host/hostess gifts | thanksgiving

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Are you hosting Thanksgiving, or even Friendsgiving this year? If not, you're probably relying on someone else to do all the hard work for you, so what better way to say thanks than with a hostess gift? I know that I like to sit back and let my mom do all the work on Thanksgiving, not that she would let me help, but I know a lot of hard work goes into preparing the perfect Thanksgiving meal. My sister and I will sometimes bring her a nice floral arrangement for the table and she's completely content with that, but if you're looking for something different, look no further! I've gathered up a few festive gifts for the host/hostess in your life, and all but one are $50 or less!

I love being festive, so the more holiday themed items I can have, the better. I know that once I start hosting my own Thanksgiving, I will be going all out with the décor, and the serving spoon is no exception! That's why I like this one appropriately stamped "Thanks and Giving" -  I can see several "test tries" of my mom's mashed potatoes with this spoon! These white and gold acorn salt and pepper shakers and these leaf cork coasters are adorable, and would add to the décor on the table as well as serving a purpose! My thought with this "Oh So Thankful" ceramic dish is that you can make a side dish in it and leave it for the host/hostess to keep - that way you don't have to worry about leaving a dish behind or toting a dirty dish home - just make sure to tell them it's theirs to keep, or they may just think you want them to clean your dishes for you! My sister and I used to love making wishes on the wishbone, and this magnetic wishbone comes apart and goes back together, so if there are kiddos in the host/hostess' home, this is the perfect gift to entertain them, and make sure everyone gets their wishes in! There are typical gifts that are still great for the host/hostess, like this candle or these wine stoppers - pair either with a bottle of champs or wine and you'll be in my heart forever! A lot of people eat their Thanksgiving meal at different times - some do lunch, others do dinner. At our house, we eat dinner, so during the day my mom makes some delicious homemade appetizers, like homemade pizza rolls or little cheeseburgers on rye bread. (Sounds weird but I promise - it's the most delicious! I may post the recipe!) This serving tray and these appetizer plates would be a great gift for my mom to serve her apps on! And this "Get Stuffed" serving platter would be perfect to set that turkey on right in the middle of the table!

Once we get settled into our new house (hopefully in the next couple weeks!) I'm hoping to host a Friendsgiving, but I'm thinking by the time we get everything organized it will be more of a Friendsmasgiving instead! For last years tips on a successful Friendsgiving click here, and be sure to check back for some other fun festive posts in November! Thanks for reading! XO

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friday faves

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'Tis the season where my wish list keeps growing and growing and I want to go online and buy ALL. THE. THINGS. Just a few weeks and we will be heavy into holiday shopping, and you know what that means - SALES! To prepare, I wanted to share a few of my current faves that I have or hope to scoop up for myself before I'm out shopping for everyone else!

It's no secret that I love a good vest, and this cascading sweater vest is thick and warm and the perfect layer for this cold weather. I've been dying to try the over the knee boot trend, and I'm a little scared to, but when I do try them these ones from Steve Madden are at the top of my list. I'd been eyeing these jeans for a while, and I finally got a pair which I'm glad I did because they're low on inventory. My suggestion for these jeans is to size up, and they run long, so if you're normally a regular length, go for short. I recently discovered Giuliana Rancic's line for HSN and I was pleasantly impressed with the quality of her clothing, and I'm loving this blouse. I've never bought from HSN before, but knowing that they have payment plans is a pretty neat option, especially if you're on a budget coming up on the holiday season! For my birthday I rented a Rebecca Minkoff purse from Rent The Runway and I loved it, so of course I have to add this purse to my wish list in my favorite fall color, which is a great holiday color as well! This camel colored sleeveless sweater dress is a great layering option for the season, keeping you warm but not too warm for when you're crammed into your office's holiday party. Another favorite bag on my list is this saddle bag with tassel details from Kate Spade in a great neutral color, perfect for both fall and winter. I've been using Rocksbox (you can get your first month free with code THEBLONDESTYLEBLOGXOXO) and decided that I definitely need a pair of these heart eye emoji earrings in my life, as well as this bracelet from Kendra Scott which one of my friends got in her Rocksbox and I was green with envy. These sunnies were originally a rental from Ditto, but I love them so much that I want them to be mine. I'm normally a Ray-Ban girl, but I love using Ditto to try out all different brands - you can too with one month free using code THEBLONDESTYLE for one month free! Shorts are one of my favorite pieces of clothing to wear all season long, especially a pair like these that shimmer and would be perfect paired with a sweater, tights and heels for a holiday party. And you know I'm still loving the off the shoulder trend, and I got this blouse for my birthday celebration and loved everything about it from the flowy, long sleeves, to the perfect, green color for fall.

Are you guys excited for holiday shopping? Be sure to check back for all sorts of gift guides coming to the blog soon! Thanks for reading! XO

Facebook: The Blonde Style Blog | Instagram: @theblondestyleblog | Twitter: @blondestyleblog | Pinterest: @theblondestyle | Snapchat: stephmcclure

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first of the month faves // november

Happy November! I cannot believe October is over and the holidays are almost upon us. I have so much to look forward to in the coming months; my best friend is driving up from Dallas to stay with me, I'm heading back to Iowa to spend a lot of time with my family, my sister and I are going to take our annual Christmas trip to Chicago and we are also going to have all of our friends in town for our Friendsmas party. This time of year makes me so happy, so I figure this is a good time to share with you all a new series of blog posts I like to call First of the Month Faves. Here's the November edition!