FRESH BALSAM CANDLE from Bath and Body Works.  You know I love this candle.  I think I mentioned it over 50 times last December.  K.  Maybe not 50 times, but a lot.  I’ve had it burning this year since mid November.  I picked up several after Christmas last year when they went on sale.  :)

Last year I gave them out as gifts and just last week I received a sweet e-mail from a blog reader.  Here is her testimonial about my beloved candle:

I just had to send you a huge THANK YOU for introducing me to the BEST CANDLE EVER. I am not a candle person but every year I just kept reading about your love for the Bath and Body Works Fresh Balsam candle…..this year when I went shopping they had them 50% off (only $10) so I gave it a try. We have literally burned the candle every day since it was received. My husband even loves it. I love that it fills my house with the smell of chopping down my own Christmas Tree.

KEY FOB – Love this.  Comes in all different styles and is so handy for holding and finding your keys in your purse.  It comes in especially handy if you have little ones you are constantly carrying and loading in and out of the car.  I never lose my keys anymore!

Pajamas!  I’m not linking to any specific pair (these are some from J Crew my mom bought me and my sister and sister in law for this December).  I just had to include pajamas in my favorites list because I love a good pair of pajamas.  Who doesn’t!?  I said to Kenny once “it drives me crazy how our girls put on their pj’s the second we’re home and then if we leave the house again I have to get them dressed.”  He answered “where do you think they get that from?”

Uggs can be a bit pricey so if you want a great pair of house shoes that don’t cost a fortune try Dearfoams.  Same look and so soft.  My mom just gave me these with the pj’s and they are just as comfy as the Uggs!  (I think she got them at Costco.)  They just have a soft sole vs. a hard one.  Both pairs are so soft and warm!

I also love my Gap house shoes I’ve had for a few years.  I couldn’t find these at Gap this year, but they have similar fun ones at Old Navy.  A girl can never have too many shoes and house shoes are no exception!  :)

POPCORNOPOLIS – Have you tried this popcorn?  The “Zebra” flavor?  Oh. My. Word.  It is so delicious!  And dangerous!  I can go through this stuff so fast.  It never lasts long around here.  One of my favorite treats for sure.  I picked up these fun packages of four flavors at Costco and this is what we are giving friends and neighbors this year.  (So friends and neighbors who are reading – one is coming your way soon.)  :)  You should see these piled up in my garage right now.  It’s all I can do to not sneak into them and bust out the Zebra bag!  (Wonder if anyone would notice?)  :)  If you wanted to spend a little more for someone, a fun gift idea is to add movie tickets with the popcorn.

MARTHA STEWART OFFICE SUPPLIES.  I know.  I’ve mentioned them enough.  But everyone is in the “time to get organized” mind set in January so I think fun organizers like these labels make a great Christmas gift.  Any organizer would actually make a great Christmas gift.  You can check out my “oh the organizers” post for more ideas in that beloved category.  :)

WILLIAMS-SONOMA DISHCLOTHS.  I love them.  They are by far my favorite dishcloths.  They are $10 for a pack of four and they hold up so well.  Just today I went to Williams-Sonoma and bought five sets of them for gifts.  I had them wrapped with my favorite OXO dish scrubber I mentioned yesterday.  I’m giving them to my girls’ teachers and a few other people.  Maybe dishcloths and a dish scrubber aren’t all that glamorous, but everyone can use them!  They come in so many fun colors.  I am always drawn to the yellow and green.  I’m also drawn to Williams-Sonoma because they gift wrap them for you.  Love that!  Another favorite thing.  :)

PROJECT LIFE.  I can’t have a favorites list and not include Project Life scrapbooking supplies!  Makes scrapbooking so much more doable.  You can check out my Project Life posts to see how I’ve used these kits for my kids’ albums.  If you aren’t familiar with Project Life albums, kits, and accessories you can learn more on Becky’s blog.  I have had to take a break from scrapbooking for this phase in my life, but I know it won’t last long.  :)

And last but not least, you all know how much I love a good magazine.  Last year for a friend’s birthday I gave her a few good magazines and a pedicure gift card.  She loved it!

