Happy Holidays!

Would like to wish you a joyous holiday season and a happy new year!

Hugs and Smooches,

D

New to the ConstantlyAlice Shop!

Holiday shopping is not over yet!  Here are a few of the newly listed items at ConstantlyAlice on Etsy.

Hugs and Smooches,
D

New to the ConstantlyAlice Shop

A few lovely new items for the colder weather and upcoming party season :)

Purchase

A pretty plum colored plum velvet party dress (with a built in crinoline so you can "swish" :)

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Black velvet and satin headband hat with veil..so you can be that mysterious gal at the holiday party..

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Look like a russian princess in this super warm plum colored wool coat that has a quilted lining!

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Pretty, sparkly black sequined vintage hat it perfect for any occasion..even for dressing up your winter coat!

Check out the ConstantlyAlice shop for these and many other holiday gift ideas..to give or receive ;)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Name the ConstantlyAlice Newsletter!

I have recently embarked on a new adventure..a newsletter!  It will be a monthly compilation of the best of ConstantlyAlice blog posts, shop updates and sales, style suggestions, gift ideas, tutorials, reviews and a "Go Ask Alice" feature where YOU can write in and ask me anything :)

I'm planning the first holiday issue to be released next month..However...I am stuck on a name!  I want it to be cohesive with the shop and the ConstantlyAlice brand, but something fun and catchy..so I'm asking you, my darling readers, to offer up your suggestions!  The winner will be announced in the first newsletter and will receive a ConstantlyAlice brooch as a thank you.  Just leave your suggestion in the comments below, on our facebook page, or tweet it to @ConstantlyAlice!

To sign up for the newsletter, just take a peek at the top of this page, right underneath the ConstantlyAlice header and add your email address to the list!

Looking forward to your suggestions <3
 Hugs and Smooches,
D

Crafting for the Holidays

If you love making gifts for the holidays, as I do, you know that it's never too soon to begin planning your holiday giving list.  (In theory..I do have a tendency towards procrastination and have found myself in previous years pulling all nighters with a pot of coffee and several skeins of yarn ;-)

I have vowed, however, that I will be organized this year!!  In this spirit, I have started sorting through some of my pins on Pinterest to identify what I would like to try my hand at, and who the gifts would be suited for..because, truthfully, I do sometimes find something I reallllyyy want to make that would only be suited as a gift for me :-)

Here are a few things I'm thinking about so far:

For her

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 These gorgeous origami fabric butterflies would be perfect for hair accessories, brooches or as an accent on a necklace.

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Hand scrub, great in a gift bag with a nail file and some pretty nail polish!

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Embellished cardigans..soooo easy.  (Incidentally, this is also an adorable blog with several other fantastic ideas!)

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Cozy sewn felt slippers (also a great idea for kiddos!)

For Him

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My husband LOVES these.  They're pretty easy to make..I may enlist the children to create a few for their Dad and uncles ;-)

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Despite his protests about the "Fudge Handles" he acquires every holiday season, The Man loveeesss some homemade fudge.

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Create a playlist, could be songs for your sweetheart, running songs, songs to brighten your day, type the list out on fun paper and attach to an itunes gift card..it's like a mixed tape for the 21st century ;-)

For the Kids

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Create a bunch of these.  Use to embellish overalls, sweaters, hats, mittens or stitch them all together to make a scarf.

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Rice filled heating pads to snuggle up to on a cold night!

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I'm a sucker for a cute hat, and this one's about as cute as they come..

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This link is for 25 Christmas Books and crafts to go with them, but you could do this with any book for any age!  My oldest daughter loves the Hunger Games, and I thought a neat combo would be the Hunger Games books and a craft project to make arrow hair sticks out of chopsticks and feathers or felt feathers.  My youngest loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid, so to go along with that, a craft for making your own diary. 

So that's my (preliminary) list!  What are your ideas for the holidays?  Do you make gifts as well?  What sort of items are on your crafting list?  Feel free to share here or over on facebook!

A Sorta Fairytale..

A while back, I wrote a post about some changes to the blog, the shop and my life in general.  I felt like I had lost a little of my direction and needed some time to find my way.

