Gift Guide: Gifts That Give Back

Hi guys! Long time no talk, oops! How it is already December 11th is beyond me. Wasn't it just Halloween? Not only is it already almost half way through December, it will be 70 degrees in Nashville this weekend! How late is too late to lay out by the pool? 
I didn't want to make it through the holiday season without my favorite post; putting together a gift guide full of gifts that all give back in some way. I love being able to not only buy someone a gift that they will love, but knowing that you are making a small difference while doing it. After all, that's what the holiday season is all about, right?! 

1. S'well Bottle. Not only does S'well partner with UNICEF to provide clean drinking water to children around the world, but for every purchase of their wood collection bottles, a tree is planted. And I can testify, I have a S'well bottle, and I love it. It is so worth it! Shop Now. 
2. Sevenly. This was a new company to me this year and it is so awesome. Every week, they highlight a new cause and have the cutest apparel to go along with it. For every item sold that week, the cause gets $7 or 7% of the proceeds donated. How awesome is that?! They are doing a 7 Days of Christmas right now (we're on day 4!), so be sure to check it out! Shop Now.
3. The Shop Forward. I've talked about #PimpinJoy apparel on the blog before, and The Shop Forward is the online boutique where you can get all of your #PimpinJoy and other apparel in one place! They are constantly launching new products and campaigns benefiting various charities, such as St. Jude and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Shop Now.

4. Baking for Good. What better way to celebrate the holidays than with baked goods?! Baking for Good donates 15% of the proceeds to the organization or charity you choose, and they have so many to choose from! These are the perfect gifts to bring as hostess gifts for your holiday parties, or to just indulge in for yourself (diet starts Jan 1, right??). Shop Now. 
5. Raven + Lilly. This store makes beautiful clothing and accessories by employing impoverished women to improve their lives. They also donate back to the communities where the women are employed from in order to provide healthcare and education. Also, if you're a Pretty Little Liars fan, Shay Mitchell loves Raven + Lilly! I think their bags and home collection are my favorites! Shop Now. 

You can check out last year's round up here for even more ideas! Also, you can shop through Amazon Smile where they donate .5% of proceeds on applicable items to the charity of your choice. As always, I encourage everyone to donate to their local Toys for Tots or toy drive this holiday season as well. Spread the kindness! 
I hope you guys got some inspiration for some thoughtful gifts this holiday season, and if nothing else, to at least remember to be kind. I hope you all have a great weekend! 

Friday Five

Whew! This sure has been a week! Friday came here before I knew it, and I'm not complaining about that! This week I celebrated Cinco de Mayo Nashville style with live country music and not a drop of tequila or a Corona and officially became a Nashville resident (after over FOUR hours at the DMV)!! Now I get to carry around a makeshift paper license until my real one comes in the mail :) And, I don't want to jinx anything, but, I think it's officially summer here in Tennessee and I could not be happier. It's 90 today!! I'm seriously so excited and completely okay with sweating as soon as I step outside. This is what I've been waiting for! 
While I don't really know where this week went, I do know what I have been loving! 
Pandora Ad. I saw this a couple of weeks ago, but it seemed more appropriate to share the Friday before we celebrate all of our great mothers. 

Laughing baby. Okay, seriously, if you need a laugh, or just a smile, watch this. This baby's laughter and joy is so contagious. I love it! 

Be My Eyes. I heard about this on the radio the other day and thought it was so cool. This app allows blind people to use their smart phones to upload photos of things they need help identifying (i.e., the expiration date on milk) to the app and volunteers around the world can help them. A blind man himself developed the app, so I trust he knows what he's talking about! Such a simple way to help someone throughout your day or week. Read more about it here and download the app here. 

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Baby Lips. On a more superficial note, I am obsessed with these chapsticks. I know I am late to the game on Baby Lips; I've seen them for years. I picked one up at T.J. Maxx the other day because it was $2.00 and why not. These have a slight tint to them, so they are less aggressive than full on lipsticks (lipstick still scares me, I'm trying to ease into it...) so these are perfect for me! And, they are super hydrating and are actually really great chapsticks. I got it in Pop of Pink, which is a subtle hot pink, if hot pink can even be subtle. 

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Good Times. Shout out to Bobby Bones for playing this song by Ray Bonneville this week, because I've had it, by no exaggeration, on repeat. Over and over. It is such a feel good song and perfect for summer and driving with your windows down. Follow me on Spotify to see what else I'm listening to these days! 

