ETSY FINDS FOR THE HOME

The holidays are coming quick and this is just the time to start searching Etsy for that perfect vintage or homemade gift for your loved ones. While searching for others, I started to think, my home needs some sprucing up. Family will be here soon and this is when I'm reminded of all the things I promise I need, not just want. Okay, maybe more want than need. So whether you're looking for a small thing for here or there, or maybe starting from fresh in your new place, Etsy is perfect for finding exactly what you need... Or want.

Keeping it simple sometimes is just the trick with this wooden ampersand from Swell Goods.

Wooden Ampersand ($15.00)

Love that these candleholders were a part of a front porch post rescued from a tear down here in the Midwest. Shop this and other beautiful finds from Bird in Hand.

Salvaged Wood Candleholder ($36.00)

Amanda Catherine Designs says it best, "decorate darling without breaking the bank."

B&W Print Set ($30.00)

These pillows are only the beginning of must-haves from Plume Textiles.

Plume Organic Pattern ($85.00 each)

Beautiful things will grow anywhere and everywhere, just as you see with this yardstick planter box from Whiskey Ginger.

Succulent Yardstick Planter Box Kit ($32.00)

And no home in Chicago is complete without an obvious display of love for this city. That's why this heart map from Lucius Art is perfect for every Chicagoan!

Chicago Heart Map ($39.00)

And it couldn't have come at a better time, Etsy now has gift cards!

What's your favorite piece of decor from your home?

XO Jess

DO YOU D'ORSAY?

Lately I can't get enough of a good D'Orsay flat, especially those from designer Jenni Kayne. Here are some of my favorites! 

via Jenni Kayne - $575

via Jenni Kayne - $415

via Jenni Kayne - $495

Lusting for the black pair! It would look so cute in my closet... By the way, this post is being delivered 36,000 miles (edit: 36,000 FEET. Excuse my blonde moment) in the air on a plane. Dope, right?

Happy Shopping!

xx Jill

BEAUTY REVIEW: ELIZABETH ARDEN 8-HOUR REPAIR CREAM

Snake skin- great on your feet but not really on your feet.

The brutal Chicago wind that comes with that other w-word (the painful season we're all trying to deny) can will leave your skin and lips scaly and cracked.

Cue Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant coming into my life from that beautiful red door and healing my skin. I have tried everything short of pulling a Buffalo Bill and I've never come across a product like this one. Most moisturizers leave a greasy feeling and never really sink in, making the turn of a door knob a hassle.

Eight Hour Cream ($19.50)

The Eight Hour Cream immediately starts sinking in right when I use it, leaving my skin soft but not greasy. It's constantly on my hands, but I've also loved the results on my feet, lips, and knees. I can't vouch for the normal smell since I only use fragrance-free (although it still has a slight scent), but I've seen a huge improvement on my skin since using it.

There are a few things you'll need this winter... a good jacket, snow shoes, and this cream.

xx Jill

DIY BRIDAL BASKET

As if our lives didn't parallel each other enough, Jess and I both have been celebrating our best friends getting engaged (see, we do know people outside of each other!).

Christina and I have been at each others side for every high school heartbreak, landmark memory, and even lived together in college. Name it, and we have probably been through it together- and have an inside joke to go with it. There's no better feeling than seeing your best friend happy, so when her and her amazing fiance became engaged, I wanted to put together the perfect "soon to be" bridal gift basket. Here's what I created...

At Michaels I purchased a white basket, along with a bunch of tulle and rhinestones, easily creating a veil to go over the basket by using fabric glue. I also found adorable bride and groom wine bottle covers, which I added their pictures to. With the extra rhinestones, I personalized a wedding scrapbook with their first initials, a gift I found on wedding blogs that many brides wish they used when planning their wedding (also an activity the bride and groom can do together!). Another gift I found that most brides found extremely useful was a ring holder, which can be placed in the kitchen for when the couple cooks or on a nightstand (but for now, it holds her engagement ring).

The whole package.

"Our Wedding Scrapbook" by Darcy Miller, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings.

"Larabee Dot" Kate Spade Ring Holder.

Since it's not all about the bride, I found this adorable vouchers booklet at Francesca's that they can both use.

"For Lovers Vouchers"

What girl doesn't love Essie? I added these three shades - all wedding name inspired - for all the upcoming manis and pedis in her future.

Essie's "Wife Goes On", "Borrowed & Blue", and "Walk Down The Aisle".

Adding a personal wedding touch to a girl's best friend.

No bridal basket would be complete without a "soon to be Mrs. (insert name here)", along with a matching pair of underwear, right? I personalized both by fabric gluing water safe lettering. Putting a piece of cardboard between the front and back, I used a ruler to as my guide to make sure each letter was straight.

More of the details.

Jess and I both love to get crafty, so after I controlled my crying from the happy news, I went straight to DIYing. Having the privilege to watch two very special people celebrate their love makes being at the age where everyone is starting to get married a little easier to deal with!

What are some of your favorite wedding blogs?

xx Jill

BOBBI BROWN AT NORDSTROM

Makeup artist and best-selling author Bobbi Brown will be at Nordstrom (55 E. Grand Ave.) tomorrow, October 2nd from 12 to 2 PM to celebrate the launch of her new book Pretty Powerful: Beauty Stories to Inspire Confidence. Those stories include interviews with real women, celebrities, and athletes, about what beauty means to them. With makeup tricks and tips and stories to inspire confidence, this is a perfect book for every woman. Bobbi Brown will also be giving us a taste of those tricks and tips and signing copies of her new book!

Do you have a beauty story?

XO Jess & Jill