day. So, make a note to send them a postcard from that beach vacation or even from home. You never know how great the simple gift of "hello" can be.
Nashville postcards from Anderson Design Group. Image southern giftologist.
Hello, July - how did you sneak up on us so quickly?! 'Tis the season for beach trips, girlfriend getaways, bachelorette weekends and weddings, so today I'm sharing a gift idea that can be customized and used for your gal pals for any occasion!
The "girlfriend swag bag" can be customized to your recipient and/or occasion. Image southern giftologist.
The base of your gift would be a fun cosmetic or make-up bag - then you can fill it up with general necessities (such as mine above) or make it more focused to a particular theme: makeup, hair, nails, luxe toiletries - be creative! The possibilities are endless! The best part is you can go as low-end or high-end as you like to fit your budget.
Happy Summer and Happy Gifting!
What's in my bag, above: Essie nail polish, Herbivore Botanicals body oil and after sun spray, gum, face blotting papers, fun keychain, designer bandages, blister bandages, pill case (with Tylenol and Advil), Emi-Jay hair ties, mineral water face spray (great to keep in your cooler by the pool or beach), Scout cosmetic bag, rollerball perfume, Nash+Jones natural lip balm and Marvis toothpaste.
I've had travel on the brain, which you will see reflected in this post and likely another one or two in the future. We are also on the cusp of "Wedding Season" so I wanted to offer an alternative gift idea to the standard registry fare. This gift was inspired by one my husband and I received from some dear friends when we were married - a personalized large boat tote with two large, fluffy beach towels. As active boaters, this has been invaluable and used year after year and so I used the "boat tote" concept as a base for a fun, travel-related gift that can be customized based on the recipient and their lifestyle.
Just a few elements that would make a wonderful travel-related gift - courtesy of my Olioboard.
It seems that most everyone either heads to the beach, lake or mountains for a vacation at some point during the year, so start with these items as a basis for your gift:
Are your idea wheels turning yet? The beauty of this gift idea is that you can customize to fit your budget and/or your recipients lifestyle. In closing, I leave you with this little story...
Several years ago I had the honor of attending our former exchange student's wedding in France. I wanted to gift them with something unique from the U.S., so I had a large LL Bean boat tote personalized for the bride and groom and also gave them some Nashville treats. The gift was a hit with the French newlyweds as they frequently visited the French coast and I will never forget the bride's new obsession with the "Goo-Goos" (insert cute French accent here).
Happy Gifting!
Maybe it's just me, but the first couple of months of the year are a bit of a "gifting lull" after the craziness of the holidays. There are a few birthdays here and there, but it's nothing like the Graduation|Mother's Day|Father's Day|Wedding Season that seems to descend upon us beginning in early May.
In previous posts, I've talked about my gifting goals - creating a gift budget and stocking up on stationery and greeting cards - so that I'm always at the ready. Today, in that same vein, I want to share with you my gift wrapping goals for 2017.
Has it ever happened that you had the gift ready, the card ready annnnndddd...you realize you are lacking a gift box/bag/appropriate wrapping paper for said gift? No? Lucky you! For some reason the gift delivery vessel often slips my mind and leaves me unprepared. Not this year! I have found various gift bag sets at both Michaels and World Market, so I've stocked up on small, medium and large gift bags to keep at the ready. I also added tissue paper and ribbon to my supply bin.
But wait! There's more! I decided to go with a signature color for wrapping most gifts - obviously it's not a one-size-fits-all solution, but it should cover roughly 80-90% of my gifting occasions which leaves me more time to focus on finding the perfect gift.
Of course my signature wrapping was going to closely match my logo colors! Image southern giftologist
Happy gifting!
Hello, 2017! A new year means many of us set resolutions and goals for the upcoming year. For those of you who have followed my blog, it should be no surprise that I am a big fan of handwritten notes and cards, so today I want to share with you one of my goals for the new year - stocking up on stationery.
