1. Chirp Your Enthusiasm Apron – Modcloth $44.99
2. Winter Cocktails – Terrain $22.95
3. Bloom Bud Vase – LEIF $20.00
4. Threshold Porcelain Salt Shaker Reindeer – Target $2.99
5. Horned Beauty Bottle Opener – Anthropologie $28.00
6. Matchbox Candle – Anthropologie $20.00
7. What’s a Hostess to Do? – Paper Source $17.95

Those horned bottle openers are beeaautiful and humanely made! Also, the What’s a Hostess to Do? book is amazing. I flip through it all the time at work. There are tons of yummy looking recipes and creative ideas for throwing parties.

Are you attending or hosting any holiday parties this year? I really wanted to throw a Christmas party but there’s no time. I am working on a New Year’s get together though. :)

Today’s gift guide is partially in honor of the huge photography giveaway going on right now, but more importantly, I made it to celebrate my dear childhood friend Adrianna! She is the one who I stayed with in Portland a few weeks ago. Neither of us can remember exactly how old we were when we first met…probably around two or three. Once we could comprehend that we shared the same birthday (November 15th, woohoo!), we were convinced that we must be twins. I literally remember saying to her, “So is my dad your dad, or is your dad my dad?” Totes parent trap style. We don’t even look alike so it’s extra funny thinking about it. :)

Anyway, right now Adrianna is studying photography in Portland and I absolutely love seeing her work as she goes through the program. It is beautiful and super creative. You can visit her photography page here! Her fashion photography is especially great.

This is the end of birthday gift guides for the year! From now on, it’s all about the holidays. :)

Regarding the giveaway – if you haven’t heard, I’m teaming up with lots of other bloggers to give away a Canon Rebel T3i bundle (includes a tripod, lens cleaning kit, card reader, etc), a wireless camera remote, and a fancy handmade camera strap! You can read the details and enter here! There are just a few days left.

I didn’t start drinking real coffee until college. My friends and I got super serious about it. Once we went to a barista competition in Santa Cruz and it was a really big deal. Occasionally, I’ll go into a fancy coffee shop and ask questions about the espresso just because I know what I like and don’t like. On a regular basis, the coffee I drink is cheap and simple but it does the trick. Guess that means I am truly addicted.

Daniel is one of my good friends, and he is also a coffee connoisseur. You may know him as Stephanie‘s husband (remember when I blogged five times about their wedding?). Dan loves coffee, and so does Steph. They recently got an espresso maker, so I’m going to invite myself over one of these days for lavender lattes. :) Dan’s birthday was back in July, but…gifts are not just for birthdays and holidays, right? Right.

1. Squirrels Love Coffee print – WaterInMyPaint $9.91
2. Damn Handsome Tee – Handsome Coffee Roasters $32.00
3. Mustard Cup Cozy – Kampsun on Etsy $23.00
4. Wooden Coasters – Pentagon – AtelierDmontreal on Etsy $27.94
5. Haikubes Game – Paper Source $24.95 (Maybe your coffee-loving friend is also a poet…? Mine is!)
6. Harry Potter iPad/Kindle Fire Cozy – lifegeekery on Etsy $32.00
7. Pantone Espresso Set (similar) Amazon $50 for 6 // image found here

Hold on, can we talk about that squirrel for a second?? I’m thinking that I should buy it very soon. The best part about that Etsy shop is that there are multiple watercolor squirrels holding coffee cups.

Are you a big coffee drinker, or do you prefer tea? Or neither? You’re a strong, strong person if that’s the case. ;)

I’m really happy to be starting this new series of gift guides! I have always wanted to do this, but my mind would keep drawing blanks. What would your best friend like for his or her birthday? Ahhh, I don’t know. But I do know what my best friends would like. So I’ve decided to start curating these gift guides based on real people in my life. In this case, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has a bestie who loves to explore. :)

Steph’s birthday was a couple of Fridays ago. She loves a lot of things, so it was hard to come up with a theme for this gift guide. But when I think about all of the things she really loves, they all have one thing in common – they involve exploring of some kind. She is known to explore other countries, nature, and local hidden gems. I’m so thankful to have such a well-rounded friend.

I ended up getting the 36 Hours (West Coast) book for her. She and her husband Daniel are all about traveling along the West Coast, so I thought it would come in handy. You can check out all of the other 36 Hours books here.

Oh! And I threw in the cat card just because Steph loves cats. Not because it has anything to do with exploring. :)