After some brainstorming, I've come up with a few ideas:

• The stunning model in the photo above is my lovely daughter, Shannon.  You will be seeing some more of her and her best friend, Jules, as I transition the clothing photos in the shop over to live models.
• The appearance of the shop and blog will be taking on a bit of a vintage/fairytale/literary quality.  You will see a more consistent theme and a lot of the new handmade jewelry and accessories coming into the shop will be inspired by my love of literature.  (Plus there will still be plenty of vintage!)
• I am moving towards making ConstantlyAlice a more permanent source of income.  This means you will see more merchandise coming to the shop on a regular basis.  You may also see me branch out to ebay in addition to my etsy store to give you more purchase options.  Finally, you will certainly begin to see more activity here on the blog!

I have some other treats in store for you..like a holiday season launch beginning at the end of september/beginning of october and maybe even a look book to show you some styling options :)

It's good to be back, and I'm so glad to be sharing with all of you again!

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Style It - The Golden 50's Hostess Shoe

Today's Style It features an adorable pair of golden hostess shoes from the shop.  I fell in love with these shoes (mainly because they remind me of my favorite Disney Princess, Belle ;) but also because they're such perfect party shoes!

Look number one would be great for a black tie holiday event.  The gorgeous Dita exemplifies the perfect hair and make up for this look, and just look at how cozy and luxurious that coat is!

Untitled #26 by constantlyalice featuring black cocktail dresses

Look number two is a little more playful and colorful.  Great for a fun party with friends (especially if you're the hostess..they are hostess shoes after all!)

Hostess Shoe - Fun by constantlyalice featuring betsey johnson necklace

Take a look at Belle's footwear here..pretty close, right?

How would you style the golden hostess shoe?

Hugs and Smooches,
D

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer..

Today my cousin (Hi, Cyn!) shared this marvelous video of a deaf baby hearing for the first time:



Amazing, right??  It totally brightened my day and made me feel so fortunate that I get to live in a world where this is possible.  So..I decided to share a few of my other heart warming, funny or otherwise inspiring favorite things to bring a little cheer to your day.  In no particular order, here they are..

This kid is fantastic. Never fails to get a laugh out of me ;)



I want this kitteh..that is all..




The Truth About Santa - amazing for kiddos AND adults ;)

That's right..Jabba the Cupcake..

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..cause I wonder where you are..

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Really no words for this one..




And I leave you with one of my favorite quotes.

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Have a wonderful day!

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest - Finding Use for Hideous 80's Sweaters

Each year my husband and I host a Christmas party for what we still optomistically refer to as "the kids" (which includes my siblings, cousins, close friends and their kiddos).  It's one of my favorite get togethers of the year.  I was blessed to grow up in the same town as my cousins on my Dad's side of the family, so we're all as close as siblings and we share a lot of great memories.  It's never a dull moment when we all get together!

One tradition we like to keep (suggested a few years back by my adorable sister-in-law) is an Ugly Holiday Sweater contest.  Even the kiddos get in on the act!  There's an extra gift for the winner of the contest and it's fun to give new life to those hideous 80's theme sweaters ;)

Here are a few of my favorites in the running for this year..

Etsy

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Oh, wow.  That was fun.  (I actually caught myself snickering as I went through some of these listings.  I'm deeply amused by hideous novelty sweaters ;)

How about you?  What are some of your favorite traditions?

Hugs and Smooches,
D

My Grown Up Christmas List

The holidays are always a source of joy for me...

Pssh.  Who am I kidding?  I would LIKE the holidays to always be a source of joy, but sometimes, just sometimes, they make me a big ball of stress.  But I want to love the holidays.  I want to soak up all the family time, drive around and look at the beautiful decorations and enjoy the gift giving.  Which is where my steps for holiday planning come in..

I am an organized soul (no really!)  I know it doesn't appear to go hand in hand with creativity, but the only way I can truly feel free is to have a place for things.  Knowing where my supplies are, having a system of organization for my clothing and accessories and a process for buying, cleaning and selling my vintage items allows me to not have to think about the details.  The same holds true for planning my holiday gift giving.  Here are some of the steps I like to take to make the holiday season a joyous one.