CRATE and BARREL’S NON SLIP CUTTING BOARD WITH COLANDER.  I love having the drainer and cutting board all in one.  I mostly use this to clean and chop up strawberries (we eat a lot of strawberries around here) and other fruit.  I love the green.  It makes me happy.  :)

WILLIAMS SONOMA MIXING BOWLS.  This is actually a set of three but one of them was dirty and in the dishwasher when I took this picture.  I was too lazy to wash it first.  :)  These mixing bowls and cups and spoons are my absolute favorite.  I use them to make EVERYTHING.  The bowls are rubber on the bottom so they stay put on your counter and one of the three sizes is perfect for making just about anything.  I gave these as gifts one year to Kenny’s sister in law and grandma and they have raved about them ever since!  I bought mine a few years ago and it looks like now they come in sets of four in fun colors.  You won’t regret buying these!  I love them.

OXO PIZZA CUTTER and OXO GARLIC PRESS – my two favorite kitchen tools.  The pizza cutter I use ALL the time.  Embarrassing how much I use it really.  (Lean Cuisine Pizzas are my favorite dinner).  I don’t use the garlic press as often, but every time I do use it I’m amazed at how well it works.  I’ve had both of these for over 10 years and they are still in great shape!  OXO is such an impressive brand.

And last but certainly not least, my OXO LETTUCE SPINNER.  I make a lot of salads so we use this often.  This baby gets our lettuce so clean!  Plus it’s incredibly fun to spin.  The girls and I fight over who gets to do it first.

CROC FLAT IRON – While my curling iron is cheap, I spend a little more on my straight irons.  Croc is my favorite brand and I have had the one pictured above for years.  Great quality – makes your hair so straight and smooth.  If it weren’t for the darn humidity around here I’d use this baby a lot more.  I use it often for Ellie though and can’t say enough good things about it.  My mom has given me a new CROC straight iron several times for Christmas over the years.  It’s a fun gift.
CROC IRON COMB – I am SO in love with my iron comb you guys!  Have you ever used one?  It is THE BEST comb to use when you are straightening your hair.  You slide the flat part into your hair and then comb as you are straightening with the straight iron.  Does that make sense?  Maybe another vlog to explain?  :)  It helps get your hair super straight.  If you already have straight hair you can do without this, but if you have thick hair with natural wave/curl, this comb is the best – such a great tool for straightening hair.  I’ve given them as gifts many times!

ENJOY STRAIGHTENER – While we’re on the subject of hair… you know how much I LOVE my Enjoy hair straightener.  If I’m straightening my hair I rub a little Enjoy on my hair while it’s wet.  Blow dry.  Then use my CROC comb and straight iron to straighten my hair.  Then I rub a little Moroccan Oil (mentioned yesterday) to add shine and keep it straight.  I use the Enjoy when I’m doing my hair curly too (and I use it often on Addison’s hair) so it works for straight or curly hair.  I’ve given it for gifts many times and now my friends love it too!

The rest of these items I mentioned in my favorite make-up post so if you want to read more about them you can do that here.  This is all make-up that would work for anyone and I’ve given most of these as gifts to my mom, sister, and mother-in-law.

 PAINTERLY by MAC.  The perfect foundation for your eyelids to make eye shadow stay on and not crease.

MAYBELINE DEFINE-A-LASH MASCARA – shared it in my last post.  Combine this with an eyelash curler above and you will have LONG eyelashes.

BOBBI BROWN HIGH SHIMMER LIP GLOSS – this is pricey for lip gloss so I don’t buy it myself, but it shows up in my stocking every year.  I’ve trained Santa well.  :)  It looks beautiful over any lipstick.

NATURAL ICE cherry chap stick.  This I’ve been getting in my stocking since I was a little girl.  My girls love this for chapped lips too.

So there are a few of my favorite go-to’s for kitchen and make-up that I think would make fun gifts.  I’ll be back tomorrow to share a few more.  :)

Finally this years favorite things!  Sorry for the delay!  I’m hoping there are still a few of you out there who (like me) haven’t done all of your Christmas shopping yet.  There were so many fun ideas shared at the party this year.  Great gift ideas for a friend, mom, sister – any woman in your life.  OR just a fun gift for yourself!  I have included links to each of these items so that you can find them easily on-line.  Hope this helps with holiday shopping!

The favorites I chose to bring to the party this year are not new to any of you.  :)  You may remember me raving a time or two about Martha Stewart’s line of office supplies?

And about how much I love the fun aqua labels?  Love all the Martha Stewart labels!

My craft cupboard – a picture of these babies in action!  :)

And you may also remember how much I love my small accordion file?

