merry christmas!

our holiday card 2012 (from vistaprint)

wishing you all a very merry and bright christmas day! i hope you get everything on your list and more importantly, i hope you get to spend this special season with your loved ones.

how to handle the holiday blues

christmas is going to be very light in the chauran/joe household this year. because we're still saving money for our wedding, randy and i decided to not get christmas gifts for each other. not that i have a problem with the no gifts part (ok, not a big problem..), it's just that being so 'practical' about the holidays is kind of bumming me out. becoming a reasonable adult really takes the magic out of christmas! so, sadly, i have a case of the holiday blues :(

since the economy is also pretty grim right now, i figure a lot of people are feeling the same way i am. or what if you're away at college and can't afford to fly home for the holidays? or if you and your significant other just broke up, and now you're all alone (i told you i'm not my usual ball-of-cheer self right now)?

so i thought, what will make me feel better? and i came up with a few ideas..

on a cold night, get all bundled up and walk around your neighborhood to look at all the christmas decorations. the more lights, the better! all that christmas cheer is bound to rub off on you!

bake some delicious holiday treats. or, if you suck at baking, go buy yourself some delicious holiday treats. the more cinnamon you use, the more your house will smell like a winter wonderland! plus, it's sweater season, so you can hide the pooch you'll get from eating so many holiday cookies.

do some cheap and easy holiday crafts. this is sure to get you in the holiday mood, and you can even give some of your creations as gifts!

put on some christmas music. you'll be singing along in no time!

definitely buy some christmas-themed scented candles. if it doesn't look or feel like christmas to you, it sure will smell like it!

and if you can, go play in the snow! build a snowman, ride down a huge hill on a trash can lid, have a snowball fight. enjoy the weather of the season!

i hope these tips and tricks help if you're having a case of the holiday blues. and even if you don't, you should do this stuff anyway :)

 

photo sources: mean santa, christmas lights, gingerbread cookies, gingerbread man and hot chocolate, snowflake ornament,  peppermint trees, christmas cds, christmas candles, snowman

christmas haul + new years photos

because some people are interested in this type of thing, here are some of the gifts i (and randy) received for christmas this year:

my stocking from randy: makeup, nail polish, gift cards, cds, a 5-year journal, jeans, and a coach makeup bag

randy's stocking from me: video games, modern family, beef jerky, golf balls, gift cards, a tie, pant hangers

from my parents: super nice wine glasses, a bottle of red, and a bottle of white wine

from carmella & matt: a wine tasting; from sarita & alan: a very nice dinner out!

a candle from my stepmom; from my 'aunt' skylar: leggings and some hot bottles of nail polish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

for new years, we had a lovely dinner with matt, carmella, and carmella's parents alan and sarita.

after dinner, matt, carmella, randy, and myself went to the hermosa beach pier where they had a live band and were going to broadcast the ny ball drop on a big screen.

fabulous  nails for a fabulous night!

loaded up

the best first moment of 2012!

for 2012, i'm looking forward to:
planning my wedding to the most wonderful guy on this earth
the birth of a friend's baby
embarking on some new professional journeys
taking a few trips
and enjoying every minute of it <3

what i wore

randy & i, christmas day 2011 <3

here is the outfit i wore to celebrate christmas aka jesus' birthday aka present day:

shirt: target; layering cami: forgot; jeans: tilly's; sandals: tilly's

i had originally planned to add a scarf and jean jacket, which would have been super cute and cozy, but it was 73 degrees in long beach on christmas morning, and i didn't want to be melting like a snowman in the sun!

here's my sexy fiance's outfit:

sweatshirt: macy's; shirt: macy's; undershirt: target; jeans: pacsun; shoes: tilly's

his sweatshirt came off shortly after we got to my parent's house..

and just for fun, here's what i wore on christmas eve:

top: forever 21; pj bottoms: target; socks: randy's

hope you all had a wonderful christmas!

christmas vacation

hello lovies!

i hope you all had a delightful christmas (or whatever you celebrate) spent with loved ones!

our offices at ore originals are closed this week, so i'm going to take the opportunity to enjoy myself! which means the daily do will be "closed" for a couple days.

see you all in 2012!

alaina

ho ho ho!

on the eve of this christmas..

alaina

stocking stuffers: for pets

hello. my name is alaina, and i make a stocking for my dog every year..

here are some fun ideas for your pet's stocking:

you can bet lilly will be getting this kick-ass stache dog toy this year!

great for both dogs and cats, this dart cat & dog toy will keep your pet entertained for hours! what animal doesn't love lasers, anyway??

bubbles will be everywhere if your cat gets these kitty bubbles in her stocking!

if your dog goes hiking or running, these pet tops are a necessity!

petsmart is a great place to go for stocking treats. they have these great packs for so cheap!

if your dog likes dress up, you obviously need this!

you're obviously into your pet if you're making him or her a stocking - so why not a custom pet portrait phone case for yourself?

a design-minded kitten is sure to love these merimice felt toys!

if the only kind of pets you can handle live in a small bowl on your bedside table, consider this betta bed leaf hammock. we have one for violet, and no joke, she actually lounges on it!

not necessarily stocking-sized i guess, but this kittens and puppies calendar will brighten up each one of your days in 2012!

alaina

*need stocking ideas for your favorite people? check out stocking stuffers for him, for her, and for kids!

pssst! make sure to sign up for the perpetual kid newsletters to take advantage of their weekly coupon codes!

gift guides from around the web and #winning

christmas is days away, and while i'm sure most of you are on top of it and have all your gifting under wraps, there are some moments when you need a quick hostess gift to take to a last-minute party, or those moments when you realize you forgot your sister's husband's mother's nephew was going to be at the family gathering this year and you'd be forever shunned if you didn't bring him a little something.

to help keep these uh-oh's from keeping you down, here are some gift guides from around the web:

check out elsie's list of 10 handmade gifts. i have my eye on this calendar journal - it would also make a great new mom gift!

you're sure to find a cute + quick craft if you browse chelsea's 50 diy days of christmas. her cheeseball snowman would be a perfect dish for a holiday party.

katie published a great list of gifts for people who might be a little harder to shop for.


and if you're all done with shopping, visit jess's favorite christmas songs and have a celebratory christmas dance party!


**don't forget to check out the lists of stocking stuffers i put together. tomorrow is the pet edition, so don't miss out!

aaaaaaand.. i won a free wedding dress..!!

alaina

thank god for facebook

alaina