• Make a list (and check it twice!) - Write down all of the people you need a gift for (don't forget teachers, postal workers, etc.!)  You can do this in a notebook or, if you're like me, on an excel spreadsheet.  Next to each name, jot down a few gift ideas and a budget.  As you gather gifts, check them off the list and adjust your budget accordingly.  If you plan on making gifts, this is also a good time to create a separate list of what you plan to create, along with a column of supplies that will be needed.  I like to use a second tab on my excel spreadsheet for this purpose (..and I maay cross reference it with the database I created that lists all the supplies I have on hand..  I told you I liked organization ;)

Sock Octopus from my Inspiration Pinboard on Pinterest

• Start gathering ideas - I like to begin with places like Etsy and some of the blogs I follow.  Sometimes something will get my creative juices flowing, and other times I will just purchase an item outright.  I like to use Pinterest as a tool for tracking my ideas, but you can also print down pictures and keep them in a folder, or add to your favorites on Etsy.  If you prefer to buy from more mainstream shops, you can also go through sale fliers from your sunday paper to get ideas or check out Black Friday ads for deals.

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• Create your plan of attack! - Schedule in time for gift making.  Make it fun!  Have some girlfriends over, make some cookies and cocoa and have a gabfest while you create.  Give yourself plenty of time and make it enjoyable.  Then, schedule a few shopping trips (or an evening to shop online) to fill in the items that you will be purchasing.  Try to schedule it so everything is completed one or two weeks ahead of the holidays so you can relax and take time for some fun ( like picking out your tree or watching holiday movies!)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

• Wrap, Decorate, Give - Plan a day to wrap your gifts.  Include friends and loved ones (but not their gifts!) to make the time fly by.  Make the wrapping just as thoughtful as the present.  Everyone loves getting a pretty package :)  You can also plan to decorate your home or tree together on that day.  You are now prepared!  All that's left to do is give your gifts and receive hugs and smiles in return ;)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

The Holidays are Coming! The Holidays are Coming!

In my experience, there are two approaches to the holiday season..one that involves dread, stress and a sigh of relief once it's passed, and one that involves family, child-like wonder and a sense of joy and love.  While I will admit to the former sometimes creeping up on me, I can honestly say I try to dwell in the latter.  Truthfully, there is so much I love about the holidays.  Spending lots of time with family and friends, good food, pretty decorations, coming up with new and fun (stress free!) ideas for gift giving..so along those lines, I would like to share with you some of my favorite inexpensive or free ideas for gift giving and holiday fun!

Amazing recipe for spiced hot cocoa.  (How cute would this be with a little vintage teaspoon tied to the side?)

tatertotsandjello.com

Cookie dough gifts!  (Honestly, who doesn't love cookie dough??)  You could even put them in a basket together with the cocoa.


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Homemade soap (which would be adorable combined with the next suggestion..or just wrapped in some pretty fabric and tied with twine.)

bohemianrevolution.com

Embroidered towels!  I love Sublime Stitching Patterns.  These Gil Elvgren ones are my favorite.

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Ravelry is a brilliant place to get gift ideas if you knit.  Last year I made some of these lovelies.  Cute vintage pattern and they knit up in no time at all!

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My husband (aka "The Man") and I host a holiday party each year for siblings, cousins and good friends.  One tradition we keep each year is the "White Elephant Yankee Swap".  The only rules are that the swap gifts must be creative and/or funny and either re-gifted or under $5.  It's great for a laugh and takes the sting out of holiday financial woes!  Some favorites from past years; A copy of the movie "Jaws", An old beer box filled with Slim Jims and Big League Chew labeled "Redneck Survival Kit", "Pornaments" (which were, hysterically enough, ornaments of reindeer in inappropriate positions..courtesy of my brother) bacon band-aids and faux facial hair.

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We also have a contest for the ugliest holiday sweater (My sister in law remains the champ with the lovely gem in the photo below..)

Though my oldest daughter and I gave her a run for her money in our hideous holiday vests and who-like hair styles..

She still ended up being the victor and taking home the trophy.

I hope some of these suggestions are helpful to you in planning your holidays this year :)  What kinds of traditions are you looking forward to this holiday season?  What gifts will you be making?

Hugs and Smooches,
D