#so i pulled my 3ds out of my pocket and said oh i downloaded all the layton games and just finished the first one did you know xyzetc

[blissfulstatic]

i can't even be normal about the things im a regular amount into

[riversofmars]

Could you do a story where Thirteen bumps into the tenth doctor and Donna and thirteen pretends that she's not the doctor but then post-library river comes along and causes mischief please? Also I REALLY love your fics, especially The Oncoming Storm! Yours were the first fanfics I read and they're one of the few I like (I'm picky) so thanks for doing such brilliant stories!

Aww thank you so much, that’s very kind of you to say!! Sorry this took a little while longer, hope the wait was worth it! Turned out a bit longer than expected. Hope it sort of fits the brief lol! Really hope you like it!

Rating: G

Ship: Ten/River, Thirteen/River

Word count: 2400

Read on AO3 or below

River Song Has Been Saved

“Hang on a minute, Doctor.“ Donna walked back over to the TARDIS doors after the Doctor had closed them with a snap of his fingers. She thought she’d seen something, just as the doors had closed.

“What’s wrong?“ The Doctor frowned and followed her, both sticking their heads out.

“Oi, lady!“ Donna called stopping a young woman that had just strolled past the TARDIS and was heading back deeper into the Library. Everyone was supposed to be evacuated by now.

“Sorry?“ The woman looked around, blonde hair framing soft features and big eyes. She looked to them as if she hadn’t expected them to be there.

“You can’t go in there.“ The Doctor gestured to the door that lead further into the Library as they stepped out of the TARDIS again. Only a moment longer and they would have taken off and missed her sneaking in here.

“Ahh… so close. Just a bit too early, wasn’t I, hate it when I do that…“ The blonde said to herself more than anything else.

“Did you just come here? The planet has been sealed off for a hundred years, how did you…“ The Doctor frowned, confused as to how she’d got in.

“Yeah, been meaning to check it out.“ The woman grinned. “The hair is magnificent, isn’t it.“ She eyed the Doctor up who looked back at her utterly bewildered. There was something familiar about her.

“Do I know you?“ He asked.

“No absolutely not, never mind me, I’m sure you got important things to do, so.“ She gave a little wave, intend on heading off.

“You can’t go in there, we’re evacuating the planet.“ Donna backed up the Doctor.

“I know, you have a nice day now.“ The woman grinned.

“Sorry, I can’t let you do that.“ The Doctor was quick to overtake her and step in her way. “This place is gonna get swallowed up by flesh eating darkness soon, you might want to head out not in?“

“I got to check something out of the library, I’ll only be a minute.“ She waved off his warning and tried to push past him. “And like you say, the window of opportunity is closing, so, you should probably leave this place yourselves…“

“And you can’t find your book any other place?“ Donna asked dumbfounded.

“One of a kind, sorry, got to run.“ The blonde replied with a grin pushing past him.

“Alright, have a nice day as well.“ The Doctor let her pass.

“Thanks!“ She grinned and sprinted off.

“Doctor, you're not just gonna let her go, are you?“ Donna asked thoroughly confused watching her leave.

“Not a chance. Just giving her a head start.“ The Doctor winked and they headed after her, careful not to be spotted. They took cover behind some tables in the main area as the blonde headed straight for a computer terminal.

“That was close, stupid box, always with the timing…“  She was mumbling to herself. “Couldn’t have hung on two minutes…“ Without further ado, she started pulling some sort of electrical equipment from the pockets of her impressive coat. There were a lot of parts to it and Donna couldn’t believe it all somehow fit into her pockets. They watched her as she hooked up the equipment to the computer.

“What is she doing?“ Donna whispered to the Doctor who shrugged.

“I’m more concerned with who she is… whatever she is doing, that’s complicated tech…“ He mused, watching in fascination as she continued her work.

“Ouch… alright then.“ The blonde pulled her hands away as she seemed to have gotten an electric shock. She stood and engaged the computer terminal. “CAL, hi, sorry, I know, bit confusing, different face.“ She started talking to the computer and the Doctor and Donna exchanged concerned looks. How did she know about CAL? What she was saying was making very little sense to them without the second half of the conversation. They couldn’t make out what CAL responded. “Just popping in to get what’s mine, alright? Don’t freak out, it’s really me. Can you put her on?“ There was a moment of silence. Neither Donna nor the Doctor said anything but there were only very few people she should be looking to talk to on that computer. This was about to get even more investing than the whole experience had been already. “Hello Sweetie. Surprise! This is gonna be great, you’re gonna love this, had Dorium track it down for me, took a while but here we are.“ The woman sounded thoroughly excited. “Get you coat, honey, let’s see if it works.“ She took a step backwards and pulled something from her coat pocket, pointing it at the computer. Sparks flew and the mechanism engaged.

“Can’t have come cheap, that.“

“Dorium Maldovar is known drive a hard bargain, she must be a hacker or criminal of some kind to have those kinds of ties.“ The Doctor mused, trying to make sense of what they were picking up.

“Perhaps Dorium just owes her a favour…“

“Dorium doesn’t do favours.“ He huffed. It was a ridiculous notion.

“He will.“

“Doctor.“ Donna touched her hand to his arm.

“Shush, Donna, I don’t want to lose the element of surprise.“ He kept his eyes firmly on the woman in the middle of the room who was looking around now, apparently waiting to see if whatever she had tried to do had worked.

“Doctor.“ Donna repeated.

“How much longer until he notices, you think?“

“Doctor?!“ Donna grabbed the Doctor by the shoulder and pulled him around.

“Donna, what?!“ He growled but stopped dead in his tacks when he found River Song standing behind them. He had been having a conversation with her without even realising it. She was dressed in a white flowing dress, a stark contrast to the environmental suit he’d only seen her in, and a grinned spread across her beautiful features.

“Hello, Sweetie.“ She chuckled.

“Oh my God, River, what, how…“ The Doctor couldn’t find words.

“Well, Sweetie, what do you think?“ River grinned at the Doctor.

“Of what?“ He was still in shock. He had watched her die only hours ago, he had managed to somehow, miraculously save her consciousness and now suddenly she was here again? “How did you get out of the computer? What did she do?“

“Some sort of teleport I believe, but like a really clever 3D printer, materialise the body, download the consciousness, boom, brand new wife.“ River explained, enjoying the dumbfound expression on both their faces.

“River!!“ The blonde had finally spotted her and River waved to her.

“Speaking of wife…“ River smirked and the Doctor exclaimed:

“Wife?! I thought you and me, we…“ He looked around to the woman heading straight for them, feeling a wave of jealousy. He knew he’d technically only met River today but he knew how important she would become to him.

“We are.“ River chuckled giving his an amused smirk: “But you know, you can’t talk, all I’m gonna say is: Elizabeth I… so…“ She couldn’t carry on as the blonde rushed around the counter and threw herself at River who pulled her close and twirled her around.

“River.“ The mystery woman took her face in her hands, tears welling up in her eyes, clearly overcome with emotion.

“Hello, Sweetie.“ River smiled the softest of smiles and leaned in to kiss her.

“Sooo… how do you feel about this?“ Donna looked to the Doctor, feeling like they were intruding on a private moment. “You think we should go, or…“ She could tell from the annoyed expression on the Doctor’s face, however, that he had no intention of just leaving it be. He pulled himself up to full height and cleared his throat.

“Okay, so thank you for saving my future…“

“Wife.“ River helpfully supplied the word as they stopped kissing and just held each other close.

“Whatever she is. But who are you?“ He jabbed his finger at the blonde.

“You haven’t figured it out yet?“ The woman let go of River, seemingly reluctantly, and turned to face him. She kept her hand intertwined with River’s.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy River isn’t dead but my future self spent a lot of time thinking about how to save her and then you just waltz in here having to do one better?“ The Doctor crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Well, sadly, you’ll not remember that I came here.“ The woman replied.  

“What?“ Donna was utterly confused now.

“Why not?“ The Doctor demanded to know, unsure whether or not that was supposed to be a threat.

“God, you’re slow. Did I give you a concussion when I knocked you out?“ River raised her eyebrows playfully.

“Maybe it’s cause of the hair spray…“ The blonde mused.

“I don’t use…“ The Doctor was going to protest but River had already changed directions:

“Don’t tell me you’re not using hairspray now.“ She ran her hand through the other woman’s blonde bob.

“Naturally falls like that, thank you very much.“ She huffed in response. “Regeneration is a lottery as you should know by now.“

“Are you a timelord?!“ The Doctor exclaimed, not sure how to interpret the statement.

“Yes.“ The blonde replied in amusement.  

“But I thought I was the last…“ The Doctor stared back at her in shock.

“Yes, which makes me…“

“You can’t be.“ He shook his head.

“Yes I am the…“ The blonde started but the didn’t allow her to finish.

“You can’t be the Master, he…“

“So close.“ The mystery woman sighed hanging her head theatrically.

“It’s like watching one of those dumb and dumber movies, isn’t it.“ River chuckled to Donna who had long given up trying to follow.

“Hang on!“ The Doctor exclaimed as the penny dropped.

“Yes, crossing time streams, you won’t remember this because you are crossing your own time stream right now! I am you.“ The blonde Doctor sighed, she couldn’t believe she had to spell it out for him like that.

“Pretty boy and pretty girl.“ Donna found herself chuckling almost involuntarily.

“Aren’t they?“ River agreed with a smirk. “The mind races.“

“River. Shut up!“ The Doctor chanted in unison.

“But you’re short!“ The younger Doctor groaned in annoyance as he looked her up and down.

“I am actually rather average height, as it happens! Why does everyone call me small?!“ The older Doctor huffed. “Did I really use to be so obsessed with my height?!“

“Size isn’t everything, darling.“ River pipped up.

“Still not ginger then.“ The younger Doctor carried on.

“None of the next four, no.“ She replied with a shrug.  

“Four more regenerations and only now did you work out how to save her?“ He exclaimed looking to River.

“I actually gave her the screwdriver last time we met, thank you very much. One step at a time.“ The older Doctor huffed and turned to her wife: “I booked that suite on Darillium again, by the way, for a few nights, just, you know, if you haven’t got any other plans.“

“Well, this is going to be a whole new experience.“ River smirked looking her up and down. This was the first she was seeing of her spouse’s most recent regeneration and she was beyond intrigued.

“Like it?“ The blonde Doctor asked with a little smirk and River grinned:

“Love it.“

“I don’t like her. Do you like her?“ The younger Doctor turned to Donna, just as his future self pulled their wife in for another kiss.

“Are you jealous of yourself?“ Donna teased and he gave her a playful shove.

“So you’re really him? Just older?“ Donna turned to the future Doctor, still struggling to believe that they were the same person. She knew what regeneration meant but it wasn’t like she’d ever seen the result of one.

“Different face, same dumbass.“ The Doctor retorted with a grin.

“Well done for saving her, Doctor.“ Donna smiled as they looked to River who said her goodbyes to the younger Doctor at present. “She really needed you, this version of you.“ Donna thought back to how devastated River had been at the total lack of recognition on the Doctor’s part. She had missed her Doctor so very much.

