In my opinion, boys are one of the hardest people to shop for. I feel like you can pretty much gift a girl a throw blanket, cute mug, or even a bouquet of flowers and they'd be over the moon. What's the male equivalent of a cute mug?? After shopping for anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmases for Christian I'd like to think I have a couple solid gift ideas to share with you all.
Surface Headphones - I gifted these to Christian last Christmas and now use his old pair for work. I love a good pair of earbuds for traveling, but nothing can compare to these headphones. I love the noise-canceling feature (which comes in so handy when sharing an office!) and the sound quality is amazing. A great gift for a techy or anyone who works from home!
Multi-Use Tool - If you're looking for a good stocking stuffer this is it. My dad actually gifted this to me a few years ago and it's been so handy. This little tool has 10 different features including a screwdriver, ruler, box cutter, etc. In college, I didn't have a screwdriver and managed to put together my entire bookshelf with this little tool.
Truffle Sauce - Who doesn't love some Truffle? I've personally haven't tried this sauce yet, but have heard SO many good things about it. I think this would be great to gift on its own or in a gift basket with some grill accessories!
Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm - This is another great stocking stuffer or smaller item to add to any gift. Christian and his brothers love this lip balm and it's really the only lip balm I've found that actually moisturizes my lips.
Hard Drive Clock - I think this is the coolest clock and would look great in any office. If the man you're shopping for works from home / has a home office or is into tech this would be such a fun gift for him!
Yetti Tumbler - I really can't think of any guy who wouldn't want a high-quality tumbler. These Yeti Tumblers are known for keeping cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot.
Massage Gun- If you're shopping for an athlete or someone who loves working out this would be a great gift option! We have this exact massage gun and it's come in handy after long runs or days where we've been on our feet all day.
Tile Key Chain - If the men in your life are always asking where their keys then this gift is perfect for them. You just hook this key chain onto your keys and download an app that will help you locate your keys.
JBL Speaker - NGL I rolled my eyes when Christian purchased this speaker. Like, do we really need a portable speaker when we have our apartment stocked full of Alexa devices? Yes, yes we did. This speaker is perfect for pool parties, grill-outs, cooking, house parties, picnics, and everything in between. It's water-resistant and has amazing sound quality.
Adidas Advantage Sneakers - I'm a firm believer everyone needs a go-to white sneaker and this pair has been one of Christian's most worn shoes since we moved! They're so sleek and go with so many looks.
Ninja Foodie Grill - Does he love to grill but lives in an apartment? The perfect gift for him. This is a smokeless grill and can also be used as an air fryer, dehydrator, and oven. We've had ours for almost a year now and have used it almost every day since we got it!
The holiday season is upon us and I'm so excited to share my 2021 gift guides with you all! I love giving gifts and would definitely say gift-giving (and acts of service!) are my love languages. It's crazy to think that we're almost wrapping up the end of the year, but I'm so excited to celebrate the holiday season with my loved ones. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing my gift guides for everyone on your list as well as some extra gift ideas over on my Instagram!
I hope you all enjoy and let's hop into the gifts!
Gift Ideas for Her:
Lululemon Belt Bag- I've been seeing these belt bags all over my TikTok for you page and I'll have to admit that I've been influenced! I think this is the perfect bag to throw over for errands, a casual fit, or a walk in the park. This bag comes in several colors and even comes in this fun fleece/sherpa material for the winter. If you want to take this gift a step further you can always fill the bag with their favorite goodies, such as skincare, treats, or jewelry!
Zodiac Necklace - I'm a sucker for personalized gifts, especially astrology gifts. This Zodiac Necklace is so sweet and dainty and would be perfect for any gal how loves checking her horoscope every day.
Calpack Backpack - I received this backpack last Christmas from Christian's parents and it's hands-down my favorite work bag. I used this bag when I used to go into the office, but now I more so use it for when I decide to work outside of the house at a coffee shop, the school, or when I travel. This bag is so chic, has so many compartments to organize all of your stuff, and has a holder in the back to slide over your luggage if you travel frequently.
My Way Eau de Parfum - if you ever wonder what I smell like this is it. I'm super picky with my perfumes and this is the first perfume I've come across that I LOVE. I love sweeter scents and this perfume perfectly balances sweet without being too overpowering.
