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The Gifter :: Last Minute Gift Ideas

Still have some people on your list to shop for? With only a few shopping days left until Christmas, it’s crunch time and can get downright stressful to find the perfect gift for those remaining on your list. But don’t you worry, #TheGifter is here to help! For our final mission, I’ve been asked to uncover fabulous last minute gift ideas.

When selecting gifts at the last minute, I still focus in on items that I’d purchase for myself and are of high quality, style-savvy and budget friendly. Difficult task? Not at my local HomeGoods where there’s endless variety of  high quality products at prices up to 60% less than specialty stores. With new items arriving daily, I spotted some AMAZING crunch time gift ideas for home decor lovers – sharing a few here and on Instagram!

blue & white ginger jars #thegifter

Chinoiserie ginger jars are beautiful home decor accessories and can set you back hundreds of dollars. This classic blue and white jar by a brand name designer has a luxe look without the price-tag. It makes my list for a great last minute gift for mom, your sister-in-law, or best friend.

faux croc tray in white - simplified bee

Animal patterns are all the rage in home decor, so I was drawn to this faux croc skin tray (that’s priced low enough to satisfy last week’s mission!). Fill it with homemade cookies and it makes a great last minute gift for the teachers, neighbors and co-workers on your list!

ornate round mirror from India

This ornate mirror made in India is so stunning and affordable (at $99.99 originally $200!), I had to include it as a last minute gift. It’s no stocking stuffer, but wouldn’t it make a fun surprise gift Christmas morning?

white porcelain pineapple - simplified bee

A symbol of hospitality, this chic porcelain pineapple (a super hot decor accessory!) makes a great last minute gift for the newlyweds, entertainer or home decor lover on your list.

red & white baseball storage bin #baseball

This adorable designer baseball bin is a win-win gift! Little boys will be over-the-moon because it’s so cool and parents will love it because it will help organize all those toys! Best yet, it’s half the price of a similar one I saw at a boutique.

I’d love to see your last-minute gift ideas you uncover at your nearest HomeGoods or TJX store! Simply tweet a picture of the item(s) you discover using #TheGifter and you just might win this week’s TJX $500 gift card! Wouldn’t that go a long way at HomeGoods!

Happy shopping,

Cristin

*Disclosure: This post was sponsored by TJX through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated to write this post about TJX #TheGifter, all opinions are my own.

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Read full story By on December 18, 2013 in baby and children, Christmas, Holiday, home accessories, home organization, HomeGoods, mirrors

Client Reveal :: Playroom and Guest Room Design

I’m so excited to reveal a recent design project for a family with two young boys. Originally the bedroom was designed for guests and had a queen size bed (bummed, because I didn’t get an image of the before!). Needing a place for the boys to play and guests to rest, my client asked me to create a space that serves as both a playroom and guest room.

playroom and guest room design // cristin priest // simplified bee

A white daybed with a pull-out trundle was paired with a custom headboard in a Duralee geometric fabric in cool shades of blue and green. It’s topped with a variety of pillows including Serena & Lily’s quilted Euro shams in navy/clover and Kuba pillow in navy.  The turquoise bed-cover with white contrasting welt was custom made durable sunbrella fabrics. The fabrics definitely set the room’s nautical color palette and we pulled out the lightest blue for the wall color (Benjamin Moore’s Arctic Blue).

daybed headboard in blue and green // simplified beeplayroom and guest room design // cristin priest of simplified bee

For the boys’ games, toys and Lego creations (remember this boy’s bedroom with Lego display?), I selected a pair of Billy shelving units from Ikea, had them painted in Benjamin Moore’s Galapagos Turquoise and backed in a green and white trellis pattern wallpaper (used in my own kitchen nook). Green felt bins were added to help coral toy cars, smaller games and Legos of course! Land of Nod’s tree floor lamp with movable lights serves as a bedside reading lamp.

ikea billy bookcase hack with wallpaper // simplified bee

ikea billy bookcase in playroom // cristin priest // simplified bee

For extra kid-friendly seating, a pair of turquoise poufs and crisp white garden stool were selected. Perfect for a game of Go Fish!