“I know. I remember.“ The Doctor gave a sad sort of smile as she thought back to when she had first met River, remembering the pain and sorrow in her eyes. “Donna, I can’t know, you know. You can’t tell me, else I might not get here, details my change and a paradox will be created if I know River lived.“ The Doctor turned to her to explain and Donna nodded slowly, they had mentioned it on the way back to the TARDIS already. This Doctor’s TARDIS was parked right behind their’s where they hadn’t been able to spot it as they got out. “Just be there for him. He’s already struggling, even if he doesn’t show it, even if he doesn’t know her yet, he still knows what and who he’s lost.“ The Doctor tried her best to explain to her what was going on in her younger self’s head.

“How long as it been for you? Since she died. How long have had to carry that with you?“ Donna asked taking her hand comfortingly.

“Some questions are better left unanswered.“ The Doctor shook her head and smiled. “It was good to see you, Donna.“ She pulled her into a hug.

“It was good to meet you, this version of you.“ Donna smiled and let her go, just as River and the other Doctor joined them.

“Well done, Doctor.“ The younger Doctor smiled and extended his hand to her.

“You too, Doctor.“ The blonde smile in return and shook his hand.

“You sure you don’t want to come in for a cup of tea, or…“ River suggested pointing to the TARDIS:

“Down, girl.“ The older Doctor smirked and took her hand in hers.

“You’ll be seeing me again soon, Doctor.“ River smiled at the younger Doctor who grinned:

“I look forward to it.“

“No telling.“ The older Doctor reminded Donna who nodded and smiled:

“My lips are sealed.“

“Now about that suite.“ River smirked at her wife as they turned to their TARDIS.

“Think the TARDIS bedroom will do for now, don’t you?“ The Doctor chuckled as she unlocked the door.

“Bedroom, kitchen, console room, wardrobe hall…“ River smirked and pulled her inside.

“Good for you, Doctor, so you’re not an eternal virgin then.“ Donna teased pulling her Doctor along to their TARDIS before he could get any more jealous.

[nyanyanyangie-blog]

Akio’s Unexpected Side

Akio's Unexpected Side Satsuki Kururugi has never been this bored in his entire life. Sure, he had to wait for his boyfriend, Akio Tobikura, who was currently practicing with his group mates and the Producer, but he absolutely has nothing to do. He regretted the decision of leaving 3DS at home, as well as not downloading some offline games in his phone. The pale beige-haired teen sighed to himself, glancing at the raven-haired shy guy. Looking for something to do, he rummaged his blue sling bag when he felt a small bottle inside his bag's secret pocket in his hands. He took it out and opened the bottle, sniffing it afterwards. Oh, right... It was the ginger ale, vodka, and tequila mixture that I made the other day, Satsuki remembered. He closed it and was about to put it back in his bag when he had an idea. And you know what happens when the younger Kururugi twin has an idea? Pranks happen. Oh boy... The teen's pale blue eyes roamed around the room in search of his boyfriend's water bottle when he found it near his handbag. Making sure that he won't get their attention, he quietly walked to the said water bottle, opened it, and poured the contents of the alcoholic bottle into Akio's bottle. Once the alcoholic bottle was completely empty, he closed his boyfriend's water bottle and quietly walked back to his seat, closing the now empty alcohol bottle and placed it back inside his bag. "Okay, water break, guys! Good work so far!" The brunette Producer announced, letting ArS have a break. She called the members of Lancelot since it's their turn to practice. Futami Akabane was about to whine about how quick their break is but decided against it. Meanwhile, Satsuki put out his phone and prepared to use the camera as he kept a close eye on his boyfriend. Akio opened his water bottle and drank his 'carbonated water'. He let out a sigh when he was finished drinking and closed it, placing it again beside his bag. All of the sudden, Akio's vision starts to blur, causing him to feel dizzy. "Why... Why do I feel dizzy...?" He mumbled to himself. He tried to walk to his boyfriend, nearly falling in the process. "S-Satsuki... I need help..." Pretending to be innocent, the prankster asked, "Why? What's wrong?" "C-Can you tell the Producer that I'll go back to the dorms ahead...?" He told his boyfriend. "I feel dizzy all of the sudden..." "Got it. Take a seat for a while." Satsuki stood up and let him sit down. Akio did so and closed his eyes tightly, hoping that that would make the dizziness go away. Satsuki walked to the Producer and asked if he and Akio can leave early so that he can help his boyfriend on the way to his dorms. He also told her that Akio suddenly felt dizzy. She nodded. "Alright, just bring Todoroki-kun with you to help." "And why do I have to be the one?!" The second generation I-Chu complained. "It's just this one time! Come on, you're a second generation I★Chu while we're the third generation! Producer gives more priority to us so we have to be in the best condition!" The leader of Twinkle Bell retorted. "Tch! Fine. If it's only for this time, I'll help. But you better not ask for my help the next time, got it?!" "Yes, sir~!" He gave a salute. "Ishishi!" Issei growled, walking towards Akio, while Satsuki went to get his boyfriend's belongings. The pale blonde hurried over to redhead and told the raven haired that they're going home. That's when Akio spoke in a drunk voice. "Eh~?" He whined, then let out a hiccup. "I don't wanna go back yet~" Another hiccup. "I still want to party~" Ishishi~ It's taking effect~ Better start recording. Satsuki's lips formed a small smirk as he began recording. "C'mon, let's get ya back to the dorms..." Issei said with slight anger in his voice. He slung one of Akio's arms over his shoulder when Akio made a quick move and wrapped his arms around Issei's neck. "Why wouldn't Issei-kun dance with me~?" He slurred, letting out yet again another hiccup. Issei had a look of shock on his face. He had never expected that a shy guy like Akio would become like this. Beside Satsuki was a certain green haired 22-year old who had a look of disbelief, meanwhile. "Satsuki..." Shiki Amabe spoke. "What did you do to Akio...?" "Nothing~" the devilish prankster lied. "Ishishi!" "Akio's your boyfriend and you're not affected even a single bit?" "Psh! Like this could do any harm." Back with Akio and Issei, the latter just grumbled and slung the former over his shoulder and practically yelled at Satsuki to hurry up. He immediately stopped recording and kept his phone before catching up to the two. "Yes, yes! I'm going! Jeez..."

When Akio woke up the next morning, his head was aching painfully and had the urge to vomit. He rushed immediately to the bathroom and vomited. When he was feeling slightly better, he went to the dining room where the rest of ArS are most likely eating breakfast. The remaining members had their attention focused on their shy group mate when he arrived there. "W-What happened last night guys?" Akio asked them. "I can't remember a thing and my head is still aching a bit." "Who should get him?" Hikaru Orihara asked. "I'll do it," Shiki volunteered, walking towards the door. "Just show it to him while I'm gone." With that, Shiki left the room to pick him up. Akio asked to sit down with the remaining four by Kyosuke Momoi, a clumsy mangaka. He did so and the latter showed him a video. A video shared to them by the one and only prankster of Etoile Vio, Satsuki Kururugi. After that minute-or-so long video, the raven-haired boy was already hiding himself with his hands in embarrassment, visibly shaking as well. "Akki..." Kyosuke spoke. "Are you okay...?" "Fuhii...!" With that, he ran back to his room and locked the door. Meanwhile, Shiki knocked on the door of the Kururugi twins, stepping back a little after. The door opened and certain wavy pale beige-haired teen was standing at the doorway. "Oh, Shiki-kun," spoke Mutsuki. "What brings you here?" "Where's Younger Brother?" The green-haired male asked, referring to Satsuki. "Hold on, I'll get him." Facing back in the room, Mutsuki called the younger twin brother. "Satsuki~ Shiki-kun's at the door~" Satsuki jogged to where Mutsuki was and the latter went back to the kitchen to handle the dishes. The younger Kururugi twin closed the door and he spoke, "Is it about Akio?" "Yes," Shiki confirmed. "He has seen the video and he's locked himself up in his room even though he just woke up." "What?! Why'd you guys show him?" Satsuki yelled. "Why wouldn't we?!" Shiki retorted. "This is your boyfriend we're talking about!" The prankster kept shut at that statement, letting the potter continue. "It's best to apologize to him now, I'm telling you." He sighed in defeat then said, "...Alright. I-I'll go with you."

Satsuki knocked on his boyfriend's door. "Akio?" When no response came, he knocked again. The door made a 'click' but it wasn't opened. Satsuki slowly opened the door and closed it after entering. However, there was no sign of the shy ArS member. "Come on, Akio, where are you?" Soft sobbing reached the prankster's ears. He noticed also that the closet door was slightly ajar so he figured that his boyfriend was there and checked. He was right: Akio was there with his face buried on a mouse stuff toy the prankster gave him not to long ago. "Akio, can we please talk...?" The crying male in the closet didn't give a response, only continued crying on the stuff toy. "Akio, please..." Said I★Chu slowly looked up at him and spoke in a soft voice, "W-what do you want...? Fuhii..." "Look, I just wanted to say... I'm sorry for that prank... I went overboard with that one. Heck, I even recorded that one with Issei and shared it to the rest of the I★Chu's... Please forgive me..." For a second, Akio smiled. He had never expected that his boyfriend would apologize sincerely. "I... I forgive you, Satsuki..." His boyfriend smiled. "Thank you, Akio." He gave him a kiss on the forehead as well as on the lips. The raven-haired male slowly kissed back, smiling as well. When they had to pull away due to the lack of oxygen, Satsuki told him to eat breakfast first then to meet him outside the dorm building afterwards because he said that he'll plan something as an apology.

Omake (Part 1): "Shiki... I need your help... Fuhii..." Akio told the green-haired male, who, apparently, was busy working on his pots. In his hands was his vibrating phone, someone was calling him. "Huh?" Shiki paused from his work. Akio gave him his phone. "It's him again..." Shiki answered it and put the phone near his ear. "Hello? Ah yeah, he left his phone in my studio... No, I don't know where he is right now..." Akio, meanwhile, just stood there beside his close friend and brother figure, sighing, wishing this to end.

Omake (Part 2): Issei sighed as he ended the call, disappointed. It's sad that Akio was literally avoiding him ever since that incident. "Issei," Futami spoke, "Takamichi and I may ship it but, seriously, give up! Akio-kun's practically taken!" "I hate to say this, but Futami's right," Takamichi Sanzenin, a rich green-haired man with a side cut, agreed. "Satsuki would get angry at you, you know?" "Tch. I'll stop for now just because of the both of you." Truth is, he won't. It wasn't his fault he was wooed.

Omake (Part 3): "H-Hey, Satsuki..." Akio called his boyfriend. Satsuki looked at his slightly shorter boyfriend. "Hm? What is it?" "I should ask you two things: first, did you put something in my carbonated water when we were practicing?" "...Yes. It was a mix of ginger ale, vodka, and tequila I made one time. I had a small bottle of it when I put it in your carbonated water." "A mix of three alcoholic drinks?!" He screamed. "Why do you even have those?! You're not even of legal age!" "It was only for prank purposes...! Mutsuki and I wouldn't dare to drink it anyway!" "Then how did you get those?!" "We tried not to look young! Besides, that will probably be our first and last trip to the liquor store!" Akio sighed, shocked at what his boyfriend had done. "A-Anyway... My second question is, did you give my phone number to Issei? He keeps calling me to invite me to parties and such..." "Now that is something I wouldn't do! Why would I even? A better question is that how did he get it?!" Fun fact: Akio actually gave Issei his phone number even before the alcohol incident. He just doesn't remember that time at all.

