Christmas Is Here!

While home for the Thanksgiving holiday Sister reminded me (and the rest of the family), how she thinks the psycho Target shopper is me.... So I'll embrace it... for now...

In the spirit of the season (as it starts tonight with the lighting of the Rockefeller Tree), I thought I'd post about all the companies making ornaments for this holiday season. With last week's Black Friday, this week's Cyber Monday, I can't even begin to tell you the amount of emails I've received from so many companies touting their Holiday wares.

I like a good Christmas Sweater, or mitten set just as much as the next prep, but I REALLY love ornaments! I love putting up my tree and having it glitter at me while I wrap presents and listen to holiday music. Also, ornaments don't require fitting rooms which will likely remind you, you probably ate too much turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving... but that's neither here nor there.

One of the companies that recently came out with their own line of Christmas ornaments was Smather's & Branson!

S&B do a phenomenal job when it comes to needle point products and these are no exception. I've purchased many a key fob and flask, if not belt from them in the past, and these ornaments look awesome. 

This reminds me of something you might find tucked away from the 40's in your grandma's old ornament stash. I love the old timey Santas! Especially the old Coke Commerical one!

I'm a sucker for Nutcrackers. My Mom used to take us down to the Atlanta Center for Performing Arts to see this every so often and I just love the story of Clara looking for her Prince!

And for $25, these things are a steal, because no way (even as crafty as I am) do I have the skills or the time to try to replicate these!

Vineyard Vines also has some pretty cute ornaments this year. I can't say if it's their first year doing this, because quite frankly, I don't recall, but they did a great job!

Of Course I'm going to show the awesome Whaler! Got to represent the Brand!

But Most particularly, I LOVE their mini-ties!

Prices vary, but either way your tree would look super studly in these!

And of course, I have to include the ULTIMATE in all Sterling Silver.... TIFFANY'S!

These will obviously be a BIT more pricey, but they're just so PRETTY!

If you see any more BEAUTIFUL Christmas ornaments you think I might like, PLEASE pass them along! I'm an avid collect!

Happy Holidays!

Smathers & Branson Cont'd

In the words of legendary Cubs Announcer Harry Carry: HOLY COW!

Look what arrived today!!! And they're even better than I could've ever imagined! Stellar craftsmanship! Thanks Smathers & Branson!

Smathers & Branson

During the Junior League's Ride into Spring Fundraiser that I've previously mentioned (Here and Here) I won the gift certificate donated by Smathers & Branson! So yesterday I decided to use it...

In the hopes that the people receiving these as gifts don't actually read my blog.... I'll still try not to mention who these are for; although it's pretty obvious if you know me.
The gift certificate was for a generous $165, which would buy one of there beautiful hand needle point belts, however I always like to stretch a dollar when I can help it, so I tried to get a few different things:

Something for a Special Sorority Girl

For my future set of beach keys ;)

For someone I just can't convert to a GOOD school :)

For the first recipient, and her next football season

Overall, they look like beautiful products and I can't wait to gift them! Check out Smathers & Branson when you get a chance. They have a ton of different schools as well as fun other designs! Belts, Headbands, Flasks, Wallets, and Key fobs galore!

Additionally, they have free shipping on all orders over $175!

The Junior League of Kane & Dupage Counties' Ride Into Spring 2011 Event

As promised I wanted to recap this year's event.

I have to admit I wasn't quite sure what to expect, as the only live auction I've been to was at the Sorority for mom's weekend my junior or senior year (and it was a little intense,competitive, and heated; made all the worse because we were all so close). I've been to many silent auctions in the past for school fundraisers. The location was lovely; the organization scored a few ballrooms at a Hilton in Naperville (a nice area in the west suburbs). We had quite a few people in attendance; I'll apologize in advance as I won't get exact numbers until after our General Meeting on Tuesday. Below are some great pictures from the event. I warn in advance they had a cut out of the mascot for this year's event... and I just can't pass up a good cut out ;)

Some of the items that were donated, and their placement at the beginning of the silent auction:

Jewelry for a Cause

Southern Proper

Smathers & Branson

Southern Proper

Castaway Clothing

Southern Tide

Lilly Pulitzer

The live auction got everyone in the ballroom and was led by a professional auctioneer... I had no-idea that was an actual profession...

I'll be sure to update how much was raised after our meeting on Tuesday! Have a great rest of your weekend!

Junior League- Ride Into Spring

I believe I've mentioned it before, but I am a member of my local Junior League. For those of you who don't know what this is:

The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and building their members' civic leadership skills through training. According to its mission, "The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (AJLI) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable."

My 'chapter' has it's annual fundraiser on Friday. The function is a silent and live auction, with live auction items of:

Shih-tzu Puppy
Black and white female puppy. Nine weeks old, ten weeks by the event.
Provided by Dr. Buishas from The Glen Ellyn Animal Hospital.
Picture to come soon.
Value Priceless
Details and Picture of Puppy

Hyatt Regency Paris Madeleine
5-Night Stay with Airfare for Two
Value $11,904
Details of Paris Trip

Sports Fan Getaway
Choose Your Favorite MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, PGA,
or Non-BCS College Bowl Game*
with 2-Night Weekend Stay and Airfare for Two
Value Priceless
Details of Sports Fan Getaway

Sonoma VIP Wine Experience
Features Chauffer, Wine Tours, and 4-Night Stay with Airfare for Two
Value Priceless
Details of Sonoma Trip

Choose Your Own Destination
Pick a city and fly with two domestic round trip tickets from AirTran Airways.
Throw your clothes into the large Ralph Lauren carry-on bag and
capture wonderful memories with the Cannon Power Shot digital camera.
See document for complete details and restrictions.
Value $1,550
Details of Choose Your Own Destination

Grand Hotel - Mackinac Island
2-Night Getaway for Two
Value $1,455
Details of Mackinac Island Getaway

Hot Air Balloon Ride for Four
Choose from 200 Locations Nationwide
Value $800
Details of Balloon Ride

HD TV and Blu Ray Disc Player
Vizio 32” 1080P LCD HD TV Model E322VL
with Panasonic Networking Blu Ray Disc Player Model BD655
Value $760

iPad - 32 GB with Wi-Fi and AccessoriesSee attachment for details.Value $705Details of iPad and Accessories

 I am particularly excited because my mom and Nana are coming up from Atlanta for the event. I am also very excited because I received donations from the following wonderful and generous organizations/people:

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I will take lots of pictures of the event and items as a follow up... but I can not be more grateful to these people for their help. The funds raised go to support our league and it's efforts within the community to promote literacy and healthy development to children in need.