sisters

Hey there!
We have a lovely lady for you to meet today!
Amanda from Dragonflight Dreams!
She’s an XL ad sponsor of Truly Lovely for October and has a fun Gift Guide for Sisters to share with you dolls today!

Take it away Amanda…
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Hi Truly Lovely readers! I’m Amanda from Dragonflight Dreams. I was struggling to think of a guest post idea when I suddenly though of something so apt. This lovely blog is run by two sisters, and I have three sisters myself, and I thought with Christmas coming up a sisters-themed gift guide would be perfect! So I’m here today to share some of my gift-giving strategies for sisters.

I’m the type that likes to give multiple gifts instead of one big gift. So each sister will get one thing especially for her, but then I also like to sometimes buy things that are a set but with a unique aspect for each sister, so we all have the ‘same’ thing but it’s still individual. Because sisters all share the same blood, but we each have our own personality as well.

My sisters & I aren’t the overly sentimental type, so I’m not going to buy them things plastered with the word ‘Sister’ or their names. We run on a more practical bent. And to me, there are three things that my sisters (and a lot of women) are guaranteed to love: wine, chocolate, and jewelry. So here some of my picks for ways you can buy each sister a similar thing but with a unique twist for each one:

Wine

Middle Sister Wines

This is particularly appropriate for me, since I am the middle sister, but I don’t think you have to be the middle sister to have some fun with this. Each wine has its own personality – the moscato is the Sweet & Sassy sister, the malbec is the Wild One, the chardonnay is the Smarty Pants. Pick a wine to match the personality of each of your sisters. And if you’re all able to get together in person, have fun seeing if everyone’s taste buds match up to their wine personality. Bonus? These are available at Target.

Other sister-themed wines: Four Sisters and Wine Sisterhood

Chocolate

Chocomize

Chocomize

I haven’t tried this out yet, but I really want to – build a custom chocolate bar for your sister! They’ve got dozens of different ingredients to chose from (everything from normal bits like peanuts to more exotic things like candied violets). They are about the same price as a fancy European chocolate bar, and you don’t have to buy bulk – you can just buy one. Bonus? They donate a portion of each purchase price to your choice of three charities.

Custom M&M’s

Pick your color of M&M’s, and up to 4 custom text messages to be in the mix, and voila! Personalized M&M’s. This one I’ve actually done. I got a big batch one year for all my sisters, my mom and myself with the custom text being ‘Cobb Women’ on some and ‘Love You’ on the others. My sisters thought it was cool, and my mom may have teared up a bit.

Other chocolate options: gift boxes of chocolates from

Jewelry

Birth Month Flower Necklaces

A little more unusual than doing a birthstone or zodiac themed gift, but still personalized for each sister. These are handmade and quite pretty, and there are earrings to match if you want to do a whole set. Each necklace is unique (even compared to other necklaces for the same month), and they come in 100% reclaimed cotton jewelry pouches, which is also a cool touch.

This one makes the bookworm in me so happy. My sisters are all voracious readers as well, so it’s doubly fitting. You can choose a book from her list of what is readily available, or contact her about using a different book. There are a couple different bracelet finishes/settings to choose from, AND you get to pick which words from the book if you want to get really specific. Bonus? You are supporting a handmade shop on Etsy, and she accepts the new Etsy gift cards.

Do you have sisters? If so, what are some of your gift-buying strategies or favorites?
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What a great gift guide, right!?! Well done Amanda!
Several of these items are gifts that both Kayli and I would LOVE to give and receive!

Happy shopping lovelies!!!

Connect with Amanda: Blog | | | |

*** If you haven’t yet, you better get in on the birthday bash going on in the earlier post! (: ***

Dear Kassi,

First things first- Happy Happy HAPPY Birthday!!!!! (: I’m a little bit sad I’m not there to celebrate with you on the actual day, but I’m SO excited for this weekend! So because it’s your birthday I thought

1. That I would take this opportunity to tell you how blessed I am to be your little sister.

and

2. Give you a heads up on the celebration to come! (;

So let’s start with #1. I’m just gonna jump right in and do my best to write what I really think. So let me begin by saying that I appreciate the team you and I are. There are the little things- we’re a team in the kitchen, we’re a team over our sewing machines, we’re a team in social media and soon, we’ll be a team in the business world. And then there are the big things, we’re a team when things are good and we’re a team when things are bad, we’re a team when we’re celebrating, we’re a team when we’re grieving. Sometimes you take the lead and sometimes I take the lead, and sometimes we’re just doing our best to stay above water, but we’re both ALWAYS there. Lots of people have sisters, but not everyone that has a sister also has a best friend and teammate. We’re lucky, and I know sometimes I forget that. I hope you know that I count being your sister one of the greatest blessings of my ENTIRE existence. Not just in this life, but in the life before and in the life to come. I believe with all of my heart that our relationship is much older than the time we’ve had together here on earth and there’s no way that it will just end when our lives on earth end. The idea of any kind of life, anywhere, without you as my sister is something I can’t wrap my mind around. I just know there’s more. I’m so grateful to have your example, to know someone so beautiful in every way. SO let’s celebrate you! ALL MONTH!

Prepare yourself, because I’m sneaky and I may or may not have some things up my sleeve…. And now here are some pictures that describe us for your viewing pleasure.

Source: via on

Proof we really are:

Can’t argue with the evidence.

Source: etsy.com via on

Did you know you were my midnight companion? Well… I guess now you do.

Source: griffithsrated.blogspot.com via on

The Stinky Cheese Man, Harry, Edward, Katniss and Peeta… Oh how we’ve progressed. Also, I know you used this earlier this week, but I’m using it anyway….So there. (: