Since I only bought one roll of wrapping paper in the post-Christmas shopping days I treated myself to this cute take on the Hermes logo. Have a safe and fun-filled New Year’s Eve!
Last Purchase of 2012: Brian Lichtenberg
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Monthly Archives: December 2012
Grateful.
A huge and heartfelt thanks to you for reading A Gifted Society in 2012. I’ll be taking my husband on a surprise getaway this weekend for his birthday and then we will spend the holidays with my family in Newport.
And I am so thankful for my incredible clients, long term and new, who make me excited and happy to start each work day. I know how lucky I am to do what I love. After being a journalist for 12 years, it was a big risk to leave it all behind and start a copywriting and consulting business, but I have to say I have never been happier and only wish that I did it sooner.
Here are some fun things that happened here at A Gifted Society this year:
*I wrote my first ad for the side of a bus for South Coast Plaza
*I worked on a Facebook App contest for Marc Jacobs‘ DOT fragrance
*I taught a conference room full of advertising agency folks how to use Pinterest via Skype
*I went to the best holiday dinner ever at Hotel Bel-Air with the Morrison Hair team
*My sold-out blogging workshops in LA expanded to Orange County and I’ll be coming to San Diego in January
*I wrote a bunch of banner ads for Sally Hansen (and tried a lot of nail polish in the process!)
I wish you a warm and wonderful holiday and only good things for 2013.
Love, Victoria
Last Minute Gifts On Sale
I don’t have it in me anymore to hit the post-Christmas sales bright and early on the 26th (I can muster up the strength to do a bit of online shopping though). Sales have already started on some of my favorite sites so if you still have gift shopping to do or want to treat yourself check out these links:
Loeffler Randall up to 50% off sale
Madewell 30% off and free shipping sale
Kate Spade sale and free shipping
West Elm extra 20% off sale items
Photo via Anthropologie
Last Minute Gift: Five Minute Fudge
I posted about this five minute fudge last year, but in case you didn’t see it or forgot how easy it was, I wanted to share. This is the perfect holiday treat to gift people especially when you are short on time.
You can use peanut butter chips instead of butterscotch and add in anything from walnut pieces to currants. It’s a guaranteed hit!
1 (12-ounce) bag of semisweet chocolate morsels
1 (12-ounce) bag of butterscotch morsels
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
8-inch square Pyrex or similar dish
Place a heavy pot on the stove over low heat. Add the chips and milk and stir until everything is melted. Then stir in the vanilla and remove fudge from heat (you don’t want burnt fudge!) Pour the melted goodness into the pan and chill covered in the fridge. It’s so delicious (and pretty rich) so you can serve in small slices or wrap larger pieces to give as gifts.
Getting Personal: A Sexy and Romantic Gift
Inspired by artist Dan Colen, I created this piece of art for Tim, and finally made use of all of the lipsticks I often forget to wear. This is an easy (and pretty romantic) gift to give your partner this holiday season. Start with lighter shades to make it easy on yourself and then put in a frame with a white matte. The whole thing took about five minutes, which is my kind of art/craft project.
Tips and Tricks: How to Make Zucchini Chips
I don’t know about you, but I really have to focus on healthy eating during the holiday season since there are so many temptations around (luckily I work at home so I don’t have to see baked goods each day.) One of my favorite fun snacks to make (Tim teases me because I call them fun) are zucchini chips, which weigh in at around 60 calories for 20 chips.
What you’ll need: One good size zucchini / 1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs / 1/4 cup grated Parmesan / 1/4 tsp salt / 1/4 tsp garlic powder / 1/8 tsp pepper / 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk / cooking spray
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice zucchini into thin 1/4-inch rounds and combine the first five ingredients in a bowl and mix. Then put the milk into another shallow bowl.
2. Dip the zucchini slices in milk and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Place the slices on a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and pop into the oven for 30 minutes (you can flip them halfway through.)
Most Wanted: Holiday Gifts For the Home
Some of my favorite holiday gifts for the home…
West Elm Triangle Lattice Throw / Diptyque Holiday Candle Set / Jonathan Adler Elephant Lamp / Trina Turk Lavabile Dot Pillow / Le Creuset Signature Round French Oven
See more than 150 of my holiday gift picks on Pinterest (even if you don’t have an account you may still view them — just click the image to learn more or purchase.)
Getting Personal: Our Holiday Card
Remember I told you we ordered our holiday cards with Pinhole Press and couldn’t be happier? Well here is the inside panel (the cover is one of our favorite wedding images shot by Candice Benjamin). I love how the orange door and green box work together. Now it’s time to get these babies in the mail!
Tips and Tricks: DIY Snow Globe
My sister Chelsea made us the cutest Christmas tree snow globe in a Ball jar so I asked her to share the easy steps so you can make your own this holiday season!
What You’ll Need: Mason jar / Small trees (Michaels sells a whole bag for $21; download the app for a 50% off coupon) / Little ornaments or pine cones that you may want to add / Hot glue gun / Glitter or fake snow (available at any craft store) / Twine or your favorite ribbon
1. Unscrew the lid from your jar and hot glue gun your trees (and pine cones if you’re using them) to the lid. Make sure you do not glue anything around the rim of the lid, to ensure that you will be able to screw the lid back on.
2. Fill your jar with approximately 1-2 inches of “snow” or glitter.
3. Carefully screw your lid onto the jar (the trees will be upside down during this step). Make sure the lid is screwed on tight.
4. Flip your jar over and watch the “snow” fall.
5. Tie a piece of twine or your favorite ribbon around the lid for an extra festive touch.
These make an amazing and affordable holiday gift. Or if you are really not crafty, Anthropologie sells these adorable versions. Thanks Chelsea!
