Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Since Valentine's Day is fast approaching and many people, such as myself in years past, struggle to come up with ideas, I thought I would tell you some of the things that I have done in the past. Since this will be my seventh Valentine's Day with my boyfriend, it becomes harder and harder each year to think of original ideas. For those of you who are struggling, here are a few of my gender neutral Valentine's gifts from years past.

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The first one that comes to mind is something that I believe I found on Pinterest. I chose one of his favorite candies and bought a bunch of them. Then, I made a color coded sheet and chose different colors to represent different occasions such as "remember when's," "firsts" and places that we had been. I then attached these pieces of paper around the candy and put them all into a cute container. He had a great time reading all the little notes and got to eat some of his favorite sweets. I couldn't find the original article on Pinterest but this is pretty similar and will give you the basic idea!

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Something else that will always be popular, no matter what gender, is cologne or perfume. This is something that is always useful and appreciated. Also along those lines is bathroom "stuff." Although they won't admit it most people, including men, like pampering themselves with a nice bubble bath every once in a while. I don't think I could name a single person that wouldn't like to receive a gift basket of cologne, bubble bath, some body wash or shower gel, maybe even some Lush products. If you don't feel like making your own, you can order one from a website such as this, although they are rather pricey! If you don't want to order one, you can maybe get some ideas as to what to include in your own there! 

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Another idea would be some kind of homemade coupon book. I have done this in the past and he loved it. Include some of their favorite things. If they like a certain kind of food, offer to cook them dinner or bake them their favorite sweets. If they are an active gym-goer, offer to go with them or to massage their sore muscles. If they hate doing chores, offer to do the dishes or the laundry. If they are a sports fan, offer to watch the game with them. These may not be your favorite activities either but they will really appreciate it! If you're looking for free templates, this site has some really cute ones!

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This next one may not be too original but I think it is always a good option; jewelry. Now I think that any jewelry that was picked out specifically for another person is nice, but I much prefer the options where someone has put in a lot of thought and picked out the colors and contents based specifically on whom they are shopping for. This also goes for watches. I think a personalized engraving is always a nice touch. There are also lots of small shops that let you chose different charms for the other person. Plus, this helps support local small businesses! The picture above came from this Etsy store and I absolutely adore these necklaces!

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Another option for those who don't necessarily like to partake in gift-giving on Valentine's Day is having a nice date night. This can range from going out to dinner and a movie to staying in, creating a blanket fort, watching Netflix and snacking. Honesty, either of those sounds fine to me. There is also the option of planning a trip together. A road trip is a great bonding experience, even if it is just a day trip!

Those are some of my favorite ideas! What are you doing for your significant other this year? I would love to hear about it, let me know in the comments below!

xx,

Time Capsule 2020 | Note To Self

Even though we are halfway through January, it still blows my mind that it is 2015. I recently came across a wonderful idea on Caitriona's blog and I knew that I wanted to participate as well. I think that writing a letter to my future self, a time capsule if you will, will be really interesting to read in five years. So, here we go!

Dear Future Caitlin,

It's 2020 which means a lot has changed for you. You've got your college degree and a career. You've moved away from home and I'm sure by now you've got a dog because, let's face it, it's been a long time coming. 
I hope that you don't dread going to work because you love what you do. I hope you haven't given up any of the activities that make you happy, like reading and creating. I hope you're living in a place where you're comfortable, that you've finally gotten the chance raid the home-decor sections of all the stores and decorate to your heart's content. I hope your finances are stable and allowing you to live comfortably. I hope your relationship with your family is just as strong, and that you haven't lost touch with your best friends from college. I hope you're healthy and eating well. I hope you're loving as strongly and deeply as you were in 2015. Most of all, I hope you're happy. That's always been the ultimate end game.
I hope you know that wherever you are, and whoever is or is not by your side, that this is the way it is meant to be. Don't forget to continue filling your life with the people and things that make you happy, and purge yourself of those who don't. 
If you're reading this in 2020, I hope it's with a smile.

