Holiday

Valentine’s Day 2018 — Gifts For Him

February 5, 2018 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and I have been sitting in front of my computer in an ever-elusive search to find something, anything, for the Frame men. We are not big on celebrating Valentine’s Day in our house, preferring to spend time together over a home cooked meal and ending our night with a double espresso. Since this will be the last Valentine’s Day with our son at home before he heads off to college, I took to the Internet to find gifts they might enjoy without them screaming “PINK FLUFFY HEARTS AND OMAGERD ALL THE LOVE AND GLITTERY THINGS.”

No one needs that kind of mockery when they are the only female in the house.

My Valentine’s Day picks for 2018

If you know me well, then you know I follow way too many Corgi accounts on Instagram and am notorious for sending my husband photos and videos of all of their Corgi shenanigans. So I bought the mister a teeny-tiny corgi planter that I will be planting with an even more adorable succulent. (And since someone found his present, I feel that I am within my rights to share now!)

Paddywax candles are some of my favorite and their tobacco and vanilla candle is the perfect gift for fellows who wish they lived in a hunting lodge instead of suburbia. Their soy wax candle is hand poured into a vibrant blue vintage-style glass apothecary jar topped with a cork lid.

Sugarfina is one of my favorite purveyors of sweet treats. How much do I love them? Enough to hide them from the people I live with. These Dark Chocolate Champagne Gummy Bears are a delightful treat and I can buy them for the people I love. If they disappear, that is another story altogether.

The mister is suited and booted for work most days and we have collar stays EVERYWHERE. This Valentine’s Day, try personalized engraved stainless steel collar stays. Made by georgiedesigns on Etsy, these stays add a meaningful touch that will be used for a long time.

With our son leaving for college this fall to pursue his life-long dream of public government service and a political career, my husband and I bought him a globe for Valentine’s Day as a reminder that the world is much bigger than the tiny portion he occupies and that every single person on this planet is just as important as he is.

Another item on the list for the kid is a Dopp kit. He will need one with the travel back and forth to college for his toiletries. I am digging this Ted Baker kit over at Gilt.

One item always on the shopping list is Jack Black Epic Moisture. It lasts forever. Confession: My husband says this does not last very long, but has yet to figure out that I am using it at least three times per day on my hair, my cuticles, face, neck, and chest.

No compensation was received for any items included; affiliate links are included in this post.

17 Spooky Songs For Your Halloween Playlist

September 10, 2017 by Lisa Leave a Comment

I love Halloween, but I don’t like to be scared, which is why horror movies are out and cute spooky things are in. I started decorating my house for autumn and Halloween and was thinking about what my Halloween playlist would sound like. I’m not into sound effects featuring creaky doors, screams, and eerie winds whooshing by, so I opted for a soundtrack that fits my mood, and would also work with a house full of guests. Some of the song are fun sing-a-longs, whereas others have a much heavier rock and roll vibe.

One of my favorite songs that was in heavy rotation growing up was the Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley. If you’re of a certain age, you also remember this fondly from Dr. Demento’s radio show! Luckily, and old clip from 1958 has surfaced on YouTube and I can share it here.

Next up is Black Sabbath’s Paranoid. I love this song and when I used to run long distances, this was at the end of my mix-tape (the 80’s ruled that way) and helped power me through to the end. It’s a great Halloween song as well, especially if you watch the video which is steeped in the Psychedelic theme of that time.

What’s better than Stevie Wonder singing Superstition on Halloween? A video of Stevie and his band performing the same song on Sesame Street!

Who you gonna call? A Halloween playlist wouldn’t be complete without Ray Parker, Jr.’s Ghostbusters! I ain’t afraid of no ghost.

Horror movie master and rock start Rob Zombie’s Living Dead Girl video is the perfect take on 1920’s silent horror movies. The song is the perfect addition to my Halloween playlist.

The Misfits Halloween is another great tune that embodies the season with lyrics “bonfires burning bright pumpkin faces in the night.” This video from Riot Fest in Denver is much more high tech than any Misfits performance I saw when I was younger.

