Gift Guide

Still searching for the perfect gift for someone in your life? Here's a collection of some of my favorite things that I think just about anyone would be happy to receive.

Ember Travel Mug- The Ember Travel Mug allows you to set your preferred drinking temperature, then maintains it, so your coffee or tea tastes perfect from first sip to last drop.

Ember Travel Mug $149.95

Phoozy Thermal Capsule- The Phoozy Thermal Capsule prevents smartphones from overheating in the heat and sun while also protecting it from freezing in extreme cold. I HATE when my phone dies during my mountain adventures, so this is my favorite method of preserving battery life. 

Phoozy Thermal Capsule $29.99

Stasher Bags- These reusable bags have nearly eliminated our household usage of plastic bags. They come in 1/2 gallon, sandwich and snack size. I'm anxiously awaiting the gallon size. These are perfect stocking stuffers and can be used for cooking, baking and microwaving as well as storage. 

Stasher Bag

Bee's Wrap- Also for your eco-friendly family and friends, Bee's Wrap is a sustainable food storage alternative to plastic wrap and tin foil. I love this stuff, especially the sandwich wrap. 

Bee's Wrap

Dishing Up the Dirt- C&C readers should be familiar with our favorite farmer Andrea Bemis of Dishing up the Dirt. Some of our favorite recipes we've shared on the blog come from her site, and now you can get a whole book of her recipes in her cookbook. May I suggest the mint chocolate chip cookies! 

Dishing Up the Dirt $19.34

Herringbone Winter Set- I'm obsessed with this herringbone hat and scarf set (there are even matching mittens). I wish someone would give it to me for Christmas. 

Knit hat and scarf 

Thymes Fraiser Fir Candle-If you're like me and love the smell of Christmas year round, then you will love this candle. It's my "go-to" hostess gift. We have the diffusers too. I never tire of this scent. 

Thymes Fraiser Fir Candle $29.00

I hope your holiday shopping is a success! 

Kids Gift Guide

Black Friday is nearly open us, which means that the Christmas shopping season is about to kick off! We try to focus on more "experience" or learning based gifts, so I thought I would create a gift guide along those lines. 

The nice thing about the majority of these gifts is that they are truly gender neutral, so any child in your life will delight in receiving them! 

Kits & Crates

These first few gifts are involved projects that provoke thought and creativity. 

Yellow Scope Foundation Chemistry Kit

Little Bits offers a variety of inventor kits, including this Droid Inventor Kit. 

Next up is Kiwi Crate. We actually blogged about this a few years ago, as Katie got the Mini Fashionista a subscription for Christmas. These STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subscription boxes come once a month, can be selected by age and chosen in a variety of durations. 

For the little chef in your life, Raddish Kids is a great way to engage the entire family in cooking. Raddish is a cooking club, culinary lesson, and mealtime solution all-in-one.

Magazines
For the young reader in your life, there are all sorts of great options. Here are a few of my favorites. 

Ranger Rick has been around since I was a kid, so it's pretty amazing that this kid's wildlife magazine is still around. It's now offered in three age ranges, so there's an option for all the little animal lovers in your life. 

My mom got the Mini a subscription to Highlights Magazine about a year ago, and she eagerly awaits its arrival each month. We enjoy reading it together and doing the interactive activities. I also remember enjoying this as a child!  

For the older children in your life, here are two great magazines. 

Kazoo is a new kind of quarterly print magazine for girls, ages 5 to 10—one that celebrates them for being strong, smart, fierce and, above all, true to themselves. We had a subscription to it last year, and it was a little too old for the Mini. I think this definitely leans towards the 8+ age range. 

Almost Fearless magazine is actually for Parents, but I thought I would include it anyway. I just recently subscribed and can't wait for our first issue to arrive.

Books

We are big fans of the author Andrea Beaty and her books. The characters are fun, they encourage interest in STEM and the illustrations are fantastic.

If you already have the books, the new Project Books are a great option to add to a child's library. The project books inspire young readers will all sorts of fun activities. 

Wonderbly creates gorgeous customized books with beautiful illustrations, fun characters and thoughtful story lines. I've already order a few for my favorite little people. 