[sentrava]

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone!

Every year when I’m putting together my annual holiday gift guide, it’s more a compilation of my own wishlist—as well as gifts I’ve purchased for my loved ones. (Loved ones, look away! You might spoil the surprise.) No $2000 items or things like a Peloton that you’d never actually buy someone, just things I’ve got on my own wishlist or have mentally bookmarked for my family.

Quick side note: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign up for eBates! I always thought it was a sham, but it’s most definitely not. If you shop online a lot like I do and install the plugin on your web browser, you’ll get an automatic notification when an online store offers cash back; the stores I regularly shop at offer anywhere from 2 to 15 percent back, which is refunded to me every couple of months via Paypal. I pretty much only shop online as I hate going into stores and have gotten $500 refunded to me this year alone. You can sign up here, which I highly recommend before doing any Christmas shopping!

With that said, here are many things I’m loving this year:

FOR A FANCY STOCKING STUFFER: SOCK FANCY

Remember how as a child you’d roll your eyes anytime you received a piece of clothing as a gift, then somewhere around your teens or early 20s, you only hoped someone would give you a present like underwear or socks? Socks have become a routine staple for me: I get them for my mom, sister and SVV every single year, and spent hours searching online for the perfect prints. SVV, you may be surprised to know, is a bit of a sock connoisseur and the crazier the print, the more likely he is to wear it. So when I learned of Sock Fancy, an Atlanta-based sock delivery service, I was more than thrilled that someone was going to take that time searching for the perfect prints off my hands. Best of all, you can customize your subscription—men’s or women’s; all crew, all low-cut or a mix of both; one, two or six pairs per month (I’m going with six given that my washing machine eats socks like no other!)—in a commitment of three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscriptions. Shipping is free, and if you don’t like something? You can make unlimited swaps. How’s that for satisfaction-guaranteed? You can also get 20% off with the code BF2018.

Price: from $11/month (purchase here)

FOR THE AT-HOME CHEF: RAW SPICE BAR

Born from the desire for better quality sourcing of raw spices, RawSpiceBar is built to control the entire process of ground spice production here in the United States. We’ve been using their products for a few years to make Indian chicken, Italian food, Asian-inspired tacos and so many other yummy dishes. SVV gravitates towards the blended ingredients like tandoori masala or the Persian advieh and absolutely loves the extended recipe section of their website for dinner inspiration. I’m not complaining! If you’re like me and can’t choose, RawSpiceBar offers a subscription model that will kick your kitchen up a notch and it’s customized to how you cook and what kind of dishes you typically like. Genius! We’ve now been subscribers for three years, and not only do we get brand new spices we’ve never before tried sent to us on the regular, but now we can also log onto RawSpiceBar’s online shop and order bigger portions of the spices we love. Note: You can get 12% cash back through eBates with this one.

Price: from $9/month (purchase here)

FOR YOUR PRODUCT-JUNKIE WIFE: GURU POUCH

We all have that person in their lives, who opens up her purse and an entire makeup counter spills out. And if you don’t have that person, it’s probably you (spoken from experience, ha)! The Guru Pouch is a drawstring makeup bag that opens into a 20-inch flat surface. Not only can you can see everything at once, which is my big frustration packing all my stuff into a tiny makeup bag when I travel, but when you’re done, you just pull the strings and everything is tucked inside. Best of all, you don’t need to pack and repack when you’re traveling, as you can use this method at home instead of taking it all out of your makeup drawer and messing up your counter; instead, just set the products back down on the open bag and cinch them all inside when you’re done. Voila!

Price: $12 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR TOY-LOVING HUSBAND: DJI MAVIC AIR QUAD

The best gift I ever gave SVV was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone a year-and-a-half ago. We use that thing all the time, and it’s become an important component in our photography kit. That said, if you’re just a hobbyist, you don’t need a $2000 drone; the DJI Mavic Air will work just fine (we actually produce videos for tourism boards so need the higher-end model). DJI almost never puts their gear on sale, but for this Christmas, they have the Mavic Air bundle—which includes the remote controller, a spare battery and a hard case, all expensive accessories on their own—on sale for $749. If you’ve ever wanted a drone, now’s your time. If you (or your husband) are in the production industry, I highly recommend the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which is on sale in a bundle with a ton of accessories for $1800. And if you’re not ready to commit to the real thing just yet, SVV spent a year learning to fly on this $60 BLADE Nano before launching a $2000 piece of equipment into the air. (I much endorse this method! Too many rookie drone pilots out there ruining it for the rest of us.)

Price: $749 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR COLOR-LOVING SISTER: 3D EARRINGS

MonsteRawr was one of my first ever blog friends, so when she launched MonsteRawr Makes earlier this year, I was one of her first clients. Stephanie, who has a long history of working in theater production, uses a 3D printer to make amazing wearable art in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Her style really speaks to my geometry-loving, former math-major heart, and I absolutely love how she incorporates asymmetrical prints and circles in her pieces. You can pretty much order any color you like—her products come in pink, yellow, purple, blue, green—and Stephanie has generously offered all C&C readers 20% off their order through Dec. 31 with the promo code CAMELSGORAWR.

Price: starts at $17 a piece (purchase here)

FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: A PORTABLE POWER BANK

SVV and I got a couple of these handy charging stations by Lynktec last year, and boy have they saved our lives ever since upgrading our phones and coming to terms with the harsh reality that Mophie doesn’t make a charging case for the iPhone X. Instead, we each keep one of these charging stations in our laptop bags or purses at all times and pretty much use them daily when outside the home, whether out and about in Nashville or traveling for work. Each one gives you four full charges before you need to plug it into the wall and recharge it, plus they come with mini-USB ports as well as an Apple mFi connection, so you can charge iPhones and Droids. Can you say lifesaver? Right now, Lynktec is offering 40% off everything with the code BLACKFRIDAY18.

Price: $60 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR INQUISITIVE KID: LITTLE PASSPORTS

I bookmarked this kids’ subscription box company when I found them almost a year ago as a gift idea for my five-year-old niece Lucy. She’s a precocious kid and always eager to learn new facts and skills. So I ordered her a one-year subscription to Little Passports for this Christmas. Little Passports makes subscriptions toy boxes for kids ranging from 3 to 12 years old with each box designed to take kids on an adventure where they discover more about the world. Even better: The boxes are put together with the help of scientists, educators with PhD and Masters degrees, and award-winning writers and designers. Kids learn by touching and doing, not just memorizing facts. I reached out to Little Passports and they kindly extended a 15% off offer to C&C readers with the code PR8N2F through 12/31/18. They also have some Black Friday sales happening now, plus eBates is another 6% cash back in your pocket.

Price: $12.99/month (purchase here)

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST: ST. JUDE

Y’all know of my love for my home state non-profit, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by now. There’s no company I’d rather donate my money and my time to, so when they reached out to tell me about their #ThisShirtSavesLives campaign, I was more than happy to share the good word. For the second year, they asked dozens of celebrities (and a few bloggers like yours truly!) come into the studio and get our photos snapped wearing the newest iteration of the #ThisShirtSavesLives. If you commit to donate $20 a month alongside us, you’ll get the new shirt sent to you—and rest easy knowing that you’re helping St. Jude give children with cancer free access to treatment, lodging and so much more. (In case you didn’t know, St. Jude’s entire ethos is that no family should have to worry about expenses while they’re focusing on their child’s life.)

Price: $20/month (join here)

FOR THE BROADWAY FAN: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED

Has it really been only a year since The Greatest Showman catapulted into our lives (and our sound systems), forever changing them for the better? I don’t know about you, but I memorized the entire soundtrack in, oh, about 1.5 days, so when I heard The Greatest Showman Reimagined was coming out just in time for the holidays with covers of the popular tracks by some of my favorite pop artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Kesha, I immediately bookmarked it to download in my Amazon Music account. (Side note: Don’t have Amazon Music? We pay $7.99 a month for it, but I just saw that it’s on sale for $.99 a month right now!) If you don’t have a streaming account, you can buy this amazing soundtrack via Amazon as a CD or audio download.

Price: $13.49 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR WOMAN ABOUT TOWN: ALL THE BODEN

I absolutely love buying my clohting from Boden, usually dresses and tunics that transition easily from day wear to night. Typically, Boden pieces are a bit more than I tend to spend on clothing (think: $150 for a dress, which isn’t bad), but Boden frequently has sales and right now is offering 30% off with the code V4N9. Things I’m lusting after: this jacket with toggles, this green jersey dress, this lilac dress, this fun yellow sweater, this color-block dress.

!function(d,s,id){var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + '://' + 'widgets.rewardstyle.com' + '/js/shopthepost.js';d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {window.__stp.init();}}(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');

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FOR YOUR UNICORN-LOVING NIECE: A PERSONALIZED PILLOW

I bought this personalized sequin pillow for two of my nieces for Christmas after it popped up on my Facebook as a sponsored post (can you tell I buy a lot of unicorn things?). I love that you can personalize the name, pick silver or gold sequins, and have an option between designs. They also have other designs like a llama, mermaid, Santa and even an option where you can put your own photo on there if you’re that narcissistic, ha.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR STYLISH LITTLE: ALL THE CUTEST CLOTHES

My niece is now eight months old, and I’ve had the best time outfitting her in the cutest little girl clothes throughout the year. A few of my favorite resources are Gap Baby, Mini Boden, Cat & Jack from Target and Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with Tucker + Tate—they even have adorable little boys’ clothing, which I find is rare). Below you’ll find several of the outfits I bought her this fall and winter. I’ve been stock-piling clothes for her, but have already had to give her a few of her 1-year birthday presents as she’s 8 months but already wearing 12-18 months! That kid is not small.

!function(d,s,id){var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + '://' + 'widgets.rewardstyle.com' + '/js/shopthepost.js';d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {window.__stp.init();}}(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');

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  FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: TOMS

A couple years ago, I swapped out all of my designer footwear in favor of everything TOMS, no matter the season (I often buy them via Zappos, FYI, as Zappos always seems to be running deals). They’re just so dang comfortable, they’re affordable and they have regular sales, not to mention I love their give-back philosophy, donating a pair of shoes to kids in need for every pair sold. I absolutely love their booties and have no fewer than seven pairs in my closet, with more on the way. My favorites are the Ella booties (no surprise there), but I also love the Kala Wedge Booties. BONUS: TOMS just launched an amazing initiative called “End Gun Violence Together” where they’ve pledged to commit $5 million to gun reform, plus will send a letter to your Congress person on your behalf asking for more thorough background checks of gun owners and it only takes 30 seconds, so go to their homepage and do just that. As if I couldn’t love them any more! Plus, they currently are offering 30% off site-wide with the code THANKFUL. And you get another 10% cash back in your pocket with eBates.

