christmas recovery + surprise gifts

{dress as skirt: asos, denim top: vintage, flower pin: homemade, leggings&booties: lb, purse: MK}

Good afternoon, little chickchicks!Hope your weekend was full of cheer, family, friends and fun. We are recovering today with shopping, lunch, naps, and hot chocolate (in that order, haha)We had such a good Christmas Eve with friends and Christmas Day with my immediate family.Lots of food, fun, and merriment.(and that was before Santa came)

I got the most wonderful things for Christmas, exactly what I wanted! Santa brought me a Kindle Fire which has become forever attached to my hand and that GORGEOUS Silpada hematite and quartz sterling silver ring.  He's got good taste, I know! My siblings and I draw names for Secret Sibling Santa (there's four of us, plus my sister-in-law) for gifts this year.  My little sister Sarah, or as I like to call her Sneaky, drew my name but spent the last few weeks telling me she had our other sister.  What a sneak!  She had me all along and she got me a case for the kindle fire and that luscious eggplant Michael Kors purse.  I'm spoiled, full of good food, and ready for 2012, I'd say it was a successful holiday!
Did you get your wish list fulfilled? Or were you super surprised?Do tell!

red tights + polka dots

 {belt, tights: dots | shoes, coat: LB | dress: ross | feather pin: homemade}

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE!Hi there, pretty chickens!My, oh my, I have missed you!  Things have been busy and messy and cray cray around here.First things first, I was in a car accident on Tuesday and I am fine fine fine; however, the state of my car is in limbo until after the holiday weekend.  My family has been great in being there for me and making sure I stay in the Christmas spirit.  I am SO excited for this weekend and spending time with my family and ALL of our dogs. I am posing in front of the doggy stockings! (there are FIVE pups here now! YIKES)
Moving on, I am finally getting time to put on real clothes and get fancy.I love my new short booties and my red tights.I will be so sad when Christmas is over and I may or may not be retiring my holiday color palette before Spring Break.
Sequins and all.

merry holiday shopping tips

Holiday Shopping Tips by The Merrymaker

So, Happy December 1st my little chickens.  Can we believe it is already the last month of 2011?Crazy sauce.  As unprepared as I am for this bitter bitter cold, I am prepared to brave the wild world of holiday shopping.  I have a few tips I always abide by to get through the Yuletide shopping sprees getting the most for my money and finding perfect gifts for all my the little chickens on my list.
1. Make a list (EARLY!)A wise merrymaker should always have a genuine idea of what your chicken wants/loves/needs for Christmas.  Making an actual list helps you to prioritize and include everyone.  Don't forget to account for the Secret Santas either!  I shop early (March, anyone?) and I shop often for the holidays, because the best times for purchasing gifts are before the pre-holiday "sales"! Not to mention, the frugal merrymaker has more time to stretch the holiday budget this way!

2. Shop smart AND ONLINE!It may seem like an obvious choice in this day and age, BUT many people still trudge out to the department stores for a majority of their presents.  Shopping online not only gives you a greater selection (and variation) but your gifting research could save you buckets of quarters in the end!  I love shopping online because if you google your favorite store's promo codes, you stand a chance of greater savings than in-store.  Also, stay away from the credit cards, shopping early with cash is stress free!(Not So) Secret Merrymaker Tip:  Holidays often prompt stores to offer free shipping BUT if you're shopping early...many online stores have a "Ship To Store:  FREE" option.  I do this ALL THE TIME!  No matter the item, forking over the $7-10+ for shipping really irks me.
(Half time break! CHEERS!)

click for recipe, serious yumminess.
3.  Personal and homemade optionsTo save money, consider gifting the angels on your list with handmade gifts. Give from the heart! Take the iPad out of your online shopping car and make your own gifts.Your sister will love the sparkly shoe clips and your mom will cry tears of happiness with her handmade Christmas ornament from her grandkids. It really isn't about the price of the presents after all, is it?

4. Enjoy your family time!The best Christmas time at our house was the year we were gifted Catchphrase, and after that there was no stopping us!  I mean- what makes a better gift, than something the whole family can use together!?  If board games are not your style, the whole Harry Potter series is out on blu-ray :)

Thanks for reading up on my holiday tips.  After all, I want all of you to make it to 2012 in one piece.