Easy & Inexpensive DIY Christmas Gifts {Featuring Follow Your Arrow Clothing + Giveaway}

 

DISCLOSURE: I received product in exchange for my review. The opinions and ideas in this post are my own.

52 days until Christmas. That was the first post I saw when I checked my social media notifications this morning. Those words taunted me and three thoughts filled my head: "There's so much to do!" "I'll never be ready in time!" and "I'm going to be so poor in January!"

Thankfully, I recovered from the panic fairly quickly. I have a plan of attack this year! We always have so many gifts to give. Between teachers for four kids, three therapists for Liam, a large family and a large group of friends, Christmas can become very expensive very quickly. I'm starting early this year, and my plan involves making really cute, easy and inexpensive DIY gifts!

One of my favorite gifts to give and receive is a mug or a teacup with some coffee or tea. It's such a practical gift that most people love! Let's face it: Caffeine fuels motherhood. And, well...life. What better gift to give than the gift of energy in a really cute mug?!?

When I was introduced to the vinyl decals from Follow Your Arrow Clothing, I was inspired to create fun DIY Christmas gifts that wouldn't destroy my bank account!

At well under $5 each, these decals are a very affordable gift option and there truly is a decal for everyone on your list! Although I opted for Chaos Chaos Chaos and Mommin' ain't Easy, here are a few of my favorites:

• thankful and blessed
• I wish it could be Christmas everyday
• Oh Christmas Tree
• I Can't Adult Today
• Teachin' ain't Easy
• Future Mrs.
• I just want to sleep
• hello

After I received the vinyl decals, I headed out to find affordable mugs to pair with them. I found the blue mug at Walmart for $1.75 (they also had several other colors) and I found the white mug at Target for under $5.

Follow Your Arrow Clothing sent very detailed instructions and tips for the application process.

The vinyl decal was very easy to apply! Just remember to start with a clean, dry mug and place the vinyl decal very carefully because once it sticks, it can't be moved.

 

Within a matter of minutes, I had two brand new mugs!

These vinyl decal mugs are a perfect gift for teachers, therapists, coaches and friends. Just create a mug, teacup or travel mug that is perfectly suited for them and add a few extras!

For the hot cocoa lover:

Fill a bag with hot cocoa mix, top with mini marshmallows, tie with a festive ribbon and slip a long spoon into the bow!

For the hot tea lover:

Create a Tea Bag Christmas Tree!

1. Create a cone out of cardstock.
2. Glue an assortment of tea bags around the outside of the cone. Start with the bottom layer and work your way up the "tree."
3. Top with a festive ornament!

Toss a few honey sticks or honey spoons into the mug for an extra special added touch!

For the coffee lover:

Purchase an inexpensive airtight container and fill it with K-Cups, ground coffee or coffee beans. Fancy it up with ribbon and an ornament!

I loved these mugs so much that I decided to keep them for myself. After all, "Chaos Chaos Chaos" and "Mommin' ain't Easy" describe my life perfectly! And I definitely survive on caffeine!

Chaos x 4 fills my day!

And mommin' ain't easy.

But I wouldn't change a single thing! 

Making DIY Christmas gifts is so easy and fun thanks to Follow Your Arrow Clothing's vinyl decals! The possibilities are endless!

GIVEAWAY!!!

I am giving away one vinyl decal (your choice) to one of my readers! 

To enter, simply visit Follow Your Arrow Clothing and browse the decals, then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me which decal you would choose. Giveaway will run until November 9th, 2016 at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be chosen by random.org and notified the following day.  Good luck!

Let's Be Friends!

TWITTER // FACEBOOK // INSTAGRAM // BLOGLOVIN // GOOGLE+ // PINTEREST 

Halloween Style with The Hair Bow Company: Trendy Tots Feature + Discount Code

Happy First Day of Fall! Although I am sad to say goodbye to Summer I do love Fall and all the excitement it brings. There's just so much to look forward to: apple picking, pumpkin patches, the beautiful foliage, sweaters and boots, Halloween and Thanksgiving!

When Fall comes around I love to stock up on adorable seasonal outfits for my kids. The holiday clothing and pajamas are just too cute to pass up! My absolute favorite place to buy children's boutique clothing online is The Hair Bow Company!

I have been buying clothing from The Hair Bow Company since Lily was a baby and I loved watching their company grow over the years.  Not only is their customer service top-notch every single time but their selection of cute and affordable clothing is unbeatable! They also have a special place in my heart because they participate in the Changing the Face of Beauty campaign by featuring models of ALL abilities including kids who are rocking an extra chromosome.  I will ALWAYS back a company that cares about their customers.

The selection of items is amazing year round but The Hair Bow Company really kicks it up a notch during the holidays. Now that Halloween is just over a month away it's time to prepare! If you are looking for cute and unique Halloween outfits and accessories for your daughter(s) The Hair Bow Company has it all!

I am thrilled to team up with The Hair Bow Company to review a few of their Halloween items and offer a discount code to my readers!