My client was thrilled with the result and that’s the best part.

Happy decorating,

cristin

*photography credit: Jenn Jacobson

 

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Read full story By on December 4, 2013 in baby and children, Bedroom, bedrooms, bookshelves, Boy, contemporary decor, DIY, ikea, interior design, Interiors, Playroom, playrooms, simplified bee portfolio, Tips/Tricks, wallpaper

The Land of Nod Holiday Party + Discount Code

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of co-hosting  The Land of Nod holiday event in the San Francisco Bay Area. Michaela, my fab intern last summer and blogger, co-hosted with me, and along with The Makery Los Altos and The Land of Nod, we had the best time! Over 100 guests enjoyed a special night of crafting, conversation, and shopping. 

Michaela and I designed a fun holiday vignette using lots of bright & colorful The Land of Nod products – a fabulous shopping destination for baby & children’s furniture, decor, accessories, toys and more. As a nod (no pun intended!) to being at The Markey, we featured a kids’ craft area with the play table, adorable zig zag stockings, and a Christmas tree decked with the cutest pom pom garland and ornaments. To ground the space, we created a chandelier out of brightly hued ornaments. We were thrilled with the way it turned out!

Land of Nod Holiday Partychandelier made of holiday ornaments
white Christmas tree - Land of Nod Holiday Party #NodEvents

Land of Nod gave us an adorable Cottage Dollhouse to decorate for the event. I had so much fun decorating it that I even created valences with left over fabric samples.

Land of Nod Dollhouse by Simplified Bee #NodEvents

It’s now the home of my kids’ “Little Bunny and Blue Bunny” and they are very pleased with the new digs. Always nice to have happy clients! 

The Land of Nod Cottage DollhouseMichaela decorated the outside with  flowers in the window boxes, wreaths and garland. So cute!

The Land of Nod Cottage Dollhouse - Christmas Decor

The Makery hosted our event and if you haven’t heard of their shop and live in the San Francisco Bay Area, get your bootie down there ASAP! It’s a crafters dream 🙂 Full of every craft essential you could imagine, the Makery hosts amazing parties, workshops and has unique supplies and decor for custom parties. Everyone who came to our event had a ball making little adornments for their Elf on the Shelf characters. Each guest left with one, which I thought was the cutest thing ever! 

craft suppliesvintage elf-on-a-shelf decorating - Land of Nod Holiday Party
Holiday cocktail with red straw
Happy Holidays - chalkboard sign

In addition, there were eight other The Land of Nod parties across the whole United States last Thursday…

Atlanta
Joni Lay of Lay Baby Lay
Boise
Kirsten Grove of Simply Grove
Charleston
D.C.
Rebecca + Suzanne of A Feteful Life
Kansas City
Carrie + Morgan of Ampersand Design Studios
Los Angeles
Kelly Lanza of Studio DIY
Nashville 
Salt Lake City / Provo
Kirsten Krason of 6th Street Design School
And to give you a head start on your holiday shopping, The Land of Nod would also like to extend a 15% discount on all of their products using discount code: BEEBLOG

Happy shopping!

Cristin

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Read full story By on November 25, 2013 in baby and children, Christmas, color, discounts, Entertaining, Holiday, Uncategorized

Your Invited :: Land of Nod Holiday Party San Francisco

Land of Nod Events - Holiday Party 2013 #nodeventsLand of Nod Holiday Party San Francisco Invite #nodevents

For all of you in the San Francisco area, I’d love for you to join me and Michaela as we get in the holiday spirit with Land of Nod at The Makery (fabulous studio & craft store!). There are limited spots available so be sure to RSVP now!

Hope to see you there!

Cristin

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Read full story By on November 13, 2013 in baby and children, Christmas, discounts, Entertaining, Holiday