Life happens, right? Births, deaths, celebrations, not-so-celebratory events - yes, some of those occasions could be acknowledged with a text or a Facebook post, but some should not. Aside from picking up the phone for an actual conversation, a handwritten expression is sometimes the most appropriate. Besides, who doesn't love opening the mailbox and seeing that someone took the time to sit down and write a note of thanks, sympathy, celebration or even a simple "hello"?
Notecard by West Park Creative. Image southern giftologist
The challenge I have found myself faced with in the past was not having the proper card to send - and who has time to run to the store for a card every time "life" happens? So this year, my goal is to curate my own mini-Hallmark, if you will. I will strive to have some card or stationery on hand that can cover those more common needs of expression - thank you, sympathy, congrats - or simply, hello.
Top two cards by Breathless Paper Company and bottom two cards by Tiramisu Paperie. Image southern giftologist
Keeping a well-stocked stationery collection doesn't require a lot of space - I just used a plastic container and organized my cards by occasion. Having a book of stamps - gasp! retro! - on hand also helps keep me prepared for any card-giving or note-sending event - fun pens optional!
All-occasion note set by R&B Printery. Image southern giftologist
So the next time you run across some fun, locally-made cards or stationery, stock up - you never know when "life" will happen and have you reaching for the appropriate card. Happy gifting!
What would your reaction be if I suggested gifting sheets, laundry detergent and soap this holiday season? I will admit - I am gifting some of those items this year. One of my goals when giving is that the item is useful to my recipient. Do I always achieve that goal or follow that rule? Of course not! Some gifts are meant to be fun, frivolous objects. But today I want to share with you some of my top practical gift ideas - with a twist!
There are a couple of people in my family that are very difficult to buy for - I mean, every year it's a struggle. One year, a particular couple was moving from one house to another right after the new year. Do you know what we gave them for Christmas? Bubble wrap, packing tape, sharpies and labels. Their reaction? Complete joy. What was our last-ditch attempt at figuring out a good gift probably turned out to be the most used and appreciated items we've ever given them.
So I present to you some ideas for practical, yet gift-worthy items:
All photos courtesy of product websites (clockwise): Humphreys Street, Emi Jay, Red Land Cotton, Roux Maison, Music City Suds, Mason Pearson and Nash+Jones.
There you go! Don't be afraid to treat someone to some specialty "practical" gifts this holiday season or better yet, to treat yourself to some of the products mentioned above!
Happy Gifting!
Wow - where did fall go? It seems as if the summer just ended and now we're on the cusp of the biggest shopping season of the year. While most everyone is mapping out their Black Friday shopping, I know that most of you are mapping out your Small Business Saturday shopping for November 26th - right? I thought so...in that case, let me introduce you to a lovely shop in Nolensville, TN - fresh blue mornings.
the shop is a bit hidden - it's on the lower, back side of the strip center that houses other shops and restaurants. image southern giftologist.
I was introduced to this shop a year or so ago by my friend, Meredith, who lives in the area. We visited around the holidays and I found these awesome sheets of retro holiday wrapping paper which I loved. So, I wanted to get back over there to see what holiday (and non-holiday) goodies Laura, the owner, had stocked.
holiday goodies - including a retro holiday wrap pack with twine, washi tape and tags. image southern giftologist.
So what can you expect to find at fresh blue mornings? Well, aside from the very cool old-school pink handset telephone that serves as Laura's business phone, the shop is full of grown-up party supplies, cards, candles, notepads, fancy matchbooks, washi tape, stamps, gift wrap, stationery, pens, pencils...basically great gift options!
this pack of prints was less than $20 - they could be framed or hung from clips on the wall..a fun gift for a teen or college student. image southern giftologist.
So be sure to check out fresh blue mornings on Shop Small Saturday or anytime you're in the Nolensville, TN area and say hi to Laura! Happy Gifting!
the pink telephone! image fresh blue mornings
Not sure why but lately I've been drawn to bees - not the live ones, mind you, but bee-themed items. Below are some of the things that have caught my eye as of late and I hope it will inspire your gift-giving.
