Welcome to our weekly “walk and talk,” where we bring our weekly walks to you. Our walks are a time to catch up on family life, share online shopping hits and misses, exchange recipes, discuss our newest Netflix binge — all the stuff that friends share with each other. And now we’re sharing with you!
Don’t miss any of the good stuff! Click here for previous editions of our “Walk and Talk.”
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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
CHRISTA : I’m traveling to visit my son this weekend. For the trip, I downloaded a few new shows, including Bad Sisters (Apple TV). Has anyone seen it? 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, so I’m looking forward to checking it out.
MEGAN : The Empress on Netflix is a slow start but then reveals its excellency. The story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Emperor Franz is a marriage made for love rather than politics, which was rare in the 1850s. Elisabeth (Sisi to her friends) is a character, quite the trend setter in fact. I can’t believe I didn’t know about her. Six episodes about an hour each. I really, really hope it gets renewed. It’s kind of like Bridgerton, but a true story. Hey Christa! I just finished Bad Sisters and it’s awesome. It’s everything I love about a show and the finale was the best episode! You will love it; a little murder, a little scandal, a little family drama – this show is a crowd pleaser.
A HEAD START ON THE HOLIDAYS
We’re back with more helpful holiday tips to get a head start this season! We’ve shared tips for your cards and reminders to help get your decoration supplies ready. We’ll be sharing more tips and reminders every Friday throughout October and November. Tackle your to do list bit by bit and you’ll be sipping your wine by the fire this holiday season!
Pro tip: If you’re not a subscriber to our blog, you’ll want to subscribe now to get your weekly holiday to-do’s right in your inbox.
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: GETTING READY TO WRAP
It’s time to wrap, wrap baby! Today we’re getting ready to set up your gift wrap station, making sure you have everything you’ll need. Nothing is worse than sitting down to wrap a pile of gifts and there are no scissors.
1. Have you made your list and checked it twice? Who’s been naughty and who’s been nice? First things first, make a list of people you need to purchase/make gifts for. (We think the notes app on the phone is an easy place to do this.) Don’t forget the babysitter, guitar teacher or your hairdresser. Once you have a list, set a budget. Even if it’s just a guide, it’s good to have parameters in place, otherwise you know, Teslas for EVERYONE!
2. Update your gift wrap, ribbon, bows, gift tags etc. Also locate your favorite scissors and buy a few rolls of tape. Megan’s tip: Everyone has a different system, but in our family each child gets their own wrapping paper. It started when they were little and would rip through gifts without reading the tags. Whatever your system is, get plenty of holiday paper. We like the quality and selection of the paper at The Container Store.
3. Don’t forget to stock up on hostess gifts. Nothing is worse than being unprepared and having to run into HomeGoods on the way to the party. Candles, wine, olive oil, baking kits… we have a whole post on Hostess gifts if you need some ideas (and watch for our hostess gift guide in November). It’s always handy to have a case of wine on hand during the holidays for last minute gifting needs.
4. Don’t forget the book club and other annual or white elephant gift exchanges. Now is the time to order these gifts so you’re not purchasing at the last minute. (Or stock your “gift closet” so you have something on hand when you need it.) Panic-purchasing is the fastest way to overspend.
This week was an easy one. Congratulations, you’re one step closer to a relaxing holiday! Once you’ve got your wrapping station set up, tag us in a pic on IG (@styleamongfriends). We love to see your creativity.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR YOUR GIFT WRAP STATION
Having a dedicated place to wrap holiday gifts makes the task much simpler. And here are some handy tools and clever gadgets to make the task even easier!
1 – stock up on tape // 2 – stock up on gift tags (check out the cute holiday wrapping and tags from Rifle Paper) // 3 – ribbon (love this as much as my pricer Paper Source Ribbon)
4 – back of the door wrap storage (when space is limited) // 5 – gift wrap cart (I keep mine in a guest room closet year round) // 6 – under-the-bed wrap storage (comes with other matching wrap storage)
7 – wrap buddies tabletop gift wrapping tool – you must check this out on Amazon!! // 8 – ribbon organizer – if you have lots of ribbon, you need this! // 9 – gift wrap cutter – great little gadget seen on Shark Tank
SOMETHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
CHRISTA : For today’s checklist, I went searching for insight into why and how we wrap gifts — who knew it was such a heavily researched topic! If wrapping gifts is just not your talent, no need to stress for Pinterest-worthy presentations! According to this article, when you’re giving a gift to a friend or family member, they tend to like the gift significantly more when it’s sloppily wrapped! Who knew!! (Gifting an acquaintance, however, was the opposite — they tended to judge the value of the gift by how much effort went into the wrapping.) Wonder what gift bags say about your gift? Asking for a friend…
Free Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
FRIENDS SHARE THE GOOD STUFF
Have something you love or can’t live without? Did you find a great deal? Well, do tell! Share with us and we’ll pass it along…because friends share the good stuff!