Initial necklace - Again with personalized gifts. This initial necklace has been my go-to jewelry piece for the past year! It's perfect for layering or by itself and I love how it elevates any look.
Aries Cheeseboard - are we sensing a pattern here? This gift would be perfect for any gal who loves to host or someone who just moved into a new place/ This cheeseboard is almost too cute to use and I would totally use it as decor instead!
Weighted Bands - Shopping for someone who loves to work out? These armbands are not only cute but are great for getting your sweat on.
Capri Blue Candle - I'm not super big into candles, but one candle I will drop money on is Capri Blue Candles. These candles are not only beautiful but smell divine. Totally worth every penny in my opinion!
Collage Pouch - This is a super cute pouch for someone who is in college or recently graduated from college. I love the art style on this piece and would be cute to add in some pieces that remind them of their college town in the pouch!
Champagne Earrings - I love a good pair of statement earrings and these are adorable! They would be great as a stocking stuffer or paired with their favorite bubbly.
Slippers - Can one have too many slippers? These are just too cute! Want to pair it with something else? Add a robe or a cozy throw blanket with this gift!
Poloriad camera - I was gifted a polaroid camera a few years ago and it's one of my favorite ways to capture memories with friends. I love how sleek and modern this one looks and would even be cute displayed as decor!
Marc Jacobs Tote Bag - I recently bought my first Marc Jacobs bag a few months back and have fallen in love with all of their bags! I love this canvas tote and would be perfect for any gal who loves to travel.
Bubble Tea Kit - Shopping for someone how loves boba? This is the perfect gift for them! Pair this gift with a cute boba tea reusable tumbler for an extra touch!
Initial mug - I've been eyeing these tiled Margot Monogram mugs from Anthropologie for years now! They are too cute and look more expensive than they actually are. If you want to elevate this gift you could always pair this with some hot cocoa or their favorite coffee and some peppermint sticks!
I'm so excited to finally sit down and share some apartment updates with you all. If you guys missed out, Christian and I moved! We moved out of Charlotte about two weeks ago and have been slowly making Winston-Salem our home. Things have been a little hectic with moving, work, exploring a new city and some unexpected car troubles. It's been a complete 180 from our super sedintary and redundant lifestyle we've been living this past year but in the best way possible.
Between trying to balance working full time and unpacking our apartment is slowly coming together one box at a time. One thing I couldn't wait for when moving into our space was getting started on decorating! Since I had lived with Christian and his brother for the past year I didn't really get much of a say in how the space looked so it's been fun getting to pick out some new pieces and make this space reflect both Christian and mine's personalities.
With that being said, I'm so excited to be partnering with Desenio in today's blog post! Desenio is an online retailer offering a large selection of poasters, prints and picture frames.
I had mentioned many times before, but Christian and I have drastically different decor styles. Christian loves more minaml designs and leans towards more black and white while I love bold statement pieces and color. Despite us having drastically different styles we were able to find prints we both loved on Desenio. We had so much fun scrolling through all of the different categories but their fashion and kitchen prints are some of my favorites.
Food and drinks are our love languages and we wanted to pick out some prints for our kitchen and bar cart. Mojitos are my drink of choice and I love this simple recipe print. I think it would look great framed on our bar cart and we'll always have the recipe on hand to recreate this refreshing summer drink! Going with the recipe theme, Christian picked outt his cute black and white ramen noodle print that would be a great additio to our kithchen space.
One of the very first corners of the apartment we set up was our little coffee corner. With lifting and moving boxes all day we needed to make sure we had our little caffine station ready to go. This little coffee poster was actually the first piece we picked out from the site and think that it goes with the space so well. I can't wait to finalize this space with some cute trays and coffee stirs!
Our apartment is pretty neutral and pretty much the only space where I am able to make "girly" is my side of the office so you bet I am incorporating alll the pinks and florals that I can. This french fry poaster immediately caught my eye and I KNEW I had to have it. I've actually be planning my office decor around this print because I love it so much. I mean, is that not the most Amy print you've ever seen? To go with the infamous french fry poaster I found this exploading champagne poster which reminds me of cotton candy.
I'm thinking of making this little corner my content creation corner so you all may be seeing more of these prints in the future!
