Get ready for the holidays with Sparkle and Shine & my ULTIMATE gift guide

Hey everyone!

Every time I get to write a blog post anymore, I am over-the-moon ecstatic.But when I’m surrounded by Christmas lights while listening to Jessie James Decker’s Christmas album, I don’t think I could be happier.

And with Christmas lights and Christmas decorations surrounding me, that means it’s time to Sparkle and Shine’s gift guide!!

This year, I’m not going to do my gift guide a little bit differently. As you know, life has been crazy since I started my full-time job (and I promise I’m working on a post about it!) – leaving me little time to review a bunch of different products for you.

SO, I’ve compiled some of my favorite posts and gift guides together to give you the ULTIMATE Sparkle and Shine gift guide! Check it out –

For your sorority family…

Letters from Greek Streak

Dirty Rush novel

Reasons Why I Love You mason jar craft

Make your own canvas

New letters from Designs by Di

Jewelry from College Standard

For your best friend…

DIY bejeweled photo collage letters

Concert tickets

Monogram sweatshirt from Gone Greek

DIY Sharpie Mug

Photo collage frame

For your on the go friend…

A Vera Bradley duffle bag

An at home iced coffee machine

Wearsafe

On Location tours

For your favorite fashionista…

A collection of trendy chokers

Skinny Coffee subscription

Rocksbox Subscription

A Lilly Pulitzer dress in her favorite print

Don’t forget these perfect drug store beauty finds – perfect for stocking stuffers and white elephant grab bags!

Make sure to follow me on Pinterest, so you can pin some of your favorite crafts to your DIY board or pin your favorite gift to your wishlist board!

Happy shopping & happy holidays!

20Dec2014

Sami’s Holiday Guide: Craft Your Own Canvas

by sparkleandshinesami

So you waited until last minute to get all your Christmas gifts and it’s already the Saturday before – now what?

Well, this time, readers, is for you to break out your paint brush and craft gifts from the heart. Avoid the craziness of the malls and mile long lines by crafting. A personal favorite gift of mine to craft are canvases!

Here are some canvas ideas from myself, a fellow Alpha Delta Pi sister from Florida State University, and some Pinterest faves that are on my Crafting Queen Pinterest Board to make.

Here is the canvas I made for my little for Christmas:

Over the summer, I got in touch with Madie, a fellow ADPi sister who had an Etsy shop. She took a break from her Etsy shop recently, but by visiting the page, you can sign up to receive an e-mail for when she returns! Here are two of Madie’s canvases, that I have hanging in my dorm room at school:

And for more ideas, here are some of my favorite canvases that I have recently pinned:

Hope that these examples can help inspire you for any last minute gifts.

Happy crafting!

24Nov2014

Sami’s Holiday Guide: Treat Holiday Cards

by sparkleandshinesami

Hello, readers!

In about one month it’ll be Christmas Eve – which means that the next 30 days will be filled with shopping trips, crafting, and online shopping to make sure that you have the perfect presents for friends and loved ones for the holiday season.

However, with daily life stressors – this can become rather hard. This is why I am stepping in and creating Sami’s Holiday Guide to help you all find the perfect gifts, crafts, and more for this holiday season!

In the first installment of Sami’s Holiday Guide, check out the perfect place to make all of your holiday cards – Treat.

Treat is a subcategory of Shutterfly, the popular photo gift site. Treat offers a variety of different options for your holiday cards this season. You can shop by certain recipient for your holiday card, such as grandparents. The site also offers a variety of photo or non-photo cards for different holiday occasions. The new feature, the card multiplier, allows you to make a personalized card and then duplicate the card for multiple recipients. Treat prides itself on being personal, convenient, and helpful.

I worked with Treat recently – and can gladly say that the site truly is personal, convenient, and helpful.

Four of the most important people in my life have birthdays within weeks of each other – my mom, my big, my little, and my best friend. I worked with Treat to personalize birthday cards for each of them. Check them out!

My mom’s card:

My big’s card:

My little’s card:

My best friend’s card:

As you can see, the cards came out absolutely amazing! They all loved their cards – they add a much more sentimental touch than any card I could have bought at a Hallmark store. More importantly, I loved the quality of each card. Plus, they came in super quick.

I don’t think I’ll ever buy a card from a site other than Treat, including my holiday cards! Stop by the site to place your order for holiday cards and stay with “Sparkle and Shine” to see what else will be added to the gift guide!