‘Tis the Season | 2 DIY Festive Garlands

It’s no surprise that I’ve hopped on the DIY/craft train this year. Blame it on the hours of scouring through Pinterest and my ‘zeal’ for all things merry and festive.

Let me tell you, I had to muster up a ton of patience for these craft projects. Pinning it on a board on Pinterest is one thing but actually doing it, is another. They never come out the same which I had to learn the hard way. It was very trial and error but I obviously didn’t give up because here we are…

Two DIY festive garlands that are ‘pretty simple’. Using ‘pretty simple’ loosely because it depends on your crafting skills. I learnt not to use my Multivitamin bottle to trace circles because they come out pretty shitty. So yeah, don’t do that. You’d understand more when I get into the post.

The real questions is – am I gonna be more crafty in 2019? We’ll see!

Without further ado, let’s get started! (very YT-er)

Vertical Glitter Tree Forest Garland 

As you can probably tell by now, I’ve been having a field day with glitter trees this year. Admittedly, I’m really into it as a motif for the ‘Tis the Season series 2018. Glitter foam has also been reoccurring in posts. Either as crafts or props and that’s all thanks to my Mom for introducing me to the world of all things glitter foam. Seriously, you can do anything with it as you can see/read from the myriad of posts incorporating it! 

• 

• 

• 

What you’d need:

• Glitter foam (green) 2 shades were used 
• Needle
• String
• Pencil
• Scissors 

1. Before you cut out the trees from the foam, I’d advise tracing a few out so you can sort of ‘perfect’ the shape you’d like to go for.
2. Thread the string from the bottom to the top of the trees. Start at the front of the trees and enter through to the back to ensure that the string is secured at the back of the trees. I also alternated between 2 shades of green 
3. Space them out, whether it be close-by or a little further away from each other. It all depends on the look that you’re going for. 
4. Now, hang your garland up!

Silver and Gold Metallic Dots Garland

I’ve been wanting to do this one for a while so I actually started this earlier than the other crafts. However, this is where I messed up. I used a bottle that created misshaped circles. You may or may not see it in the photos but I tried another round object and it came out much better! For this one, I attached another circle behind so it would be more cohesive.

• 

• 

What you’d need:

• Metallic foam (silver and gold)
• Round object
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Needle Thread
• Glue
• Patience

1. Trace circles onto foam and cut out.
2. Thread circles, alternating between silver and gold. Again, start at the front of the circles and enter through to the back to ensure that the string is secured at the back of the them. 
3. Space circles, according to your preferred look.
4. Glue another circle of the same colour behind each of them.
5. Go on, hang it up!

What are your thoughts on DIY garlands? Let me know if you’ve DIY-ed any before!

‘Tis the Season | BAKEMAS: Sugar Cut-Out Cookies sandwiched with Dulce de Leche & Sorrel Jelly filling

We’re all on the same page when it comes to baking up a storm around the Holidays so it’s quite handy to have extra dough stowed in the refrigerator to whip up even more cookies. It’s convenient as it saves you much needed time. 

As such, I’m back at it again with the same sugar cookie recipe from the first instalment of Bakemas. Had a second batch of dough just waiting to be experimented on!

Some people like sugar cookies and others aren’t so much fans so this alternative will add a little twist to this staple holiday cookie.

What you’d need:

• Nesting circles cookie cutter OR you can use whatever’s in your kitchen – we used a drinking glass and bottle cover. Here’s to improvising!
• Dulce de leche spread from PriceSmart
• Sorrel jelly from Sumptuously Orgasmic 
• Basic kitchen utensils 

1. After you’ve rolled out the dough, cut out the larger circles. 
2. Then, cut out small circles in the middle of some. Ensure that they’re paired off. 
3. Bake as directed in the previous sugar cookie recipe and let cool. 
4. Spread dulce de leche and sorrel jelly filling onto larger cookies and top them with the cut-out cookies.

Voila! Your sugar cookies are not so basic anymore. This was another first attempt at these cookies so they’re very ‘home baker-ish’!

How has the holiday baking been so far? Let me know what cookie recipes you’re trying this year!

‘Tis the Season | 5 DIY Holiday Gift Tags

• 

Gift tags add a charming and personalised touch to gifts.

This post is for those of you who’d rather put together something handmade with love. You don’t always have to run to the store for everything. I’m pretty sure the persons receiving the gifts would much appreciate something made by you.

As such, I tried out 5 DIY holiday gift tags that are simple and festive in their own way. If you do decide to try these, let me know because I’d love to see how you customise yours! 

Glitter Christmas Tree

This tag is different from the others, i.e., it’s meant to be wrapped around the present hence the ribbon running through it. 