Price: starting at $89 (purchase here with the code MADHOUSE for 20% off)

FOR YOUR PUP: THIS CLOUD-LIKE BED

A friend posted this Best Friends by Sheri dog bed that I immediately snatched up for Ella, who has a bed in every house but only seems to be placated by sleeping on my blanket that looks very similar to this. Here’s to hoping our fur child is finally comfortable (ha)! There are four different size options of this donut-shaped bed depending on how big your pup is.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER: ATHLEISURE

Ahem, are you listening, Mom? Honestly, at this point in life, all I care about are leggings, tunics and puffy vests. My go-to shops are Gap, LOFT and Athleta—particularly as all of those have frequent sales (I also stock up on Zella leggings during the holidays or Nordstrom’s annual sale). Since I work from home and don’t often need dressy garb, the majority of my wardrobe is some form of athleisure that can transition from home office to errands to home office again—or be worn on planes or on road trips. I have an entire wardrobe comprising just leggings, and let me tell you I wear them all; the best leggings brands in my mind are Gap or Hue, though I’ve had success with the Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad brands that Kohl’s carries, as well. Here are a few items I’ve either purchased for myself lately or put on my own wishlist. Gap currently is offering 50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY (plus 10% in cash back on eBates), which makes my favorite leggings just $15 a pair. These are seriously all I wear in winter months under a tunic, and they tuck in great to boots!

!function(d,s,id){var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + '://' + 'widgets.rewardstyle.com' + '/js/shopthepost.js';d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {window.__stp.init();}}(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');

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FOR YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS/HER OWN BUSINESS: GETTING NAKED

SVV recently bought this book by Patrick Lencioni as we continue to evolve our own business model into more consulting in the coming year and show more vulnerability as business owners. It’s a helpful look at entrepreneurship, no matter what field you’re in, as well as a quick read. He also has a number of other business books that are more targeted to specific industries.

Price: $15.99 (purchase here)

FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM: BAREFOOT DREAMS

OK, let’s widen this net to say “anyone who is at home the majority of the time,” including but not limited to stay-at-home moms and grandmoms, creatives, freelancers, remote employees, anyone for whom comfort is key. Barefoot Dreams makes the coziest of the cozy cardigans and wraps that are legitimately like being wrapped up in a big hug. I originally had some bookmarked via Nordstrom, but they all sold out, so randomly I found them on QVC for much cheaper; they’re also having a major sale on everything through Nov. 26 making them even cheaper. They also make these amazing throws that I’m wanting for my home office.

!function(d,s,id){var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + '://' + 'widgets.rewardstyle.com' + '/js/shopthepost.js';d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {window.__stp.init();}}(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');

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Price: from $75 if you buy via QVC (purchase here)

As always, I’m giving away a holiday bundle, a selection of my favorite things, some from this list and some which may be surprises, so enter below to win my annual C&C giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All you have to tell me is this: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Note: A few of these products are from our partners or are affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission for any purchases made. The majority are things I bought for loved ones this holiday season (hope my loved ones aren’t reading this list!). All items featured are 100% endorsed by me.

  PIN IT HERE

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone! published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

[sentrava]

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone!

Every year when I’m putting together my annual holiday gift guide, it’s more a compilation of my own wishlist—as well as gifts I’ve purchased for my loved ones. (Loved ones, look away! You might spoil the surprise.) No $2000 items or things like a Peloton that you’d never actually buy someone, just things I’ve got on my own wishlist or have mentally bookmarked for my family.

Quick side note: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign up for eBates! I always thought it was a sham, but it’s most definitely not. If you shop online a lot like I do and install the plugin on your web browser, you’ll get an automatic notification when an online store offers cash back; the stores I regularly shop at offer anywhere from 2 to 15 percent back, which is refunded to me every couple of months via Paypal. I pretty much only shop online as I hate going into stores and have gotten $500 refunded to me this year alone. You can sign up here, which I highly recommend before doing any Christmas shopping!

With that said, here are many things I’m loving this year:

FOR A FANCY STOCKING STUFFER: SOCK FANCY

Remember how as a child you’d roll your eyes anytime you received a piece of clothing as a gift, then somewhere around your teens or early 20s, you only hoped someone would give you a present like underwear or socks? Socks have become a routine staple for me: I get them for my mom, sister and SVV every single year, and spent hours searching online for the perfect prints. SVV, you may be surprised to know, is a bit of a sock connoisseur and the crazier the print, the more likely he is to wear it. So when I learned of Sock Fancy, an Atlanta-based sock delivery service, I was more than thrilled that someone was going to take that time searching for the perfect prints off my hands. Best of all, you can customize your subscription—men’s or women’s; all crew, all low-cut or a mix of both; one, two or six pairs per month (I’m going with six given that my washing machine eats socks like no other!)—in a commitment of three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscriptions. Shipping is free, and if you don’t like something? You can make unlimited swaps. How’s that for satisfaction-guaranteed? You can also get 20% off with the code BF2018.

Price: from $11/month (purchase here)

FOR THE AT-HOME CHEF: RAW SPICE BAR

Born from the desire for better quality sourcing of raw spices, RawSpiceBar is built to control the entire process of ground spice production here in the United States. We’ve been using their products for a few years to make Indian chicken, Italian food, Asian-inspired tacos and so many other yummy dishes. SVV gravitates towards the blended ingredients like tandoori masala or the Persian advieh and absolutely loves the extended recipe section of their website for dinner inspiration. I’m not complaining! If you’re like me and can’t choose, RawSpiceBar offers a subscription model that will kick your kitchen up a notch and it’s customized to how you cook and what kind of dishes you typically like. Genius! We’ve now been subscribers for three years, and not only do we get brand new spices we’ve never before tried sent to us on the regular, but now we can also log onto RawSpiceBar’s online shop and order bigger portions of the spices we love. Note: You can get 12% cash back through eBates with this one.

Price: from $9/month (purchase here)

FOR YOUR PRODUCT-JUNKIE WIFE: GURU POUCH

We all have that person in their lives, who opens up her purse and an entire makeup counter spills out. And if you don’t have that person, it’s probably you (spoken from experience, ha)! The Guru Pouch is a drawstring makeup bag that opens into a 20-inch flat surface. Not only can you can see everything at once, which is my big frustration packing all my stuff into a tiny makeup bag when I travel, but when you’re done, you just pull the strings and everything is tucked inside. Best of all, you don’t need to pack and repack when you’re traveling, as you can use this method at home instead of taking it all out of your makeup drawer and messing up your counter; instead, just set the products back down on the open bag and cinch them all inside when you’re done. Voila!

Price: $12 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR TOY-LOVING HUSBAND: DJI MAVIC AIR QUAD

The best gift I ever gave SVV was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone a year-and-a-half ago. We use that thing all the time, and it’s become an important component in our photography kit. That said, if you’re just a hobbyist, you don’t need a $2000 drone; the DJI Mavic Air will work just fine (we actually produce videos for tourism boards so need the higher-end model). DJI almost never puts their gear on sale, but for this Christmas, they have the Mavic Air bundle—which includes the remote controller, a spare battery and a hard case, all expensive accessories on their own—on sale for $749. If you’ve ever wanted a drone, now’s your time. If you (or your husband) are in the production industry, I highly recommend the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which is on sale in a bundle with a ton of accessories for $1800. And if you’re not ready to commit to the real thing just yet, SVV spent a year learning to fly on this $60 BLADE Nano before launching a $2000 piece of equipment into the air. (I much endorse this method! Too many rookie drone pilots out there ruining it for the rest of us.)

Price: $749 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR COLOR-LOVING SISTER: 3D EARRINGS

MonsteRawr was one of my first ever blog friends, so when she launched MonsteRawr Makes earlier this year, I was one of her first clients. Stephanie, who has a long history of working in theater production, uses a 3D printer to make amazing wearable art in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Her style really speaks to my geometry-loving, former math-major heart, and I absolutely love how she incorporates asymmetrical prints and circles in her pieces. You can pretty much order any color you like—her products come in pink, yellow, purple, blue, green—and Stephanie has generously offered all C&C readers 20% off their order through Dec. 31 with the promo code CAMELSGORAWR.

Price: starts at $17 a piece (purchase here)

FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: A PORTABLE POWER BANK

SVV and I got a couple of these handy charging stations by Lynktec last year, and boy have they saved our lives ever since upgrading our phones and coming to terms with the harsh reality that Mophie doesn’t make a charging case for the iPhone X. Instead, we each keep one of these charging stations in our laptop bags or purses at all times and pretty much use them daily when outside the home, whether out and about in Nashville or traveling for work. Each one gives you four full charges before you need to plug it into the wall and recharge it, plus they come with mini-USB ports as well as an Apple mFi connection, so you can charge iPhones and Droids. Can you say lifesaver? Right now, Lynktec is offering 40% off everything with the code BLACKFRIDAY18.

Price: $60 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR INQUISITIVE KID: LITTLE PASSPORTS

I bookmarked this kids’ subscription box company when I found them almost a year ago as a gift idea for my five-year-old niece Lucy. She’s a precocious kid and always eager to learn new facts and skills. So I ordered her a one-year subscription to Little Passports for this Christmas. Little Passports makes subscriptions toy boxes for kids ranging from 3 to 12 years old with each box designed to take kids on an adventure where they discover more about the world. Even better: The boxes are put together with the help of scientists, educators with PhD and Masters degrees, and award-winning writers and designers. Kids learn by touching and doing, not just memorizing facts. I reached out to Little Passports and they kindly extended a 15% off offer to C&C readers with the code PR8N2F through 12/31/18. They also have some Black Friday sales happening now, plus eBates is another 6% cash back in your pocket.

Price: $12.99/month (purchase here)

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST: ST. JUDE

Y’all know of my love for my home state non-profit, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by now. There’s no company I’d rather donate my money and my time to, so when they reached out to tell me about their #ThisShirtSavesLives campaign, I was more than happy to share the good word. For the second year, they asked dozens of celebrities (and a few bloggers like yours truly!) come into the studio and get our photos snapped wearing the newest iteration of the #ThisShirtSavesLives. If you commit to donate $20 a month alongside us, you’ll get the new shirt sent to you—and rest easy knowing that you’re helping St. Jude give children with cancer free access to treatment, lodging and so much more. (In case you didn’t know, St. Jude’s entire ethos is that no family should have to worry about expenses while they’re focusing on their child’s life.)

Price: $20/month (join here)

FOR THE BROADWAY FAN: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED

Has it really been only a year since The Greatest Showman catapulted into our lives (and our sound systems), forever changing them for the better? I don’t know about you, but I memorized the entire soundtrack in, oh, about 1.5 days, so when I heard The Greatest Showman Reimagined was coming out just in time for the holidays with covers of the popular tracks by some of my favorite pop artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Kesha, I immediately bookmarked it to download in my Amazon Music account. (Side note: Don’t have Amazon Music? We pay $7.99 a month for it, but I just saw that it’s on sale for $.99 a month right now!) If you don’t have a streaming account, you can buy this amazing soundtrack via Amazon as a CD or audio download.

Price: $13.49 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR WOMAN ABOUT TOWN: ALL THE BODEN

I absolutely love buying my clohting from Boden, usually dresses and tunics that transition easily from day wear to night. Typically, Boden pieces are a bit more than I tend to spend on clothing (think: $150 for a dress, which isn’t bad), but Boden frequently has sales and right now is offering 30% off with the code V4N9. Things I’m lusting after: this jacket with toggles, this green jersey dress, this lilac dress, this fun yellow sweater, this color-block dress.

