Holiday Traditions & Hickory Farms Gifts

Thanks to Hickory Farms for sponsoring today's discussion.

It's obvious that I love the holidays, with the joy that's spread through out the season and the loving times I get to spend with family - what's not to love? While hubby and I are celebrating our 7th Christmas married this year, we're still working on building traditions of our own but we both have traditions we follow with our families and those traditions truly matter to us!

This year we're going to try to make new traditions while traveling, with having to make so many stops along our journey in the midwest to see all of our family it should be an adventure. One new tradition that I'm super excited about is our little off-the-beaten-path vacation we're plotting and hopefully going to take. We'll be driving all the way home so we want to stop a few beautiful places along the way and hopefully we'll make a random stop a tradition each year. With that said, another new tradition that I love to partake in around the holidays includes giving (and receiving) food as gifts and now it includes tea parties! What better way to any person's heart than through their tummies & taste buds?!

Receiving a fancy tea party package in the mail from Hickory Farms recently was an amazing experience! With two wonderful tea selections, Belgian truffles, Pretzels, Fruit Spread, and Biscuits - I felt like I had stepped into a regal tea party the second I laid eyes on my new collection!

While I was enjoying my "biscuits" and tea, I suddenly realized I knew just the right person to surprise with a Hickory Farms box first. I decided to check out the variety of gift baskets I could send and realized I could check almost every one off of my list!

Are you a foodie wanting to celebrate the upcoming holiday the right way? I bet you are wondering where can you buy Hickory Farms for your family? Hickory Farms' food gifts are available at Holiday market locations, on HickoryFarms.com, and at most big box retailers!

Not only can you buy Hickory Farms at those locations, you can win an awesome Hickory Farms giveaway here on the blog! Simply fill out the giveaway tools form below & leave a comment completing one simple sentence, "Traditions matter because..." - I may include your quote in an upcoming post as well!

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Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Hickory Farms via MomTrends. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review and to facilitate a giveaway.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Hickory Farms. Must be 18+ to enter to win, US residents only. Lauren Paints | a beautiful life is not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prizes, all information submitted via the form is only submitted to LaurenPaints.com. 

Well, now that you've had your chance to enter to win an awesome giveaway and I've shared one of my favorite ways to treat others (and myself), I suppose it's time for you to treat yourself as well!

I'm Participating in No-Shave November: I Quit Shaving with my Flash&Go!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiftSilkn #CollectiveBias

Life is good in Florida! I suppose you could say I'm living on island time, most days, so it comes as no surprise that I love spending time at the beach whenever I get the chance. What I don't like about my islander lifestyle is constantly having to deal with my bikini line and unwanted hair, especially on days when I just want to hop on the kayak in my bikini and go... Plus, my legs always burn when they're freshly shaven and I spend time in the salt water - that's something I definitely want to avoid at all costs.

Since I want to avoid that sting, I'm participating in "No shave November" this year. While I won't be shaving, I'm clearly not going to be walking around hairy... that's just not my style. I bet you're wondering how I plan on staying hairless?

I don't have to worry about shaving all the time because I've started using the most amazing little device, the Flash&Go. What exactly is a Flash&Go? It's an innovative light-based device for permanent hair removal on the face & body, the perfect tool for a busy girl that wants a smooth body without having to put all the effort into shaving on the daily.

Plus, I no longer have to worry about pesky ingrown hairs or razor burn, a beach bum's worst nightmares! The Flash&Go is so easy to use, effective, and safe on sensitive skin, that's why I think it'll make the perfect gift for every woman, especially my besties.

How do you use the Flash&Go device? It's simple, you need to make sure your legs are freshly shaven to allow the Flash&Go's energy to go directly to the source of the problem.

Then you'll plug your Flash&Go in, set the device to the correct setting (starting with the lowest and working your way up to the desired setting). You'll place the device over the spot you want to rid of unwanted hair and hit the "trigger" button.

Once it sends a light pulse and you feel a tiny little zap, it's time to move the device using the little itty bitty guidelines (just little imprints from the device) to help you treat an area thoroughly.

That's it, just keep using the device to rid any area below your cheekbones of unwanted hair and after several treatments the hair growth stops! I should note that only gals with darker hair and lighter skin can use this device and luckily it has a sensor that helps determine if it can work on your skin or not - I love safety features like that!