What you’d need:

• Glitter foam
• Ribbon of your choice
• Scissors
• Retractable cutters

1. Cut a Christmas tree shape of your choice from the glitter foam.
2. Create 2 slits with the cutter at the top and bottom of the tree for the ribbon to run through.
3. Pull ribbon through from one end to the other. (Size ribbon according to the size of the gift)

Classic Red + White 

This one requires a bit of sewing but it’s not complicated. If you’re up for the challenge or you already know how to sew then this is for you!

What you’d need:

• Foam (red)
• Embroidery thread or crochet thread (white)
• Pearlised paper
• Scissors
• Needle 
• Pencil
• Glue

1. Trace the shape of the tag onto the foam and then cut it out.
2. Pencil on the design that you’d like onto the foam.
3. Thread needle and knot one end of it.
4. Begin back-stitching, following the design that you traced out.
5. Knot when you’re done and trim the extra thread.
6. Cut piece of paper and glue it onto the foam.
7. Thread through the top of the tag and tie. 

Rustic Burlap + Twine

What you’d need:

• Burlap
• Twine
• Pearlised paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pencil
• Retractable cutter

1. Trace shape of tag onto piece of burlap and a smaller shape onto paper. Then, cut both out.
2. Glue paper onto burlap.
3. Create an incision at the top of the tag and attach twine. 

Metallic + Black 

What you’d need:

• Black paper
• Metallic markers
• Scissors
• Puncher
• Thread

1. Cut out a hexagonal shape or any desired shape from black paper. (Trace it out first if you’re like me)
2. Punch hole through the top and thread string.
3. Decorate with metallic markers.

Festive Glitter + Circular 

What you’d need:

• Glitter foam (colour of your choice)
• Pearlised paper
• Embroidery thread (colour of your choice)
• Scissors
• Needle
• Glue
• Pencil

1. Cut circle out from glitter foam.
2. Trace shape of banner onto paper and cut out.
3. Glue it to glitter foam.
4. Thread needle through the top and attach string. 

Weren’t they all really simple?! By the way, you can include any words or phrases that you’d like, those were just the ones that I chose.

Have you ever done your own gift tags before?

‘Tis the Season | Stocking Stuffers THAT WON’T BREAK THE BANK

Stocking stuffers aren’t just for kids. Why can’t we have some of the fun?

Stocking stuffers are meant to be fun, mini-sized and generally comprises of a ton of candy and chocolate. Because nothing marks the Holiday season like festive treats. 

They also should be affordable and not bank-breaking. 

These are my suggestions for stocking stuffers and I hope that you enjoy this guide!

• 

• Cute stationery: mini notebook, pens, markers or mild liners.
• Pocket-sized hand sanitizer.
• Mini candles in trendy votives.
• Mini face mask.
• Eye mask.
• Mini perfume or roller ball.
• Chapstick/ Lip balm.
• Mini wooden desk sign.
• Nail polish.
• Cosy Christmas socks. 

And of course, chocolate/ candy galore!

P.S. I’m soo psyched to try this festive collab between our very own local chocolatier, JB Chocolates and coffee giant, Starbucks! 

What are you looking forward to in your stocking or what are some trinkets that you’re dropping in your families’ stockings?

• 

‘Tis the Season | Holiday Gift Guide for Him

Hope everyone had a merry and bright week! 🎄✨

Today’s post is a gift guide just for the guys! It can be a challenge to shop for them so I hope this is helpful!

P.S. this was curated from my dad’s stash, he’s definitely not the stereotypical ‘minimalist’ type that guys are described as lol.

Face wash – Especially if they work outdoors, a good face wash will help with the environmental effects that’s damaging to the skin. Of course, it doesn’t have to be Clinique. Neutrogena is an affordable option.

Beard oil – Don’t their beards deserve to be moisturized just as much as the hair on their head 😂 and it’s super on trend with the whole beard movement.

Lotion – More and more brands are doing lines catered to men and I can guarantee you can find a scent from B&BW that they’d enjoy. Lotion doesn’t have to be boring for guys. Some brands even carry the lotion version of their perfume which is also a lovely luxurious gift. 

Perfume – There’s such a variety offered of men’s perfume now so you shouldn’t have any problem with this one. A nice perfume is always a great gift, as long as you know what scent the person likes or their favourite perfume!

Watch – If they’re serious about their watch game then a quality watch is the ideal gift! Maybe get them a fancier watch if they already own a casual one or vice versa. 

Wallet – Wallets for men are the equivalent of purses for women? As such, a new wallet may be just what they need or even backup. 

Hat – For the avid hat-wearers in your life, you can’t go wrong with getting them a new hat to add to their collection.  

Hope you enjoyed this new gift guide! What’s on your gift list for the guys?

‘Tis the Season |BAKEMAS: A Holiday Staple – Festive Sugar Cookies

Before we get into today’s blog post, the term ‘bakemas’ originated from Youtuber Meghan Rienks. I thought it was the perfect name for the baking section of the ‘Tis the Season series! Yes, there’s a baking section so stay tuned!