The last space in our apartment we've yet to really set up is our living room. Due to some shipping delays our couch still won't be in for another month even though we ordered it back in February! It's been a bit of bummer but it's also been nice ot have some extra room to work with when unpacking.
Until our couch comes in, here's a little mock up of our living room design! We pretty much have everything except for the star of our show, lol. When shopping for art prints for our above our couch I wanted something to tie in all of the colors of our living room and something abstract. These abstract wave posters were exactly what I was looking for! I love how they tie our living room together and gives our space a bit of a modern look.
Where are your favorie places to shop for artwork for your home? Let me know in the comments down below! Be sure to follow me on Instagram for more apartment updates and on YouTube where I've been vlogging our entire move! I hope you all have a wonderful day and as always, thank you for reading!
I'm so excited to finally share where Christian got into medical school at! I also thought it would be fun to share his journey and how he got here. I'm so incredibly proud of him and all of the hard work he has done to get here. Going into the cycle, Christian thought he'd be lucky to get into one medical school and would go there even if it meant moving several states away. He never thought that he would have five to choose from, including his top two choices!
After a very long application cycle consisting of long nights studying for the MCAT, applying for schools, virtual interviews, and playing the painful game of waiting, we are SO happy to announce that Christian has committed to going to Wake Forest School of Medicine this fall!
I always knew the journey to medical school wasn't easy, but after seeing Christian go through the process firsthand, I have a whole new appreciation for those who dedicate their life to medicine. The application process is not only mentally straining, but financially as well. I remember most of our conversations for the second half of 2020 primarily consisted of interview prep questions and the pros and cons of each school. Through all of this, it's been so rewarding to see how hard Christian has worked for this despite all of the obstacles that he had to overcome, especially through the pandemic. If you've ever met Christian, you know that being a doctor has been a dream of his ever since he was 12 and it's amazing to see him get one step closer to making that dream a reality.
I had mentioned back in March that we were moving, and that after hearing back from all of the schools Christian interviewed at, he's made a decision on where he wants to go to school. So why did it take us so long to announce? We had originally planned to announce Christian's acceptance in early April, but as financial aid and scholarships were being given out, we decided to hold off and evaluate all of his options.
Going into this application cycle, Christian had always had his heart set on Chapel Hill for medical school. He'd express that was his dream school, but that with his stats, it was a reach school for him. So he went into the application cycle with the mindset of he'll go to any school that would give him an acceptance (I had always known he had what it took to get into UNC, but that's another story, lol). A North Carolina school had always been his top choice so he could be close to family, but we also both went in knowing there was a high possibility of moving to a different state. September rolled around and Christian got his first interview invite, and then the following week, another. We were ecstatic and quickly started interview prep for him.
In midst of helping Christian perfect his answers and be prepared for all the possible scenarios, the thought of what he was actually going to wear for the interview had completely slipped our minds. It wasn't until the weekend before his interview that we went out to the mall to try to find the right suit that would make him stand out, but still look polished and professional. It took us a solid hour to decide on what tie he was going to wear!
Because of the pandemic, all of the interviews were virtual. At the time, I was still working at my old job and would go into the office a few times a week. To help ease Christian's nerves and prevent me from eavesdropping during his interview I decided for his interview days I'd go into the office an hour early.
Two weeks after his first two interviews Christian got his first acceptance! We were both so happy and it meant he was for sure going to school this fall. Shortly after he received a phone call and got his second acceptance for a school that, at the time, was his top choice between the two. Even though it was pretty early in the application cycle we had made a trip out to KYCOM in Kentucky, Christian's top choice at the time to tour the medical school. As we booked our hotel and scheduled our tour date for KYCOM, Christian got another interview invite to Campbell, his first North Carolina school.
We couldn't be more excited that there was now a possibility of staying in North Carolina, but Christian still didn't want to get his hopes up too high (again, I always knew he'd kill any interview he was given, lol). KYCOM was still on the table and we had made the six-hour drive to scope out the school. I even shared on my Instagram that we had made a quick trip out, but didn't disclose too much information on why!
After we had toured the school and town, Christian was set on this being the school he'd attend this fall, between his two acceptances at the time. Later that night he opened up an interview invite to Chapel Hill! We were both in shock and couldn't believe the words we were reading. While we were still running on the high of the Chapel Hill interview invite, Christian received an invite to interview at Wake Forest. Over the next three weeks, Christian had three medical school interviews lined up at three North Carolina schools and we couldn't believe it.
