Valentine's Gift Ideas for Her

I said it the other day but didn't we just ring in the new year? I don't have a whole lot of fun stuff lined up for February but I do always look forward to Valentine's day even though we don't celebrate extravagantly. Usually a nice dinner and a sentimental gift or card. I've told K almost a million times I'm not a huge fan of flowers, but he buys them anyways.

I wanted to share some unique and sentimental gift ideas for Valentine's Day so here's a gift guide for the ladies in your life.

I adore this cute tumbler perfect for a girly cocktail.

A sweet tribute to motherhood, this necklace features a silver elephant holding each of her little peanuts. 

An easy-to-use instant photo printer that lets you create awesome analog Polaroid-style photo prints from your smartphone or tablet.

A classic French dessert transformed into decadent macaron soaps.

Brew Kombucha with this crock designed for the tangy, nutrient-dense tea.

The Handcrafted Golden Bangle reminds you to live with intention and let joy flow freely.

Mimosa ready champagne flutes perfect for brunch.

This birch speaker for your phone amplifies sound through an acoustic cone.

This artwork marries a couple's names and anniversary date with a portrait of the city they love.

This Valentine's Day Gift Guide is made up of products sold by UncommonGoods which offers really unique jewelry, cute home décor, and many other handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment without harm to animals or people. I really loved browsing their website and finding so many unique and "uncommon" products as the Company's name rightfully implies.

Date Weekend

The weather this weekend was cold and dreary. I could have easily curled up on the couch and not moved all weekend but we had some plans lined up for Saturday.

Friday night was a relaxing one. We watched Girl on a Train which had a few parts that were slightly different from the book. The movie didn't get the best ratings but I'm not the biggest critic when it comes to movies so I enjoyed seeing it to compare it to the book.

 On Saturday we had tickets to go see Florida Georgia Line in concert so we bundled up and headed downtown a little early. It was already packed when we got there with people tailgating and a whole block party going on outside the Arena.

It was too cold for my liking outside so we went inside for some drinks and early dinner.

Then it was time to head over to the Arena and get comfy in our seats. We were a lot higher up than expected but at least in the first row of the upper level so we had a pretty good view. It would have been better with some binoculars though. lol

 On Sunday we had our hearts set on going out for some brunch even though it wasn't exactly patio weather but we settled indoors at one of our favorite brunch spots with a beautiful view of Lake Eola.

 

It wasn't an intentional date weekend but it turned out to be a great one. Since K travels often, I guess we got some much needed "us" time.

Joining the lovely Biana and her Weekending linkup.

Nice to See You Friday

I've been spotty with getting a post ready in time for Friday with my work schedule and other life events but today I have some fun things to share.

Boots, Books, Beauty, Baking & Bands.

All B's...somehow it worked out that way so I'm rolling with it!

Boots
I've bought 3 pairs of boots in the last couple weeks. All black. Maybe a little over the top but after moving and digging through my stuff, I remembered many of my black boots were given to Goodwill since they all had a good amount of miles on them so I'm starting fresh this "winter".

 one / two / three

Books
I'm wayyy late to the game on this but I've been "audio-reading" Eat, Pray, Love this week on my commute. Last week I finished reading The Couple Next Door which was a crazy, mind-boggling suspense book (that I thoroughly enjoyed) but it was time to change the pace and I feel this soul-searching book was the right decision.

image via

Beauty: Hair Products
My hairdresser convinced me a while ago that sulfate-free hair products are the way to go for my color-treated hair in terms of moisture retention and keeping my blonde looking vibrant.

shampoo / conditioner / 10-in-1 Elixir

I was pleasantly surprised when Influenster sent me these three L'Oreal EverPure hair products complimentary for testing purposes because they contain some main ingredients that I look for that are gentle on your hair and are 100% sulfate-free. I've washed my hair a handful of times now using all 3 products and my hair has been silky smooth since. I have to the say Elixir is one of my favorite products for detangling and using as a heat protector since I blow-dry my hair quite often.

Beauty: Lip Products
The Murad Age Reform Soothing Lip Care is quite possibly the most amazing thing that ever touched my lips. My Ethestician introduced me to it last weekend when I went for a facial and I hesitated to purchase the $22 product but I went home I found it for a more affordable price on Amazon.

Baking
I'm always on the hunt for new recipes since we tend to have the same rotation of meals for dinner during the week. K has mastered the art of cooking Chicken Cordon Bleu which is one of my favorite dishes so I was immediately intrigued by this Sundried Tomato and Cheese Stuffed Chicken recipe from SkinnyTaste. I can't wait to try it!

Bands
This one has me the most excited because I don't go to concerts often enough. We have tickets to see Florida Georgia Line this weekend so you already know I'm ready to get the weekend started!

All favorites aside, didn't we just ring in the new year and it's already the last weekend in January?

I hope you enjoy a weekend full of your own favorites.

The Rain Barrel Artisan's Village

Yesterday I posted about the gorgeous and relaxing Florida Keys beach resort we stayed at in December for my birthday. While we were driving around Islamorada we stumbled on The Rain Barrel Artisan's Village and had to make a pit stop to check out the local arts and crafts.

image via

 The market was much bigger on the inside that I expected with several different galleries of art, sculptures, handmade crafts, jewelry along with a cafe to sip and enjoy. It was a fun experience walking through the village and exploring all the colorful local art. Since we were there in December I also picked up several pieces of art as Christmas gifts for our parents.

There's no entry fee to visit the Rain Barrel Village and it's open 7 days a week so if you happen to be visiting the Florida Keys or Islamorada, I definitely recommend stopping in to check out all the beautiful local arts and crafts.

The Postcard Inn Beach Resort

We traveled to Islamorada in the Florida Keys for my birthday in December and K couldn't have chosen a more beautiful to resort to stay at. Having said that, we spent most of our time relaxing on the beach and enjoying the resort's amenities, onsite restaurants and the tiki bar where we were introduced to frozen Key Lime Daiquiris which were to die for!

The Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina

I'll let the pictures do the talking from here.

 

It was such a relaxing vacation celebrating my birthday at a beautiful resort and I loved having an oceanfront room and balcony to enjoy coffee in the morning and cocktails in the evening.