Baking around Christmas time is on a next level. There are those recipes that are must-haves in your arsenal and festive, cut-out sugar cookies is one of those as it’s a crowd favourite!

They’re pretty simple to make and can be whipped up quickly from SCRATCH. Those are the kinds of recipes that I quite like. 

These are just the first batch so they weren’t ‘perfect’ but that doesn’t matter! Let’s get into it.

What you’ll need:

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter (room temp)
• 2 large eggs (room temp)
• 1 tsp clear vanilla essence 

Frosting

• 1 cup powered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk 
• 1/4 tsp vanilla essence 
• 1 tsp corn syrup
• sprinkles

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, vanilla essence and beat until combined. Now add salt and flour and beat again until dough is smooth. 
3. Add more flour if dough is sticky (sticks to your fingers).
4. Refrigerate dough overnight.
5. Preheat oven at 350 degrees celsius.
6. Roll out dough on a counter lightly sprinkled with flour. 
7. Lightly flour cookie cutters and cut out shapes by gently wiggling cookie cutter. 
8. Place cookies on baking sheets and bake until edges are slightly golden brown (15 minutes).
9. Remove from oven and let cookies cool before transferring them.
10. To powered sugar, add vanilla essence and corn syrup. Then, gradually add small amounts of milk while mixing until desired consistency is reached (not too runny).
11. Dip cooled cookies into icing and add sprinkles of your choice. Now, let icing harden and then enjoy your festive cookies!

Have you already started your festive baking?

‘Tis the Season | Holiday Gift Guide for Families

Gift-giving can be a bit overwhelming for some, especially around the Holiday season. For those of you, a gift guide can be quite helpful!

Last year, I had a few for her but this year I wanted to add a couple of new ones. This gift guide is meant for a family as a whole, rather than each individual person. These gifts are thoughtful and a lovely addition to their home. I was hugely inspired by items that were recently added to our home. Hope you enjoy!

1. Custom family name plaques from Curly Sue Creations is one of the most thoughtful gifts that you can give to any family in your life. It’s also ideal for a new family! 
2. Wooden family sign from Craft Creators is one of those gifts that can inspire them to begin a family photo wall incorporating this sign. 
3. Cocoa tea candle from Healthy Escape will definitely add a bit of cosiness to their home and is a yummy, local touch. 
4. Candle warmer from Wonderful World is a delightful decor item that makes their house even more homely.
5. Marble coasters from Very Verde is a great gift to give to a family who’s hosting a Christmas lunch or dinner!
6. Tin of chocolates from Su- Ann’s Collection because who doesn’t love a tin of chocolate?

Have you already started gift shopping?!

‘Tis the Season | Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

‘Tis the season to be jolly! 

It’s my favourite time of the year! From the decor and holiday baking to the gift-giving and overall festivities, I think every year I just get a little more obsessed with all things Christmas. 

I decided to stick to last year’s theme – ‘Tis the Season and created a specific category for easy access to all Christmas posts. There’s a mini haul, swatches of holiday lippies and so much gift guides! Check them out from last year and get ready for a festive makeover on the blog. I hope you’re as excited as me!

Let’s get things started with an Advent Calendar. Hugely inspired by Zoe Sugg aka Zoella. I’ve been binging her Vlogmas series and was intrigued by Advent Calendars, in particular, this year. 

An Advent Calendar is basically a countdown towards Christmas but did you know it was first known in the year 1851? Advent means ‘Coming’ in Latin and represents the coming of Jesus. This year, Advent begins on December 2nd and ends on the 24th. Next year, however, it will begin on December 1st! 

Advent Calendars are known to hold chocolates but as of lately, brands have incorporated them in their holiday line-up with beauty, skin and body care minis. 

I figured instead of buying an overpriced one, why not make it? I also went with the 12 days of Christmas instead. Wanna find out how to make your own? Keep reading!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Drawing compass
• Scissors
• Paper clips
• Glue
• Glitter of your choice
• Labels with numbers 
• Chocolate and candy!

1. Create an arch from the corner (right angle) of the page using the drawing compass and pencil. 
2. Cut around the curve. That results in a right triangle with one side rounded. 
3. Roll into a cone and secure with paper clips until you’re done cutting out the cones.
4. When you’re done, glue the cones and remove the paper clips.
5. Brush glitter onto the cones and leave to dry.
6. Attach the labels with numbers. Mine was printed. You can write yours and cut them out. 
7. Stow your candy under the little ‘trees’ and enjoy your treats or gift it to a friend/family member!

Hope you enjoyed the first post in the ‘Tis the Season 2018 series! Stay tuned for more fun and exciting things ahead!