My first Olioboard!
Center: Noteworthy Paper Press tea towels from Etsy
Clockwise, from top right:
A couple of weeks ago we moved our one and only child off to college at UT Knoxville and tried to cushion the blow of empty nest by taking a few days in Asheville, NC. It had been 4 years or so since our last visit and we were happy to see some of our favorite places from prior trips and also discover some new places to add to our favorites list. Aside from some great breweries, the following lists some of my favorites discovered (or rediscovered) from this trip. What are your Asheville favorites? Leave your recommendations in the comments below!
My new coffee table book from Woolworth Walk. Image southern giftologist.
New bud vase from Melissa Weiss Pottery. Image southern giftologist.
Did you make it out to Porter Flea's Summer Market this past weekend in Nashville? I did and, as usual, left with a bag full of goodies and a list of new artisans/makers to follow. My first Porter Flea was at Marathon Village several years ago and I was hooked. My favorite Porter Flea was at Cornelia Fort Airport - not that you asked. Some of my favorite things have been purchased at Porter Flea (like my Modern Arks record cabinet from the Cornelia Fort year). What I love most about this event is that my shopping moods are different at each one; thus, what I buy totally depends on my mood that particular day and there are so many FABULOUS vendors to choose from!
Usually, I drag my husband along to these events. At first he was a reluctant participant but a few years ago, he was zeroing in on cool items and started buying his own stuff. Last year, I got my friend, Jenna, to attend for the first time...I ran into her Friday night at the preview market and the next day she was texting me pictures of all her cool finds. This year, I introduced two more friends to the Porter Flea experience - I gotta admit I was worried. One friend lives in Nashville and is a choosy shopper - I love that she shares my cutthroat shopping approach when it comes to mall shopping, but Porter Flea...I wasn't sure how she would take to it. The moment we stepped through the doors it was if we stepped into Willy Wonka's candy factory and my worries melted away.
My friend got these beautiful leather coasters from Pantote. Image Courtney Faighes.
My other friend was visiting from out-of-town and also has a very refined shopping palate. She couldn't make the Friday preview market so I was nervous about her attending the frenzy on Saturday and advised her to get there as soon as possible after opening. I received a text 30 minutes in "I am loving Porter Flea!" and relief swept over me. She returned home with her own fabulous finds from Saturday's market.
So, on to my true mission for this blog post - what I bought at the Summer Market! I elected this method as opposed to clogging up everyone's Instagram feed, so I hope you enjoy a peek inside my shopping bag, so to speak...and get thee to Porter Flea's next market - you won't be disappointed!
From the top:
As I've mentioned before, I love finding local shops that carry local products - I am continually amazed at how many great local food makers and artisans we have in Nashville. With my day job in the Cool Springs area of Franklin, it's hard to find stores in that area that specialize in all things local. But, thankfully one does exist! I'm excited to introduce you to Southern Jerky Co. located on Seaboard Lane in Brentwood - the Franklin part of Brentwood, as I call it. I first tried Southern Jerky at the Taste of Tennessee Wine Festival a couple months back. At the end of the festival I went back to purchase and the line was at least 15 people long (great for her, bad for me) so I decided to make a visit to their storefront one day - and that day was a couple of weeks ago.
Inside Southern Jerky Co. Image southern giftologist.
I wasn't sure what to expect (other than jerky, obviously) but what I found was also a wide array of local products. Jennifer, one of the owners, was on duty when I stopped in and graciously gave me the rundown of the Southern Jerky products and invited me to try as many samples as I wanted. They make jerky (beef and chicken) and these delicious protein bars. I loved the location and the product selection! Southern Jerky can also put together gift baskets of the products they carry - a great gift for any occasion. With this weekend being Father's Day, they will have representatives from some of the brands they carry in-store on Friday and Saturday offering samples of their goodies, so if you're still looking for a gift (or treats) for Dad, this is your place! Check out their Facebook page for the latest happenings.
So next time you find yourself in Cool Springs, be sure to stop in Southern Jerky, pick up some delicious products and say "Hi" to Jennifer. Happy gifting!
