A Realistic Gift Guide For Your BFF

Scarf // Earrings // Tights // E.L.F Holiday Kits // Mugs

Is it just me, or is anyone getting tired of these unrealistic Christmas gift guides? I love my friends & family with my whole heart, but an 80-dollar pair of gloves for my best friend is ridiculously out of my college/newlywed budget. So here is a short 'lil gift guide & some ideas for anyone stumped on what to get their best friends!

Gift Ideas:
+ Fill up the Anthro mug with some hot chocolate, peppermint candy canes & marshmallows
+ Pair the Modcloth tights with tech gloves, hand warmers, socks or other winter essentials
+ Gift the Old Navy sweater scarf with furry ear muffs, to keep your best friend cozy
+ Wrap up those adorable Francesca's earrings with one of the E.L.F. holiday make-up kits, all tied up with some festive red & white bakers twine

How to: Make Festive Oreo Pops

I've made these to gift as Christmas presents, and they are always a total hit with friends and family! They are pretty easy & cheap to make, are sugar-coma delicious, and they look like you spent all day on them ;) 

Ingredients

-Double Stuf Oreos

-White chocolate melting chips

-Peppermint candy canes

-Sturdy holiday paper straws

-Bakers Twine

-Treat bags, small & clear plastic

Directions

1. Heat up the white chocolate melting chips in your fondue pot.

2. Cut your festive holiday straws in half, and then pinch the end flat, because you'll be putting into the oreo.

3. After separated the cookie, slide the pinched side underneath the oreo cream. Then place the other half of the cookie back on, and make sure it goes seamlessly back together. This is why you bought double stuf, to make sure the straw will fit!

4. Instead of dipping the cookie, I used a spoon to drizzle the fondue chocolate onto the cookie. This is to make sure your cookie doesn't fall apart.

5. Place your oreo pop on a sheet of parchment paper. I bought peppermint candy canes and crushed them myself, but I've heard you can just buy them already crushed. Regardless, this is the step where you sprinkle on the peppermint candy cane deliciousness. You have to do this right after you drizzle on the chocolate & while it's still hot, so the candy will stay on the cookie.

6. Let your oreo pop cool on the parchment paper for about 5-7 minutes. 

7. Wait until fully cooled, then peel the oreo pop off. 

Optional

8. Place the top of the pop into a treat bag.

9. Tie it up with some adorable bakers twine.

10. Voila! Amazingly delicious & cute Christmas gifts!

Pricing

This is the price for all of the materials used for only one package of double stuf oreo cookies {30 cookies}, and this is the final price per pop!

1 package of Double Stuf Oreos from K-Mart: $3

1/2 pack of holiday straws from Jane.com: $2

2/3 package of plastic treat bags from Wal-Mart: $1.50

1 small roll of bakers twine: $3

1/2 package of peppermint candy canes from Wal-Mart: $2.75 

1 pounds of white melting chocolate from Winco: $3.75

 Grand total: Under 53 cents per Oreo Pop!

This is starting to become my Christmas gift tradition because they are so easy to make, but they take some time and are made with love! I've gotten rave reviews from every person I've given them to; because how can you really go wrong with an oreo, chocolate, and candy?! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments so I can edit the post or email you back with a response. Hope you & your friends/family enjoy these!

Cardstore Goodies

I had the opportunity to review any card of my choice from Cardstore, with any special customizations or additions included. I liked the site so much that I just ended up purchasing an additional card! They have such an adorable collection of birthday, wedding, various congratulations cards, and more. You can customize the inside of the card with your own personal message, and even add pictures! The site is extremely user-friendly, reasonably priced {$3 average, with envelope included} and the delivery is lighting speed. After I put in my order, it was delivered within 3 days. Seeing as how I had a wedding this past week and another next weekend, I was excited to peruse the wedding card selection and I was not disappointed! 

Go on over and check out Cardstore :)

*One card was courtesy of Cardstore. All opinions are my own.*

Gifting Mania & Reality Shows

It's now almost 3am California time and I can't seem to fall asleep.

Here is my finished Christmas gifts, done while watching all the lame Real Housewives shows.

Definitely Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, none of that Atlanta crap. So un-classy.

I got lots of the cheap pretzel rods and dipped them in melted Wiltons chocolate.

Then they were sprinkled with with Christmas-y sprinkles.

DONE.

Here is my gift making table which includes:

Target dollar section buckets

Snowmen/Smores mugs

Pretzel rods 

Hot chocolate packets

Candy Canes

Kisses & Kit Kats

Gingerbread shaped marshmellows

Dollar store cellophane

Tupperware

Hot Apple Cider candles

Here is a tupperware filled with Andes mint cookies and Peanut Butter cookies. 

I've already eaten like 5-7 of each. 

I really need to hold up to that New Years Resolution of:

'Going to the gym on a consistent basis' 

Or I'm not gonna be able to fit in my clothes anymore after the break!

Here is my table filled of gifts! 

Friends and family who remembered to fork over their addresses, watch out for these in the mail with your name on it!

All in all, I love making handmade gifts, writing my own little notes and seeing the joy on friends&family's faces when they see the gift.

Another one of my favorite feelings ever :)

By the way late night MTV shows are all dating shows, cracks me up cause is this how people meet each other to date if they don't go to college?!

How do people find each their soulmate otherwise? Any stories to share?

I'm off to bed cause now I'm just rambling.

Night!

<3 Bri