• 

Self-Care September: My Self-Care Journey | Refreshing my Spanish, Reading more & Venturing into Calligraphy

As I close off Self-Care September, I wanted to end with a few recent additions to my life. SCS has really motivated me to start/ continue these 3 things that I’ve been putting off but finally implemented in the month of September. 

I hope that by reading these SCS posts, you too can be inspired to do better and be better. These are just my 3 but as I’ve been saying, it’s solely up to you.

---

Refreshing my Spanish

This is something I’ve been deliberating for years. Almost 6 years? I’d pursued Spanish pretty far into my academic life but when I started uni, I just sort of left it behind. 

I finally made up mind to get back into it this September. I began by downloading the Duolingo and Babbel apps. I’ve got to say I much prefer Duolingo because it’s free! Very little of Babbel is free so I really didn’t get anywhere with it. However, I’ve been running through Duolingo pretty quickly. I kicked things up a notch by even getting a notebook to record the grammar rules I came across, as well as, vocab. I’m sure I still have my Spanish notebooks somewhere but if I banked on finding them then I wouldn’t have started. 

For the first time in a while, I felt proud of myself for doing something I’ve been putting off for so long. It has really reiterated that if you put your mind to something, you can get it done.

Reading more

You may have come across that I’ve added reading on mornings into my self-care routine. I won’t touch on it more here but I’m also glad that I did. It has made such a difference in my life in such a short space of time. 

Venturing into calligraphy

My calligraphy journey didn’t begin in September but I have been trying different styles of calligraphy for this month. 

With all of the amazing calligraphy styles circulating on the internet, I started to feel a bit stuck. So, I downloaded and printed a few sheets to try out other styles. I gotta admit, they are quite difficult but I’m enjoying it as I’m adding my own flair to it. By my own flair, I mean wonky flair. 

I usually end the day with a bit of calligraphy practice. That may or may not be good idea since I can’t see that well lol. However, it has worked out for the most part.

---

That’s a wrap! SCS is officially over! I’m kind of sad that it is but all good things must come to an end? How cheesy.

Let me know if you’d like more self-care posts and I do hope that you all enjoyed the series!

Self-Care September: What’s on My Bookshelf | The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***, Milk and Honey & The Happiness Project

I think I harped on enough about reading more in the previous and next blog post so I’ll keep things short. I’m not sure if to call this a book guide or just words of wisdom from a few best-selling authors.

---

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson

I find that most motivation books can be incredibly cringe-y. Hence, I don’t read them. That would entail too many eye-rolls to the point that I’d get a headache. Manson’s book is the antithesis of that and that’s why I enjoyed it. Not to mention, it’s an easy read. I felt as though I was reading one of his blog posts.

I liked that he didn’t sugar coat anything and just kept it real. You’re probably wondering what the hell did I learn from this book? Well, I found that I could be more unapologetically me. Maybe it was the manner in which he wrote and/or what he wrote but I felt that I could speak my mind a little more. Something I don’t do at all.

Oddly enough, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** is not about not giving a f*** but prioritising what your f***s are and adjusting your values.

I picked this up at RIK in Trinidad by accidentally stumbling upon it after not getting it in Target last year. Major regret! I’d highly suggest you check this book out if you’re on the hunt for a no-frills book.

---

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

I can’t tell you how long I’ve been obsessed with Rupi. Her poetry is amazing. After reading most of it online, I began to search everywhere for it. Milk and Honey isn’t the typical self-help book. For one, it’s poetry and not a novel. 

Why did it make the cut? Because of the chapter on healing. With all of ‘the hurting’ and ‘the breaking’, I was glad that it ended with healing. 

I also love the simplistic nature of her poetry. She evokes emotion with just one line and with the same breath, exudes power.  

Of course one of my favourites is:

“Accept yourself as you were designed”

The last time I read poetry was in my Form 6 Literature class and I haven’t read poetry leisurely, ever so this was a first for me. 

A lot of great recommendations were given to me so I can’t wait to hopefully find those and read them!

Also missed out on getting this at a DISCOUNT at Target but still got the last one at RIK in Trinidad after scouring everywhere for it. 

---

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

This one I had a few years now. It’s one of the cutest books but also kinda difficult to read because of the small font.  

The Happiness Project details the life of the author as she attempts her own ‘happiness project’ for a year. As Gretchen rightly says, “A happiness project is an approach to changing your life”. It’s pretty much a movement. 

Rather than self-help books that just state what to do and how to live your life, Gretchen is living proof of what works and what don’t. In that way, the book is much more accessible to the audience. 

Picked this up at Nigel R Khan in Trinidad. 

---

I’ve also been looking for Jen Sincero’s You are a Badass. If I had found it earlier, it would have also been in this post.

I could imagine that I would really enjoy that. 

---

What are thoughts? Have you read these books? Be sure to also share your recommendations!