I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy the nice weather if you're having it! And make sure to spoil all those moms out there :) 

Friday Five

Happy Friday, loves! This week has flown by and I can't believe we're half way through October already! It sure looks like fall here in Connecticut, but we've had a freakishly warm (and humid!) week. My wardrobe has been very confused, but I'll take any last bit of summer I can get! 
Here's what I'm loving this week:
#PimpinJoy. This may sound funny to a lot of you, but if you're a listener of the Bobby Bones Show, you know what I'm talking about. A little background for those of you a little confused about who's pimpin' what: Amy's (one of the show's hosts) mom, Judy, was diagnosed with cancer and decided to not let it get her spirits down and instead would choose joy. Judy then made a twitter account under the name of JudyBePimpinJoy, and the rest is history. She used something bad to encourage everyone to do something nice for someone and to always choose joy. We recently found out on the show that Amy's mom has received all the treatment she can get, and is living out the last few months with her family (I would be lying to say I didn't cry listening to this segment). As the Bobby Bones Show always encourages, I also encourage each of you to "pimp joy" this weekend, in honor of Judy. I was lucky enough to sit in on the show a couple of years ago and Amy and the rest of the team could not be any sweeter. 

Cowlneck Sweatshirt. I've been eyeing this sweatshirt for weeks now, but can never justify $50 for a sweatshirt. Yesterday, as I was just about to leave Kohl's (empty-handed, might I add), I spotted this and immediately thought of the Mindy Mae's one, and for only $20, I couldn't pass it up. I know I will live in it once it really starts to cool down. 

NYX Primer. I heard about this on another morning show I listen to (I have a long commute....), the Elvis Duran Show, during their "What's Trending" segment. I used to use a primer in my daily makeup routine and eventually ran out and never replenished my stock. Well, this is it ladies. I'm obsessed with this primer and forgot how much better your makeup goes on with it. And, it's super affordable. I got mine at Ulta (they always have coupons - use them!!), but other makeup stores will carry it as well. 

The Courtney Bib. We all know my love for Baublebar by now, and I look at this necklace seriously every time I'm on the site (just to give you an idea, it's frequent). I probably should have just gone ahead and bought it during their friends and family sale this week, but I didn't. So, Santa, if you're reading this... hint hint. 

Bria Skirt. This past week I wore a skirt from Club Monaco and decided to browse their website to see what needs to be added to my wishlist. Well, it didn't take long to spot this and drool over it. I'm imagining it on NYE with a great pair of statement heels. The Club Monaco outlet by me is absolutely killer, so I'm hoping this skirt may end up there. Until then, I will just sit and admire it. 

Hope you all have a great weekend! Are you doing anything fun? And, as always, thanks for reading!

Friday Five

So, every Friday I want to feature five of my favorite things I'm currently loving, not limited to any one topic. Here goes my first Friday five: 
The Skimm. I constantly see people liking this site on my Facebook and never really investigated it. Every day you can have an email sent to you with the top news stories and current events and a random fact or two. This is perfect for someone like myself who doesn't necessarily read or watch the news (does E! News count? I can tell you exactly what happened at Joan Rivers' funeral or the best looks at Fashion Week...) so now I know just enough to BS my way through some small talk :) 
Brothers. While I suppose I'm always loving my brother, my friend posted this article earlier this week and it is so true. Change every "little brother" to "big brother" in this article and it describes my big brother and our relationship to a T. From the late night/early morning phone calls to reminding me that since I'm the youngest there were no good genes left for me or dropping everything (including work) because sometimes you just need some bar stool therapy with your brother.

My brother and I in Ireland 3 years ago 

Drinking Class. This new song by Lee Brice has been on repeat for me all week. Something about the beat just gets it stuck in my head all day long, and I don't hate it. 
College Football. Okay, so shockingly, I'm not exactly a huge football fan, but I do love a good tailgate, and tomorrow will be my first tailgate of the season at my alma mater and I am so excited! While UConn is no Alabama, who can argue with a beautiful day, college friends and some pumpkin beer? Sign me up. Also, Kliff Kingsbury, the beautiful Texas Tech coach (big shoutout to Amy from the Bobby Bones Show for pointing my Google search in his direction). He's making me love college football, too. 

Bar Carts. Last week, my awesome mom made me a bar cart, because if you ask me that should be a necessity in any twenty-something-year-old's house. She found the cart at a thrift store and re-did it for me and I came home from work with this beauty in my living room! I'm now obsessed with finding anything and everything to accessorize it. She also re-upholstered and painted the chair in this picture. Told you she's awesome. 

What are your weekend plans?