Yummy items that came home with me! Image southern giftologist.
Piqued your interest with the title, didn't I? We live in a house built in 1951 and recently had to replace the retaining wall that was close to falling down in front of our carport. The wall is roughly 4 feet tall, so when they pulled down the concrete blocks we were faced with a wall of dirt...and other things...
Any guesses on what this is? Image Jon Bryant.
Well it turns out that the pocket of dirt held some interesting "treasures" for us - gifts from the past that created more questions than answers. So, what did we find?
Buried "treasures". Image southern giftologist.
The yellow-wheeled thing is what remains of some child's toy - yes, the red horse eyes are more creepy in person. But to me, the most interesting items are the glass bottles we found in that same pocket of dirt about 2 feet below the surface. The tall glass bottle on the left in the above picture is an old Breck shampoo bottle from around the early 60s. We also found a Merle Norman glass jar, an old Vicks Vaporub jar and a few random others.
Oh, did I fail to mention the creepy half Santa head? Anyway, while a couple of the items were on the "so weird" scale, it raised some interesting questions about how this stuff ended up in the dirt. I've heard people had trash piles back in the day and just covered their trash with dirt - I guess for futuristic folks like us to find. On the whole, it was a pretty cool surprise. Now if I can figure out how to get these bottles all cleaned up, they'll make interesting conversational pieces.
Anyone in need of a half Santa head???
As I've mentioned in past blog posts, I'm a bit old-fashioned in that I still enjoy sending handwritten notes and cards in the mail - especially for birthdays. However, like most of you, I don't always have the luxury of time to do that for every occasion. It seems the trend these days is to text well wishes (nothing wrong with that) or we rely on Facebook to remind us of a birthday and then we post or send an emoji-filled greeting (guilty!). However, today I want to share one of my favorite apps with you - Red Stamp.
Image of Red Stamp app from my phone
I've been a big fan of Red Stamp for many years and love the card options they provide for pretty much any occasion you can think of. Once you set up an account, you can store birthdays and other events you want to remember. The best part is that sending a digital card is free - you just design the card, save it to your photos and text it to your recipient - emojis optional. I've also used their app to design and purchase party invitations - just choose your design, enter the addresses (which you can store) and let them handle the mailing.
Lastly, I love the monthly calendar designs they have available for download to your device or to print on paper. Here's this month's which I have as my phone wallpaper:
Get the Red Stamp calendar download here
So let's give those emojis the rest they deserve and up our digital greeting game, shall we? Happy {digital} gifting!
I wanted to dedicate this post to all the wonderful women out there who are mothers, grandmothers or like-mothers to us. These women give us the gift of their love, their time and their support - things you don't buy online or in a store. So to all those women, thank you...and Happy Mother's Day with love!
My beautiful mother...image southern giftologist
Have you seen the calendar? Mother's Day is May 8th! My dear grandmother used to wear a "mother's ring", as we called it, with a birthstone for each of her 7 - yes 7! - children. I remember, as a child of the 80s, birthstone jewelry took up pages and pages in the JC Penney and Service Merchandise catalogs (yes, I just dated myself). Maybe times have changed or maybe I'm way out of touch (or possibly a little of both), but birthstone gifts don't seem to be quite as common as they once were. However, as we look ahead to Mother's Day (or any special birthday) let's look at two local artisans who offer a modern twist on birthstone jewelry.
I first saw Dear Mushka's work at last year's Made South Market and love her simple, yet beautiful designs. These beautiful gemstones are candy for the eyes! Create a set for Mom or treat your best friend, sister or daughter to a special piece or one of the other fabulous pieces available on her website.
Another Nashville artisan that I've had my eye on for a while is m.florita. While her Nashville-pride jewelry is what I typically see on my social media feeds and around town, I recently caught sight of her gemstone pieces and think they also deserve a place in the spotlight! The bracelet below reminds me of a current-day mother's ring...but in bracelet form. I think my Granny would have approved. This piece and several other gemstone items can be found on her website or at her shop in the Arcade in Nashville.