Are you wanting to reward someone in your life with the gift of not shaving? Did you know you can get a Flash&Go from Kohl's and/or Bed Bath and Beyond? This FDA-cleared, Dermatologist recommended spa-like device is easily accessible for everyone and that's what makes it so amazing! Say goodbye to $2000+ hair removal treatments and start ridding your body of those pesky hairs on your knee that we all manage to skip while shaving... I know that's the FIRST spot I started my treatments on when I got my Flash&Go!

This spa-like product wants you to spread the love, so they're offering an awesome deal! First, you need to pick up a Flash&Go for yourself, then go to KeeponGifting.com and snag a $25 gift card so you can grab a Flash&Go for a friend and you'll score an entry into a giveaway for a trip to Aruba - the perfect place to show off your hairless bikini line! Want even more amazing news about that gift card? It can be used up to 3 times, offering you a total savings of $75! So what are you waiting for? Head into Kohl's or Bed Bath and Beyond and start zapping away unwanted hair today!

Once I grabbed an extra Flash&Go with my Keep On Gifting gift card, I decided I wanted to make my bestie a gift basket full of items we both love. Since she's as much of a beach bum as I am I decided to make her a beach bag full of all the essentials.

I included the Flash&Go in her bag, of course, as well as all kinds of little goodies that I knew she would love. If you want to make your best bud a beach bag that'll make her smile you will need to grab a new sparkly bikini, some citrus scented sunscreen, a rad pair of sunglasses, a pretty little white pashmina, a trendy, floral headband, frilly, lacey shorts, a fun and fancy pair of flip flops, a handful of beach towels, and a beach bag! Now she'll be all set to rock the beach all year long, with hairless legs and all the essentials a girl needs.

Now that I've shared how you and your bestie can stop shaving and participate in No-Shave November with me, I'd love to hear what you think of handy new device in the comments below! What area of your body would you choose to treat first? Who in your life would you love to gift a hair removal device to this year? Don't forget about the awesome $25 gift card from KeeponGifting.com when you decide to surprise that special person!

Look good, Do good, Feel good with Paul Mitchell: Do Your Part & Use the Hashtag #GivingIsMyStyle!

Big thanks to Paul Mitchell for sponsoring the discussion on doing good deeds today.

Great hair associated with a good cause...? I'm all about supporting people going out and doing good things in the world so when I heard about the movement Paul Mitchell® started I was more than intrigued!

An amazing brand, celebrating their commitment to living beautifully by giving back... Does that sound like someone you know...? I like to think of my blog along the same lines, so I was more than on-board when I found out that doing my part in the "giving" involved me sharing how I give on social media. Whether I'm donating gently used clothing to local charities, handing a few dollars to a homeless guy as I drive by, or just lending a hand when I see someone in need... I'm always trying to do good deeds and help those in need.

That's why Paul Mitchell and I are spreading the word! We want to help the world and we want you to help us!

How can you help? Share why or how you give back on social media with the hashtag #GivingIsMyStyle and Paul Mitchell will donate a $1 to one of six charities!

Which Charities will they donate to? Here's a little information about all six of them:

Bright Pink: Bright Pink is the only national non-profit organization that focuses on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women. We are proud to support their mission to educate, equip and empower women of all ages to be proactive with their health. @BeBrightPink

Waterkeeper Foundation: For more than 10 years, Paul Mitchell has supported Waterkeeper Alliance in their mission to protect rivers, streams, coastlines and other major waterways around the world.@Waterkeeper

Morris Animal Foundation: Morris Animal Foundation is a global leader in supporting scientific research that advances veterinary medicine. We're proud to support the organization's commitment to improving the health and quality of life for dogs, cats, horses and wildlife around the world.@Morris_Animal

Grow Appalachia: In 2010, Paul Mitchell co-founder John Paul DeJoria teamed up with Berea College to establish Grow Appalachia, a non-profit initiative that helps Appalachian families plant a healthy future. Over the last few years, the organization has produced more than 1.1 million pounds of healthy, organic food for thousands of people in five states. @GrowAppalachia

Boys & Girls Club: Paul Mitchell co-founder John Paul DeJoria grew up in an underserved Los Angeles community. During his youth, the local Boys & Girls Club provided a safe place for him to socialize, learn and grow. Today, our company is proud to give back to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and their efforts to create great futures for young people.@BGCA_Clubs

Reforest'Action: Paul Mitchell Tea Tree proudly supports Reforest'Action, an environmental organization that plants trees worldwide, in the areas where they're needed most. Join The Green Takeover and help us plant 500,000 trees by 2016.