The Cranberries Dolores O’Riordan put her angelic voice through the paces to growl out Zombie on the song of the same name. Originally written as a protest song in memory of two boys killed in an IRA bombing, the grungy, guttural sounds make it perfect for my Halloween playlist.

Darkness falls across the land, The midnight hour is close at hand.. What Halloween playlist would be complete without the addition of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. This is one of the first albums I ever bought on my own (on vinyl!) and the addition of Vincent Price was perfect accompaniment, especially his spooky laugh at the end.

Rockwell’s Somebody’s Watching Me featured Michael Jackson on backing vocals and brings out the paranoia we all have at times. The video has haunted house-inspired imagery featuring floating heads, ravens, graveyards. The shower scenes references the Hitchcock suspense classic Psycho.

Lighten your playlist up with Bobby Pickett’s Monster Mash. This clip comes from the October 13, 1964, American Bandstand where Pickett does his best Frankenstein imitation. (It also proves that Dick Clarke never did age.)

The Talking Heads Psycho Killer makes me want to dance and sing.

Aaoooooo! Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London is fun and creepy at the same time. He studied modern classical music under Igor Stravinsky, which shows itself in all of his music. When I listen to this song, I like to imagine a werewolf walking through London’s Mayfair and a tailored suit from a shop on Savile Row.

Savatage is one of the 80’s bands I love. Friends, you probably love them as their modern day incarnation of Trans Siberian Orchestra. Hall of the Mountain king is Tolkien-esque which makes it perfect for Halloween.

“It’s just a jump to the left. And then a step to the right. With your hand on your hips. You bring your knees in tight.” I’d be remiss to leave out Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Riff-Raff and Magenta would certainly approve.

Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones is a history lesson in horror. Enjoy a much younger Rolling Stones perform this live version.

A young Creedence Clearwater Revival sang about a Bad Moon Rising. With lyrics like”Don’t go around tonight, Well, it’s bound to take your life, There’s a bad moon on the rise” make it perfect for any Halloween playlist.

I’ll finish off this playlist with Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear the Reaper.” And yes, friends, Halloween playlists always need more cowbell. Always.

I hope this playlist brought some toe-tapping fun to your Halloween. If you want more spooky songs, check out my Spotify Halloween Party playlist.

Find more Halloween posts here:

Set The Spookiest Table Around for Halloween

Halloween – It’s that time of year!

Halloween Safety – What to Take

Happy 2017

January 1, 2017 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Peace begins with our own hearts.

It can fill our homes…

and spread to our families…

and ultimately throughout the world.

Thoughts on 2016

December 31, 2016 by Lisa 1 Comment

Dear Friends,

I started writing this while sitting at a nondescript desk, in a hotel room, processing all that 2016 has delivered. To so many of us, it has been a year of disappointments where youthful optimism, no matter what our age, has been shattered by the loss of so many who were so influential.

2016 has done many things: tested my faith; made me question my relationship with God; question my fellow man; fear there was no kindness left in the world; wonder what I am doing with my life; ask if I should continue writing; and those are just a few of the things I’ve been thinking about.

Nearly two weeks ago, we lost my husband’s closest friend and my son’s Godfather. I still haven’t stopped crying. Now as I sit here to think about what 2016 has meant to me after hearing about the shock felt ’round the universe with the passing of Carrie Fisher, followed by her mother. I dressed up as Princess Leia for Halloween in 1977 just two days after my 5th birthday, complete with blonde buns and white dress. She is still my favorite and I am so incredibly sad her star has gone out.

That’s the thing about this year. I’m pretty deep into the pop culture sphere and a recent article shared the 128 celeb deaths of this year. This isn’t a full count of literary and UK folks on my radar, but those numbers alone equal 1 death every 2.85 days. Throw it into the social media 48-120 hour lifecycle and we’re in a constant state of mourning.

Top things off with this year’s election and we’re all exhausted. No matter what your politics are, the fake news and horrible behavior of people on both sides makes me wish for kinder days when people still believed in the Golden Rule and applied it to daily life.

I’m exhausted and, my friends, I know you are too.

