Style Lush

The Official Style Lush Gift Guide: 125 Gifts for 25 Dollars or Less

By Elizabeth

Every year I shop for Christmas on a pretty strict budget, and every year my goal is the same - to make it look like I'm not giving people "budget" gifts. Sometimes $25 doesn't go  far, but the good news is you can make almost any gift look like a million bucks with some fancy red satin ribbon, a special gift tag (look for a Style Lush gift-tag round-up coming soon!) and some extras thrown in there - I like to fill gifts with handmade caramels or individually wrapped chocolates, cookies, clementines or lemons, stuff like that. 

So the first thing you should do is get yourself some red satin ribbon. After that, make some caramels!

1.  Caramels

 

{image credit:  allrecipes.com}

These caramels are delicious and they look gorgeous wrapped up in their little wax paper wraps.  Tied up in a cute clear bag (check Etsy or craft stores for these) with a fancy red ribbon, and maybe the recipe attached, they'd make a great gift all on their own.  But you could also put some inside this super cute:

2.  Coin Purse from Etsy

{image credit: gardencris27.etsy.com}

This would also be perfect to slip a gift card into. 

3.  Vanilla Syrup (comes with eight free vanilla beans.)

{image credit: sovanilla.etsy.com }

Tie a red ribbon around the bottle and include your favorite vanilla cookie recipe or instructions for making a vanilla latte.  You could even attach a cute cookie cutter or two. 

Or you can add it to some of the following gifts and make it a small part of a larger gift:

4.  Red Mixing Bowl from Crate and Barrel

{image credit: crateandbarrel.com}

5. An adorable Apron

{image credit:  macys.com}

6. Pot Holders

{image credit:  anthropologie.com}

If you can't afford a giant set of kitchen stuff, just grab a few extra wooden spoons and maybe a rubber spatula in a fun color - tied on top of an apron or some pot holders, they make a smaller gift seem complete.  

7.  Rain Boots

{image credit: kidskiandrain.com }

Rain boots are the kind of thing every kid needs but that no parent wants to spend actual money on, which makes them a perfect gift.  The Western Chief ones are a big hit at our house. 

8. PJ Pants For Guys:

{image credit: gap.com}

9. PJ Pants for Women:

{image credit: ae.com}

10.  Ornaments

 

 

 
{image credit:  crateandbarrel.com}

Crate and Barrel has a bunch of really cute ornaments in the $3-4 dollar range this year.  I think a great present for newlyweds or new home owners would be $25 dollars worth of ornaments you've picked out just for them.  I know from experience those first few years the Christmas tree can be pretty bare. 

11.  Herb Window Planter

{image credit: andrewsreclaimed.etsy.com }

You could plant some basil in it and tie it up with a bow, or give it with a few seed packets for the recipient to plant themselves.

12.  Jam

{image credit:  americanspoon.com}

You can find lots of home made jam on Etsy if you're not up to making your own, but I am also partial to American Spoon Fruit - this stuff is AMAZING. 

If you want to, you could add:

13.  A retro cheese slicer

and some fancy cheese.  Or some fresh baked bread.

{image credits: momastore.com, zabars.com}

14.  Crate and Barrel Mints

{image credit: crateandbarrel.com}

15.  Tweets Memo Cube

{image credit:  papersource.com}

You might want to add a few fancy pens, or:

16. Notecards, a Scientists Notebook, or some fahncy Sticky Notes?

 

{image credit: papertrailrhinebeck.com, archiegrand.jetshop.se, anthropologie.com}

17.  Calendars!

Nikki McClure 2010 Wall Calendar, 2010 Cavallini Botanica Wall Calendar, The Great Big Paper Source Calendar, The Burpee Vintage Catalog Calendar

{image credit:  buyolympia.com, papersource.com, burpee.com}

18. Anything Aveda. 

{image credit: aveda.com}

Pick out any gift set under $25 and you're good to go - and the travel sets are perfect for someone who flies a lot. 

19. Rancho Gordo Beans

{image credit: ranchogordo.com}

Last year these were one of the hits of the season - both from readers and in my own family.  I'm giving them again this year - might I recommend that you do as well?

20.  Gap Knit Hat  

{image credit: gap.com}

21.  If you have the cash, add the scarf, or give it on its own.

{image credit: gap.com}

22.  IKEA Street Rug

{image credit:  ikea.com}

This looks like hours of fun for the truck crazed toddlers in your life - you can find them all over, but the one from IKEA is the best price I've found. 

