The art of shopping and gift giving…

When I took the pictures of the outfit I had planned on wearing my necklace with my two boys but today I decided to wear a multi strand silver necklace instead. I got many compliments on the pink. I know it looks a little red on the picture but it is actually a hot pink. Very bright and it helps bring some color to the rainy days of winter. I was lucky it was sunny today so I could wear my hot pink TOMS though. Had it been raining I would have worn black shoes instead.  The sweater is nice and warm too, I just got it at Maurices. When I shop for clothes, I truly try to envision the whole outfit and I always keep the tags on the clothes until I actually wear them just in case I change my mind. Since the clothes I buy for myself are like presents to myself and I reserve the right to exchange them if necessary. There have been many times that I envisioned the outfit in the store but when I got home it did not work, so back to the store it went. I will be honest though, that most of the time that happens if I am encouraged by someone else, or the store clerk to buy it and then it really does not work for me. That is ok!!!

I would like to talk about something a little different today. I have been told many times that I am a great shopper and gift giver. I personally think I have a real gift for shopping for gifts. I try to get to know the person really well and when I shop for her or him I look for things that they would like regardless of what I like or don’t like. The gift is about the person receiving it. I have bought many things that I would have never considered buying but they were the right things for the people I was buying them for. I am not going to lie, some people are way easier than shopping for than others but I always find the right thing for them anyway. The people I have the most in common with are the easiest to shop for.  I always find lots of things for them, the ones I have less in common can be a challenge but I think I do pretty well even for them. I think if I lived in a bigger city I could have been a personal shopper. I always manage to find the right clothes for people too. It is all about getting to know them and paying a lot of attention to what they wear on a regular basis, what they talk about, their likes and dislikes. It does help he fact that I have a very good memory and remember everything I hear.

Here are some basic tips:

Sports fans: find out their favorite team and pay attention to what they already own.

Girly girls: find out their favorite color and pay attention to their style.

Men: find out if they like techie stuff, sports, clothes, wallets – you can do this by paying attention to what they talk about and make some mental notes. If you are ever out to eat with them pay attention to what they use for a wallet, is it worn out by any chance?

Facebook can be a huge help too, anything they have posted and reposted that could become a gift.

Pinterest – do they have boards? what kinds of boards? can they become gifts?

Well, hope these ideas help you shop for your loved ones this holiday season…

Thanks for reading,

Juliana