Yours,
Caitlin
January 16, 2015

I really think that this is a great idea and I can't wait to look back on it five years from now. If you decide to do your own, please comment below with the link, I would love to read them! See you guys on Sunday :)

xx,

Mall Haul | Rue 21 & TJ Maxx

Happy Friday everyone! On Thursday I had the chance to spend some of my Christmas money and gift cards and I thought I would share the items I ended up coming home with! I'll start with Rue 21. My boyfriend got me a $50 gift card for Christmas and, if I shopped before a certain date, I got an extra $15! Of course I wasn't going to miss out on a deal like that.

The first item I picked up was this adorable anchor dress! It's a dark navy blue color with a beautiful plunging back. You can't tell from the top photo but just under the V of the back there is a bow. I got a cute sailor vibe from it! The dress is modest, around knee length, and a really flattering shape for all body types. This is my favorite kind of dress because it has an accentuating top with a flowy bottom. The fact that it was only $16.99 USD made me love it even more! If you're considering ordering this dress online, I found that it ran pretty small due to its three-quarter length sleeves. To give you an idea, I usually wear a medium or large and I got this dress in an extra large!

Want this dress? Get it here!

The next item I found was another dress. It it a black floral skater dress. It is pretty basic as far as design but it is super cute and I love the short sleeves. This is a perfect dress for any occasion or season. This dress is also knee length with a flowy bottom and was also priced at $16.99 USD. I got a size medium and this dress is also available in a grey color.

Want this dress? Get it here!

The next thing I found was a beautiful red blouse. I'm not sure why the color looks so different in these photos but it is a nice burgundy color. It is made of a sheer material but is only see-through with an eccentric bra. The lace shoulders are really nice as well. The shirt is shorter in the front with a longer back so it would look nice with either jeans or leggings. I only paid $16.98 USD and I got this shirt in a medium.

Want this top? Buy it here! 

(Note: I could only find the plus-size version on their website, sorry!)

There was a buy one get one free sale on winter apparel so I got two pairs of chevron patterned three-way wear, touch screen safe gloves. I tested the gloves on my iPhone and, although they aren't perfect, they will be better than taking off my gloves to text. With the sale price, I only paid $4.99 for both pairs!

Want these gloves? Buy them here!

I couldn't leave the store without checking out their jewelry section. I got lucky and snagged this five ring set, it was the last one left! And it was only $5.99 USD. The two larger ones are regular rings while the three smaller ones are knuckle rings, which I love! I can't wait to wear these out! Unfortunately I could not find them on the site, sorry!

My final purchase from Rue 21 was these adorable cable knit tights. They were $4.99 USD each, but they were having a buy one get one half off sale. I think these will be so cute under a sweater or dress and I can't wait to try them!

Want these tights? Buy them here! 

My next stop was TJ Maxx. For anyone who knows me, I have a lot of love for TJ. When I got there, I went straight to the clearance rack and found this beautiful black top. Obviously this is for summertime but it was the last one on the rack and only cost $10 USD! The front is relatively plain, but the gold beads that trail along the front and form this beautiful pattern in the back were a must! Since this is a clearance item, I couldn't find it on their site, sorry!

Next I found this blue crop top that I absolutely love! It's flowy and so comfortable! It's made out of a sheer-like fabric but isn't see-through which is super refreshing! It's got this cute white embroidery around the neck, sleeves and bottom and a v-cut in the back. So cute! And it was only $7 USD so it was an absolute steal! Once again, it was a clearance item so it wasn't on the site, sorry!

 

The final item I bought was this adorable ceramic elephant! At only $7.99, how could I resist him? He is a beautiful blue to white ombre color and stands about one foot tall. I have named him Benny. My love for elephants is so unconditional that I already have a million of them around my room. My collection will always be accepting new members. I can't wait to have a home of my own because I love looking at home decor. Since TJ Maxx doesn't have a home decor section on their website, I also can't find a link to him. Boo!

And that's all folks! I would say I had a very successful day at the mall and I can't wait to wear all my new accessories! Tell me, what is your favorite thing that you have bought recently? Any store suggestions you think I should try? Link them to me in the comments below!

xx,

 

P.S. Sorry for my mega-awkward posing. It's very clear I am not a model ;)