Girl Chat - Favorite Christmas Ornaments

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

It's time for another round of Girl Chat and this month we are talking about our favorite Christmas ornaments. If I put every single one of my favorites up, this post would be crazy long. So I thought I would just pick out some of my more recent favorites (and a few oldies).

First up (in NO particular order)....my wedding invitation ornament. I saw this on Pinterest a long time ago and I knew I had to make it. I cut my wedding invitation into strips, curled the strips around a pencil and stuffed them into a clear ornament.

 You can buy your clear ornaments here)

Next up....a gold light up ornament that my mom gave me. It was my ornament from her tree and I am not sure who bought it for me, but it has always been a favorite of mine.

Next up...two ornaments that I made for my girls using their hospital hats and bracelets. I am sure you have seen these on many people's trees and mine is no different. But I did get the idea to put their names on them (after seeing Emily's tree) and I plan on doing that before I put them away.

Next....the girls first Christmas ornaments. I ordered them from Pottery Barn Kids. They are red wooden blocks that have their initial, name, stats, birth date and the day they were born. I didn't take a picture of each of them as they are very close to the same. These are the cutest first Christmas ornaments.

 Ornaments can be found here (no affiliate)

Next....is my first Christmas ornament. It is a gold flat ornament with my name and year of birth.

Next...my parents got Rory and I a Hallmark First Year of Marriage ornament. It's white, sparkly, has our wedding year and two red love birds hanging in the center.

 Ornament

Next....when I went to Scotland in 2016, I started to buy Christmas ornaments on all of my work travels. I found the cutest Christmas shop in Edinburgh (in September) and I bought the ornament below. I have been buying ornaments from all of my travels since then and I get to add a few new countries this year!

Finally, my mom gave me this little guy when I moved out. He is simple, but so cute and reminds me of my childhood.

What are your favorite Christmas ornaments?

To link up - just grab our graphic, link up, and let's getting to chatting!  Make sure to stop by a few others linked up for an extra bit of girl chat!  

 

Danielle / Sparkles and Lattes - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram
Emily / A Little Bit of Emily - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram
Lindsay / Lindsay's Sweet World - Pinterest - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
Lizzie / This Happy Life -  Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Facebook - Instagram
Sierra / Beautifully Candid - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram - Twitter

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Last Minute Christmas Gifts for Her

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

I know a few people who have yet to finish their Christmas shopping (cough, cough my husband), so I thought I would share a few last minute Christmas gifts that I am sure that special woman in your life would love. Hint, hint I would love any of these (though a few I do already own).

Most of these can still be ordered today and arrive on Christmas Eve. Or you can order online for in store pick up.

ONE. I have used the Brazilian Bum Bum Cream for several months now and I LOVE it. It smells heavenly, smooths the problem areas out and keeps my legs moisturized all day long.

TWO. I love my Hydro Flask. I bought one many months ago when I knew I needed to up my water intake. I had joined a water fund at work and I wasn't drinking enough water. I use my Hydro Flask everyday at work and it keeps me accountable on my water intake.

THREE. I have been wanting a pair of Lates by Kate for awhile now. I never score them when they are in stock in my size, but this year I will get a pair. They are supposed to be super soft and comfy pjs/lounge clothes.

FOUR. We all know how much I love Kendra Scott jewelry and when I saw these earrings, I knew they needed to be added to my collection. They are simple and classic, but great for everyday use.

FIVE. I wrote about wanting a new FitBit awhile ago and that still hasn't changed. After having my Charge 2 for over two years, my pulse isn't always working and I know it is time for an upgrade. I want the new Versa.

SIX. My cousin wore the cutest shoes to a Golden Knights game. They were glittery and low profile. When I asked her where she got them, she said Keds. I couldn't believe it. But Keds collaborated with Kate Spade and made the cutest shoes. I want a pair of them. I picked black since it is the most versatile, but silver or gold will do too!

SEVEN. I love purses. I feel like I can never have enough. I love totes even more and this one is perfect for travel, everyday use and can fit all the things that a working woman or mom needs with her at all times. Plus I love all Madewell things.

EIGHT. I have heard so much about this silk pillow. I featured it before, but never bought it. I still want it. Though the price tag has always stopped me from ordering it. But I definitely wouldn't mind it as a gift.

NINE. I love blankets. I love cuddling and staying warm. I saw this cozy blanket and wanted to add it to my collection. Plus it would match my new couch and keep me warm all year long!

Have you finished all of your Christmas shopping yet?

Christmas Ornament Blogger Exchange

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

I participated in a Christmas ornament exchange this year. I did one last year as well. I love these exchanges because Christmas ornaments are a favorite of mine. I was paired up with Nichole. She doesn't have a blog, but is an avid reader of blogs. She also has twins, but boys and they are 17. So crazy how twin mamas were paired up. She even left me a sweet note about twins and how things get easier as they get older.

