ivy & leo SPRING Faves!

Hi friends!

I know it's been a minute since I've posted on here, but I've just spent this first month of the new year honestly just focusing on me! I've been super focused on just work, eating better, working out more, finding new hobbies, and spending time with my favorite people!

Working in retail at ivy & leo, I luckily get exposed to new, fun trends every single week. With spring coming up, there are so many adorable trends that we've been getting in that I want to share with y'all! From colorblock sweaters, pastels, bright stripes, fun jumpsuits - we've got it all, and at affordable prices! I've been sharing through my Instagram my weekly faves for you all. Below you can find shoppable links to all my new favorite spring arrivals! 

Gift Guide for the Last Minute Shopper!

I don't know about y'all, but Christmas is in just a few short days and I'm not done with my shopping AT ALL! S/O to the shoppers who finish their shopping months in advance, y'all all deserve a medal. Working in retail, I realize every year how many people truly wait to the last minute to do their Christmas shopping. And their stress to find gifts in a hurry, stresses me out for them! I've created this last minute gift guide to help out all you shoppers who are still looking for last minute stocking stuffers or fun gifts for family and friends. All of these gifts WILL arrive by Christmas Eve right at your doorstep. Sounds like an easy, stress-free plan right? Enjoy my last minute gift ideas, I hope they help!

Click all of the shoppable pictures below to instantly shop these products. Some of them are on sale, and they all will arrive promptly by Christmas Eve! Enjoy my stress-free gift guide for all you last-minute shoppers!

xoxo,
Holly J

December Sundays in NC

Anyone who's a resident of NC has to know the weather is pretty up and down, no matter what time of year it may be. Sometimes we manage to skip over an entire season, or backtrack an entire season. Honestly each year our seasons are totally different + especially unpredictable.

Normally if we get snow it doesn't come around until January, but this year we had a snowpocalyspe in mid-December (which never happens here). Last Sunday, I went from struggling to stand in 14 inches of snow... to four-wheeling with my boyfriend in 60 degree weather. Only in NC can you experience two seasons within one week, but I'm not complaining. I can deal with 60 degrees in December anyday. Luckily I was able to capture some pictures of how I spent my last two Sunday's, and how beautiful living in NC can be!

2018 AMAZON HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Alright y'all, I'm doing another blogger thing and sharing this Amazon Holiday Gift Guide I've created! I thought an Amazon Gift Guide would be easy and shoppable for those looking for quick gifts that could be given to absolutely anyone.

This list will hopefully be helpful to those of you who are either doing their Christmas shopping now, or for those who usually wait until the very last minute to do theirs. The great thing about Amazon is that you can still do your shopping at the very last minute if you have Prime, and you'll be set for Christmas Day. 

All of these gifts could be for anybody you're gift shopping for. Most of them are practical gifts that you know will be put to good use. Plus, it helps they're all very affordable. I chose all of these based on practicality, affordability - and I of course made sure they'd all arrive before Christmas! Here are all of my favorites on the list by the associated number.

MY GO-TO 2018 HOLIDAY LOOKS

Is it just me, or does it feel like Christmas completely snuck up on us? To be honest, I feel like yesterday was literally January. This year feels like it's just FLEW by. With the holidays being one of the busiest times of the year for everyone, the one thing a lot of women stress about is what to wear to half the events they have going on. Working in retail, I encounter so many women coming in looking for extremely dressy holiday attire for black tie events, etc. While this is the case for many gals in a fashion emergency, I literally never have this issue. I couldn't tell you the last time I had a super fancy holiday party to go to, and I'm perfectly okay with that! 

Dressing up is always super fun don't get me wrong, but I'm more of a dressy/casual kind of girl. Honestly I'm not sure if that makes much sense - but, I like any event where I can look dressy, but feel the comfort of being casual. So... here are some examples of some of my favorite holiday looks you can wear to events you may have coming up that aren't extremely formal and dressy!

FALLIN' FOR SUGAR BOUTIQUE!

Y'all, a lot of things make me happy. But one thing in particular that makes me happy are local boutiques based out of the Carolina's. There's something about boutiques in the south that I just LOVE. I also love supporting and sharing local Carolina boutiques near me!

One of my favorite boutiques is SUGAR BOUTIQUE! It's based out of Greenwood, South Carolina - and their selection is SO CUTE. Cute is honestly an understatement! The owner, Sandi, first opened the boutique 10 years ago. One of my favorite things about this boutique, is that she designed the storefront to look similar to the inside of a classic, southern home. This gorgeous setting allows for customers to feel at home the second they walk through the door, and I love that!

Not only do I love supporting Carolina boutiques, but I love supporting strong, independent business women who follow their dreams. Sandi was honored as South Carolina's Small Business Associations Young Entrepreneur of the Year back in 2012! I mean how awesome is that?

Sugar Boutique carries popular designers such as, Lilly Pulitzer, Southern Tide, Buddy Love, and SO MUCH MORE! They happen to carry literally every single brand I already love - and I am loving all of their Fall '18 selection. I wanted to share with y'all some of my favorite pieces from them that I am loving so far this season!

Lily Mae's Giveaway!

Happy Monday friends! It's been a minute since I've written one of these, but November has been an extremely hectic month for me. With the holidays coming up, I've definitely stepped right back into blogging mode and shopping mode!

I've already started Christmas shopping because I'm one of those people who likes to score a good deal during Black Friday + Cyber Monday sales - and I also don't mind having all my Christmas shopping done ahead of time. I used to put off Christmas shopping to the very last minute back in high school and college, but now I'd rather just be done with it and feel like I've saved some $!