Homemade Holiday by Apartment Therapy

I really enjoy making homemade gifts for the people in my life but in most cases, the gifts I try to DIY end up costing more than if I just purchased already made gifts.  Since moving to Los Angeles (and having more fun on the weekends) my budget is actually pretty tight this year.  Thank goodness for Apartment Therapy's installation of Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas!  They are posting new ideas every day and I'm loving them all.  I have a very good idea of what I'm going to make for my friends already and it really will keep me under budget.

Here are just a few of the 13 they've already posted.

Clockwise from top, left:

Lace-Printed Plates

Hand-Sewn, Printed Tea Towels

Painted Tree Rings

Copper Bangles

Merry Movember!

I know I'm a little late with this Movember post, but it's been a busy month!  The Movember Foundation, an official global charity, encourages "Mo Bros" (and "Mo Sistas") to grow awesome moustaches and start a conversation about men's health awareness.  They have many supporters and hold events to raise funds in support of men's health education, awareness, and research.

I love me a good 'stache and I'm not the only one.  Elle recently featured a collection of their favorite celebrity 'stahces.

The ultimate hipster 'stache as modeled by Mr. Gosling...swoon.

Anyway...what goes better with a sexy 'stache than a bowtie.  Am I right?

Images: Urban Outfitters

From left to right:

Moustache Bowtie

Stag Bowtie

Classic Bowtie

Bike Icon Bowtie

Anchor Bowtie

Urban Renewal Clip-On Bowtie

And of course, something for the ladies!

Bowtie Shimmer Clutch - Anthropologie

Fall Decor

Not counting the last two days (ahem...90 degrees) it is FALL in Los Angeles!  Halloween came and went and very soon Thanksgiving will pass us by, too.  I have to remind myself to slow down this time of year and enjoy every second of it.

Decorating between October and December is my very favorite thing to do.  I found these simple cinnamon stick votive candles over on Apartment Therapy.  Note: the original posting can no longer be found on Jonathan Fong Style, but you get the idea.  They are a simple and inexpensive way to get your home looking and smelling like warm, cozy Fall.

Happy Decorating!



For the Office: Simple Desktops

Looking to add a little flair to your office life?  Simple Desktops is a good place to start!  They have pages and pages of quirky, fun, high-quality desktop eye candy to choose from and none of them are epic images of snow covered mountain tops, thank goodness...unless that's your thing, then no judgement!

Russas

Vinyl

Rocket Launch

Squares

Bob

Wayfarer 2

Where in the World?!

Two of my favorite people in the world are currently on adventures of a lifetime and even though I miss them like crazy, I am so excited for the memories they are making!  My younger sister needed a change of scenery (don't we all sometimes?) so she moved to Hawaii.  Selfishly, I can't wait for her to come back to the mainland, but I know she is having a blast so I am so excited for her.

My longtime friend, Janelle, was recently accepted into a study abroad program.  She is a history major and where better to study than in Italy!?  She has been keeping us back home updated on her website and video blog, Bazaar Trek.

Janelle is bottom row, second from the left.

I'm so thankful to live in a time where keeping in touch with these two very special ladies is easy.  What would we do without texting, Skype, and Facebook??  But still, I don't think there is anything better than opening your mailbox and finding a good ol' piece of snail mail from a loved one.  Since mailing care packages and letters can add up, I decided to invest in some postcards (only $1.10 to Italy!).

PaperSource is one of those stores in which I could easily run my checking account dry so I opted to make an online purchase and save myself some checkout-shock.  I bought a box of lovely postcards featuring quotes from Jane Austen but it was difficult to choose just one box! 



Jane Austen Boxed Postcards

The Art of Vintage DC Comics Postcards

Cavallini Vitnage Map Postcards

Rougin' It

At the end of the month, I will be taking a long weekend and camping in Yosemite with my main man and I could not be more excited!  I was a Girl Scout for 13 years (nerd alert!!) but loved every second of it.  The camping trips my troop took in the earlier years were pretty legit...bugs, tents, roasting hot dogs on sticks, no showers.  As we got older, and our leaders decided we had had a rich enough camping experience, we slowly become more and more like Troop Beverly Hills.  Which, by the way, is still one of my all time favorite movies...no shame.

I dabbled a little in easy camping during high school and college with friends, but this trip marks my first adult, I'm doing it all by myself (with the help of boyfriend, of course) camping experience.  I've planned our meals for the weekend, made a list of needed supplies, researched the hell out of Yosemite (Rim Fire is 80% contained and our campground is open for business), and am just counting down the days until we take off on our first camping adventure!

My packing list is pretty substantial...call me OCD but I call it prepared!  Here are a few of my favorite camping essentials...

1 Survival Can Kit - Urban Outfitters

2 BDG Waterfall Tunic - Urban Outfitters

3 Preppy High Waist Shorts Olive - Minxshop Etsy Shop

4 Stanley Classic Flask - Urban Outfitters

5 FieldCandy Silhouette Tent - Urban Outfitters

6 Wet Skin Sunscreen - Neutrogena

7 Twelve Creative S'mores for a Party - theKitchn

8 Off Track Planet's Travel Guide - Urban Outfitters

Happy Friday!

Have a wonderful, adventure-filled Labor Day weekend!

Dictionart - Etsy