I think this poem by Ogden Nash is particularly poignant this year:

‘Tonight’s December thirty-first,
Something is about to burst.
The clock is crouching, dark and small,
Like a time bomb in the hall.
Hark, it’s midnight, children dear.
Duck! Here comes another year!’
– Ogden Nash, 1929

As for me, I’m looking forward to what the first minutes and hours of the new year brings. Hopeful optimism. It is my hope that we can take a deep cleansing breath and remember we have 365 days and with that 365 new chances. Let’s make each one of those days count.

I’ve met wonderful people, have worked with some amazing companies, and I have friends who love me for me (no easy feat) and support me in my every endeavor. My family is the greatest, and even though we might drive each other crazy, we still love each other to pieces.

I don’t know where I will be this time next year, none of us do. God willing, I’ll be here, as will you. Until then friends, I wish you the complements of the season and will see you in 2017.

With much love,

Lisa

Giving back at Christmas with Macy’s Heart of Haiti

December 21, 2016 by Lisa Leave a Comment

I love Christmas — the lights, the time spent with family and friends, the kinship. One of my favorite parts of the season is picking out a tree with my husband and son and decorating it. The ornaments we use on our tree remind of us shared experiences and represent what the holiday season means to us. This year, Macy’s sent me a beautiful white snowflake made by the artists who craft metalwork pieces for the Macy’s Heart of Haitiline.

My home has beautiful Haitian artwork in each room, and this ornament, just like my my other pieces, is more than just home decor. It gives hope thanks to a sustainable business model that has created economic empowerment for Haitian artists following the devastating 2010 earthquake and more recently, Hurricane Matthew that devastated parts of the island in October of this year.

With each piece I purchase to use in my home, I’m giving back and promoting trade-not-aid that helps support 550 artisans while benefitting an extended 4,500 family members! That not only makes me feel good about every purchase I have made, but also encourages me to give my friends and family gifts from the Macy’s Heart of Haiti line every year.

The Macy’s Heart of Haiti Story

Haiti is a country rich in the arts. When the earthquake hit in 2010, Macy’s made the bold decision to carry a product line made by local artisans. Shortly after the earthquake, the infrastructure did not even exist to house or even ship goods. Today, seven years later, Macy’s continues to sell the products, with a full assortment of beautiful handcrafted items available at macys.com and select stores. It is a sustainable economic model that has proven successful time and time again.

In Haiti, the average daily income is around $1.00 a day. The handcrafted wares the artisans create and sell through the Macy’s Heart of Haiti directly benefits them financially. It enables them to repair their homes, pay school fees for their children, and feed and clothe their families. Steady income means better nutrition, improved education, and access to healthcare. The Macy’s Heart of Haiti program continues its goal of helping Haitian artisans achieve economic empowerment through the sale of their handcrafted goods. (Artisans receive a percentage of the retail price for each item in the collection.)

Artists have the opportunity to collaborate with US designers, strengthening artisan associations (like the Artisans Business Network), while inspiring and energizing their communities. Haitian men and women are working together, gaining confidence and hope for the future. Master artisans who planned to leave the country are now staying behind to train the next generation. Macy’s Heart of Haiti is one effort in bolstering the tradition of rich and unique Haitian art.

Every time you make a purchase, you have an opportunity to make a difference. Buying products like Macy’s Heart of Haiti that give hope and employment to artists is a way to make sure your hard-earned dollars are making a difference.

Heart of Haiti FAQ’s

All products are available on macys.com/Haitias part of the Gifts that Give Hope Collection.
Haiti has an estimated 400,000 artisans who rely solely on their handcrafted goods as a source of income. No other sector of employment even approaches such numbers.
Macy’s Heart of Haiti employs 550 artisans while benefitting an extended 4,500 family members

Disclosure: I was gifted a product from the Macy’s Heart of Haiti line however all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Valentine’s Day 2018 — Gifts For Him

My Valentine’s Day picks for 2018

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17 Spooky Songs For Your Halloween Playlist

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Happy 2017

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Thoughts on 2016

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Giving back at Christmas with Macy’s Heart of Haiti

The Macy’s Heart of Haiti Story

Heart of Haiti FAQ’s

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My Valentine’s Day picks for 2018

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