Last year, I wrote a post with some fun and creative gift wrap ideas, and since Christmas is right around the corner (like seriously, it's already the 16th!!!) I thought it would be the perfect time to share some more. These lovely wrapping ideas were sent to me from Margarita of chocolate creative. I love that she's used elements you likely already have in your house or could easily obtain: kraft paper, black and white photos, elements from nature, and bright washi tape. The look is very simple and sweet, a little unexpected for Christmas, and totally doable.

Kraft paper is really affordable, if you don't already own some--or you could use brown paper bags if your gift is small enough! For the photos, you could print out photos of the person the gift is intended for (wouldn't that be cute, instead of a gift tag?)--or use magazine tearouts, old postcards, etc. Margarita added dried leaves to bring in some texture, which I love. I've also seen little evergreen sprigs, herbs, etc. Whatever you can find in your yard for free will likely work!

Use your leftover supplies to decorate your home! I love the idea of taping up winter themed postcards, mixed with little treasures brought in from the outdoors. The juxtaposition of simple, natural elements with bright neon tape is totally up my alley.

Thanks to Margarita for sending me these photos! Would you like me to feature your home, a party you've thrown, or a creative project you've put together? Check out my submissions page for guidelines.

How you're planning to wrap your gifts this year? If you don't have a plan yet, maybe some of these ideas will work for you!

Also, don't miss today's 24 Merry Days giveaway--$250 to The Land of Nod at You Are My Fave!

You guys, I'm so excited to finally share my 24 Merry Days giveaway! And it's a really good one--$100 to spend at Baba Souk, which is seriously the cuuutest shop ever. I hadn't heard of them til about a month ago, but I'm obsessed now. They have a great variety of fun, quirky, products that you won't find anywhere else: from clothes and accessories to paper products and goodies for your home. And I love that their wares are all made by independent designers and creatives, both in Montreal (where they're based) and around the world--including products hand-picked from traditional Moroccan souks! I could easily pick out approximately 100 things that I want, but that would be a lot of scrolling for your poor little fingers...so here's a short list of my favorites!

polka dot ring dish / enchanted forest pillow / hat with giant pom / imaginative rain sweater / partly cloudy sky pillow / small treasure baskets

Enter the giveaway below (open to readers in the US and Canada only). Plus! Use the coupon code 24MERRYDAYS and you’ll get 15% off your order from now til December 22nd.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. Check out yesterday's giveaway too, on one of my favorite blogs--Oh Hello Friend!

Happy Friday, my dear blog friends! This week has been exhausting and I couldn’t be happier that it is finally the weekend!!! Well, almost. Here are a few of the things that I fell in love with around the world wide web this week. It's a bit of a random assortment, but they're all so good I hope you won't mind. Any gems that I missed? Leave me a comment with the link!

I absolutely love every single photo of Courtney Klein's stylish San Francisco home, but this pallet entry wall was possibly my favorite. A good DIY never fails to catch my attention! She’s so gorgeous too--these photos would totally belong in an Anthropologie catalog.

And then there's Dara Kent's home and workspace, which was featured on The Glitter Guide. Her pegboard office wall is pretty awesome!

I first spotted this gingerbread hot cocoa over on My Paradissi. It’s such a cozy photo--and it sounds super yummy too!

Three of my favorite bloggers (Joy from Oh Joy, Sydney from The Daybook, and Megan from The Fresh Exchange), wrote beautiful and heartfelt posts this week about struggling to balance blogging, time with husbands (and kids), and taking care of practical matters. It’s good to be reminded that the polished image presented on blogs isn’t the whole picture. Maybe everyone is feeling overwhelmed and stressed right around now--I know I am!  At any rate, it's encouraging to know that we're not in it alone. One of my goals for 2014 is to do a better job of prioritizing all the things I want (and have) to do, including spending more quality time with Ben. I have a tendency to try to do it all--now!--but I'm still young and I don't want to look back on this time later and regret that I didn't slow down a little more and appreciate being young and (mostly) not tied down. With that being said, I thought this quote was fitting.

You may have already seen this on Designlovefest or floating around Pinterest, but I wanted to share it anyways (just in case)! I love the idea of throwing a wrap party with your best girlfriends. And I also love how they made their own wrapping paper using a roll of plain white paper and black paint pens. So smart, affordable, and super cute!

I thought the melted snowman cookies I posted last week were cute--but check out this melted snowman CAKE!! Ahhh-dorable.

This one’s for my fellow Seattle-ites: if you don’t have any plans for tomorrow, you should go to this pop-up shop! I'm not sure if I'll make it, but I'm going to try. I actually didn't realize until I saw this that Moorea Seal is based in Seattle--I absolutely love her stuff.

Have you seen the "WestJet Christmas miracle” video? If not, you must watch it. It's sooo cute--and I'm pretty jealous that I wasn't on that flight!!!

And while we're on the topic of videos...this rewind of 2013 is hilarious.

Last but certainly not least, today's 24 Merry Days giveaway is going on at 79 Ideas. Pluuuuus, my day is coming right up on Sunday! I don't normally post on the weekends, but I thought this was well worth making an exception. So, check back on Sunday for my giveaway--you won't want to miss it!

So I know in this post, I said I'd DIY my own holiday cards--and it's true, I'm always drawn to the do-it-yourself option. But I'm also suuuper busy right now, and I'm guessing many of you are too! So I thought I'd share some really cute ideas for those of you that just don't have time to even think about making your own holiday cards right now. If you're like me, you'll want something easy and affordable, but still your style. After all, you're anything but boring and generic, so you don't want to send out boring and generic holiday cards!! Enter Minted. They have such a wide selection of cute, fun, and unique cards--I'm sure you'll find something that feels totally "you." If I were choosing a holiday card for myself, these are the ones that would be in the running.

Tis the Season for Cheer / Happiest of Holidays / Peace / Bright and Chalky / Holiday Map (This would be especially cute if you just moved) / Noel / About us / Tis the Season to be Jolly / Merry Wish

And if you prefer to include your family photo, they have tons of adorable options for that too.

Hand-lettered  / Confetti Toss (This one has real gold foil...such a luxe detail!) / Happiest of Holidays

Oh, and for those of you with babies, I also think this one is hilarious!

Which design is your favorite? Head over to Minted to check out the rest of their holiday cards--they also have wedding invitations, baby announcements, and adorable art prints too!

P.S. Enter today's 24 Merry Days giveaway over at Sugar & Cloth!

This post was written in partnership with Minted. All opinions are my own!