Annie's Favorite Things Gift Guide

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Raise your hand if you used to anxiously tune in to the Oprah Winfrey Show everyday near the end of November in anticipation of it being the "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode. You never knew what day it would air, and neither would the guests in the crowd, until Oprah and her elves would announce it was OPRAH'S. FAVORITE. THINGS!!!! Cue the crowd going wild because they knew they were about to rake in loads of presents that made it on Oprah's Favorite's list. I remember being in middle school turning the TV on at 4PM and going crazy when it would be this special episode. 

Oprah makes a list of her favorite things and then gives everyone in the audience one of each of those things. Ranging in price anywhere from $30 to $3,000+! RIP the Oprah Winfrey Show and long live the year when she gave everyone their very own VW Bug. "You get a car! You get a car!" 

I wanted to curate a gift guide for the blog this year. Inspired by Oprah, I bring you, Annie's Favorite Things! These are all things I own and love and want you to know about. They range in price and genre, fitting for stocking stuffers to nicer gifts.

Click through the gallery below to shop the items on my list!

A little background: my Le Cruset makes me feel like Ina Garten (and yes mine is pink), these coil hair ties are everything and give you the perfect perky pony, I love my mini SCOUT wallet, it's perfect for going day to night (disclosure this isn't the exact one I have but they don't sell mine anymore).

The CocoKind Matcha stick is a magic dry skin healer/under eye de-puffer, this MAC lipstick in TWIG is my everyday/every night color. I love changing my Cinema Lightbox for the holidays or with different sayings, these Dolce Vita boots are maybe my most worn thing I've ever bought, the My Little Steamer is a must for every girl, peppermint essential oil gets doused over my forehead when I have a head ache, all over my tummy when I'm bloated and goes into my smoothies for a seasonal boost.

Rails plaid shirts are the softest shirts ever. I proudly own two and I'm flipping out over these pajamas they have this year. The Nutri Ninja is my most used kitchen gadget and makes perfect single size smoothies and protein shakes, these gray sneaks from Target are my best kept secret, the Healthy Human tumblers are a chic version of a Yeti and what I drink my water and smoothies and tea from errrrryday, keeps them ice cold or piping hot. Lastly this is the best (and cheapest) dry shampoo ever just make sure you get it in the "fresh" scent.

You get a Rails shirt, you get a Dolce Vita Over the Knee boot, you get a My Little Steamer!

Happy Holidays!
Annie

Spring Scouting

Hi spring! You are welcomed here with open arms. If you are like me you are so ready for some fresh new spring clothes and products. I'm at that point where I wake up to get ready and everything in my closet is so tired and blah. I'm ready for bright spring colors to come back into my life. A few ways I'm copying with my dreary winter duds is by adding a little color through my bags and accessories. My dear friends at Scout are fueling this fire with their bright and stylish spring line. 

If you know me or have read this blog at all over the past few years, you know my love for Scout and how I spent a summer interning for them. Cue my D.C. Diary posts if you need a recap. They recently launched their new spring collection and I am falling hard for it. The styles are perfectly crafted and the designs are chic as ever. 

My absolute favorite bag/pattern from the new collection is the Golden Girl Grande in Diamond Ink. It has been toted all around town with me the past couple weeks. It's the perfect bag for happy hour drinks or a night out, but casual enough for breakfast with friends. I love a good clutch because you can always throw it into your larger bag and still have everything you need with out having to switch from bag to bag. 

I rounded up more of my favorite styles in my favorite new patterns. Click through to start scouting out your new spring pieces! Take a minute or two to notice each pattern name and bag description. The crew at Scout HQ is insanely witty! They kill me with their punny names such as Fleetwood Black and Reef Witherspoon.  

The BJ Bag // Duffy //  3-Way // Sprit Chillah // Original Deano // Golden Girl Grande // Golden Girl Medio // Pleasure Chest // Trash Cache // Carry'All Bin // Big Draw // Bacall // Nooner // Hang-10 // Two Plate Special // Junque Trunk

Scout is constantly creating and designing more and more functional bags to fit every nitch of your life. From the office to the gym, to your lunch hour to backyard cookouts, to moving to a new house to just taking a weekend trip. When I think they've done it all, they do it again. Hence why my collection is ever growing. Below is just a glimpse at my personal collection, junque trunks, trash cache, deano, 3-way and hang-10 not pictured... #scoutbags #myscoutbag #SCOUTern.

Annie

What I Think is a Legit Gift Guide

I love a good gift guide, I think I've mentioned this before. Emily, Liz, Julia, Meg and Katie, all have some great ones, but honestly, I don't think I've ever actually bought something I saw on a gift guide. They are all so cute, but usually filled with your run of the mill standard gift ideas. 

I've put together a few of my favorite things, some goodies I've found around the web, and a few things I'm actually gifting this year. Hopefully this gift guide is worth your time and helps spark some ideas for your own gift giving needs! 