!function(d,s,id){var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + '://' + 'widgets.rewardstyle.com' + '/js/shopthepost.js';d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {window.__stp.init();}}(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');

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FOR YOUR UNICORN-LOVING NIECE: A PERSONALIZED PILLOW

I bought this personalized sequin pillow for two of my nieces for Christmas after it popped up on my Facebook as a sponsored post (can you tell I buy a lot of unicorn things?). I love that you can personalize the name, pick silver or gold sequins, and have an option between designs. They also have other designs like a llama, mermaid, Santa and even an option where you can put your own photo on there if you’re that narcissistic, ha.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR STYLISH LITTLE: ALL THE CUTEST CLOTHES

My niece is now eight months old, and I’ve had the best time outfitting her in the cutest little girl clothes throughout the year. A few of my favorite resources are Gap Baby, Mini Boden, Cat & Jack from Target and Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with Tucker + Tate—they even have adorable little boys’ clothing, which I find is rare). Below you’ll find several of the outfits I bought her this fall and winter. I’ve been stock-piling clothes for her, but have already had to give her a few of her 1-year birthday presents as she’s 8 months but already wearing 12-18 months! That kid is not small.

!function(d,s,id){var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + '://' + 'widgets.rewardstyle.com' + '/js/shopthepost.js';d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {window.__stp.init();}}(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');

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  FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: TOMS

A couple years ago, I swapped out all of my designer footwear in favor of everything TOMS, no matter the season (I often buy them via Zappos, FYI, as Zappos always seems to be running deals). They’re just so dang comfortable, they’re affordable and they have regular sales, not to mention I love their give-back philosophy, donating a pair of shoes to kids in need for every pair sold. I absolutely love their booties and have no fewer than seven pairs in my closet, with more on the way. My favorites are the Ella booties (no surprise there), but I also love the Kala Wedge Booties. BONUS: TOMS just launched an amazing initiative called “End Gun Violence Together” where they’ve pledged to commit $5 million to gun reform, plus will send a letter to your Congress person on your behalf asking for more thorough background checks of gun owners and it only takes 30 seconds, so go to their homepage and do just that. As if I couldn’t love them any more! Plus, they currently are offering 30% off site-wide with the code THANKFUL. And you get another 10% cash back in your pocket with eBates.

Price: starting at $89 (purchase here with the code MADHOUSE for 20% off)

FOR YOUR PUP: THIS CLOUD-LIKE BED

A friend posted this Best Friends by Sheri dog bed that I immediately snatched up for Ella, who has a bed in every house but only seems to be placated by sleeping on my blanket that looks very similar to this. Here’s to hoping our fur child is finally comfortable (ha)! There are four different size options of this donut-shaped bed depending on how big your pup is.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER: ATHLEISURE

Ahem, are you listening, Mom? Honestly, at this point in life, all I care about are leggings, tunics and puffy vests. My go-to shops are Gap, LOFT and Athleta—particularly as all of those have frequent sales (I also stock up on Zella leggings during the holidays or Nordstrom’s annual sale). Since I work from home and don’t often need dressy garb, the majority of my wardrobe is some form of athleisure that can transition from home office to errands to home office again—or be worn on planes or on road trips. I have an entire wardrobe comprising just leggings, and let me tell you I wear them all; the best leggings brands in my mind are Gap or Hue, though I’ve had success with the Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad brands that Kohl’s carries, as well. Here are a few items I’ve either purchased for myself lately or put on my own wishlist. Gap currently is offering 50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY (plus 10% in cash back on eBates), which makes my favorite leggings just $15 a pair. These are seriously all I wear in winter months under a tunic, and they tuck in great to boots!

!function(d,s,id){var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + '://' + 'widgets.rewardstyle.com' + '/js/shopthepost.js';d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {window.__stp.init();}}(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');

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FOR YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS/HER OWN BUSINESS: GETTING NAKED

SVV recently bought this book by Patrick Lencioni as we continue to evolve our own business model into more consulting in the coming year and show more vulnerability as business owners. It’s a helpful look at entrepreneurship, no matter what field you’re in, as well as a quick read. He also has a number of other business books that are more targeted to specific industries.

Price: $15.99 (purchase here)

FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM: BAREFOOT DREAMS

OK, let’s widen this net to say “anyone who is at home the majority of the time,” including but not limited to stay-at-home moms and grandmoms, creatives, freelancers, remote employees, anyone for whom comfort is key. Barefoot Dreams makes the coziest of the cozy cardigans and wraps that are legitimately like being wrapped up in a big hug. I originally had some bookmarked via Nordstrom, but they all sold out, so randomly I found them on QVC for much cheaper; they’re also having a major sale on everything through Nov. 26 making them even cheaper. They also make these amazing throws that I’m wanting for my home office.

!function(d,s,id){var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + '://' + 'widgets.rewardstyle.com' + '/js/shopthepost.js';d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {window.__stp.init();}}(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');

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Price: from $75 if you buy via QVC (purchase here)

As always, I’m giving away a holiday bundle, a selection of my favorite things, some from this list and some which may be surprises, so enter below to win my annual C&C giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All you have to tell me is this: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Note: A few of these products are from our partners or are affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission for any purchases made. The majority are things I bought for loved ones this holiday season (hope my loved ones aren’t reading this list!). All items featured are 100% endorsed by me.

  PIN IT HERE

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone! published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

[sentrava]

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone!

Every year when I’m putting together my annual holiday gift guide, it’s more a compilation of my own wishlist—as well as gifts I’ve purchased for my loved ones. (Loved ones, look away! You might spoil the surprise.) No $2000 items or things like a Peloton that you’d never actually buy someone, just things I’ve got on my own wishlist or have mentally bookmarked for my family.

Quick side note: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign up for eBates! I always thought it was a sham, but it’s most definitely not. If you shop online a lot like I do and install the plugin on your web browser, you’ll get an automatic notification when an online store offers cash back; the stores I regularly shop at offer anywhere from 2 to 15 percent back, which is refunded to me every couple of months via Paypal. I pretty much only shop online as I hate going into stores and have gotten $500 refunded to me this year alone. You can sign up here, which I highly recommend before doing any Christmas shopping!

With that said, here are many things I’m loving this year:

FOR A FANCY STOCKING STUFFER: SOCK FANCY

Remember how as a child you’d roll your eyes anytime you received a piece of clothing as a gift, then somewhere around your teens or early 20s, you only hoped someone would give you a present like underwear or socks? Socks have become a routine staple for me: I get them for my mom, sister and SVV every single year, and spent hours searching online for the perfect prints. SVV, you may be surprised to know, is a bit of a sock connoisseur and the crazier the print, the more likely he is to wear it. So when I learned of Sock Fancy, an Atlanta-based sock delivery service, I was more than thrilled that someone was going to take that time searching for the perfect prints off my hands. Best of all, you can customize your subscription—men’s or women’s; all crew, all low-cut or a mix of both; one, two or six pairs per month (I’m going with six given that my washing machine eats socks like no other!)—in a commitment of three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscriptions. Shipping is free, and if you don’t like something? You can make unlimited swaps. How’s that for satisfaction-guaranteed? You can also get 20% off with the code BF2018.

Price: from $11/month (purchase here)

FOR THE AT-HOME CHEF: RAW SPICE BAR

Born from the desire for better quality sourcing of raw spices, RawSpiceBar is built to control the entire process of ground spice production here in the United States. We’ve been using their products for a few years to make Indian chicken, Italian food, Asian-inspired tacos and so many other yummy dishes. SVV gravitates towards the blended ingredients like tandoori masala or the Persian advieh and absolutely loves the extended recipe section of their website for dinner inspiration. I’m not complaining! If you’re like me and can’t choose, RawSpiceBar offers a subscription model that will kick your kitchen up a notch and it’s customized to how you cook and what kind of dishes you typically like. Genius! We’ve now been subscribers for three years, and not only do we get brand new spices we’ve never before tried sent to us on the regular, but now we can also log onto RawSpiceBar’s online shop and order bigger portions of the spices we love. Note: You can get 12% cash back through eBates with this one.

Price: from $9/month (purchase here)

FOR YOUR PRODUCT-JUNKIE WIFE: GURU POUCH

We all have that person in their lives, who opens up her purse and an entire makeup counter spills out. And if you don’t have that person, it’s probably you (spoken from experience, ha)! The Guru Pouch is a drawstring makeup bag that opens into a 20-inch flat surface. Not only can you can see everything at once, which is my big frustration packing all my stuff into a tiny makeup bag when I travel, but when you’re done, you just pull the strings and everything is tucked inside. Best of all, you don’t need to pack and repack when you’re traveling, as you can use this method at home instead of taking it all out of your makeup drawer and messing up your counter; instead, just set the products back down on the open bag and cinch them all inside when you’re done. Voila!

Price: $12 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR TOY-LOVING HUSBAND: DJI MAVIC AIR QUAD

The best gift I ever gave SVV was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone a year-and-a-half ago. We use that thing all the time, and it’s become an important component in our photography kit. That said, if you’re just a hobbyist, you don’t need a $2000 drone; the DJI Mavic Air will work just fine (we actually produce videos for tourism boards so need the higher-end model). DJI almost never puts their gear on sale, but for this Christmas, they have the Mavic Air bundle—which includes the remote controller, a spare battery and a hard case, all expensive accessories on their own—on sale for $749. If you’ve ever wanted a drone, now’s your time. If you (or your husband) are in the production industry, I highly recommend the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which is on sale in a bundle with a ton of accessories for $1800. And if you’re not ready to commit to the real thing just yet, SVV spent a year learning to fly on this $60 BLADE Nano before launching a $2000 piece of equipment into the air. (I much endorse this method! Too many rookie drone pilots out there ruining it for the rest of us.)

Price: $749 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR COLOR-LOVING SISTER: 3D EARRINGS

MonsteRawr was one of my first ever blog friends, so when she launched MonsteRawr Makes earlier this year, I was one of her first clients. Stephanie, who has a long history of working in theater production, uses a 3D printer to make amazing wearable art in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Her style really speaks to my geometry-loving, former math-major heart, and I absolutely love how she incorporates asymmetrical prints and circles in her pieces. You can pretty much order any color you like—her products come in pink, yellow, purple, blue, green—and Stephanie has generously offered all C&C readers 20% off their order through Dec. 31 with the promo code CAMELSGORAWR.

Price: starts at $17 a piece (purchase here)

FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: A PORTABLE POWER BANK

SVV and I got a couple of these handy charging stations by Lynktec last year, and boy have they saved our lives ever since upgrading our phones and coming to terms with the harsh reality that Mophie doesn’t make a charging case for the iPhone X. Instead, we each keep one of these charging stations in our laptop bags or purses at all times and pretty much use them daily when outside the home, whether out and about in Nashville or traveling for work. Each one gives you four full charges before you need to plug it into the wall and recharge it, plus they come with mini-USB ports as well as an Apple mFi connection, so you can charge iPhones and Droids. Can you say lifesaver? Right now, Lynktec is offering 40% off everything with the code BLACKFRIDAY18.

