A Christmas Gift Guide

 Happy December, everyone! Now that I've finally finished up with finals, it's time to travel home for the holidays. But before I go to see my wonderful family, I HAD to go Christmas shopping. I can tell you it's a lot easier for me to go shopping for my family when they don't live under the same roof as me! I don't have to hide my gifts in the car and wait for the perfect moment to bolt from and to my garage with my gifts hiding under my coat. How did our parents manage to do it all these years?!

Anyways, I've struggled with finding things for my family members in the past, so I thought it would help to make a gift guide to lay out the possible ideas that are special and slightly affordable at the same time!

Here we go.

                       

For the boys, I was thinking some essential items could be a watch, some  cologne, and a hair or shaving kit, but when I asked my brother what he wanted for Christmas, he told me it would be nice to have warm outerwear for the freezing days in winter, so here is this stylish aviator jacket. I also think beanies and an awesome Iphone docking station would be great for him!

Mom's are a little trickier, because when you ask her what she wants for Christmas, she'll go, "Ohhhh, I don't need anything this year. Your love is all I need," and yeah yeah yeah, but we all know she's still hoping for something. A kinfolk book would be lovely (I would actually recommend the  Kinfolk Table if she really likes to cook), because it not only includes unique food ideas, but ideas for decorating and traveling. Definitely worth reading. 

Cheese boards or general cutting boards would be nice if she needs a new one. You can also never go wrong with socks ( 1, 2),  candles, and  fragrances (hopefully she's not too picky, nor is she allergic to Chanel, like my mom :'( ) 

Again, an  Iphone docking station is great for both moms, brothers, and dads. 

If mom's weren't hard enough to shop for, now we have aunts! What could they want?!  Wall decor could be a good idea for decorations.  Nice oils and other candles would be brilliant to freshen up the air, and of course,  coffee products  can make anyone happy! If your aunt's love to cook as much as mine do, maybe invest in some festive  cooking gear! 

Last but certainly not least, we have sisters! I don't have any sisters but my friends feel like my sisters, so there isn't much difference, is there? 

Lush products would be perfect for her. Lush is not only environmentally friendly, but they're all so unique and they smell amazing. 

Some wall decor ( 1, 2) couldn't hurt! I love them so much. They can make any room feel more homey. I implore you to check out  Francesca's because we always carry the cutest wall decor of all sizes. 

More fragrances!  L'Aromarine is unique and if she likes vintage things, she'll love this.  

Finally, I think  these cat headphones are the cutest things ever. If she's into fashion, get her Christian Dior's  Little Dictionary of Fashion, and if she loves poetry, get her  Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur.

I hope this was helpful in your search of the perfect gift for your family and friends this holiday season. I hope you all have a wonderful winter break! Please, stay warm. For those who are traveling to see their families, take care and safe travels! xx-Nikka

Stevie.

Stevie Nicks. The frizzy haired, retro gypsy, who's raspy voice and dark looks not only led Fleetwood Mac to wild success, but has permanently made a top mark on indie music as being one of the most legendary singers of all time.

 Oh, how I've always adored Fleetwood Mac's songs ever since I was a little girl. My dad was actually the one who introduced me to them. They were one of my his favorite bands, and I can still vividly remember him nodding his head rhythmically while pretending to pluck imaginary strings to the classic guitar piece in Never Going Back Again. 

Since then, I've always drawn most of my 70s inspiration from Stevie. From flared jeans, knee high suede boots, and classic fringe shawls, it's no secret that she was (and still is) the epitome of bohemian fashion. In honor of the spooky month, October, and to the deity of witches, this post is dedicated on how to dress like Stevie Nicks.

     Shop my affordable Stevie Nicks collection here!

                 

Scrap.

Hey y'all. So last week, I went out with one of my good friends, Maggie, to grab some lunch. She was carrying the cutest little sky blue bag over her dress. It was so tiny and simplistic, I had to ask her where she purchased it. 

"Target," she laughed out. 

Okay, not bad. 

"But the strap is thrifted. I didn't like the one the bag originally came with, so I went to Scrap and bought a whole bunch of these bag straps for like- 50 cents each."

Hold on- I- what? 50... Cents? 50 CENTS??? CAN YOU EVEN BUY A PENCIL FOR 50 FRIKIN CENTS HERE IN PORTLAND??? 

Apparently you can. I couldn't believe it. 50 mf cents. 

I was so frikin excited when she told me about this that I forced her to take me to the store she bought it from before we did anything else. 

The place really is called 'Scrap.' It's a thrift store where people go and donate just about anything you need--aside from clothing. They also provide educational opportunities in the community, offer volunteering positions at their store, and showcase art from local environmental artists in their gallery!

Lots of craft stuff, notebooks, pencils and pens (50 cents for a HANDFUL of pens. How big are your hands?).

They had old vinyls, camera bags, jars, envelopes, paper rolls, zippers, fabrics, cardboard cutouts (hey Harry), Halloween decorations, and ugh. Everything. 

So wait, why are the prices so low for a thrifty craft store? According to Scrap, a majority of the items you'll find have been donated by either individuals, schools, or business companies. Because of these donations, scrap can keep their prices extremely low. They make sure to price their materials at least 60-75% off the actual retail price. 

With donations continuously coming in, Scrap has gathered over 140 tons of "old" material that can still be reused for multiple things, stopping them from being dumped into the wate stream. Convenient for us, great for the environment! 

Baguette bags??????? So weird but I'm so in love?????

So if you're ever looking for something in particular to fix your handbag, go to Scrap. 

Want to design a piece of clothing? Go to Scrap.

Need boxes to send your friends and family gifts? Go to Scrap. 

Need back to school crap? Go. To. Scrap. Seriously, I bought three full notebooks, a handful of pens and pencils, six large manila envelops, a planner, a medium sized box with the Eiffel Tower on it, and a binder. The cost all together? 4 whopping dollars, ladies and gentlemen.

I'll be making quite a few more trips to this nifty store in the future. For more information on Scrap, visit their website at scrappdx.org. 

Coast Recap

Over the past few days, I've spent some time at the coast with my family. 

We headed down to Seaside, which is about an hour away from my home in Portland, Oregon. The house we stayed at was called the "Sandollar Cottage," and for a good reason! 

The cottage was surrounded by several other rental homes and then lead down to a narrow road that connected itself to a long, smooth sidewalk where you could view the other homes and hotels on one side, and the salty beach on the other.

Of course that called for a narcassiric photoshoot that incorporated my brother's skateboard (since I was wearing another baseball cap that day. Look at me go!).

Thanks to my main (and sometimes unwilling) photographer, Elizabeth, for taking these sick shots. 

The next morning my mama and I collected a handful of sand dollars before we headed to a museum to learn more about the history of Seaside.

This was a piano that you could play by pumping the pedals at the bottom. So much harder than it looks, and it's quite the workout!

We came to Seaside at the perfect time! They were having a vintage car show downtown and I wanted all of them.

Flashback Malt Shoppe was so cute. They served so many banana splits, milkshakes, and had just about every soda bottle you could imagine. The perfect end to my trip.