boys will be boys

Having a hard time shopping for the boys in your life? Let me start with the little ones. From my experience with my many nephews, there is an obsession with trucks that starts very early. First with a book that explains truck after truck, like this one. Then, they get their tiny hands on play trucks. You would think that a truck a year would get old but there are so many options to keep them interested. For years my sister has recommended the Bruder trucks (dump trucks, front loaders, tractors…the list goes on) and they never fail. Other options are the Hess trucks (they release new ones every year!) or just move onto trains (any!). And if your little guy isn’t interested in trucks, the gender neutral easy-bake over will be available soon thanks to one amazing big sister.

Now for the men. My friend recently introduced me to the men’s shopping site (with a few store locations) Bonobos. They are all about creating the perfect fit for pants and pride themselves on that. With free shipping, super easy returns and a customer service team that gets rave reviews, seems like a must try. In addition to pants, they have tons of other apparel options from a range of brands. Check it out.

Since many of my friends have also purchased work bags for their men this holiday season, I thought that providing a few companies would be helpful. In addition to those listed on the Bonobos site, I recommend Jack Spade (for a classic guy), Saturdays Surf (for a start-up guy) or The Herschel Supply Co (for the uber-casual guy). 

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do you see what i see

Ordering glasses online seems slightly counter intuitive. How are you supposed to know how they will look on? Who is going to help you pick the perfect pair out? Warby Parker has figured out how to solve this dilemma while offering incredibly affordable and stylish options. You can order up to 5 pairs of glasses to try on at home for 5 days free. Once you’ve picked one (or a few for only $95 each INCLUDING prescription!), you can return via a free shipping label that’s included. Amazing, right? And if you desire that hands on in-store experience, Warby Parker has a special holiday-only shop in New York’s Meatpacking District, open from November 17 to January 30. They also have a number of showrooms across the country. Frames are a perfect gift for your four-eyed friends (or those who want to look uber-cool). And if they are picky, get them a gift card and let them do the choosing themselves! 

$95 each

run it

I have been through MANY running headphones. They break all of the time (or get misplaced). It’s the worst when one of the ears just stops working. I have good news though – I think that I have finally found a life changing pair - Bose SIE2 sport headphones! Yes, the price is pretty steep but my hope is that they last for a while and since they are bright, I won’t ever misplace them again. Full transparency, I did misplace a pair (and rightfully got scolded) and then in a very savvy way, used credit card points to get my hands on them again. They are that good. Double bonus...there is a version that comes with a running armband and an inline microphone for taking calls so they can double as hands-free in the car. 

bose sie2 headphones

making a board & checking it twice

I’ve been a total delinquent with posts. That said, gift season mode is almost in full swing, and after many requests, I’m back for the holidays!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a planner. To that end, I thought that it would be helpful to share three sites that will fully help you plan holiday gifts for others, as well as yourself. Here we go…

After much anticipation and demand, Pinterest unveiled secret boards – hooray! At the bottom of your profile, you will find three secret boards. Now you can pin must have gifts for you and your loved ones and not ruin the surprise!

Hukkster, is a fantastic website that allows you to track products on sites you love and you are notified when your swoon worthy items are on sale. Brilliantly, you are even alerted for site-wide sales and you choose when you want to be notified of a sale – 25%, 50%, etc. The site is invite-only currently but the approval process is very quick. You can “Hukk” items into “Gifts” or “Holiday Wishlist” and share with others. I’m anxiously awaiting my alert for some boots!

Lastly, Have to Have, allows you to see trending items and save all of your “have to haves” in one place. Items are tracked and you are notified of sales. You can even see friend’s must haves to take some of the guessing out of what they want for the holidays. 

give instant gratification

When sifting through registries, I always want to get friends something that they can use immediately. To me, there is nothing as fulfilling as instant gratification! Living in New York City, this always presents some obvious challenges due to space constraints. One way to achieve this is to find an item that you can “upgrade” for immediate (and functional) use. For example, purchase a beautiful bread board like this one from Simon Pearce. It’s an ideal companion for entertaining. To go from in a drawer or on display to on the table in minutes, give a monthly membership to an artisanal bread or cheese club. We received a membership to Zingerman’s – the bread is easily freezable and when we cook it, our apartment fills with the aroma of freshly baked bread. It's amazing. If you have a cheese lover in mind, send the gift of Cowgirl Creamery – a San Francisco gem. Insert wine and voila - instant entertaining and enjoyment!

via pinterest

locket love

Now that our wedding has past, I wanted to share one of my favorite finds throughout the process – jewelry from the incredibly talented Kelley Solomon. She is the mastermind behind local Connecticut jewelry shop Aquinnah. She makes pieces that are absolutely perfect for daytime casual chic, date night and formal affairs.

For my sister and Maid of Honor, I was immediately sold on getting her Aquinnah’s locket bracelet. I gathered digital photos that represented her family and printed them very, very tiny to include in the many lockets dangling from her wrist. It’s the perfect piece to spruce up any outfit and the best part is that it’s filled with so many happy memories.

In addition to her one-of-a-kind locket items, she has an incredible selection of bracelets, earrings and necklaces made from various jewels and stones. She’s a dream to work with and can customize pretty much anything. To see her latest and greatest creations - visit her site today. I'm swooning over the new bright colored necklaces for Fall!

vintage lockets via aquinnah jewelry

limited edition vintage, lemon milk glass bib necklace via aquinnah jewelry

some dog lovin'

As a yellow lab owner, I feel as though I am constantly purchasing toys and treats for my amazing pooch (this may have to do with his habit to destroy all toys). My sister just shared this awesome site with me - BarkBox. It's a monthly delivery for your dog - it includes carefully selected products that your dog is sure to love. And with every purchase, doggies in need are helped. It's brilliant. They have a super easy gifting option so that you can share the wonderful world of BarkBox with dog owners alike! If you want to make your best friend happy, then start subscribing to BarkBox!