Price: $60 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR INQUISITIVE KID: LITTLE PASSPORTS

I bookmarked this kids’ subscription box company when I found them almost a year ago as a gift idea for my five-year-old niece Lucy. She’s a precocious kid and always eager to learn new facts and skills. So I ordered her a one-year subscription to Little Passports for this Christmas. Little Passports makes subscriptions toy boxes for kids ranging from 3 to 12 years old with each box designed to take kids on an adventure where they discover more about the world. Even better: The boxes are put together with the help of scientists, educators with PhD and Masters degrees, and award-winning writers and designers. Kids learn by touching and doing, not just memorizing facts. I reached out to Little Passports and they kindly extended a 15% off offer to C&C readers with the code PR8N2F through 12/31/18. They also have some Black Friday sales happening now, plus eBates is another 6% cash back in your pocket.

Price: $12.99/month (purchase here)

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST: ST. JUDE

Y’all know of my love for my home state non-profit, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by now. There’s no company I’d rather donate my money and my time to, so when they reached out to tell me about their #ThisShirtSavesLives campaign, I was more than happy to share the good word. For the second year, they asked dozens of celebrities (and a few bloggers like yours truly!) come into the studio and get our photos snapped wearing the newest iteration of the #ThisShirtSavesLives. If you commit to donate $20 a month alongside us, you’ll get the new shirt sent to you—and rest easy knowing that you’re helping St. Jude give children with cancer free access to treatment, lodging and so much more. (In case you didn’t know, St. Jude’s entire ethos is that no family should have to worry about expenses while they’re focusing on their child’s life.)

Price: $20/month (join here)

FOR THE BROADWAY FAN: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED

Has it really been only a year since The Greatest Showman catapulted into our lives (and our sound systems), forever changing them for the better? I don’t know about you, but I memorized the entire soundtrack in, oh, about 1.5 days, so when I heard The Greatest Showman Reimagined was coming out just in time for the holidays with covers of the popular tracks by some of my favorite pop artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Kesha, I immediately bookmarked it to download in my Amazon Music account. (Side note: Don’t have Amazon Music? We pay $7.99 a month for it, but I just saw that it’s on sale for $.99 a month right now!) If you don’t have a streaming account, you can buy this amazing soundtrack via Amazon as a CD or audio download.

Price: $13.49 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR WOMAN ABOUT TOWN: ALL THE BODEN

I absolutely love buying my clohting from Boden, usually dresses and tunics that transition easily from day wear to night. Typically, Boden pieces are a bit more than I tend to spend on clothing (think: $150 for a dress, which isn’t bad), but Boden frequently has sales and right now is offering 30% off with the code V4N9. Things I’m lusting after: this jacket with toggles, this green jersey dress, this lilac dress, this fun yellow sweater, this color-block dress.

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FOR YOUR UNICORN-LOVING NIECE: A PERSONALIZED PILLOW

I bought this personalized sequin pillow for two of my nieces for Christmas after it popped up on my Facebook as a sponsored post (can you tell I buy a lot of unicorn things?). I love that you can personalize the name, pick silver or gold sequins, and have an option between designs. They also have other designs like a llama, mermaid, Santa and even an option where you can put your own photo on there if you’re that narcissistic, ha.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR STYLISH LITTLE: ALL THE CUTEST CLOTHES

My niece is now eight months old, and I’ve had the best time outfitting her in the cutest little girl clothes throughout the year. A few of my favorite resources are Gap Baby, Mini Boden, Cat & Jack from Target and Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with Tucker + Tate—they even have adorable little boys’ clothing, which I find is rare). Below you’ll find several of the outfits I bought her this fall and winter. I’ve been stock-piling clothes for her, but have already had to give her a few of her 1-year birthday presents as she’s 8 months but already wearing 12-18 months! That kid is not small.

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  FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: TOMS

A couple years ago, I swapped out all of my designer footwear in favor of everything TOMS, no matter the season (I often buy them via Zappos, FYI, as Zappos always seems to be running deals). They’re just so dang comfortable, they’re affordable and they have regular sales, not to mention I love their give-back philosophy, donating a pair of shoes to kids in need for every pair sold. I absolutely love their booties and have no fewer than seven pairs in my closet, with more on the way. My favorites are the Ella booties (no surprise there), but I also love the Kala Wedge Booties. BONUS: TOMS just launched an amazing initiative called “End Gun Violence Together” where they’ve pledged to commit $5 million to gun reform, plus will send a letter to your Congress person on your behalf asking for more thorough background checks of gun owners and it only takes 30 seconds, so go to their homepage and do just that. As if I couldn’t love them any more! Plus, they currently are offering 30% off site-wide with the code THANKFUL. And you get another 10% cash back in your pocket with eBates.

Price: starting at $89 (purchase here with the code MADHOUSE for 20% off)

FOR YOUR PUP: THIS CLOUD-LIKE BED

A friend posted this Best Friends by Sheri dog bed that I immediately snatched up for Ella, who has a bed in every house but only seems to be placated by sleeping on my blanket that looks very similar to this. Here’s to hoping our fur child is finally comfortable (ha)! There are four different size options of this donut-shaped bed depending on how big your pup is.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER: ATHLEISURE

Ahem, are you listening, Mom? Honestly, at this point in life, all I care about are leggings, tunics and puffy vests. My go-to shops are Gap, LOFT and Athleta—particularly as all of those have frequent sales (I also stock up on Zella leggings during the holidays or Nordstrom’s annual sale). Since I work from home and don’t often need dressy garb, the majority of my wardrobe is some form of athleisure that can transition from home office to errands to home office again—or be worn on planes or on road trips. I have an entire wardrobe comprising just leggings, and let me tell you I wear them all; the best leggings brands in my mind are Gap or Hue, though I’ve had success with the Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad brands that Kohl’s carries, as well. Here are a few items I’ve either purchased for myself lately or put on my own wishlist. Gap currently is offering 50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY (plus 10% in cash back on eBates), which makes my favorite leggings just $15 a pair. These are seriously all I wear in winter months under a tunic, and they tuck in great to boots!

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FOR YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS/HER OWN BUSINESS: GETTING NAKED

SVV recently bought this book by Patrick Lencioni as we continue to evolve our own business model into more consulting in the coming year and show more vulnerability as business owners. It’s a helpful look at entrepreneurship, no matter what field you’re in, as well as a quick read. He also has a number of other business books that are more targeted to specific industries.

Price: $15.99 (purchase here)

FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM: BAREFOOT DREAMS

OK, let’s widen this net to say “anyone who is at home the majority of the time,” including but not limited to stay-at-home moms and grandmoms, creatives, freelancers, remote employees, anyone for whom comfort is key. Barefoot Dreams makes the coziest of the cozy cardigans and wraps that are legitimately like being wrapped up in a big hug. I originally had some bookmarked via Nordstrom, but they all sold out, so randomly I found them on QVC for much cheaper; they’re also having a major sale on everything through Nov. 26 making them even cheaper. They also make these amazing throws that I’m wanting for my home office.

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Price: from $75 if you buy via QVC (purchase here)

As always, I’m giving away a holiday bundle, a selection of my favorite things, some from this list and some which may be surprises, so enter below to win my annual C&C giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All you have to tell me is this: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Note: A few of these products are from our partners or are affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission for any purchases made. The majority are things I bought for loved ones this holiday season (hope my loved ones aren’t reading this list!). All items featured are 100% endorsed by me.

  PIN IT HERE

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone! published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

[sentrava]

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone!

Every year when I’m putting together my annual holiday gift guide, it’s more a compilation of my own wishlist—as well as gifts I’ve purchased for my loved ones. (Loved ones, look away! You might spoil the surprise.) No $2000 items or things like a Peloton that you’d never actually buy someone, just things I’ve got on my own wishlist or have mentally bookmarked for my family.

Quick side note: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign up for eBates! I always thought it was a sham, but it’s most definitely not. If you shop online a lot like I do and install the plugin on your web browser, you’ll get an automatic notification when an online store offers cash back; the stores I regularly shop at offer anywhere from 2 to 15 percent back, which is refunded to me every couple of months via Paypal. I pretty much only shop online as I hate going into stores and have gotten $500 refunded to me this year alone. You can sign up here, which I highly recommend before doing any Christmas shopping!

With that said, here are many things I’m loving this year:

FOR A FANCY STOCKING STUFFER: SOCK FANCY

Remember how as a child you’d roll your eyes anytime you received a piece of clothing as a gift, then somewhere around your teens or early 20s, you only hoped someone would give you a present like underwear or socks? Socks have become a routine staple for me: I get them for my mom, sister and SVV every single year, and spent hours searching online for the perfect prints. SVV, you may be surprised to know, is a bit of a sock connoisseur and the crazier the print, the more likely he is to wear it. So when I learned of Sock Fancy, an Atlanta-based sock delivery service, I was more than thrilled that someone was going to take that time searching for the perfect prints off my hands. Best of all, you can customize your subscription—men’s or women’s; all crew, all low-cut or a mix of both; one, two or six pairs per month (I’m going with six given that my washing machine eats socks like no other!)—in a commitment of three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscriptions. Shipping is free, and if you don’t like something? You can make unlimited swaps. How’s that for satisfaction-guaranteed? You can also get 20% off with the code BF2018.

Price: from $11/month (purchase here)

FOR THE AT-HOME CHEF: RAW SPICE BAR

Born from the desire for better quality sourcing of raw spices, RawSpiceBar is built to control the entire process of ground spice production here in the United States. We’ve been using their products for a few years to make Indian chicken, Italian food, Asian-inspired tacos and so many other yummy dishes. SVV gravitates towards the blended ingredients like tandoori masala or the Persian advieh and absolutely loves the extended recipe section of their website for dinner inspiration. I’m not complaining! If you’re like me and can’t choose, RawSpiceBar offers a subscription model that will kick your kitchen up a notch and it’s customized to how you cook and what kind of dishes you typically like. Genius! We’ve now been subscribers for three years, and not only do we get brand new spices we’ve never before tried sent to us on the regular, but now we can also log onto RawSpiceBar’s online shop and order bigger portions of the spices we love. Note: You can get 12% cash back through eBates with this one.

Price: from $9/month (purchase here)

FOR YOUR PRODUCT-JUNKIE WIFE: GURU POUCH

We all have that person in their lives, who opens up her purse and an entire makeup counter spills out. And if you don’t have that person, it’s probably you (spoken from experience, ha)! The Guru Pouch is a drawstring makeup bag that opens into a 20-inch flat surface. Not only can you can see everything at once, which is my big frustration packing all my stuff into a tiny makeup bag when I travel, but when you’re done, you just pull the strings and everything is tucked inside. Best of all, you don’t need to pack and repack when you’re traveling, as you can use this method at home instead of taking it all out of your makeup drawer and messing up your counter; instead, just set the products back down on the open bag and cinch them all inside when you’re done. Voila!

