Cute Christmas Gift Ideas: Shop Small

Tis the season, isn't it?!

I'm sure you're on the search for what to get everyone in your family and maybe then some! Well, this post might be your go-to for some really cute ideas that might be a little different from what you've usually given.

AND these ideas come from local businesses instead of major department stores, major bonus!

Markets for Makers Jacksonville at The Glass Factory

Markets for Makers, a really cool organization who brings together local shops in one space, recently came to Jacksonville and boy did I love it!!! I feel like this year I was in need of some different ideas for my loved ones and I found some really cute things.

Here are some of my favorites, happy shopping!

... PS if you're a family member maybe stop reading this post... thanks!

Bloomwolf Studio

I LOVED Bloomwolf Studio and their prints so much! We move around a lot and I love having little things in our home of all of the places we lived and of course of our hometown, Milwaukee. I think their prints of different cities would make such good gifts for your families and friends. I would highly recommend checking out their site and if you don't see your city or state contact the owner she was very nice and extremely helpful!

Camp Cocktails

Next on the list, Camp Cocktails! How clever are these little guys?! We all have a brother, sister, friend who loves a fun drink or is a mixologist so this was a no-brainer for me to buy some of these. They come with the ingredients in the jars and the recipe on the back, just add your spirit of choice! Sure to make your holidays a little more fun.

The Tipsy Gardener

Okay, I loved every single thing at the Tipsy Gardener's shop! My best friend loves air plants and The Tipsy Gardener had everything you could want when it comes to these. Small, cork magnet holders were seriously so cute and their cement planters are so clever! I would shop here for the plant lover, gardener, hippy, best friend!

AO Fragrances

Candles, I know I know there are tons of candle brands and heck you can go to Bath and Beyond and buy an $8 candle, BUT these soy candles smell seriously so amazing and they have a 55 hour burn time. Definitely check out the AO Fragrance site and shop their collections, they'll be a nice little gift for friends or make a nice addition to your holiday decor (they have 3 tree scents that immediately scream Christmas to me: White Birch, Fraser Fir and Blue Spruce).

HK Living

I'm such a dork and didn't grab a photo from this one, but I think every single item I saw from their shop I wanted. This place would be great to shop for the homemaker, home decor enthusiast, cook, furniture lover, etc. Seriously, please check out their shop site, you won't be disappointed!

My favorite things from Paris

Uhhhhh Paris!

I loved it so much, I'd go back tomorrow!

I am finally getting around to writing up a recap post, but what more is there to say other than Paris, I love you! It was my second time visiting and JC's first time, and we both loved every minute of exploring this beautiful city! There is so much rich history, beautiful architecture and delicious food that we could have gotten lost and never come back to the States.

This blog post will focus on a few of my favorite things- quoting Julie Andrews- but seriously everything was so great it's hard not to just list our entire trip. So, I won't bore you with anything else, let's get to the good stuff shall we?!

My Favorite Church- Sainte-Chappelle

I bet you thought I was going to say Notre Dame! Well, on my first time around I ABSOLUTELY loved Notre Dame. It's big, it's gothic, it home to the hunchback- just kidding! It is truly something to see... But this time around we wandered into Sainte-Chappelle and I really think this might be the most gorgeous church my eyes have ever seen! The stained glass is so incredible I don't even know what to say (and really the photos don't do it justice).

In almost the complete opposite of Notre Dame, this chapel is quaint, calming almost and is so visually stunning. Once home to the crown of thrones, which now lives at Notre Dame, Sainte-Chappelle's stained glass windows have every story of the bible etched into them. How cool!

Also, I heard we made a major mistake by not seeing the Sacre-Couer/Montmarte so if you're going make sure to put this on your list. I hear the views of Paris are insane... for us we're using this as an excuse to go back one day!

My Favorite Tourist Attraction- The Seine River Cruise to Eiffel Tower Tour

If this isn't like quintessential Paris romance, I don't know what is. This tour started out by the Architecture museum, walked down through the gardens leading up to the Eiffel Tower, took us on a lazy crawl down the Seine and then up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.

I thought this was going to be a rushed, very touristy thing to do, but it was quite the opposite. We casually walked around and got so much information about the Eiffel Tower and the area surrounding it. Then the boat tour took it's time so we could see every monument lit up at night and snatch pictures. We then finished the tour on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower looking out at the city, which was the cherry on top.

