Father's Day 2014 Gift Guide

Father's Day is already right around the corner on June 15th! The gift guides I post on this blog are almost always inspired by the people in my own life. When brainstorming for this one, I focused on my dad and my father-in-law. Both spend the majority of their time working hard and making sacrifices to help provide their families with the best lives possible. Since most dads spend so much time working, I think it's a great idea to give them gifts that inspire them to take a break and simply enjoy themselves! My dad loves to cook and spend time working in his garden, so when brainstorming for gifts, these hobbies are a great place to start. Below you'll find some of my favorite picks for Father's Day gifts this year:

Hope you all enjoy a fabulous Father's Day and spend some quality time with the dads in your life!

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Holiday Cards by Minted

Every single year at about this time, I find myself scrambling to put together our Christmas cards. In my experience, it always feels too early to think about the holidays until all of a sudden, I'm running out of time! Last year, the holiday season coincided with our crazy remodel and the busy season at my work, so let's just say that our 2012 Christmas cards never quite materialized. It was a bummer to not send out cards for the first time since we've been married, but I promised myself I'd make up for it this year!

Ideally, I'd like to make my own cards. It's hard to find Christmas cards that meet my high standards for both design and paper quality. But although I have the design background and the resources, at this time of year especially, I can never find the time! That's where Minted comes in! Have you heard of them? With the holidays approaching, I thought this was the perfect time to introduce you to one of my favorite stationery companies. Minted is on a mission to find exceptional artists and designers all over the world and bring their work to consumers who appreciate great design. In addition to stocking truly original designs, Minted is also looking out for paper lovers like me. They print their designs on a variety of luxuriously thick paper stocks. And this year, they've even introduced foil pressing! All of this makes me one very happy customer!

I could browse their photo Christmas card designs for hours (and maybe I have!) but I'd love to save you the trouble and show you my very favorite designs available this year! 

Happy Independence Day!!

Hope you all are decked out in stars and stripes and feeling proud to be American this fourth of July! This montage of patriotic-inspired outfits worn by Blair Eadie is right up my alley! I've got to admit that I'm feeling a little nostalgic today, thinking back on celebrating this day in Maryland last year. Kind of hard to beat. This year, we are looking forward to a relaxing family barbecue, just like old times! Happy Fourth!!

Images: 1 / 2 / 3

Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

1. le Frufru via Style Me Pretty / 2. Spokane Bride via Style Me Pretty / 
3. Dallas Shaw via Kate Spade / 4. The Cool Hunter

I've always loved Valentine's Day, even in the years before I found a "valentine" to call my own.  I have such pleasant childhood memories of strategizing at the kitchen table about which individual Disney princess or Harry Potter card would be most fitting for each of my classmates.  Today, I'm a bit more grown up and I have to admit that it's super fun to have a husband to celebrate with... but I hate to hear people refer to the holiday as "Singles Awareness Day" and complain about its consumerist nature.  (Bah humbug, people!)  Whether you've met your match or not, how wonderful it is to have a whole day to pause and celebrate love!

I'm busy baking cupcakes for Brandon's grad school class tonight, but I promise I will post (with pictures of course!) about our Valentine's day soon! In the meantime, I hope you all are enjoying a love-filled day!

XOXO,
Bri

Thanksgiving 2010

My first Thanksgiving meal was a great success! (According to Brandon at least...)  I spent most of the day cooking and baking while we watched the parade, the dog show, and Miracle on 34th Street.  Then we went for a nighttime walk around the surprisingly deserted downtown.  Later, we decorated our apartment for Christmas, Skyped with family back home, and finished off the night by watching Jingle All the Way.  This Thanksgiving will go down as my most unusual one so far, but I'll definitely never forget it!

How did you spend your Thanksgiving holiday?