leopard Archives - Cupcakes and Cutlery

How to Buy Last Minute Gifts for Your Wife or Girlfriend

February 12, 2014 By Sharon Garofalow 4 Comments

Ladies. We are just 2 days away from Valentine’s Day. It’s crunch time for the men in your life. Forward this to any man you know who could use some tips for shopping for their significant others. And feel free to add your own tips in the comment section. Let’s help husbands and boyfriends give better gifts! (Really this post is just suggesting they put some thought and a little effort).

Hello, men

Valentine’s Day is in two days. Do you know how you will celebrate it with your wife or girlfriend? P.S. bookmark this site for future occasions (Do you even know when your anniversary is? Her birthday? The first time you held hands? HOT TIP: you will get even more brownie points for doing any one of these things for no reason at all. Here is how to buy last minute gifts for your wife or girlfriend.

First off, use your noodle. You need to think for a moment about how your woman is. Would she scoff at, what some might consider to be, smaller gifts, then this post is not for you. Grab your wallet and head to your nearest luxury department store. Buy a $400 pair of sunglasses, have them wrap them up for you and you are set. But if your gal likes you to put a little bit of thought in to the gift, read on.

My husband and I decided early on in our marriage that the only real gifts that we would buy for each other, each year, would be birthday and Christmas. We will potentially enjoy a nice meal out for our anniversary but we feel we have a lot of nice things already and don’t need any more stuff. Depending on how your significant other is, choose one or more of these items to gift her.

If your gal likes to have a cocktail, grab a bottle of bubbly, something that most people do not splurge on or buy for themselves. The Veuve is a nice, recognizable bottle and crowd (in this case, your lady friend) pleaser. In my opinion, it is far better to purchase gifts that fit in to your price range than just trying to impress someone (who knows how much you really make). So if you can’t swing the $40 bottle, look for the La Marca. It is an Italian prosecco, $12-$14, and tastes delicious. But how much effort does grabbing a bottle of alcohol really take? Consider adding on an auxiliary gift. The auxiliary gift can be inexpensive but should be something that either goes with the drink you are giving or be something that the gal would love. These leopard print coasters actually came from the Dollar Tree. Remove all packaging and tie up with string. Simple.

Socks?! You say. Yes, socks. Browse the internet for a humorous saying to go on the gift tag or use the old stand by, “cold feet, warm heart” or say something about snuggling. While socks are a practical item, there are some really fun, design forward pairs out there. You can’t go wrong with Stance socks. You can find these at most of your local skate or surf shops including the larger chains like Zumiez. Look for pairs that remind you of her. Pick a flower from the garden to give along with one -3 pairs of socks and get ready for a hug.

Store bought flowers are totally ok. This particular bouquet came from Wal-Mart. But she doesn’t have to know that. Most women like their men to put in a little bit of effort to make them feel special. This was seriously the tiniest bit of effort. First, remove the store-bought wrapping. Then cut part of a paper grocery sack, wrap it around the stem and wind some pink nylon string (found at both Home Depot and Lowe’s) around it. How easy is that?

Does your gal have a sweet tooth? Chances are you know a few of her favorite candies. This box was from the Target dollar bin. All you have to do is repackage things to make them look like you spent time on it, even if you really didn’t. She likes something salty instead? Take a moment to look around for a larger divided container (perhaps in the home decor or kitchen areas – even a divided dish would work) and fill with savory snacks. Add a note that says something about her being sweet and you are totally getting lucky tonight.

This one is especially great for women with children. Sometimes the best gift for a mom is getting some time by herself. It might seem tacky to just hand her some cash but hear me out. Most women love to get pedicures. And there are little nail places all around town. Chances are, she has a favorite. She may have even mentioned it to you before. But wait, was it Lucky Nail, Nail Lucky, Happy Nails…the chances of you getting that one wrong are high. Tell her that you know how much she does for the family and that you want her to go pamper herself. The fact that you be taking care of the kids and planned this out will show her that you care and she will be beyond excited. And she will have the choice of where to go. Nail places are not created equal. Are you seeing some gifts or combos of gifts that might work for the lady in your life?

This last suggestion is not something for last-minute purchases but will surely help you on your gift giving journey. Suggest that your gal pal make a “wish list” board on her pinterest. You can look at this like a personal gift registry. You can ask her to begin pinning things that she would like to get as gifts from you or even others. Then whenever you need to, you can check out her list and potentially buy them straight from the link. What is also cool about this is that it still leaves a little bit of the surprise factor for her when opening gifts. Do you see that, up there? I have 40 things on my wish list so I would never be able to guess what things I might get. I’m sure she will happily show you how to navigate to that board (but you really should bookmark it or save it as your home page).

I hope this has helped you learn how to give gifts to your significant other. All we really want is a little thought and effort to know that you care.

*Ladies, feel free to leave other suggestions in the comments section!

Winter Fashion Inspiration

January 9, 2014 By Sharon Garofalow 1 Comment

I just love winter in California. Winter usually starts closer to the end of January. So I know the idea of a peep toe show might be unfathomable for most of the country. Here, it works. I go through phases where I get really interested in fashion and continue on my quest to find my personal style. And like I mentioned in my goals post, I’ve sort of let myself go. While I never leave the house in sweatpants or workout clothes (unless I’m hiking. Which I totally do now. What?!) I can certainly be very sloppy. Here is some winter fashion inspiration for you.