The second half of November was filled with interview prep, setting up a make-shift studio for Christian's headshot, and perfecting his background for his interview. It was a whirlwind, to say the least. His last interview was the first week of December and from there we had to play the painful waiting game. Both of us had stalked the SDN forum religiously to see if there were any news of waves of rejections or acceptances coming out anytime soon.
One month later Christian had found out he had gotten into Campbell. He was officially going to be able to stay in North Carolina! As the trend of this application cycle seemed to be, while we were riding off the high that Christian now had the option to stay in North Carolina, he received his Wake Forest acceptance letter. We were both ecstatic and since Wake was his second choice at the time, this had meant his application cycle was over.
We were thrilled and were now anxiously waiting for the Chapel Hill decision. The decision for Chapel Hill took a lot longer than the other schools Christian interviewed at and the longer it took for the letters to come out, the more he started to get worried. By now he had started to look more into Wake Forest and started to really fall in love with the curriculum, what the school stood for, and all the resources that were available for him. He said if Chapel Hill didn't accept him he'd be happy to attend Wake.
And then, he got the call.
"are delighted to offer you a place in the class entering the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in July 2021." We screamed, we hugged, we danced, we were SO happy! All of his years of hard work and determination had paid off, he had gotten into his dream school.
So why did he end up choosing Wake Forest?
You'd think that after all of this hard work and finally getting into this number one pick, it would be a no-brainer to choose Chapel Hill, right? Shortly after the acceptance Christian started doing more research on the two schools just to ensure he was making the right choice. Christian's dream had always been to go into surgery and although Chapel Hill is an amazing school, it was better suited for primary care. After making several pros and cons lists and researching the two schools, he found out Wake had better opportunities for those who want to get into more competitive specialties, such as surgery.
After going through this long application cycle, Christian actually had a hard time accepting that he enjoyed the interview process of Wake Forest more. We decided to make a trip out to Winston-Salem to tour the school and town and both fell in love with the area. Another big deciding factor between the schools was the cost of attendance. There was a major price difference and he was waiting to hear back on financial aid and scholarships to help make his decision.
It was a really tough decision for him going back and forth between the two schools, but ultimately it came down to his gut telling him that Wake was the best choice for him. It's been a crazy whirlwind and I'm so happy to finally be able to share the news with you all! Back in January we actually toured an apartment just to see what our options were in Wake and ended up falling in love. We signed in February as a gamble knowing that there was still a chance that Chapel Hill was on the table, but we didn't want to risk losing this apartment. In hindsight, it worked out well in terms of the apartment because after Christian submitted his commitment to enroll to Wake, we quickly found out his fellow classmates are having a hard time finding a place to live as most of the two-bedroom apartments are occupied now.
I wanted to document Christian's journey to medical school as a way for him to look back and see how far he's come. Check the video down below on his journey and his parent's adorable reactions to him getting into school!
Thank you all so so much for taking the time to read this post and we're so excited to share this journey with you all! I've been vlogging all of the behind-the-scenes of our apartment hunt, move and am excited to finally have them posted on my YouTube channel for you all. Thank you all again, and be on the lookout for more moving content!
The countdown to our move is ON! We are about a month away from moving out of Charlotte and our current place is looking more like a warehouse as the days go on. In the midst of packing up our life up in boxes, we've also been trying to scope out some new furniture pieces for our new place. As exciting as decorating a new space is, the price of buying everything can add up pretty quick.
Today I'm sharing some of my favorite home decor finds that I've come across through our furniture hunt. Most of these items will be less than $100 and on my wishlist for our new place!
I'd say the biggest challenge with finding pieces for our new place is that Christian and I have drastically different decor styles. I love bold statement pieces with a lot of personality and Christian is more of a minimalist and into darker more industrial pieces. Although Christian and I live together now, we haven't really gotten a chance to experience decorating and furnishing a place together since most of the items in our current space are his brother's. (read more on our current living situation here!). Despite all the head butts with trying to decide on a color pallet, coffee table (IYKYK), and how much art we're going to hang on the wall, we're both super excited to start this next chapter of living together on our own.
