Friday Five: Holiday Edition

Happy holidays, everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying this most wonderful time of the year. Here to kick off the weekend are five things that are making me smile.

1. It’s the thoughtful kindness of friends that makes the holiday season so special. Many thanks to my sweet friend Diana of The World Around Her for these fun surprises.

2. I may be biased, but are these two kitties cute or what?!

(via Ulta Beauty) 

3. What’s up, Santa? Just in case you need a few last-minute ideas, Conair’s Curl Secret looks like the perfect stocking stuffer.

(via Bon Appetit)

4. There’s nothing like whipping up a tasty batch of latkes in honor of Hanukkah (even though I don't actually celebrate).

(via E! Online) 

5. I finally saw Mockingjay on Wednesday and loved every minute! Next up, Annie and Into the Woods. 

What's making you happy this week? 

Favorite Fall Things Blog Swap: Caramel Apples, Pumpkin Soap, a Scented Candle & More

Being able to enjoy the fall season is definitely one of the best things about living here on the East Coast, and every year, I look forward to crisp days, changing leaves, the start of the holidays and pumpkin, well, everything.

To make the fall months even more fun this time around, I decided to link up with a group of fellow bloggers for the Favorite Fall Things Blog Swap, where I exchanged a box of goodies with my fabulous partner Morgan Elise. It was great getting to know Morgan, who also has experience with wedding coordination and thinks sweet cinnamon pumpkin is the perfect fall scent. Plus, I completely loved everything she sent me! 

As seen here, Morgan gifted me: 

-- A purple tote bag

-- A House Hunters bingo game

-- Candy corn tissues

-- A ceramic pumpkin candle set with Spun Web scented cubes

-- An air freshener satchel 

-- A mason jar drinking glass with a couple Crystal Light packets and gum 

-- Two caramel apple kits

-- Pumpkin-scented soap 

Thanks, Morgan, for this fantastic collection and for being my partner! The caramel apples were especially fun to make and tasted every bit as delicious as they looked. Happy fall, everyone!

Hand-Crafted Zebra Sock Buddy

Molly, Twix and I were definitely in for a treat a couple weeks ago when my dear friend HiLLjO sent a special hand-crafted sock buddy our way. I love this super cute zebra not only because of the time and care HiLLjO put into personalizing it for me (right down to the purple thread!), but also because she's an incredibly talented designer, inspiring blogger and all-around awesome person who's quick to support others every chance she gets.

Stop by HiLLjO's blog and Etsy shop for a look at more of her cool creations and designs. She's also working on a couple custom drawings for me, which I can't wait to share soon. In the meantime, I'm still trying to come up with the perfect name for my zebra! Any fun suggestions?