Fashionable Friday is brought to you by Kara Taylor, a freelance writer for Vision Bedding, an online store specializing in photo blankets and much more! Kara is sharing with us creative gift giving ideas that will be sure to put a smile on anyones faces.

Are You Ready for the Holidays? Gift Giving Ideas to Get You Ready.

The holiday season is coming up fast and you swore to yourself last year you would not let yourself get swamped in the mad holiday-season rush. As you stood in lines a mile long, sat in traffic jams that took days to get out of, or circled the mall parking lot for hours looking for a spot, you said “Next year I’m taking care of gifts EARLY!”

Well, that time is here!

There are many gifts that you can get started on now before the mad rush of November and December. While everyone else is dashing around, stressed, frazzled, and getting grumpy, you can be relaxing with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoying your time with your family.

Here are some ideas that you can get started on right now so you can be done well ahead of the busy, stressful holiday season.

Items You’ve Knitted Yourself
Friends and family members will always be grateful to receive a gift as highly personal as a hat or scarf knitted just for them. A throw blanket is another great idea that would undoubtedly be – no pun intended – warmly received. If you are ambitious and know the recipient’s style well enough, you could even go for a sweater. Make sure you know what colors they like to wear and what kind of patterns and designs they like, and get knitting! They’ll love it.

Drawings or Paintings by you
Even if you don’t think you’re an amazing artist, your friends and family members would probably still really enjoy something that you have done with your own hand. If you are a good artist, then they definitely will. To make it extra special, you could even frame it for them so it’s ready for display. If you like the idea of painting something but aren’t confident in your abilities, grab some watercolors and look up some tips online before you get started. Watercolor paintings really lend themselves to simplicity and they have a forgiving look to them even if you’re not the next Van Gogh. With some self-instruction from the internet you could really make something unique. Animals and landscape paintings are always pretty doable, even for a novice, and will probably turn out half decent. View Post

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Today’s guest post is from Melissa Davis, fashion consultant of Softie Baby Shoes, a children’s shoe site.  Melissa, a POSH mom to her beautiful baby girl and fashionista shares with us today her take on Children’s Choice Fashion Finds for 2011.

Shopping is amusing for all women. Buying stylish outfits, accessories and shoes is the most exciting thing for them. For yourself, you can choose the one that you like. However, how do you choose the selection when you’re shopping for your kids? You need to resolve all issues while selecting an item for your kids. Whether its clothes, kids shoes or accessories, you need to make enough considerations before choosing. Keeping the budget in mind, you prefer to provide them the best possible comfort. When comfort is attained, you further look for the latest trends going among kid’s wears A wide range of bright colors and ruffles have been included to kids fashion wear this fall. Modern styles and patterns are employed to update the uniforms as well.

Fashion for boys:
– You can add different flavors to your boy’s looks by integrating the dresses with suitable accessories like hoodies, ties, socks, etc.
– Graphics styles have become very trendy among the costumes of younger boys, and they are used in almost every item.
– You can go for plaid to provide perfect style to your kid as it has popularity these days.
– Layers would be a good choice for the fall season as they provide the stylish look as well as keep the kids warm.
– Fas Leather jacket of black faux, graphic tees and messy here provides the retro look to boys.

Fashion for girls:
– This fall season the trend for girls would be shimmer & shine.
– Their uniforms can be accessorized with ruffle socks, belts & shiner hair accessories.
– The sequins, trendy leggings and graphic tees would provide glamorous looks to girls.
– Colored jeans allow girls to present their style in terms of color; it would be another good option.

Outerwear:
– Vests are the best option as outerwear this fall. Sporting vests for both girls & boys are available.
– This season faux fur-made outerwear has become very popular and well known by the name Hippie or Bohemian. Furthermore, it is named as Peacock by designer Sophie. However, it looks funny yet fashionable.
– Tiffany Talbot’s hot seller is a perfect match for boys. View Post

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Today’s guest post is from Teresa, she is a writer and blogger for LookLoveSend.com and is also a professional mom to her two kids.

Teresa shares with us the secrets behind hosting a holiday party. These tips can be used for corporate events, weddings and even birthday parties.

Tips for hosting a posh holiday party

We all look forward to the holidays, but that’s usually because we are quick to forget exactly how stressful they can be – especially if you are hosting any kind of party to celebrate the occasion. Whether you are planning and preparing for just a couple guests or the entire neighborhood, it can be exhausting to organize an event that everyone will enjoy. There are, however, a few tips that you can use to make everything go a little smoother.

