Let's gift...the girlfriend swag bag

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. 

Get it...the Red Stamp app

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!

Holiday Birthdays

Let me start by saying I love celebrating birthdays - not my own, of course, because I don't age - but I love celebrating other people's birthdays. I mean, a whole day dedicated to YOU and the fact that you were born! That's all fine and good if your birthday is in the middle of summer, but what happens when that special day happens to fall on December 23rd...or 24th...or even the 25th?! Or what about those birthdays that occur the first week of January - right AFTER the slew of gift-giving has occurred?! Don't even suggest that the person pick another day to celebrate their birth - that's their special day! So let's talk about ways to celebrate a birthday while also celebrating a major holiday - regardless of the time of year!

Image someecards

Full disclosure...I have family and friends who happen to have birthdays a day or two before Christmas - smack dab in the middle of holiday celebrations. Before I knew better, I wrapped their birthday gift in holiday paper. I did a Happy Birthday/Merry Christmas card (so embarrassing!) until one of them finally clued me in as to how cheated they felt having a birthday so close to Christmas. They felt as if it were an excuse to give them a unigift - one gift to fit both occasions. Not cool. 

Image redstamp.com

So, what can we do for our friends and family who share their special day with (or near) a holiday?

1. Be mindful that their birthday is a separate event from whatever holiday you're celebrating.
2. Don't wrap their birthday gift in the same wrap as the holiday you're celebrating. Don't even let the birthday wrap share the same colors as the holiday!
3. Carve out time for the BIRTHDAY celebration/dinner/party. Don't try to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, by combining a birthday dinner with a holiday dinner unless that person insists. Even then, try to make them feel special by carving out time to celebrate just them.
4. Birthday cake! Balloons! Sing "Happy Birthday"!
5. Make them feel special. People bring joy to our lives - celebrate them! Without them, all the other holidays aren't the same.

Have other ideas for making a holiday birthday special? Please share them in the comments below! 

Happy holidays, happy birthdays and happy gifting!