Have Bag, Will Travel

Yesterday's post was for the men in your life. Today's gift guide is for all of the women in your life. While everyone likes extravagant gifts, practical gifts are pretty awesome too. I recently purchased a travel toiletry bag that I'm totally obsessed with. 

Wind Blows River Flows Travel Bag

I took mine on our trip to Bend last week, and it perfectly held all of my toiletries. 

It's pretty awesome!

What More Could a Guy Ask For?

My apologies for the C&C silence. I am going to try and write regular posts between now and Christmas but some work travel and other obligations may prevent it from being daily. Tis the Season....

Holiday season is officially here and the Christmas countdown is on! If you have a hard time finding something fun for the men in your life, let me suggest these pint glasses.

They are stainless steel and have a bottle opener in the bottom.

Bottle Opening Stainless Steel Pint Cup by Foster and Rye 

What more could a guy ask for?

Tote-ally

Tis the season of giving! We'll be taking the rest of the week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, but before we leave you to the turkey, stuffing and Black Friday shopping, I thought I would share this fantastic tote that would make a great gift for any fashionista in your life. 

It's reversible, comes in 8 different colors and is only $48! 

Reversible Faux Leather Tote & Wristlet $48

Gift Guide- For the Outdoor Man

If you have trouble shopping for the men in your life, I thought I would give you a little help. Here is the C&C Gift Guide for the outdoor men in your life. 

This knife is a local Portland company that was actually started by my old boss from Nike. He's a true outdoorsman, so these knives are made to be used. 

The Chapter-Titanium + Stainless,  James Brand Knife $275

Have you ever noticed that guys travel with their toiletries in the most random bags? Well, get your guy to carry his stuff in rugged style with this Dopp Kit.

Dormouse Dopp Kit $60

I was recently introduced to this company, Howler Brothers. While they are not blood brothers, the founders re bonded by many shared callings: Surfing, fishing, paddling and the good things that come with these pursuits. Things like fire pits, really good tequila, limes, and pre-dawn coffee. If your outdoor man is into those kind of things, then this shirt and some of their other products may be just the right fit.

Livingston Longsleeve Oxford $75

One of our friends has these Tretorn boots, and every time I see them I think, "those are really good looking." Apparently they are quite popular on the East coast, but I haven't seen them much here "out West." They have great women's and kid's boots too.

Tretorn Strala Boot $75

And lastly, if your man likes a good cooler (ice chest), and you are looking to buy the Ferrari, or more appropriately the Land Rover Defender, of cooler bags for him, then this Yeti Cooler Bag is just for him. Katie and I purchased one for our dad, and we think he's going to like it. 

Yeti Hopper 30 Cooler Bag $300

Holiday Sweet Tooth

It's no secret that the holidays are a time of over indulgence. Don't even get my started on anything that contains chocolate and peppermint…it's a slippery slope!

And I'm about to make it even slicker…remember Mason Cakes... delicious cakes all packed up and ready to eat right out of a mason jar (we blogged about them here)?

They have new flavors, fun new packaging and a special deal…now through Christmas you can receive 20% off your order of Mason Cakes using the promo code STOCKINGSTUFFER! What a fun holiday gift, or a tasty hostess gift or even better, I tasty snack after a long day of holiday shopping! 

Major Manly

Today C&C is giving away something major for the special man in your life, this Scout Travel Set from Ursa Major.

Ursa Major, a company based in Stowe, VT, specializes in super natural skin care for men. All products include robust formulations, premium natural ingredients and sublime aromas and textures.

My +1 is a major fan of the face balm (he'll be receiving some in his stocking this year), and you too can share the love by surprising the man in your life with this awesome set of Ursa Major products.

The set includes the Fantastic Face Wash, Stellar Shave Cream, Fortifying Face Balm and Essential Face Wipes (5 single wipes)! 

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! You have until Wednesday night to enter, and the winner will be announced on Thursday! 