23.  Melissa and Doug Vehicles and Traffic Signs

{image credit:  amazon.com}

If you can afford it, these would be perfect to add to the street rug, or give them on their own. 

24.  Hanna Andersson Sleepers

{image credit:  hannaandersson.com}

Baby clothes don't come better made or longer lasting.  A great gift for any new parent. 

25. Target Wide Mat White Frame filled with any of these FREE botanical prints

{image credit:  target.com}

26.  Wetter Cupcake Bowl

{image credit:  roseandradish.com}

The perfect presents to fill with chocolate and caramels!

27.  Envirosax Reusable Shopping Bag

{image credit: amazon.com}

28.  I Am Not a Paper Cup Reusable Mug

{image credit: target.com}

The perfect thing to slip a coffee gift card into.  Or add:

29.  A Coffee Sleeve and a coffee gift card.

{image credit: cupkozy.etsy.com}

30. Tupelo Honey 

{image credit: farmhousewares.com}

I hear it's the best of the best, which makes it a great gift for the gourmand in your life.  Add it to some homemade bread or some fancy butter if you're giving it in person. It would also be cute to give it with this print:

31. Sweet As Tupelo Honey Print

{image credit:  YeeHaw.etsy.com}

32.  Book Plates

{image credit:  felixdoolittle.com}

Gorgeous.  And perfect for a book lover, especially if you wanted to combine them with an Amazon gift certificate, or a favorite book.  Might I recommend:

33.  The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

 

{image credit:  amazon.com}

34.  Set of 2 Sherpa Throws 

{image credit:  hsn.com}

You could totally divide this and get two gifts in one - what a deal!

35.  Ceramic Egg Crate

{image credit: anthropologie.com}

Perfect for jewelry storage.  In fact, I'd combine it with:

36. Novia Earrings

{image credit: lushboutique.etsy.com}

37. or this Spearmint Necklace

{image credit: kategraydesignsshop.etsy.com}

or one of the other millions of pieces of gorgeous jewelry on Etsy.

38.  Country Living Red Friends Mug

{image credit:  kmart.com}

You can buy a few of these and have lots of room left in your budget to add some cocoa mix and marshmallows OR some tea and fancy sugar

39.  MOMA Color Spectrum Umbrella

{image credit: momastore.com}

40.  Mexican Mollino

{image credit: deanandeluca.com}

Give wrapped up with some mexican hot chocolate mix.  And maybe a mug.  This also makes a strangely cool baby rattle. 

41.  Pottery Barn Kids Oatmeal Bear

{image credit: potterybarnkids.com}

Free shipping, and half the purchase price goes to St. Jude's.

42.  Etch a Sketch  

{image credit:  amazon.com}

Every kid needs an Etch a Sketch. And I love the retro box. 

43.  Zippo Candle Lighter

{image credit:  zippo.com}

I hate having to search for matches or a shoddy $3 convenience store lighter every time I want to light a candle.  This Zippo candle lighter means never having to do that again!

Include a some candles, tie the whole thing up with your fancy red ribbon, and add a quote to the gift tag: I suggest: “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

44.  Blue Bee Box or Anthropologie Butterfly Box

 

{image credit: fclstyle.com, anthropologie.com}

This little boxes are lovely all on their own, but for the price, you could easily add:

45.  Scent Leaf Earrings

{image credit:  jewelrybar.etsy.com}

or this Chic Carnelian Necklace

{image credit: nutraj.etsy.com}

46.  Stainless Tea Kettle

{image credit:  costplus.com}

would be perfect combined with some boxes of your favorite tea.

47.  White Acorns

{image credit: henryroad.com}

So pretty I bet I'd have trouble giving them away.  But you get three, so you could always keep one!

48.  Alphabet Print

{image credit: fawnandforest.com}

I love that this is personalized with a first name - it makes it seem custom made. 

49.  Gin and Titonic Ice Cubes

{image credit:  conranshop.com}

I don't know why, but these KILL ME.  I'd add them to a fancy bottle of gin for your favorite G&T connoisseur. 

Genius! The card cubby.

By Kristie

I have so many of those club discount cards, business cards and a few random gift cards that I haven't gotten around to using yet and they just get shoved into random slots in my wallet. I change wallets on occasion, when the mood strikes, and those cards get lost or misplaced quite often. Who knew the solution was just a website away?

I give you the Card Cubby.