Price: $12 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR TOY-LOVING HUSBAND: DJI MAVIC AIR QUAD

The best gift I ever gave SVV was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone a year-and-a-half ago. We use that thing all the time, and it’s become an important component in our photography kit. That said, if you’re just a hobbyist, you don’t need a $2000 drone; the DJI Mavic Air will work just fine (we actually produce videos for tourism boards so need the higher-end model). DJI almost never puts their gear on sale, but for this Christmas, they have the Mavic Air bundle—which includes the remote controller, a spare battery and a hard case, all expensive accessories on their own—on sale for $749. If you’ve ever wanted a drone, now’s your time. If you (or your husband) are in the production industry, I highly recommend the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which is on sale in a bundle with a ton of accessories for $1800. And if you’re not ready to commit to the real thing just yet, SVV spent a year learning to fly on this $60 BLADE Nano before launching a $2000 piece of equipment into the air. (I much endorse this method! Too many rookie drone pilots out there ruining it for the rest of us.)

Price: $749 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR COLOR-LOVING SISTER: 3D EARRINGS

MonsteRawr was one of my first ever blog friends, so when she launched MonsteRawr Makes earlier this year, I was one of her first clients. Stephanie, who has a long history of working in theater production, uses a 3D printer to make amazing wearable art in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Her style really speaks to my geometry-loving, former math-major heart, and I absolutely love how she incorporates asymmetrical prints and circles in her pieces. You can pretty much order any color you like—her products come in pink, yellow, purple, blue, green—and Stephanie has generously offered all C&C readers 20% off their order through Dec. 31 with the promo code CAMELSGORAWR.

Price: starts at $17 a piece (purchase here)

FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: A PORTABLE POWER BANK

SVV and I got a couple of these handy charging stations by Lynktec last year, and boy have they saved our lives ever since upgrading our phones and coming to terms with the harsh reality that Mophie doesn’t make a charging case for the iPhone X. Instead, we each keep one of these charging stations in our laptop bags or purses at all times and pretty much use them daily when outside the home, whether out and about in Nashville or traveling for work. Each one gives you four full charges before you need to plug it into the wall and recharge it, plus they come with mini-USB ports as well as an Apple mFi connection, so you can charge iPhones and Droids. Can you say lifesaver? Right now, Lynktec is offering 40% off everything with the code BLACKFRIDAY18.

Price: $60 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR INQUISITIVE KID: LITTLE PASSPORTS

I bookmarked this kids’ subscription box company when I found them almost a year ago as a gift idea for my five-year-old niece Lucy. She’s a precocious kid and always eager to learn new facts and skills. So I ordered her a one-year subscription to Little Passports for this Christmas. Little Passports makes subscriptions toy boxes for kids ranging from 3 to 12 years old with each box designed to take kids on an adventure where they discover more about the world. Even better: The boxes are put together with the help of scientists, educators with PhD and Masters degrees, and award-winning writers and designers. Kids learn by touching and doing, not just memorizing facts. I reached out to Little Passports and they kindly extended a 15% off offer to C&C readers with the code PR8N2F through 12/31/18. They also have some Black Friday sales happening now, plus eBates is another 6% cash back in your pocket.

Price: $12.99/month (purchase here)

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST: ST. JUDE

Y’all know of my love for my home state non-profit, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by now. There’s no company I’d rather donate my money and my time to, so when they reached out to tell me about their #ThisShirtSavesLives campaign, I was more than happy to share the good word. For the second year, they asked dozens of celebrities (and a few bloggers like yours truly!) come into the studio and get our photos snapped wearing the newest iteration of the #ThisShirtSavesLives. If you commit to donate $20 a month alongside us, you’ll get the new shirt sent to you—and rest easy knowing that you’re helping St. Jude give children with cancer free access to treatment, lodging and so much more. (In case you didn’t know, St. Jude’s entire ethos is that no family should have to worry about expenses while they’re focusing on their child’s life.)

Price: $20/month (join here)

FOR THE BROADWAY FAN: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED

Has it really been only a year since The Greatest Showman catapulted into our lives (and our sound systems), forever changing them for the better? I don’t know about you, but I memorized the entire soundtrack in, oh, about 1.5 days, so when I heard The Greatest Showman Reimagined was coming out just in time for the holidays with covers of the popular tracks by some of my favorite pop artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Kesha, I immediately bookmarked it to download in my Amazon Music account. (Side note: Don’t have Amazon Music? We pay $7.99 a month for it, but I just saw that it’s on sale for $.99 a month right now!) If you don’t have a streaming account, you can buy this amazing soundtrack via Amazon as a CD or audio download.

Price: $13.49 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR WOMAN ABOUT TOWN: ALL THE BODEN

I absolutely love buying my clohting from Boden, usually dresses and tunics that transition easily from day wear to night. Typically, Boden pieces are a bit more than I tend to spend on clothing (think: $150 for a dress, which isn’t bad), but Boden frequently has sales and right now is offering 30% off with the code V4N9. Things I’m lusting after: this jacket with toggles, this green jersey dress, this lilac dress, this fun yellow sweater, this color-block dress.

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FOR YOUR UNICORN-LOVING NIECE: A PERSONALIZED PILLOW

I bought this personalized sequin pillow for two of my nieces for Christmas after it popped up on my Facebook as a sponsored post (can you tell I buy a lot of unicorn things?). I love that you can personalize the name, pick silver or gold sequins, and have an option between designs. They also have other designs like a llama, mermaid, Santa and even an option where you can put your own photo on there if you’re that narcissistic, ha.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR STYLISH LITTLE: ALL THE CUTEST CLOTHES

My niece is now eight months old, and I’ve had the best time outfitting her in the cutest little girl clothes throughout the year. A few of my favorite resources are Gap Baby, Mini Boden, Cat & Jack from Target and Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with Tucker + Tate—they even have adorable little boys’ clothing, which I find is rare). Below you’ll find several of the outfits I bought her this fall and winter. I’ve been stock-piling clothes for her, but have already had to give her a few of her 1-year birthday presents as she’s 8 months but already wearing 12-18 months! That kid is not small.

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  FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: TOMS

A couple years ago, I swapped out all of my designer footwear in favor of everything TOMS, no matter the season (I often buy them via Zappos, FYI, as Zappos always seems to be running deals). They’re just so dang comfortable, they’re affordable and they have regular sales, not to mention I love their give-back philosophy, donating a pair of shoes to kids in need for every pair sold. I absolutely love their booties and have no fewer than seven pairs in my closet, with more on the way. My favorites are the Ella booties (no surprise there), but I also love the Kala Wedge Booties. BONUS: TOMS just launched an amazing initiative called “End Gun Violence Together” where they’ve pledged to commit $5 million to gun reform, plus will send a letter to your Congress person on your behalf asking for more thorough background checks of gun owners and it only takes 30 seconds, so go to their homepage and do just that. As if I couldn’t love them any more! Plus, they currently are offering 30% off site-wide with the code THANKFUL. And you get another 10% cash back in your pocket with eBates.

Price: starting at $89 (purchase here with the code MADHOUSE for 20% off)

FOR YOUR PUP: THIS CLOUD-LIKE BED

A friend posted this Best Friends by Sheri dog bed that I immediately snatched up for Ella, who has a bed in every house but only seems to be placated by sleeping on my blanket that looks very similar to this. Here’s to hoping our fur child is finally comfortable (ha)! There are four different size options of this donut-shaped bed depending on how big your pup is.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER: ATHLEISURE

Ahem, are you listening, Mom? Honestly, at this point in life, all I care about are leggings, tunics and puffy vests. My go-to shops are Gap, LOFT and Athleta—particularly as all of those have frequent sales (I also stock up on Zella leggings during the holidays or Nordstrom’s annual sale). Since I work from home and don’t often need dressy garb, the majority of my wardrobe is some form of athleisure that can transition from home office to errands to home office again—or be worn on planes or on road trips. I have an entire wardrobe comprising just leggings, and let me tell you I wear them all; the best leggings brands in my mind are Gap or Hue, though I’ve had success with the Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad brands that Kohl’s carries, as well. Here are a few items I’ve either purchased for myself lately or put on my own wishlist. Gap currently is offering 50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY (plus 10% in cash back on eBates), which makes my favorite leggings just $15 a pair. These are seriously all I wear in winter months under a tunic, and they tuck in great to boots!

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FOR YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS/HER OWN BUSINESS: GETTING NAKED

SVV recently bought this book by Patrick Lencioni as we continue to evolve our own business model into more consulting in the coming year and show more vulnerability as business owners. It’s a helpful look at entrepreneurship, no matter what field you’re in, as well as a quick read. He also has a number of other business books that are more targeted to specific industries.

Price: $15.99 (purchase here)

FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM: BAREFOOT DREAMS

OK, let’s widen this net to say “anyone who is at home the majority of the time,” including but not limited to stay-at-home moms and grandmoms, creatives, freelancers, remote employees, anyone for whom comfort is key. Barefoot Dreams makes the coziest of the cozy cardigans and wraps that are legitimately like being wrapped up in a big hug. I originally had some bookmarked via Nordstrom, but they all sold out, so randomly I found them on QVC for much cheaper; they’re also having a major sale on everything through Nov. 26 making them even cheaper. They also make these amazing throws that I’m wanting for my home office.

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Price: from $75 if you buy via QVC (purchase here)

As always, I’m giving away a holiday bundle, a selection of my favorite things, some from this list and some which may be surprises, so enter below to win my annual C&C giveaway:

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All you have to tell me is this: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Note: A few of these products are from our partners or are affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission for any purchases made. The majority are things I bought for loved ones this holiday season (hope my loved ones aren’t reading this list!). All items featured are 100% endorsed by me.

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Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone! published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

[sentrava]

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone!

Every year when I’m putting together my annual holiday gift guide, it’s more a compilation of my own wishlist—as well as gifts I’ve purchased for my loved ones. (Loved ones, look away! You might spoil the surprise.) No $2000 items or things like a Peloton that you’d never actually buy someone, just things I’ve got on my own wishlist or have mentally bookmarked for my family.

Quick side note: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign up for eBates! I always thought it was a sham, but it’s most definitely not. If you shop online a lot like I do and install the plugin on your web browser, you’ll get an automatic notification when an online store offers cash back; the stores I regularly shop at offer anywhere from 2 to 15 percent back, which is refunded to me every couple of months via Paypal. I pretty much only shop online as I hate going into stores and have gotten $500 refunded to me this year alone. You can sign up here, which I highly recommend before doing any Christmas shopping!

With that said, here are many things I’m loving this year:

FOR A FANCY STOCKING STUFFER: SOCK FANCY

Remember how as a child you’d roll your eyes anytime you received a piece of clothing as a gift, then somewhere around your teens or early 20s, you only hoped someone would give you a present like underwear or socks? Socks have become a routine staple for me: I get them for my mom, sister and SVV every single year, and spent hours searching online for the perfect prints. SVV, you may be surprised to know, is a bit of a sock connoisseur and the crazier the print, the more likely he is to wear it. So when I learned of Sock Fancy, an Atlanta-based sock delivery service, I was more than thrilled that someone was going to take that time searching for the perfect prints off my hands. Best of all, you can customize your subscription—men’s or women’s; all crew, all low-cut or a mix of both; one, two or six pairs per month (I’m going with six given that my washing machine eats socks like no other!)—in a commitment of three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscriptions. Shipping is free, and if you don’t like something? You can make unlimited swaps. How’s that for satisfaction-guaranteed? You can also get 20% off with the code BF2018.