Now that you know where the money is going and how you can do your part, it's time to take action! Grab your phone, click on over from your laptop, or use your tablet and log in to Instagram and Twitter - express yourself and share how giving is your style with the hashtag #GivingIsMyStyle!

Look good, do good, feel good w/@PaulMitchellUS. Use #GivingIsMyStyle & $1 will be donated to charity!

— Lauren Paints (@tinylittlebows) November 11, 2015

Want to learn more about the partnership? Watch this video!

Macy's Rwanda Path to Peace Baskets Help Families and Build Stronger Communities for the People of Rwanda

I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere has provided me with compensation in the form of the beautiful Baskets from Rwanda  for this post. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Since 2005 Macy's has been selling hand-crafted baskets from Rwanda, this year marks the 10 year anniversary of something truly special and they celebrated in a big way - with a Rwanda Path to Peace pre-sale on their beautiful line of baskets, hand-made by the hard-working people of Rwanda! It's hard to imagine the journey the baskets (and these women) have been on; it's as though each of these baskets is a weaving together of cultures, a reconciliation of sorts - and that's what makes these colorful baskets even more beautiful. Basket-weaving allowing former enemies to come together and make something beautiful, I'm all for a Path to Peace for Rwanda...

After the terrible events that took place in the 90's, Rwanda and Macy's are trying to focus on the future. By focusing on poverty reduction through job creation, improved incomes, access to global markets and job skill training, the women of Rwanda can help lift their family (and their entire community) out of poverty. Macy's didn't want to offer the women a "hand out", but instead wanted to assist the strong and capable women with a hand up and that's' exactly what they are still doing 10 years later...

The purchase of each item from Rwanda provides the basket weavers an opportunity to improve their quality of life and puts a one-of-a-kind craft directly into your hands, it's a win-win situation for all involved! With the basket weavers earning nearly TEN times the average Rwandan wage, it's a huge help to the families in need.

As you can imagine, each women tediously works to hand weave these baskets; with such intricate detail and a process that has been practiced in Rwanda for centuries - these baskets are truly a treasure. Each design is unique and painstakingly created from sisal and grass by women who learned to weave from their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and other maternal figures.

The project employs thousands of weavers who are organized throughout Rwanda. What's amazing about this fact is that every group consists of women from both sides of the 1994 Rwanda Genocide conflict, working side by side. This proves that anyone and everyone is capable of working together towards economic stability.

With beautiful red hues and stunning intricate patterns, I absolutely adore my new baskets and will begin collecting these baskets each year - because helping out a good cause and indulging my basket hoarding habit are two fun ways to kick off the holidays! Plus, each basket is signed by it's creator, giving me an indirect look into the life of the strong women in Rwanda.

Do you want to give a gift this year that truly gives back? Get all the details on these beautiful baskets and snag one for yourself and your favorite friend here.

Are you interested in getting your hands on the same baskets I have pictured? The red basket on the top (in the photo below) is Macy's Special Commemorative Basket, woven to represent 10 years of peace and prosperity and is absolutely beautiful. The bottom basket is the shining star fruit basket and it's absolutely stunning as well, no matter which basket you get from Macy's Rwanda Path to Peace program, I'm certain you'll love it!

Want to find more awesome gifts to give over the holidays?

Check out my holiday gift guide!

5 Items Every Couple Should Add to Their Best Buy Wedding Registry

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Weddings are always so much fun. Celebrating the joy of a couple combining their lives, there's really nothing else like seeing a couple so madly in love share something so special in front of all of their friends and family. Laughter, tears of joy, good times, even better music, even more amazing friends, and hopefully some mind-blowingly fantastic wedding cake - we all love weddings for one reason or another!