I sent her the cutest snowman 2018 ornament. She loves getting ornaments that have the year on them and this one fit the bill.

Hallmark Snowman Ornament

Nichole sent me a few goodies.

She got me a sweet card, candy canes, Hersey M&M's, a snowman frame and a wagon with snowy Christmas trees.

I will definitely be putting a Christmas photo of my girls in this frame.

How cute is this wagon? It reminds me of the wagon we pull the girls around in (Radio Flyer wagon).

Plus she sent me the fruity candy canes which are my favorite and I probably will take them to work and eat them there so I don't have to share. Ha.

Friday Favorites and Happenings

*This post is sponsored by Minted, but all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

I didn't have my act together at all this week. I had planned to have a post ready on Monday, but that never happened. I did manage to get one up on Wednesday where I shared our Christmas card (that I love so much) and today I managed to get another post up. It's not that I haven't had any ideas on things to write because I have had lots of things I want to write about, but I just have been soooo busy at work and then at home. Hopefully this weekend brings some down time for us.

ONE. I found the cutest Christmas sweater to wear to work and to our friends annual Christmas party. It is a "Ugly Christmas Sweater" but I love it so much. I LOVE National Lampoons Christmas Vacation and I wanted a sweater with one of the many sayings that I quote over and over. Things like "Shitter's Full" (but inappropriate for work and the party) or "Why is the carpet wet Todd?" "I don't know Margot". And then I found the one. It is the Griswold House all lit up. So I ordered it and I LOVE it.

Griswold Family Christmas Sweater

TWO. It is no secret that we love Hanna Andersson, but the prices are always so high. My MIL shops here for the girls often and their quality of clothing is great. So when there is a sale, I definitely buy them things. Right now, they have their PJs on sale for 40% off and if you order by December 19th, you will get your items before Christmas.

Anyways, HA has the best underwear. I know, random, but they do. We have bought the girls so many different pairs and these ones hold up the best. So you can see where I am going with this, but the girls are getting new undies from there (I got them at 30% off) for Christmas. These are the ones we got them.

Hanna Andersson Classic Undies

We also happened to snag them the cutest Velour Joggers. I not so secretly want a pair for myself. We got a pair of these pink ones and the navy ones. And they are on sale for $24.99 right now.

Hanna Andersson Velour Joggers

We also grabbed them these basic long sleeve tees which hold up so well with kids who are in school. I got them a couple colors. Right now they are buy one, get one.

Hanna Andersson Pima Long Sleeve Tee

THREE. So I finally started reading The Good Widow on my Arizona trip and so far it is really good. Thank you for the recommendation, Andrea!

FOUR. Last weekend, Rory and I had a weekend away to Phoenix, Arizona. It was so much fun. Since I once again didn't get a weekend update out, I thought I would share some photos and some of what we did. You may have seen some of them if you follow me on IG.

 I had to send a photo to the girls since they are obsessed with airplanes.

 Our view on our flight to Phoenix.

 Jerry Colangelo Classic (the reason why we went to Phoenix)

 Tacos from La Santisima

 Old Town Scottsdale

 At a golf course in Scottsdale with Rory's family.

 Gonzaga vs. Tennessee

 GCU vs. Nevada (we are 10 - 0)

FIVE. Next week is our monthly Girl Chat link up and this months theme is Your Favorite Christmas Ornaments. I have yet to take photos of my ornaments, but I will be doing that this weekend when I have sunlight and free time. I hope you join us next Thursday.

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.

Have a great weekend!

Our 2018 Christmas Card with Minted

*This post is sponsored by Minted, but all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

So if you have followed me for awhile, then you know that one of my Fall Bucket List items was taking family photos. You would also know that sending out Christmas cards was part of my Winter Bucket List. I didn't think we were going to get our Christmas cards out this year since we took our photos later in November, but Heather and Minted came through for me.

While I don't have all of my photos ready to share with you all, I am going to share the process of choosing, creating, and perfecting your Christmas cards with Minted.

First, you go to Minted's website and chose the kind of card you would like. We picked the Christmas photo cards. Then you can browse all the options you would like and finally pick one. I chose two different ones, built them and then let Rory chose the final option.

I chose the Merry stacked because we love simple cards and this one stuck out to me.

 Merry Stacked

Once you chose your card, you can customize it. You will need to chose the size you would like. I chose 5" x 7". Then you will want to chose how many cards you would like (which changes the pricing). Next, you will chose the layout, greeting (Christmas), the color (I chose red), shape and then paper.