I would highly recommend this tour, I even think this was JC's favorite thing from our entire time in Paris... besides the couples massage he decided to choose for us... I'll get to that down a few paragraphs.

My Favorite Tourist/Non-Tourist Attraction- Shakespeare's Bookstore

When I was looking at what the must-see things were in Paris, this was on some lists, but then not on others. I was thinking we could skip it, but it's literally across the street from Notre-Dame and in between Notre Dame and Sainte-Chappelle so we said why not and went in.

It's just a book shop, but it's actually the most famous independent bookstore in the world. Authors, celebrities and artists have all called this place home and I can see why. When you enter you think oh okay it's a bookstore, let's go, but then when you stumble around you see why this place is a tourist destination. There are nooks and crannies that have spaces where you can hang out and open a book, cats crawling about, a space to etch your name into and tiny little windows where you can catch just enough light to know the time of day.

If you're an artist, a creative or just plain curious, I say check it out.

BTW no pics were allowed, SORRY!

My Favorite Neighborhood- Saint Germain

Paris has so many cool, eclectic neighborhoods so this one was a tough one to decide on. Our hotel was in Le Marais, which for us was perfect. It was within walking distance of tons of sites, had easy-access metro stops and had restaurants and shops galore.

BUT!

If we were to come back in this lifetime, I think we would love to stay in the Saint Germain neighborhood. We happened upon this neighborhood by accident, I had booked every minute of two of our three full days in Paris and then said to JC we can do whatever you want Friday... If you know JC you know that must mean relaxing in some capacity.

He decided a couple's massage. Probably the last thing I would have thought of, but we found a cute little spa in the Saint Germain neighborhood and booked it. Well... we thought we booked it lol. We went over there and somehow it didn't take our reservation, but luckily they were able to get us in just a few hours later. So we decided we'll just hang out in this area and grab some food. We made it to Rue de Buci and just hung out at a cafe and omg this is like ideal Paris neighborhood.

Not so touristy, more local. fresh markets all around, vines and flowers growing on the buildings, people making out at a cafe. Ugh! It was like a dream. We could have hung out all day. The more relaxed atmosphere made us both say we'd love to come back and stay here!

My Favorite Macaroons- Lauduree on the Champs Elysees

Lauduree, I know! It's another famous place. Another touristy location. BUT OMG! These macaroons showed out!

I am a macaroon nut. It's like if I see a macaroon I have to eat one. So Paris was an eating death trap. In all seriousness, I totally get why I waited in a 40 minute line just to inhale 4 macaroons. I would have bought 16, but JC thought that was unreasonable and that would have cost me like $60.

These macaroons were so tasty, and melted literally in your mouth. You know how sometimes they're a little crunchy or just don't have any flavor. NO! These tasted like the actual flavor they said and were so light and airy. MMMMM my mouths watering right now.

Another reason I'd go back to Paris tomorrow!

Inside Guinness Storehouse

Don't you want to see how a Guinness is made?!

Well I don't have all of that in this post, but I do have a peak into the totally awesome Guinness Storehouse.

On our recent family vacation to Ireland we stayed in Dublin and then ventured out on day trips around the country, but one of my favorite things was the Guinness tour in Dublin's city center. It may sound weird that one of my favorite things was a brewery tour when there are so many amazing castles and beautiful sceneries to be seen... BUT that is because the Guinness Storehouse is so well done it literally had me amazed (or maybe it was because I was still hungover from the Guinness the night before).

In all honesty, it's probably one of the cooler things I've seen lately. From the self-guided tour through seven levels of the building that's shaped like a pint glass, to the restaurants on site that use local, seasonal ingredients, to the gift shop where you can get your engraved beer mug, to the gravity bar with panoramic views of the city.

Every single thing had me going OMG this is so cool!

I come from a marketing background so cool visuals and branding always geek me out. This place is full of creativity, unique art exhibits, and a whole floor devoted to their best advertisements brought to life (and there's photo booths to top it all off)!

If you ever find yourself in Dublin, this should be a top thing to do on your list, but be sure to buy your tickets online in advance to bypass the lines!