Whether your the type of bride that wants to plan every last little detail and go a little Bridezilla on her wedding party or the type of bride that hires a wedding planner and just sits back and enjoys the day, you're going to want to take control when it comes to the wedding registry. I'm not saying that your future husband shouldn't be able to help add things to the list, but I think you should probably get final say... After all - happy wife, happy life, right?
We had a wedding registry all set up and we received some amazing gifts for our wedding day way back in 2008, but I really wish I would've known that Best Buy offered a wedding registry service! We could've added things to our list that we really needed and/or wanted and I bet most of those items would still be with us today. We received a lot of things that we thought we needed, towels, plate sets, the norm... We were thankful for those items but most of them have been donated or just simply used until they couldn't be used anymore. Had we had the chance to register for appliances and electronics, amongst the other items Best Buy carries, we'd most likely still have everything we received. Think of registering at Best Buy as investment of sorts...

Another reason to register at Best Buy is their "group gift" option. Your guests can choose an amount they wish to contribute and you'll receive an e-gift card instead of a random gift you didn't really want... Hello to another reason to smile big on your wedding day! Whether you want to register for new appliances and ask all your guests to group gift the items to you or you want to add every DVD you've ever wanted, you can put whatever your heart desires on your wedding registry and your friends can be sure the gift they're giving you is perfect for you!

Today I'm going to share 5 items that every couple should have on their wedding registry... After being married for nearly 7 years (in December), I think I have a pretty good idea of what you will and won't need.

Find The Perfect Gift with Best Buy Gift Ideas + Wish Lists!

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

There's just something so special about celebrating birthdays with my loved ones! Ranging from making a cross country trip to attend my adorable niece's 2nd birthday party to planning a kayaking adventure for my husband's upcoming birthday, I'm all about doing things in a big way to help celebrate the people I love so dearly and their date of birth! I don't just like to just go on epic adventures for birthdays though, I'm also all about giving epic gifts; but as you may know, sometimes that gets hard, especially with a quirky family & group of friends!

So when I heard about Best Buy's Online Gift Experience making online shopping for everyone a little bit easier, I knew I had to check it out. They've made gift giving a breeze, with lists of great birthday items categorized and easy to shop for ‘Him’, ‘Her’, ‘Kids’, and ‘Teens’. Plus, if you are shopping by price point, they even offer lists of gifts in a range of prices from under $25 all the way up to $250+! With gifts like heart rate monitors and coffee machines to fondue sets and the best romantic comedies to date, you are bound to find something for everyone!

Maybe your shopping for the super sophisticated techie in your life that has everything already...? Best Buy even has a category for that person! You can shop their top tech gifts and find the perfect present or send a gift card via mail or e-mail and let the techie in your life find the best birthday gift ever for themselves; the choice is yours and I'm sure the gift will be much appreciated either way!

That's the thing about Best Buy, everyone can find something they just have to get their hands on!  Now that I've shared why Best Buy is the best place to shop for any birthday celebration, I'd love to know what you will be adding to your Best Buy wish list?

Go ahead and make a list of all the epic techie stuff you need and let me know what you want the most in the comments below! I may be making my wish list currently; after all, my birthday is only 5 months and 3 weeks away! *snicker*

Creative {and Inexpensive} Father's Day Gift Ideas with Walmart Family Mobile

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #Save4Summer #CollectiveBias

With Father's Day right around the corner, I've been contemplating some fun ways to remind dad that he's loved. I have a couple of awesome father figures in my life: my Dad and my Father-in-law (as well as an awesome Cajun step Father-in-law but we'll talk more about him another time). Both my Dad and my husband's Dad have taught me so much!

My Dad taught me things like how to play golf and speak french and my Father-in-law taught me how to handle my self-employment finances and what southern hospitality really means. They both are so amazing and so unique and I miss them so much on days like Father's Day! Almost all of our family is back in the Midwest, so when holidays that are all about celebrating together come around it makes us wish that we could convince everyone just to move to Florida!

Since that won't be happening any time soon, I'm happy to share that I just upgraded my phone to a Alcatel One Touch Pop Astro from Walmart Family Mobile! Now we can all stay connected no matter where we are, at just 29.88/month for the first line! Plus, with unlimited talk, text, and data, we won't have any worries about overages or extra charges!