How cool is this little thing? It's got alphabetized cards to organize your business cards, gift cards and store club cards and it's small enough to fit in your purse. I'd choose a bright, sunny yellow so it will stand out at the bottom of my junk-filled purse. It comes in a multitude of other colors, as well. Mock-croc, red, silver, blue, zebra, pink and many more!

I just love this little time-saver! This would be a great little stocking-stuffer for so many people. And for $20, you can't go wrong.

[Photo Credit : Cardcubby.com]

Stemless wine glasses

By Beth

Internet, meet my stemware.  Stemware, internet.

For those of you playing along at home, that is 62 wineglasses lined up in an orderly manner on my counter by my OCD husband and carefully posed before a wrinkly sheet, held up by my OCD husband.  It is so nice to have an assistant.  It includes 24 champagne flutes, 38 wineglasses, and 24 pieces of crystal.

I rarely entertain.  I generally have need for absolutely no more than five wine glasses at any one time, and my champagne flutes go years at a stretch never seeing the light of day.  So it makes complete sense that I recently went out and bought these.

They are stemless wineglasses (my mother calls them "roly polys").  And I love them and use them exclusively for all of my adult beverage consumption needs.  They fit nicely in the dishwasher, are easy to store, and are a far less appealing grab target for any rowdy toddlers you may have lying around the house.  I got mine for $10 per set of four at my local discount beverage store.  Target has them for considerably more, Amazon has a nice selection, but oh how I am wishing I had checked out Etsy first.  Because how cute are these Winter's berry hand painted glasses (2 for $25)?

Or these peacock stemless glasses (uber pricey at 2 for $50, but gorgeous!)

I think there are quite a few people on my shopping list who will receive a set of these glasses this year.  It is a great gift for the person who has everything, including 62 pieces of stemware.

Cyber Monday: The day for online sales!

By Jennie

In case you have any leftover Black Friday money, there are tons of online sales being offered today (many are today-only), so check them out and get your Christmas shopping finished!

1. Everything at oldnavy.com, gap.com and bananarepublic.com is 20% off with free shipping with the code MONDAY at check-out. Seriously, go buy everything before I can. PLEASE.

2. Everything at Gymboree.com is 20% off today with free shipping. No code needed, prices already reflect the discount.

3. Free shipping at urbanoutfitters.com with the code FREEBIRD at checkout. 

4. Amazon has an entire section devoted to online deals and steals. 

5. Huge deals at jcp.com and free shipping on orders over $25 with the code JOY2UNME. 

6. Free shipping on all orders at ae.com.

Please leave a comment if you know of any other can't-miss deals.

A day devoted to great deals without getting elbowed in the face? This is a consumer-related holiday I can get behind!

Nice nursery touch

By Jennie

When I think of having another baby, I realize I'm not actually ready to take the plunge because the thing I'm most excited about is decorating another nursery. See, nursery decorating is not exactly the green light one should look for when getting knocked-up, I know, so I'll settle for writing about my fantasy nursery on Style Lush instead.

One thing I love about any nursery is a nice, huge collection of books: classics, new favorites, pop-ups, chapter books, etc. I read Charlotte's Web to Kyle (my boy) when I was pregnant and one of my absolute favorites is Harold and the Purple Crayon, gifted to me from one of my favorite Internet writers. 

I stumbled upon these bookends ($26 at West Elm) recently and thought they'd make such a cute addition to a new nursery's book collection.

 

{Photo credit: westelm.com}

If you have any sort of animal mixed into your nursery theme, throw these bookends into the decor. Such a pretty touch. 

Holiday outfits for boys

By Kristie

Those of you who have boys know what I'm talking about when I say that our boys get the shaft when it comes to clothes. Especially around the holidays. All the girls are dressed to the nines and look so adorable you could just dip them in marshmallow fluff and gobble them up while the boys are, well, dressed "nice." No longer! I've found some stylish, fun and cute clothes for those little men in our lives. I've also made each piece come from the same store. One stop shopping! Behold:

If you are in the market for a hip, cute outfit for your boy:

 
Start with this classic white shirt from the Gap. With the cute little teddy bear on the pocket you can't go wrong.  

Add a pair of herringbone cargo pants, also from the Gap, for that semi-casual look but with a dash of cool.

This herringbone pea coat is SO CUTE I cannot even stand it. It's a bit of a splurge at $40 for your little man, but I think it's an essential to help complete this outfit.  

 
Boys need shoes, too. These ankle boots fit the bill perfectly. Obviously these can be worn all year long and your little man will be the envy of all his little toddler friends.