Now, the color pallet. If I had it my way, the apartment would be bright whites, lighter woods, gold, and touches of blush pink. We managed to compromise with a more neutral pallet of black, brown, and a bit of gold. I have been really into the strong contrast look of matte black pieces lately so it worked out well.
TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods have always been my favorites for shopping for affordable home decor. In the past, I have mainly gone for small decorative pieces and throw pillows for the home, but have been coming across some great furniture pieces lately! We've been going back and forth on whether we want a bar cart or bar cabinet for our space and it's looking more like a bar cart may be the better choice due to space. I came across this bar cart online and love how simple it is and it goes well with our brown wood/black /neutral color pallet.
Really, what doesn't Amazon have? Similar to TJ Maxx, I haven't really shopped much furniture-wise on Amazon but have been hearing so much on YouTube and from fellow bloggers that there are some pretty solid finds on there if you spend some time looking. We don't have space for a dining area in our new space but if we did then I can totally see us picking up these beautiful wishbone chairs. These chairs are a dupe for a more higher-end designer and for $179 for 2 I think it's a great price.
During work or pretty much any free time I have I have been watching a ton of apartment tour videos on YouTube to get some ideas for our space. I have been seeing the Umbra Sticks Multi-Hook Rack in several videos and knew I wanted something similar in our space. Essentially it's a normal hook rack where you can hang your umbrella, jacket, or keys at an entryway and you have the option to pull down the hooks to hang things or push them back when you're not using them. It looks a little more decorative than command hooks and something that would be perfect for us since we don't have space for an entryway table. I came across this wooden wall hook on Amazon with a similar concept and think it fits our space a lot better!
To be completely honest, if I could pick one store to completely furnish our home it would have to be Target. The few pieces of furniture that we've picked up so far are from Target and I keep finding myself checking their website daily for new arrivals. All of the pieces I've come across on Target fit our aesthetic so well and at a great price too. A few of my favorite lines at Target include Project 62, Opalhouse, and their Studio McGee collaboration.
I have been really into more natural materials lately and recently picked up this adorable tulip basket for our bedroom. It is from their Pillowfort line which is marketed for children's bedroom, but I couldn't help but fall in love with it. I think this piece will be perfect for extra pillows or even my ever-growing plushie collection.
If you've been following along on Instagram stories or on YouTube then you may know about the drama we've had with finding a coffee table. A quick recap, when we first started looking for living room furniture we decided we really want a lift-top coffee table. Since I work from home full time, Christian will be in school we figured we want to create a variety of different spaces we can work/study from. Also, like I had mentioned, we don't have space for a full dining table and the only eating area we have is at the bar in the kitchen. We figured with a lift-top coffee table we could have the option to eat in the living room in front of the tv if we wanted to.
After we've decided a lift-top coffee table was the move for us we quickly realized how expensive these tables are. The average price for a lift-top coffee table is around $250 - $500. Throw that on top trying to find one that will fit our color pallet, lifts up high enough to get over Christian's legs, fit the couch we had already purchased, AND in our budget... it was more stressful than trying to find a place to live. lol.
I was scrolling through the Target website one day and came across a lift-top coffee table from their Project 62 line. It wasn't the exact color we wanted in our color pallet, but the price point was so good and the right size we decided to rework our color pallet just to accommodate it. Once we finally decided to purchase the table... it was sold out.
*cue internal screams*
At that point, we figured the arguments and stress of finding a very specific coffee table weren't worth it and decided to move on from our lift-top coffee table idea. Until I got a notification from Target two weeks later. The coffee table we wanted was in stock, in the color we wanted and you bet I snatched it up within seconds of receiving the email which looking back lucky I did because it was sold out a couple hours later.
I know it sounds so silly to be stressed over a piece of furniture, but y'all I have never been so happy to receive a coffee table in my entire life. She's beautiful and I can't wait to see her in our new home.
WHEW.
Didn't think I'd ever write a whole section in a blog post on coffee table drama, but first time for everything, right? Anywho. I hope you all enjoy this post and were able to find some home decor finds for your place! Let me know down below where you like to shop for home decor and if you enjoy more home content please let me know down below! I'm so excited to take you all along in our moving journey and as always, thank you for reading!