Now that I've figured out that we can wish them both a Happy Father's Day face-to-face with Skype on my new phone, hubby and I have been wracking our brains trying to come up with a fun way to remind the three of them how much we love them. Then I realized I could use my new phone to make each of them something awesome!

For My Dad, I kept it simple and sweet. I made a photo collage of all of us (my sister, brother-in-law, and niece as well as my hubby and I) reminding him how much we love him!

To create this all I did was text my sister and have her send me over a few pictures, then hubs and I took our own and I combined them all in a photo collage app I downloaded!

For My Father-in-law I made a video of all of us, smiling and reminding him how much we love him as well!

L ❤️ V E!!!!! Over #ontheblog I'm sharing how I made creative and inexpensive gifts (like this fun family video) for two pretty nifty Dads in my life using my new @Walmart #FamilyMobile phone! #FathersDay #lovehome #family #ad #nothingisordinary

A video posted by Lauren Paints (@sunkissed_sweetheart) on Jun 16, 2015 at 9:05pm PDT

This video was a bit more time consuming and I actually used my computer to edit some of the video... but it's relatively easy to make a video with any of the video creator apps found on the android play market, just like this one!

If you don't have the time to put together a video or a collage... some awesome ideas that you can buy directly from your cell phone include: Groupons, e-books, e-gift cards, and more! I love shopping on my phone and I'm so happy that I'm able to treat each of the father figures in my life to something nice this year.

Now that I've shared a few awesome ways to easily make your dad something meaningful, I'd love to hear how you plan to surprise your dad on Father's Day?


Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please click here for more information or visit your local Walmart for current pricing.

The Perfect Gift for a Superhero Dad: Nautica Life {+ a Giveaway}

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NauticaforDad #CollectiveBias

I remember as a kid I was convinced my dad was a real life superhero. He would come home and it would feel like he saved the day just by being there with me. I also remember that he traveled a lot during different parts of my life, always for work, but I thought it was because he was off saving the world.

I can recall the handful of times he went on my girl scout trips and having my Mr. Mom with me made me the coolest girl on the trip, every time! He played games, helped me learn, and helped me grow into the person I am today in so many different ways.

I have a distinct memory of him lecturing me about school when I was about 13. I brought home my first really bad grade and he was so unhappy with me. He sat down and explained that my middle school and high school years were laying the "foundation" for my education. I think he actually spent almost that entire year encouraging me to really absorb what I was learning in school and wanting me to succeed so badly that we spent hours doing extra credit projects so that I would get a better grade; these are two memories that I reflect back on often, I cherish the advice he gave me and the time he spent with me.

Things haven't always been perfect though, we both know that. We went through rough patches where we didn't really understand each other, I guess that's just part of growing up.

We've been through periods of time where we didn't talk much, but I always knew he loved me. No matter what, he's been there when I really needed him and for that I'm so grateful. He's helped me more than I could ever even begin to explain.

He's worked hard through out my life, always achieving new feats and staying so disciplined through out his career. He inspires me to constantly keep learning, he inspires me to grow into a better person. He simply inspires me.

While he still may have some superhero qualities, the fact that I'm an adult now means that I've come to the realization that he is really just a normal person, just like the rest of us, just like every parent. While he may have made a few mistakes (hey, we all do)...  That doesn't change a thing, I still want him to know he's a superhero in my eyes and always will be!

My superhero only deserves the best so when I was shopping for something he would like at Macy's, I was certain I found the right gift when I found this handsomely scented Nautica Life Gift Set while browsing the cologne section. Nautica Life celebrates the lifelong journey of love with a refined blend of uplifting freshness, mysterious aromatics, and seductive woods - the perfect cologne for a superhero!

I'm so thankful for my Dad, my superhero, and everything he does for me. Surprising him with a Nautica Life gift set is the perfect way to spoil him. I'd love to hear, how do you plan on showing your Pops your appreciation on Father's Day this year?

Don't miss your chance to win big this year (for you and Dad)! One lucky winner will win a $4000 Cruise Vacation Package and Five second place winners will receive an awesome Nautica Fragrance Gift Package! Enter with the giveaway form below for your chance to win:

Nautica for Dad