Price: from $11/month (purchase here)

FOR THE AT-HOME CHEF: RAW SPICE BAR

Born from the desire for better quality sourcing of raw spices, RawSpiceBar is built to control the entire process of ground spice production here in the United States. We’ve been using their products for a few years to make Indian chicken, Italian food, Asian-inspired tacos and so many other yummy dishes. SVV gravitates towards the blended ingredients like tandoori masala or the Persian advieh and absolutely loves the extended recipe section of their website for dinner inspiration. I’m not complaining! If you’re like me and can’t choose, RawSpiceBar offers a subscription model that will kick your kitchen up a notch and it’s customized to how you cook and what kind of dishes you typically like. Genius! We’ve now been subscribers for three years, and not only do we get brand new spices we’ve never before tried sent to us on the regular, but now we can also log onto RawSpiceBar’s online shop and order bigger portions of the spices we love. Note: You can get 12% cash back through eBates with this one.

Price: from $9/month (purchase here)

FOR YOUR PRODUCT-JUNKIE WIFE: GURU POUCH

We all have that person in their lives, who opens up her purse and an entire makeup counter spills out. And if you don’t have that person, it’s probably you (spoken from experience, ha)! The Guru Pouch is a drawstring makeup bag that opens into a 20-inch flat surface. Not only can you can see everything at once, which is my big frustration packing all my stuff into a tiny makeup bag when I travel, but when you’re done, you just pull the strings and everything is tucked inside. Best of all, you don’t need to pack and repack when you’re traveling, as you can use this method at home instead of taking it all out of your makeup drawer and messing up your counter; instead, just set the products back down on the open bag and cinch them all inside when you’re done. Voila!

Price: $12 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR TOY-LOVING HUSBAND: DJI MAVIC AIR QUAD

The best gift I ever gave SVV was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone a year-and-a-half ago. We use that thing all the time, and it’s become an important component in our photography kit. That said, if you’re just a hobbyist, you don’t need a $2000 drone; the DJI Mavic Air will work just fine (we actually produce videos for tourism boards so need the higher-end model). DJI almost never puts their gear on sale, but for this Christmas, they have the Mavic Air bundle—which includes the remote controller, a spare battery and a hard case, all expensive accessories on their own—on sale for $749. If you’ve ever wanted a drone, now’s your time. If you (or your husband) are in the production industry, I highly recommend the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which is on sale in a bundle with a ton of accessories for $1800. And if you’re not ready to commit to the real thing just yet, SVV spent a year learning to fly on this $60 BLADE Nano before launching a $2000 piece of equipment into the air. (I much endorse this method! Too many rookie drone pilots out there ruining it for the rest of us.)

Price: $749 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR COLOR-LOVING SISTER: 3D EARRINGS

MonsteRawr was one of my first ever blog friends, so when she launched MonsteRawr Makes earlier this year, I was one of her first clients. Stephanie, who has a long history of working in theater production, uses a 3D printer to make amazing wearable art in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Her style really speaks to my geometry-loving, former math-major heart, and I absolutely love how she incorporates asymmetrical prints and circles in her pieces. You can pretty much order any color you like—her products come in pink, yellow, purple, blue, green—and Stephanie has generously offered all C&C readers 20% off their order through Dec. 31 with the promo code CAMELSGORAWR.

Price: starts at $17 a piece (purchase here)

FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: A PORTABLE POWER BANK

SVV and I got a couple of these handy charging stations by Lynktec last year, and boy have they saved our lives ever since upgrading our phones and coming to terms with the harsh reality that Mophie doesn’t make a charging case for the iPhone X. Instead, we each keep one of these charging stations in our laptop bags or purses at all times and pretty much use them daily when outside the home, whether out and about in Nashville or traveling for work. Each one gives you four full charges before you need to plug it into the wall and recharge it, plus they come with mini-USB ports as well as an Apple mFi connection, so you can charge iPhones and Droids. Can you say lifesaver? Right now, Lynktec is offering 40% off everything with the code BLACKFRIDAY18.

Price: $60 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR INQUISITIVE KID: LITTLE PASSPORTS

I bookmarked this kids’ subscription box company when I found them almost a year ago as a gift idea for my five-year-old niece Lucy. She’s a precocious kid and always eager to learn new facts and skills. So I ordered her a one-year subscription to Little Passports for this Christmas. Little Passports makes subscriptions toy boxes for kids ranging from 3 to 12 years old with each box designed to take kids on an adventure where they discover more about the world. Even better: The boxes are put together with the help of scientists, educators with PhD and Masters degrees, and award-winning writers and designers. Kids learn by touching and doing, not just memorizing facts. I reached out to Little Passports and they kindly extended a 15% off offer to C&C readers with the code PR8N2F through 12/31/18. They also have some Black Friday sales happening now, plus eBates is another 6% cash back in your pocket.

Price: $12.99/month (purchase here)

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST: ST. JUDE

Y’all know of my love for my home state non-profit, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by now. There’s no company I’d rather donate my money and my time to, so when they reached out to tell me about their #ThisShirtSavesLives campaign, I was more than happy to share the good word. For the second year, they asked dozens of celebrities (and a few bloggers like yours truly!) come into the studio and get our photos snapped wearing the newest iteration of the #ThisShirtSavesLives. If you commit to donate $20 a month alongside us, you’ll get the new shirt sent to you—and rest easy knowing that you’re helping St. Jude give children with cancer free access to treatment, lodging and so much more. (In case you didn’t know, St. Jude’s entire ethos is that no family should have to worry about expenses while they’re focusing on their child’s life.)

Price: $20/month (join here)

FOR THE BROADWAY FAN: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED

Has it really been only a year since The Greatest Showman catapulted into our lives (and our sound systems), forever changing them for the better? I don’t know about you, but I memorized the entire soundtrack in, oh, about 1.5 days, so when I heard The Greatest Showman Reimagined was coming out just in time for the holidays with covers of the popular tracks by some of my favorite pop artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Kesha, I immediately bookmarked it to download in my Amazon Music account. (Side note: Don’t have Amazon Music? We pay $7.99 a month for it, but I just saw that it’s on sale for $.99 a month right now!) If you don’t have a streaming account, you can buy this amazing soundtrack via Amazon as a CD or audio download.

Price: $13.49 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR WOMAN ABOUT TOWN: ALL THE BODEN

I absolutely love buying my clohting from Boden, usually dresses and tunics that transition easily from day wear to night. Typically, Boden pieces are a bit more than I tend to spend on clothing (think: $150 for a dress, which isn’t bad), but Boden frequently has sales and right now is offering 30% off with the code V4N9. Things I’m lusting after: this jacket with toggles, this green jersey dress, this lilac dress, this fun yellow sweater, this color-block dress.

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FOR YOUR UNICORN-LOVING NIECE: A PERSONALIZED PILLOW

I bought this personalized sequin pillow for two of my nieces for Christmas after it popped up on my Facebook as a sponsored post (can you tell I buy a lot of unicorn things?). I love that you can personalize the name, pick silver or gold sequins, and have an option between designs. They also have other designs like a llama, mermaid, Santa and even an option where you can put your own photo on there if you’re that narcissistic, ha.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR STYLISH LITTLE: ALL THE CUTEST CLOTHES

My niece is now eight months old, and I’ve had the best time outfitting her in the cutest little girl clothes throughout the year. A few of my favorite resources are Gap Baby, Mini Boden, Cat & Jack from Target and Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with Tucker + Tate—they even have adorable little boys’ clothing, which I find is rare). Below you’ll find several of the outfits I bought her this fall and winter. I’ve been stock-piling clothes for her, but have already had to give her a few of her 1-year birthday presents as she’s 8 months but already wearing 12-18 months! That kid is not small.

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  FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: TOMS

A couple years ago, I swapped out all of my designer footwear in favor of everything TOMS, no matter the season (I often buy them via Zappos, FYI, as Zappos always seems to be running deals). They’re just so dang comfortable, they’re affordable and they have regular sales, not to mention I love their give-back philosophy, donating a pair of shoes to kids in need for every pair sold. I absolutely love their booties and have no fewer than seven pairs in my closet, with more on the way. My favorites are the Ella booties (no surprise there), but I also love the Kala Wedge Booties. BONUS: TOMS just launched an amazing initiative called “End Gun Violence Together” where they’ve pledged to commit $5 million to gun reform, plus will send a letter to your Congress person on your behalf asking for more thorough background checks of gun owners and it only takes 30 seconds, so go to their homepage and do just that. As if I couldn’t love them any more! Plus, they currently are offering 30% off site-wide with the code THANKFUL. And you get another 10% cash back in your pocket with eBates.

Price: starting at $89 (purchase here with the code MADHOUSE for 20% off)

FOR YOUR PUP: THIS CLOUD-LIKE BED

A friend posted this Best Friends by Sheri dog bed that I immediately snatched up for Ella, who has a bed in every house but only seems to be placated by sleeping on my blanket that looks very similar to this. Here’s to hoping our fur child is finally comfortable (ha)! There are four different size options of this donut-shaped bed depending on how big your pup is.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER: ATHLEISURE

Ahem, are you listening, Mom? Honestly, at this point in life, all I care about are leggings, tunics and puffy vests. My go-to shops are Gap, LOFT and Athleta—particularly as all of those have frequent sales (I also stock up on Zella leggings during the holidays or Nordstrom’s annual sale). Since I work from home and don’t often need dressy garb, the majority of my wardrobe is some form of athleisure that can transition from home office to errands to home office again—or be worn on planes or on road trips. I have an entire wardrobe comprising just leggings, and let me tell you I wear them all; the best leggings brands in my mind are Gap or Hue, though I’ve had success with the Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad brands that Kohl’s carries, as well. Here are a few items I’ve either purchased for myself lately or put on my own wishlist. Gap currently is offering 50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY (plus 10% in cash back on eBates), which makes my favorite leggings just $15 a pair. These are seriously all I wear in winter months under a tunic, and they tuck in great to boots!

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FOR YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS/HER OWN BUSINESS: GETTING NAKED

SVV recently bought this book by Patrick Lencioni as we continue to evolve our own business model into more consulting in the coming year and show more vulnerability as business owners. It’s a helpful look at entrepreneurship, no matter what field you’re in, as well as a quick read. He also has a number of other business books that are more targeted to specific industries.

Price: $15.99 (purchase here)

FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM: BAREFOOT DREAMS

OK, let’s widen this net to say “anyone who is at home the majority of the time,” including but not limited to stay-at-home moms and grandmoms, creatives, freelancers, remote employees, anyone for whom comfort is key. Barefoot Dreams makes the coziest of the cozy cardigans and wraps that are legitimately like being wrapped up in a big hug. I originally had some bookmarked via Nordstrom, but they all sold out, so randomly I found them on QVC for much cheaper; they’re also having a major sale on everything through Nov. 26 making them even cheaper. They also make these amazing throws that I’m wanting for my home office.

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Price: from $75 if you buy via QVC (purchase here)

As always, I’m giving away a holiday bundle, a selection of my favorite things, some from this list and some which may be surprises, so enter below to win my annual C&C giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All you have to tell me is this: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Note: A few of these products are from our partners or are affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission for any purchases made. The majority are things I bought for loved ones this holiday season (hope my loved ones aren’t reading this list!). All items featured are 100% endorsed by me.

  PIN IT HERE

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone! published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS