Still Searching for Christmas Gifts, get some Fabulous Gifts for a Budget from the ladies of FAOB

Mary:

1. Peace.Love.Fabulous T-shirts

2. We are HUGE devotees of .99 cent store gift baskets.  We find a cute basket and fill it with fun $1 items...(we recommend spraying your basket gold for a little bling and holiday festivity.)  Then, tie a Fabulous bow on top!  It's easy, fun and personal.

3.  I'm a big fan of one, little thing that people will actually use.  This year I found this plastic pen that looks like a black feather from a little stationary shop on Melrose!  Seriously, who doesn't feel a little Fabulous with a great pen?  It is $8, which is a little steep for a pen, but it looks super cool and I feel like a million bucks when I am writing with it!

4.  Last year, I bought a bunch of glass cylindrical vases from Thrift stores and Ross.  Then, I purchased pebbles (I painted them gold but totally optional) and paperwhite bulbs from Home Depot.  I threw the rocks in the vases and the bulbs on top, add enough water to reach the top of the rocks and VOILA!  As the bulbs begin to bloom, it looks like a beautiful science experiment.  They were a HUGE hit!  People can reuse the vase and exchange the paperwhites for their seasonal favorite!  Each probably cost me about $5 each. 

5.  This year, I am purchasing frames from local thrift stores and decorating each one...some I will decopage (Mod Podge is the greatest!:), others I will paint, and in the end, I will adhere some vintage jewels from antique accessories that I have broken over the years.  (I love this idea!  I was thinking of getting vintage earrings, pendants and pins to string along a silk ribbon to make necklaces. Maybe those gifts could go together.)

Leah:

1.  Photo journals are so great.  I am going to make one for my Dad.  Just pictures of us together and other fun memories.  It isn't expensive at all and it will be fabulously touching.  Besides, what else are you going to do with all of the photos that are just collecting dust under the bed?

2.  Homemade baked goods.  Lot of love goes into cookies this time of year.  You can package them in fun little gift boxes by Martha Stewart (www.michaels.com) and they will look great!  Get the girlfriends together and have a cookie party!

3.  Magazine subscriptions.  (My personal fave, my mom gets me this as a gift every year...) Which one of your girlfriends wouldn't love a year's subscription to Vogue?  This gift is great.  It's like the gift that keeps giving.  You can do this for guys too!

4.  Greeting cards.  It is a very lady like thing to do.  Send all of your relatives a nice card this time of year to let them know you are thinking of them.  It will be much appreciated and only costs about $15 for a box of 20!

Thanks for the advice ladies, and happy shopping everyone!