Lily received the  Halloween Aztec Print Pumpkin High-Low Pom Pom Dress and the matching Halloween Aztec Pumpkin Print & Black Sequin Bow Headband.

Lily is my fancy, dress-loving daughter. She loved this outfit and couldn't stop talking about the sequin bow on the headband or the pom poms along the hem of the dress!

The dress is certainly cute enough by itself but the matching headband just adds to the cuteness of this outfit! 

It is still hot in Pittsburgh right now but I love the versatility of this dress. It can easily be paired with leggings or tights and a pair of black boots for the cool Fall days that are coming our way!

Lexie received the Happy Halloween Black Cat Raglan Tee and the Halloween Orange & Black Knot Hair Bow. 

I originally told them to just send accessories for Lexie because she's very tall for her age and I was unsure if the clothes would still fit. Krissy assured me that the shirts ran large and sent her one along with a bow. 

When Lexie pulled the shirt out of the package she audibly gasped. Just the fact that my 9 1/2 year old daughter who is growing up much too quickly was so happy about receiving a special shirt brought tears to my eyes.  There really is still a bit of child left in her!

And sure enough, the shirt fit perfectly! Actually it's roomy enough that it will probably fit her next year, too!

It really is tough finding clothes for Lexie that we both love. Everything in her size is either way too mature for her age or too babyish for her liking. This shirt was the perfect blend of cute and trendy and we both approved! It's different from all the other tween girl Halloween shirts out there and I especially love how the ruffled sleeves fancy it up a bit!

This shirt can be paired with leggings, a skirt or jeans. Lexie, of course, opted to go fancy with sparkly leggings!

These are just a few of the many adorable Halloween outfits The Hair Bow Company has to offer.  I'm definitely going to be doing some shopping! 

{SOURCE: The Hair Bow Company} 

DISCOUNT!!!

If YOU would like to do some shopping, too, I have a discount code to share! Use the code stefaniespick2016 at checkout to save 15% on clothing items!

Lexie and Lily will certainly be rocking their Halloween styles from The Hair Bow Company all season long!

CONNECT WITH THE HAIR BOW COMPANY!

FACEBOOK /  TWITTER / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / GOOGLE+

DISCLOSURE: I received items in exchange for my honest review. No other form of compensation was received. 

Trendy Tots: Back To School Fashion with French Toast

Back to School shopping. You either love it or you hate it! Now that I have my own tribe it's quite a time consuming and expensive task to get them all stocked up for the school year ahead!

When it comes to shopping for four kids who grow at warp speed I have to spend my money wisely.  I'm always on the lookout for durable, versatile items that don't cost a fortune! I was recently introduced to French Toast. This company is known for selling school uniforms but they also offer other comfortable clothing items ranging in size from 2T-Adult! I easily found something perfect for each of my kids!

Lily started Kindergarten this year. She loves ruffles and dresses and bows. She wasn't very thrilled when I told her that she had to dress for gym once a week. Athletic wear is just not her thing! She will, however, wear leggings with tunics!

A pair of stretch lace leggings in her favorite color paired perfectly with a black peplum long sleeve drop waist tunic! The cotton blend jersey tunic is tag free which makes it a comfortable option for any wardrobe. Lily loved the little sneak peek of lace at the bottom of the leggings. Plus at just $13.99 this outfit is a steal!

Lily can dress this outfit up with some dress shoes and a big bow...

...or she can add a pair of sneakers to this outfit and have a comfortable option for gym. She tested out that theory by making sure her outfit could keep up with her!

I love the fact that both pieces can be easily paired with other items and the fact that they are machine washable!

Leggings / Peplum Tunic

At 9 years old Lexie is right on the border of becoming a tween. Shopping for her can be difficult! She isn't a big fan of the younger styles but a lot of the items in her size are much too mature for her age.  We were thrilled to find a dress we both loved from French Toast!

This Knit Woven Dress which sells for $11 is made out of twill cotton jersey and rayon challis. It is machine washable which makes me happy. Lexie thought it was a cute and comfortable dress!

Fall is getting close but Lexie can continue to wear this adorably versatile dress layered over leggings!

 

Knit Woven Dress

Now that Dylan is a tween he is very opinionated about his clothing! His signature style these days is skinny jeans or joggers with a tee and Converse.

Dylan loved this short sleeve striped v-neck tee in his favorite color! It paired well with joggers and skinny jeans.

The shirt is tag free, 100% Slub cotton jersey and machine washable. At only $8 we can easily buy one in every color. This comfortable shirt quickly became one of his favorites!

Striped Short Sleeve V-Neck Tee

French Toast is a comfortable, durable, affordable, versatile clothing option for kids of all ages. If you need a wide variety of choices for school uniforms French Toast has it! No uniforms? No problem! You can find plenty of cute outfits that are perfect for the school year ahead!

Do your kids have to wear uniforms to school?

Connect with French Toast!

Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Pinterest / Instagram / Google+ 

DISCLOSURE: I received these items for review but all opinions are 100% my own. No other form of compensation was received.