Great Gifts For Under $10: Week One

Starting a new series today that I hope will run right up to the week of Christmas. It's called, as you may have guessed from the title, Great Gifts For Under $10. This is going to be a series filled with ideas I really love and think are way cooler than what they cost. These will be great ideas for DIYers and some will be easy things you can just pick up quickly at a local store.

The key to great gift giving is not the dollar amount but it's all about presentation. A phenomenal wrapping job is as much a part of the gift as the gift itself. The most exhilarating parts of getting a gift is seeing how beautiful it looks and the unwrapping. The excitement and anticipation in the opening is my all-time favorite part. So making a fuss about how pretty the gifts look really bumps up the value, appreciation and love for these great gifts that don't cost a fortune. I'll be doing some gift wrap posts soon. For my first week, I am going to highlight a few previous Pin Tests that would make great gifts.

• Lettuce Stamps: a set of pretty cards made with lettuce or celery stamped flowers would be so pretty. They're easy to make with a few sheets of card stock and ten envelopes. You could even embellish them by stamping the recipients initials on each one.

• Homemade Eye Cream: Super easy recipe. Bottles and jars are available many places for just a dollar or two. This is a good project to make quite a few of these at a time. Would be a great girlfriend gift! You can make a lot out of two bottles of the ingredients. Super inexpensive but you could make this such a great gift with an inexpensive but fun little jar, handmade label and a really charming wrapping presentation.

• Eternity Scarf: I don't think this one was actually a pin test in the end but I did use a pin, linked to a blog post for the pattern. Here's the trick with the eternity scarf, the yarn can get very expensive, but if you take advantage of  sales and 40-50% off coupons like you can get from Michaels or Joann you can get two skeins of yarn for about $10. The needles obviously would be an additional expense. 

So that's the first week of Great Gifts for Under $10. Looking forward to sharing all the ideas I've been gathering for great gifts this year. It doesn't have to cost a fortune to give memorable, love-filled gifts. I'll have more ideas for you next Monday. Tomorrow I'll have a new pin test for you. I'm looking forward to this lead up to the holiday season. I'm teaching a class on gift wrapping at our church on Wednesday night. I'm looking forward to it but have a good bit of prep to do. I have my outline written up, just need to gather all my visual aids. That should keep me busy for the next couple of days.

See The Entire Weekly Series Here:
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four

Don't Get Sucked Into Buying Holiday Only Clothing

Shimmering Coin Clutch

image via Anthropologie

This is the time of year when we find we need clothing for holiday events. Every clothing shop puts out holiday wares, usually sweaters, dresses and jackets with little extra touches that are perfect for holiday parties.

Here's my reminder. Every time I buy a piece of clothing that looks especially holiday-ish, once January rolls around it just feels totally inappropriate to wear. You will find all these items slashed for clearance the minute Christmas is over. The store doesn't want them anymore either.

For example, the sweater with the fur collar or sewn on jewels, sequins and other delights. Anytime I have purchased such an item I find myself trying to either wear it in total discomfort after the holidays or brainstorming a way to make it "UN-holiday." The last time I had one of these brilliant ideas I accidentally cut three holes in a perfectly lovely sweater trying to clip the rhinestones off. F.A.I.L.

Lavish Collar

image via Anthropologie

It seems much smarter to invest in basic, classic clothing pieces that can be added to with accessories instead. Buy a great classic sweater, blouse, dress or jacket and then build on it. Buy a faux-fur collar that you can wear over a neckline, a special scarf or purchase some standout jewelry pieces and clutch to make that holiday outfit zing. You can even holiday up your shoes with shoe clips or a special ribbon added.

Star Blaze Earrings

image via Anthropologie

There are lots of ways to look smashing for the holidays without buying a Christmas outfit that can really only be worn once, twice if you're lucky. Most of these clothing pieces are far too memorable to repeat very often and we usually aren't interested in them the next holiday season. That's the big problem with holiday outfits, they are made to be memorable and no one wants anyone remembering they wore the same outfit for Christmas the last five years.

This does not necessarily mean we'll save a lot of money. Many stand out accessory pieces can be as expensive as clothing items, but one will invest in longevity with accessories more than one-off clothing pieces. Everyone expects that shoes, scarves, earrings, and bracelets will be worn more than once. It's easy to work great accessories into a myriad of outfits, usually year round, just perfect for a variety of venues, activities and events. Mixed in new ways year after year and it's an investment in something that can spice up a wardrobe for years. That sweater with the rhinestone spray on the shoulder will be worth one of two wears each year IF one is lucky. No one wants people thinking "Oh she's pulled out her holiday sweater/jacket/dress again...."

So consider saving the closet space and buying basic, classic dresses, sweaters and jackets for this holiday season that will carry over for a few seasons to mix and match with unique accessories rather than Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's outfits that will quickly be of no value. There are some fun new things in the shops. Enjoy a wander.