And, in the mean time, you can also use the code "traveler" to get 10% off all travel products from now until the end of the month. They make great stocking stuffers (see above). 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers

We're big into stockings in my family. When we were kids, we were allowed to open our stockings before our parents got out of bed, so you can imagine how popular they were (okay, and still are). Now that we contribute to the stuffing (it's not fair for my mom to do her own), I'm much more attune to what might make the perfect start to Christmas morning. Here are a few ideas.

Is your brother or sister known to get all their best ideas in the shower? Enter Aqua Notes!

For the germaphobe with sparkly whites, the Bobble Brush Toothbrush Stand is the answer. 

These spoke lights are perfect for the cycling enthusiast in your life. 

Got boots? You probably need Boot Sticks. 

For the nomadic traveler in the family, this "scratch map" will roll up in the stocking and a suitcase. 

For the family that can't keep track of their iPhone chargers, you'll definitely know which one is yours with this Sticker Face Set. 

To send the hint that you need a little more Italian-dining romance in your life, this set of twelve wine cork candles might do the trick. 

And, if all else fails, go with old reliable (and my personal favorite), a Starbucks gift card. 

And if none of these strike your fancy, don't forget about this personalized chocolate that Regan blogged about earlier this year. Happy stocking stuffing! 

Gearing Up For Christmas

Last year we featured these fantastic "Santa Bags" as a great addition to your Christmas traditions. Since I think they are so cool, I thought I would feature them again (and I know we have a lot of new readers).

This year the seller, Scriptingle, is offering them in a new red and white color combination. Sadly, they are only making 200 bags this holiday season, so you better get your order in quickly. 

Ready, Set, Shop

It's Black Friday, and I would imagine some of you are shopping (or have already been) today! So we thought we should add one more shopping destination to your list, Serena Italian Imports.

As you know (100 times over), C&C loves Angela Caputi Chainlink bracelets (and necklaces). Really, we can't get enough of them….case in point, and my collection has grown since I took this picture...

The bracelets go with everything! Remember this post from last year…I wore them with my holiday plaid!

Back to the real reason for this post…Serena Italian Imports is offering all C&C readers 15% off all purchased from now until December 22nd using the code CCHOLIDAY13. 

Besides the Angela Caputi bracelets, they sell a number of other really great Italian products including handbags, jewelry, and table decor.

So get shopping! And if you don't already have an Angela Caputi bracelet, may I suggest you get yourself at least one.

Girls Rule the World

Chances are if you are reading this post, you are in fact a Girl! I'm pretty sure our male readership is low. That said, if you do happen to be a "boy" keep reading for all the little ladies in your life. You won't regret it.

What I am about to share with you is awesome, really really awesome! Thanks to my dear from Michelle B for introducing me to this company a year+ ago. She herself is pretty awesome too!

On to the uber coolness….say hello to GoldieBlox a story + construction set that bolsters confidence in spatial skills while giving young inventors the tools they need to build and create amazing things.

In a few words: building toys JUST for girls. Watch this video to get the idea behind this amazing product.



And now, meet the founder and creator and learn more about the story behind GoldieBlox.


Web edit - v10b-YouTubeUP-25k from Goldie Blox on Vimeo.


If you know a little girl, GoldieBlox should definitely be on her Christmas list. The Mini Fashionista will definitely be getting some soon…and maybe a name change too…let's call her the Mini Engineer!

Gift Guide: For Your Furry Friends

I don't have any pets (we'll get a dog someday). But that doesn't mean you should be denied a pet-friendly gift guide. Here are a few gift ideas for the furry friends in your life.

Every pet needs a nice place to sleep. And just because it's an animal doesn't mean the bed can't been fashionable. Jax and Bones makes a huge selection of pet beds in a range of sizes and fabrics. Here are two I like. They regularly have sales on One King's Lane, so be on the lookout for a deal (bonus!).

For the pampered pet, why not pick up a Bottega Veneta Woven Dog Bowl or a Mungo & Maud Cashmere Cable Knit Pullover?!

On those rainy days when your pet doesn't want to venture out, this Barneys New York Rain Slicker might do the trick.

Here are a few other things that wagged my tail.

Holiday Rope Wreath

Mascot Sailor's Knot Collar

And last, but not least, every dog needs a Chuck It!