Hammered bangle & gemstone bracelet by m.florita. Image m.florita.
While we've focused mostly on these gifts for Mother's Day, we can't overlook the upcoming wedding season! The above pieces (and many others from Dear Mushka and m.florita) would make beautiful options for bridesmaid gifts as well.
Happy gifting!
My Granny's mother's ring
Looking for a useful - yet not too boring - gift for a new graduate or soon-to-be newlywed? Consider an etiquette or home/garden reference book. While not a book used daily, necessarily, they sure come in handy when you have a specific need or question. And besides, not everyone loves Googling and sorting through thousands of search results every time they have a question!
Some of my most-referenced reference books...image southern giftologist.
Happy gifting!
I'm diverting a bit off the traditional gift ideas path today...I recently came across an article written by Emily McCarthy for Southern Coterie regarding gifting heirlooms and it has stuck with me for a few weeks now, so I wanted to share it with you.
Image Kelli Boyd Photography for Emily McCarthy
I think most of us, especially Southern ladies, find we develop an attachment to heirlooms of our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, fathers or any close friend or relative. Whether it's an article of jewelry, art, clothing, a book or dishes, we typically find ourselves drawn to something that speaks to us or has some sort of sentimental attachment. For me, that's my mother's class ring that she gave to me a few years ago. Another interesting, yet meaningful, gift in our family was my grandmother's pink ashtray that my dear cousin ended up with after our grandmother's passing a few years ago. Regardless of what you find meaningful, what's important is that it goes to someone - at the right time - who will cherish and appreciate the item.
The Pink Ashtray once used by my grandmother, Evelyn Worm. Image Tiara King.
The blog post on Southern Coterie links to Hannah Bergen's website which provides a kit for you to track your heirlooms - their history and the intended recipient. I hope it inspires you or a loved one to document and preserve valued items within your family.
Happy gifting!
Hey, everyone! How's 2016 been treating you thus far? Like bears, those of us in the accounting world kinda go into {work} hibernation during the early part of the year, so I hope you'll excuse my brief absence. To me, Spring signals the beginning of a slew of gift-giving occasions that lead into Summer - graduations, weddings, Mother's Day, Father's Day...so on and so forth. Many of us are so busy with our daily lives that one day we look at our to-do list or look at the calendar and realize we need a gift for X occasion, like, yesterday! So, in the spirit of the new year and new resolutions, let's talk about a gift budget.
Like a regular financial budget, you have to set aside a bit of time for this process, but think of how it can pay off in reduced stress and feeling prepared for your gift buying! So let's get started...
First, you need a calendar/list of all your important gift-buying occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, holidays) and how much you typically want to spend for said occasion. Then, think about how much of a runway you want to give yourself - a deadline if you will - for buying that gift. You can also add notes or ideas for each recipient so you're more focused on your shopping. Here's an example:
I need a birthday gift on May 20th and I want to spend $50 on my recipient. Since I know early May is super busy for me, I want to have that gift purchased by May 1st. So, since I'm a paper-list person, I make a note to start gift shopping around April 20th (however, with all the great apps for smartphones out there, some of you may use that method for your gift reminders). That way, I'm thinking ahead about what I want to buy, I'm not stress shopping and best of all, I'm done well ahead of schedule!
Yeah, I'm an old-fashioned paper kinda gal...image southerngiftologist
The great thing about budgeting in this manner is you can be proactive and intentional in your gift-giving without running for that gift card tree in a panic. So, let's be organized in our gift-giving this year...who's with me?
Here we are...Christmas Eve...and I'm guessing there is someone out there racing around today for last minute gifts. Whether it's the thrill of last-minute shopping or a complete "I have no idea what to get so-and-so", I'm here to offer up some ideas (some of which my loyal readers will recognize from previous blog posts!).
Cozy throws make a great last-minute gift. Image Peacock Alley Instagram.
Happy last-minute shopping!