WHAT MEGAN’S *NOT* COOKING — AKA KITCHEN UPDATE
Friends! We have drywall and yesterday the cabinets were delivered. Getting closer!
SOMETHING JUST FOR FUN
CHRISTA : Send a Halloween treat to your favorite student or young adult who’s hard at work! Here are a few favorites — all tested by my family. (And tell them Style Among Friends sent you!)
- Sparkle All Over – yummy individually wrapped cookies packed in your student’s school colors
- Baked By Melissa – tasty little bite sized cupcakes perfect for sharing with roommates
- [ma-kah-rohn] – try the Halloween variety pack with candy corn, KitKat, Twix and Starburst flavors!
WHAT WE’RE READING
MEGAN : Just finished Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman. I read some mixed reviews but picked it up anyway. I love the cover art, the pink and red spoke to my soul (I guess I’m a visually motivated buyer?). The story started off great, a 20 something writer interviews her celebrity crush for a profile and they have a weekend fling, cut to 10 years later and they are both divorced (from different people) and try to rekindle the flame. It was a C+ for me. Not terrible, I finished it, and at times I really liked it. I just wanted a little more from the story.
SAVE VS. SPLURGE
MEGAN : While browsing in Target this week I spied this cute top that looks an awful lot like the AYR one my mom gave me for my birthday. And I mean A LOT!
WHAT WE’RE WEARING
CHRISTA : I got “my colors” analyzed last spring and they told me I was a “light summer”. Think cooler shades of pinks, blues, greens (and NO black!). I tried and tried to embrace it, but I am back home with my black sweaters, right where I belong! They’re a wardrobe staple and work with everything. Here are three classic styles that I wore and loved last year that are still available, plus one new one I just ordered. Oooh, any of these would be great with Megan’s “save vs splurge” clogs last week! Thanks for influencing me (again), Megan!
cashmere crewneck is light enough to wear under a leather jacket // oversized turtleneck sweater pairs well with leggings and boots // cashmere hoodie works with jeans and sneakers // v-neck balloon sleeve is in my cart!
MEGAN : A little outfit inspo for your weekend.
AND, HERE’S WHERE WE WALKED
A peek along our walk…it was a crisp fall morning walk this week!
We hope you’re seeing and experiencing all the beauty of fall wherever you may be today!
CHRISTA’S WALK AND TALK LINKS
- Bad Sisters (Apple TV)
- gift wrap supplies: tape // gift tags // ribbon // back of the door wrap storage // gift wrap cart // under-the-bed wrap storage // wrap buddies // ribbon organizer // gift wrap cutter
- The Science of Gift Wrapping Explains Why Sloppy Is Better Than Neat
- Halloween Care Packages: Sparkle All Over // Baked By Melissa // [ma-kah-rohn]
- Black sweaters: cashmere crewneck // oversized turtleneck // cashmere hoodie // v-neck balloon sleeve
MEGAN’S WALK AND TALK LINKS
- The Empress on Netflix
- Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
- save: this cute top; splurge: the AYR one
- fall inspo outfit: jeans, tee shirt, sweater blazer, shoes (similar)
WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE BLOG
Lots of shoes on the blog this week! We searched DSW and found five shoes we think you’ll love (and need) this fall and winter.
Update from Christa: The loafers I linked in the post sadly didn’t work, even though I liked them. My DSW was restocked in all sizes, so I tried them on in store. But the only pair in my size had a defect (one shoe was very stretched out and too big!). I decided this was way too much effort for one pair of shoes. LOL!
Holiday Gift Guides are coming friends! We’ll have gift guides for everyone on your list throughout the month of November, from hostesses and husbands to friends and mothers-in-law! Is there someone you find hard to shop for? Let us help with ideas — we love a challenge!
Follow along every Friday with our holiday tips to get a head start this season! ICYMI, we’ve shared tips for your cards and reminders to help get your decoration supplies ready. What are you waiting for? Get started today and you’ll be sipping wine in December with a to do list that’s checked off!
Walking is always so much better when you go with a friend! We hope you’ll share our blog with your walking bestie. And let us know in the comments what you’re watching, wearing, eating, planning or shopping for.
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