1. Build a Team – Do you know people who are outgoing and enjoy being around others? They will make the perfect team for these events. You can use them to brainstorm fun ideas, help put together the invitations, and make sure everyone at the party is having a good time. There are usually a lot of people who are willing to help – you just have to be willing to delegate.

2. Go Somewhere – If you regularly hold backyard BBQs for the summer holidays or have your work parties in the office at the end of the year, you should consider going someplace new. Some businesses may rent an events center for the evening, but private parties can be held almost anywhere, from campsites and country inns to beaches and ice skating rinks.

3. Consider Your Guests – If you are hosting a company party during the day, you probably don’t have to worry about activities for young kids. However, if the party is later in the evening or if you are having an event for the families in the neighborhood, you need to make sure that you have the right refreshments and activities for everyone who might show up. View Post

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Today is FASHIONABLE FRIDAYS and I am pleased to bring to you my new bloggy friend, Angela, over at About A Mom.  She has some great fashion tips and tricks that gives the illusion of looking skinny.

Angela is co-author of the blog About A Mom. She is passionate about being a mom and enjoys sharing her experiences with other mothers. Angela enjoys writing about parenting, homemaking and frugal living.

The Illusion Of Skinny

Are you still carrying a few extra pounds of baby weight that you just can’t seem to lose? Or are you like me and simply eat too much ice cream? If the diet is not going so well or you just need a quick fix, here are some fashion tips you can use to get the illusion of skinny.

  • Wear clothes that fit you. Just because you can squeeze into something doesn’t mean it fits! Wearing clothing that is too tight just brings more attention to the fact that you could lose a few pounds.
  • Match your separates. Matching your pants or skirt, stockings and shoes can make you look 5 pounds lighter. Matching in all black will save you a few more pounds. If you want to mix it up a bit, wear some colorful shoes.
  • Wear some heels. Glamour magazine recommends wearing a gorgeous pair of heels. They recommend nude heels with dresses to elongate your legs, towering metallic heels with jeans to create a lean line and scoop-front heels with everything if possible. I know this may not be practical for every day but it can help you make the best of a special occasion outfit.
  • Show off the Girls. Lower necklines visually narrow your upper body, thus giving the illusion of skinny. If you are not comfortable with this, highlighting your decolletage by wearing a blouse with a jeweled or decorative neckline will do the trick.
  • Add a Belt. Wear a skinny belt and cinch it at your waistline over dresses, flowy tops or a thin cardigan to achieve an hourglass shape.
  • Slim your face. Pulling your hair up and away from your shoulders will give your face a slimmer look.
  • Low Riders. If you have a troublesome waistline, try jeans or pants that sit low on your hips. This trick will help slenderize your trouble spot. Pants that have a waist that hits just below your navel will make your midriff look longer and slimmer.
  • Avoid over sized clothing. Excess fabric only makes you look bulkier. Over sized clothing doesn’t help camouflage anything.
  • Say NO to Pleats. Wearing pleat-fronted pants will balloon your middle. If you have a belly bulge, relaxed fit, elastic waist pants will help. Otherwise, flat front and side-zip pants will do.
  • If all else fails. If all else fails, there is always Spanx!

I hope these fashion tips make it a bit easier for you to get the illusion of skinny.

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http://1epicmom.com

Hey party people of the blogosphere, welcome to the Weekend Blog Hop till you Drop! This week our ‘Epic’ guest host is Gina from Mommy Posh

Blog Hop Rules: This is a low key hop to find other blogs we can follow!

1. Follow the hostess, Epic Mom a.k.a Char from The Epic Adventures of a Modern Mom, and guest host Gina from Mommy Posh and be sure to leave a comment so that we can follow you back.

2. Link up your blog so we can all check it out.

3. Please feel free to follow each other on Twitter and Facebook too!

4. Check out some other blogs and if you find some blogs you love, become a follower and leave them an epic comment.

If you are interested in being a guest host, send an email to Char on epicmomblog@gmail.com!

Now come on y’all, let’s party like it’s 2011! And have an awesome weekend as you Blog Hop Till You Drop!

The Epic Adventures of a Modern Mom…20,000 Leagues under the Laundry!

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