Add a cute clip-on tie and your little one is ready for a casual, cool holiday.

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Do you have an ultra casual even coming up? Maybe a family photo or trimming the tree? I love this outfit because it has the Christmas feel without having the obvious Christmas tree on  a sweater.

A cardigan is a great way to keep the chill away all while looking adorable. This zip-front cardigan has a snowflake motif that's perfect for the holiday season.

$10 cords for your kiddo? You can't beat that price! 

A pair of super casual slip-ons is a must for on-the-go mom's. These shoes bring the outfit to a casual, comfortable level that most toddlers and young boys will appreciate. 

::::::::: 

Sometimes all you want is a total outfit for your wee one. I found some really cute options for the little, little baby boys.

This complete baby boy outfit has a hat with it! Your little man will surely get extra cheek nibbles from all the ladies in this ensemble.

I don't know what it is with hats and baby boys but I just can't stand the cuteness. This matching outfit takes the guess work out and puts the cuteness in.  

Ladies, let's dress our boys well this holiday season and show those girl's how it's done, boy-style.  

Fun Friday: Kings and Magazines

By Amy

Gifts are great---I can't complain!  I get one every Friday. Still being creative each and every week can be tough, and when things get busy, I find myself just wanting time to hang out with Andrew. Sometimes, it's fun to make our Fun Friday gifts to one another less about a present, and more about an experience, which is what we did last week. 

What I Got:  Andrew got us tickets to see a Sacramento Kings game. While sports are not my cup of tea, we met up with a friend of his from high school, and it ended up being a really fun night.  Andrew is from Illinois, and we live in California, so it's rare that I get to spend time with people who know him from when he was younger. I got a few good embarrassing stories out of it, too.  

What Andrew Got:  One of Andrew's favorite things in the world is sitting at a bookstore with a coffee and a pile of magazines or books to browse through. So, I decided to take him on a little date, where I bought him a coffee and a magazine. It was easy, and it made him happy---plus, we got to spend time together.

I found myself hoping that we do more of these sorts of Fun Friday treats more often. The Fridays that are most fun aren't the ones with gifts of stuff, but ones with gifts of time.

                                                                                                            *image from www.sacramentoscoop.com

Holiday up your whole house

by Christina

It's easy to put up your tree and say fin, right?  Ready, let the shopping commence!  Well, you can fancy up a couple other rooms for a few bucks and in a few minutes; so why not bring some fun into the guest bath and your kitchen, too? Crate and Barrel can help bring your whole house some holiday cheer without busting your budget.

Adorable snowflake soaps and Joy Peace Wish hand towels.

 
I love this embroidered kitchen towel..

How can you do possibly holiday dishes without snowman sponges? I'm convinced these will make the task that much more enjoyable.  

Scatter a few red candles, cut a white poinsettia and fill the vase with cranberries,load up your iPod with some jazzy Christmas tunes and you're ready to party! 

Thankful

From all the writers at Style Lush to all of you, have a happy family-filled, food-filled, fun-filled Thanksgiving. We hope in these busy times, you get to spend today in slow-motion, enjoying the little things like family and laughter and gravy.

We are thankful we get to share our lives with you, in some small part.

We'll be back tomorrow with lots of great finds for you to spend your Black Friday cash on.

Until then, folks, enjoy your Turkey Day.

~ Style Lush Writers

For Christmas: Felt letters for baby

By Jennie

This is my son's first Christmas, so when people ask what he wants, I usually rattle off things he needs: 12-18 month clothes (side note: if a friend is having a baby, give her 12-18 month clothes; somehow we have roughly three articles of clothing in this size) or new spoons or socks or a uber-expensive car seat or....well, nothing he's really going to enjoy, am I right? So, I've been scouring the Internet for toys and fun things that he might actually like. Now, usually these finds are all wild guesses, in a sense, because he'll turn his nose up at 27 toys before scaling the walls and couches to get to my cell phone. Those babies. They're certainly weird.

But, I recently found this bag of felt letters I'd love to get for him and I think he'll love playing with, too.

 

{26 letters w/ adorable storage bag, $30}

Additionally, this Etsy store offers lots of other things that are both fun and perfect for learning. Such as:

 

{Number mobile, $40}

 

{Felt fingers, set of 10, $25}

You can even order letters in a different language! (Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian/Danish)

Check out this shop and enjoy the fun kid-friendly, non-plastic, learning-can-be-pretty-AND-fun items.