Leopard Vans: Leopard is totally a neutral for me. And I really do need another pair of shoes that envelope my whole foot, you know for when temperatures finally drop. (image via Pangcakes)

Plaid pants: Plaid can be done in a number of ways like slouchy and cozy, a little punk rock, a little preppy, etc. But I love how chic it looks when styled with a crisp white shirt, heels and fold over clutch. I’m totally on the look out for these pants. (image via BethAnimalPrint)

Textured coats: I’m dying over all the textured coats that are out there right now. I have my eye on this dip dyed version but my heart really wants this multi colored amazingness from Wunderkind. This one is not faux and is like a bajillion dollars so it’s totally out. I’m also in love with the monster coats from Meadham Kirchhoff. (image via Lyst)

Layered necklaces: I’m not a big jewelry wearer. But I know they can really finish off an outfit. I really need to practice my layering. It looks a little bohemian and classy at the same time which I love. (image via Oh Mai Darling)

Well dressed nails: I’m a mom to two boys who is constantly moving. I have yet to find the right time to paint my nails. With the dish washing, or hair combing, there never seems to be the perfect time. But I want to set out and find it. My nails could use a little color and adorning. I’m in love with these from Hex Nail Jewelry. I bought some for my niece and they are so fun! I will be ordering again for sure! (image via Hex Nail Jewelry)

Interesting shoes: I don’t wear heels often (I would like to say I will try to wear them more but I just don’t think I can commit to it regularly. When my feet hurt from shoes, I literally get punchy. Like, angry and will punch you if you make me move from my chair. It is NOT good) but when I do, I like for the shoes to be interesting. If I’m going to hurt, they have to be show stoppers. I love how these pumps are detailed in a subtle way. The little gold spikes are not as tough as most spiked stuff comes off but adds so much interest. (image via Eugene Riconneaus)

DIY Garland with Fabric Fringe

April 15, 2013 By Sharon Garofalow 4 Comments

I love the idea of a reusable garland, don’t you? I first used these garlands at Lauren’s For, Like, Ever themed wedding shower but know they will be perfect for so many other types of parties! A DIY garland makes the perfect party decoration. And this garland, made of fabric fringe, will suit any type of party theme. You just need fabric (if you want really long garlands, you will need to make sure that you have continuous yardage of fabric – or you can always tack shorter ones together) a rotary cutter (and straight edge and craft mat to go along with it) and scissors.First cut strips in the fabric. Cut them as wide or as skinny as you want.Without unfolding your fabric, start making your fringe cuts. Remember not to cut all the way through!And that is all you have to do. Besides hang it. The one shown above was a brand new one cut from fabric. It lays pretty flat but still has a cute fringe look.

One of the cool things about these is that depending on how you store them, they have a bit of a different look. If you keep them folded nice and smooth after use, they will remain pretty flat. However, if you store them like I did above, they come out kind of crinkled and with a whole new look.

This is the perfect simple party craft. It is totally one of those crafts that you can do on the couch while you are catching up on Red Widow (OMG! Do you guys love that show? I’m totally addicted but can’t watch it at night time because it is too intense for me!).

I will be saving these reusable fabric fringe garlands for years. They are so easy to store and I can hang them in a ton of different ways to get different looks.And since I’m totally type A, I think I will use these for my son’s teacher’s birthday. Next year. I don’t even know who his teacher is yet since this year isn’t over. Which also means I have not officially been elected room mom. But it’s always good to have a plan. (Crazy, much?)

Do you prefer to reuse party items or make new things each time? I have to say, a DIY garland is awesome!

Heart Garland Tutorial on You Are My Fave

February 12, 2013 By Sharon Garofalow 2 Comments

If you are looking for a heart garland to make for Valentine’s Day but still want it to be super simple, go check out my tutorial on You Are My Fave. Do it. Go now.

Decorative shipping boxes for your far off friends and family

September 24, 2012 By Sharon Garofalow 4 Comments

These paper circles are all you need to make a decorative shipping box for those gifts you need to send to out of town relatives and friends. My family recently missed the birthday party of a very special little boy. And I wanted to send him something more than just a gift. I wanted him to smile and be just as jazzed about the box as the stuff in it. And so I made a decorative shipping box.

Luckily, I had an empty box in the garage. I made sure that all of the stuff I wanted to send fit in to it before I set out decorating it. I usually do that backwards where I will get something all decorated and then find that things won’t fit. It is a bummer. I’m super glad I remembered that step this time. This is a bit time consuming, but you could totally have your manual labor, I mean kids, help with this.

To make your decorative shipping box, first grab colored paper and Glue Dots and line the inside of it. Could I have done this neater? Yes. But I’m lazy.

Next punch out some paper in whatever shape you want to use. My circle punch is the easiest and quickest punch I have plus I wanted to make a scalloped look on the box flaps. My son had a Phineas and Ferb magazine he was done reading so I decided to add in some of those images too to make this box super kid friendly.

Now just start securing the punched paper to the box in whatever pattern you want. A Glue Dot on the back of each dot worked great and held really well on the cardboard. When I ran out and had to use an inferior glue product, those dots started falling off. Boo. If you have any overhang simply trim it with scissors.

Add the paper dots all the way around the box on each flap until it is all covered.

Gather all the items you want to send and if you feel like it, add some notes to them for a more personal touch.

And there you have it. Oh and I felt like because you spent all that time decorating the box you don’t have to wrap each gift individually. But again, I’m lazy so if you want to wrap them all, do it.

Here is another example of a box I did that I sent to a relative for her baby shower. The paper on the flaps looks blue but was a really neat shade of purple. I would love to get a box like this in the mail. I mean, totally fun right? And don’t forget to see this box that I sent to Jenny a while ago.