I carry it in my purse and love having all of my coupons, receipts, business cards, etc. organized and out of my wallet.  So for my “favorite thing” I brought this organizer, labels, and…

my favorite mascara.  Maybelline Define A Lash.  After I shared this in the post I did on my favorite make-up I got so many sweet e-mails from readers who bought it, tried it and loved it too.  Made me so happy!  It really is a great mascara.  And believe me, I’ve tried a lot of them!

Here are the three favorites I chose and came home with.

There were a lot of beauty products at this years party!  It seemed to be the theme.  I picked Maybeline Instant Age Rewind – works as an eye concealer and erases fine lines.  Neutrogena Revitalizing Lip Balm – has sunscreen in it, repairs dry lips, and has just enough color.  Moroccan Oil and a fun pony tail scrunchy, and Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo.  I have used Moroccan Oil before and love it.  I don’t buy it often because it is not cheap so I was excited to get another little bottle at the party.  You just put a dab on your hair after you’ve blow dried/styled it and it gives your hair a nice shine and keeps the fly aways at bay.  The Neutrogena lip balm I’ve used all week and love the color.  It’s quickly becoming a favorite of mine too!  I picked the eye concealer because I have awful dark circles under my eyes (from staying up too late to blog no doubt!).  :)  I’ve been so excited to try it out.  I’m also excited to try the dry shampoo!  My cute friend Darci (and partner in hair crime) raved about it.  You just add a bit to your hair on days that you don’t have time to wash it.  You know I’m all about products that help prolong hair washing.  :)

This is my cute friend Ann (a.k.a Vanna White).  :)  She is the hostess of this fun party and her favorite this year was her Original Umbrella Stand.  She said it’s so easy to use.  Just stick it in the sand and it will hold your umbrella in place.  Perfect for the beach or a soccer game at the park.  A great way to keep the wrinkles at bay!

I didn’t get individual pics of any items this year, but here are the rest of the favorites.  I want to try them all!

Is A Belt (the invisible belt) – a thin, discreet belt that holds your jeans up in the back and holds down the top button flap in the front.  There are two colors and two sizes and my friend who brought this wears her clear, wide one the most.  I want to get this!  There have been so many times when I’m wearing a more fitted top that I have wished I had a belt like this.  Something that just holds your jeans in place but isn’t obvious.

Hydro Flask Water Bottles – keeps things hot for 12 hours and cold for 24 hours.  How cool is that!?  I’d love one of these too.  Perfect for exercising, taking water in the car, kids’ lunches, etc.

Mac Phone Eyeliner – Kohl – this is a charcoal grey eyeliner with a bit of sparkle.  Makes a fantastic smoky eye and is great for every day.  I’m excited to try this as soon as my current eyeliner runs out.

Say Yes to Cucumber Face wipes – Great for taking off make-up or washing your face quickly in a pinch.  Also great for sensitive skin.

Candy Apple candle from Bath and Body Works – smells so sweet and festive for the holidays.

White Citrus Body Butter from Bath and Body Works – the most moisturizing cream for dry skin.  Smells so light and refreshing and not over powering.

Hamilton Beach Water Kettle – my friend raved about this water kettle!  Easy to use and heats up super fast.

The Wet Brush – perfect for brushing out your hair after you shower.  I can’t wait to try this one.  It is supposed to work great with curly hair too so I’m anxious to test it on Addison’s hair.  That will be a true test of its power!  :)

Anthropologie Measuring Cups – Useful and pretty enough to display.  I almost picked these!  But I know I’d break them if I used them to cook.  I love them for kitchen decor though and think they make a great Christmas gift.

Hollywood Fashion Tape – This stuff looks so cool.  It’s a tape that adheres to fabric or skin and basically helps with “wardrobe malfunctions” … you know – keeps your bra strap from slipping down, your too low top from looking too low, etc.  Can’t wait to try this.

Mac Eyeshadow – Dazzlelight – this is a beautiful champagne color that looks great on a variety of skin tones.  Another fun product to try!

There you have it!  There were a few more, but I can’t find the links.  Pretty much everything I’ve listed I would LOVE to try.  Everyone brought such fun favorites this year.  These are all things my friends use and love.  One of my friends puts a basket together of several of these favorites for her mom and sisters each year.  So fun!  This party always gives me fun gift ideas and I hope it helped you too.  I’m going to share more of my favorite gift ideas on the blog this week.  Because well… favorites are FUN.