Click Personalize and you can upload your picture. I chose one of the first photos we took. Then you can change the wording. I chose to change mine from Happy Holidays to Merry Christmas.

Once your card is to your liking, I would recommend saving it.

Click Next and you can customize the back. I chose to keep it simple and went with white. I almost chose red, but opted to leave it white. You can also write what your family has been up to or a special message.

 Click Next and you can customize the envelopes. I chose simple white envelopes, but chose to have Minted print all of my addresses for me. This will save me soooo much time. Plus they "design" an address that goes with your cards.

Once you have chosen your address box, you can upload your addresses from a spreadsheet, use ones you have already uploaded or manually enter them. I keep my Christmas card list in a spreadsheet, so I just uploaded it with a few changes matching the requested columns.

You will get to preview one of them once it is uploaded. Click Next and you can preview and add your design/card to the cart.

If you want to speed things up, you can opt out of them sending you a sample Christmas card. Then simply checkout and wait for your beautiful cards to arrive.

Our 2018 Christmas Card 

Friday Favorites and Happenings

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes.

I have been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time. We are having a weekend away from the girls, watching the Wolf Pack play Grand Canyon and Gonzaga play Tennessee, and several date nights! Basically a bunch of fun during one of the best times of the year. Don't worry, the girls and Walter are being well taken care of and we have so much planned for the rest of the month.

Onto Friday favorites and happenings.

ONE. A few weeks ago, I posted about my jean dilemma and not finding any that fit me right. Well, I tried the A&E jeans like my co-worker recommended and I love them. So far they are great. They have enough stretch in them, but they don't stretch out so much that I am constantly pulling them up. They come is a variety of colors and they don't have a bunch of distressing (can't where distressed jeans to work). I liked them so much that I bought another pair in a darker color while they were on sale last week.

AE Next Level Jegging

TWO. Since I didn't do a weekend update, I thought I would share some of my weekend here. First up, on Friday we went Christmas tree cutting. This was a lot of fun, but oh so cold. We picked up our tree tags and were told to go back down the mountain a bit and look around a place we normally hike at since it has snowed a lot the previous days. Well that was a bust, so we headed up to where we went last year which had about 8 inches to 2 feet of snow.

The girls hung out in the back of the truck with my MIL and Rory and I ventured out. We hiked around for an hour and didn't find anything. The problem was all the trees had so much snow on them that we had to knock it off and check out each tree. After we almost gave up, I went across the highway and found several trees. I brought Rory over to my favorites and we got our tree. Then Rory went with his dad over there and they got their tree too!!! 

The girls had fun hanging out and playing in the snow a bit.

 Mt Rose area

We checked off cutting down a Christmas tree off our bucket list.

The girls couldn't really help us go looking as they didn't have the proper boots. They outgrew their snow boots and they are not getting new ones until Christmas. Here are the boots that we got them.

LL Bean Kids Snow Boots

THREE. Friday evening, I headed out with my girlfriends which was sooo needed. I haven't seen these girls in months. We went to a new bar/restaurant, Rue Bourbon for some wine and small bites. We spent hours talking and catching up.

FOUR. When I came home, I had to get our Elf ready for his grand appearance the next day. I set up some powdered donuts, Snowman at Christmas book, holiday plates, Christmas socks, Rudolph bandaids, holiday hand sanitizer and Christmas pjs. 

 Burts Bees Buffalo Check PJs  |  Burts Bees Snowflake PJs

 Where Giuseppe was hanging out

 One set of gifts (most items are from Target dollar spot)

Giuseppe's note

The girls loved coming out to see that Giuseppe came back and he brought them goodies and a breakfast. We did the powdered donuts which Sutton loved, but Avery only had one. Ha. Then Rory made a bigger breakfast to go with the donuts.

FIVE. Saturday we decorated our tree and finished putting up the rest of our decorations, so another item is checked off of our bucket list.

We also did the salt flour ornaments on Saturday evening which the girls loved. I had a hard time with the dough and it not sticking to everything, so we only got about 6 good ornaments out of it. That is fine though because we wanted to keep some and gift the others to grandparents and aunts/uncles. The girls painted them and then I put modge podge over them when they dried and put the ribbon on them to complete them.

SIX. Sunday we tried to see Santa at the same place we went last year, but the girls were not having it. They threw fits before we even walked in. We decided that this year isn't our year and we left. I wasn't going in with them acting like they were. I even tried to bribe them with getting their nails done, but they still didn't want to. Oh well. Maybe next year.

That evening, I went out (again) to celebrate my friend Heather's birthday. While I had a great time, the food was soooo pricey and the portions were crazy small. I woke up Monday morning very hungry. Ha. But the company was amazing.

 The birthday girl and I (and I am wearing my A&E jeans)

The birthday crew

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.

Have a great weekend!