1. Scout 3-Way Bag ($22). I have this bag and it is fabulous. It fits all of my toiletries and makeup when I travel. I love how the separate compartments keep my lotion from spilling all over my blush brush etc. 

2. Blue Eye Brown Eye calligraphy set ($60).  Lauren from BEBE calligraphy is my girl! I've taken her class twice and she taught me so much. You can now buy her beginner set and do on online class via Brit+Co.

3. Slouchy pom pom beanie ($9).  The perfect gift for friends or roommates! 

4. Yeah...ImmaEatThat black bean brownie mix ($9). I already bought a few of these mixes. I saved one for myself and sent two to my foodie friends Molly and Savannah. I made the brownies yesterday and they are incredibly fudgy and delicious (and healthy!) 

5. Gold ear buds ($9). For all those people getting the new iPhone 6 for Christmas, 1. I'm jealous 2. these would be perfect for them. 

  

6. Moscow Mule mugs ($17). A hot item this Christmas, but these hammered copper ones are my favorite!

7. Fujifilm instant camera ($100). In our generation of having to take a picture of everything, I'm all about this instant/polaroid camera. 

  

8. Beaded by W tassel necklaces ($30). You've heard me gush about my girl Whitney, but her necklaces make the perfect gift! Email her at beadedbyw@gmail.com to get your order in before Christmas. 

  

9. Olivia Pope wine glasses ($15). Perfect for your wino/Scandal obsessed friend or family member. 

10. Evelyn Henson iPhone cases ($34). I've posted about her prints, but I'm kind of squealing over her phone cases. 

Happy gift giving! 

Annie

D.C. Diary: The Sequel

My adventure with D.C. didn't end this summer. Before I left I had already booked a ticket to go back a month later. The excuse for my visit was to attend the 10th anniversary of Go Bo, an amazing night full of food, friends, fun and most importantly, giving back. More on Go Bo here.

Friday morning included a much need visit with all of my SCOUT peeps, then that afternoon I got to hang out with the Georgetown University Grilling Society (GUGS). My friend I was staying with currently goes to Georgetown and talked all summer about how amazing these burgers are. The fact that they have a grilling club is legit, and their burgers are even more legit. I think I was the only there in a skirt, but I salted and sauced those burgers like a pro.

Took a darn big bite out of that GUGS burger and loved every minute of it. Full and happy, it was time to start primping for the party. 

The theme for Go BO this year was tacky wedding. From the Jordan almonds to ranch dressing fountain and numerous amounts of taffeta, everything was tacky to a T. My boss sure knows how to throw a party.

The whole event was held outside under a huge wedding tent. The fabulous band led to me dancing and sweating, and more dancing and sweating, for the majority of the night. 

'Twas the best night, with the best people, all for a great cause!

Now for some DC dining. I hadn't planned anything, very surprising, especially to myself. This summer I had reservations weeks in advance, but this time I was just so excited to get back I hadn't really thought about it. 

This doesn't mean I didn't treat myself to some fabulous district eats. Saturday brunch on 14th street with my girl Sav and Sunday brunch in Gtown with my little piece of home, Jillian. Savannah and I interned together and Jillian is my old family friend who is currently residing in D.C. 

Party-going on Friday and brunching on Saturday, left Sunday for an afternoon of exploring. My favorite part of D.C. is the scenery. I could walk the streets of Georgetown for hours snapping pictures of the beautiful row houses.

I just can't get enough of these old, painted shuttered, brick homes. Please o' please let me live in one of you someday.

'Till next time D.C.

Annie

Bites of My Life

-Ready for fall, but holding on to summer by snacking on a big juicy watermelon.

-Can't wait to dig into this cookbook c/o Blogging for Books!

-A getaway weekend back to D.C. calls for nothing but SCOUT bags to help me pack!

-So Georgetown U. has this incredible grilling club; I'm tossing around the idea of bringing it to OU because it is just too wonderful. I pretended to be a Georgetown student on Friday so I could chow down on one of their incredible GUGS (Georgetown University Grilling Society) burgers. 

-One tacky bridesmaid coming up! I've always loved a good theme party. 

-#GOBO2014, the point of my trip back to D.C. Best night getting dressed up in ridiculous outfits, eating and drinking tacky themed wedding food, and dancing and sweating with the SCOUT team.

-My free birthday drink. LOL at the time I signed up to be a gold member a few Septembers ago and thought it would be convenient to get a free drink that week. Starbucks does not let you change when you say your birthday is, so now I celebrate in May and September.

-MASA 14 brunch. Favorite area of D.C. and favorite meal of the weekend. Curry potato pancake, sautéed spinach, poached egg and chipotle hollandaise. 

-Sunday brunch at a Cafe Bonaparte. A frenchie spot in Gtown I wanted to try all summer. My egg and sausage crepe was the perfect finale to my weekend in the district; followed by shopping on M St. and picking up goodies from Trader Joe's and Baked and Wired!

A weekend well spent in my favorite place. Now for a week of sticking my nose in my school books to get caught up!

Annie

p.s. A return of D.C. Diary is happening tomorrow!