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Wow, we are now officially in the second quarter of the year! This year is flying by and that’s why I wanted to use my monthly finds post this month to review the Christmas gifts I purchased so far this year! My hope is that you are following along and are buying one gift a month for your Christmas gift recipients (my fingers are crossed over here!). Doing monthly shopping will help your holiday season go by much easier. You don’t need to spend so much money during one month of the year, you can spread it out throughout the year—and, you are crossing people off your list early! Hopefully that spiel has convinced you, if not with any luck the gifts I’ve gotten below will help get your wheels turning on what to start buying (NOW!). NEIGHBORS For my neighbors this year I purchased these ornament candles and I am pairing them cute Christmas matches. These festive Zodax candles are on super sale right now so I suggest you go pick them up! These are perfect for any group of people you have to shop for including neighbors, teachers, and coworkers. They are large in size and small in price, that is what you’re looking for when you need to buy a batch of gifts for a group of people. At the time of this post these candles are marked down from $9.99 to $4.99. Pair them with these matches and you have a great gift! At the time of this post these candles are $7.90 for 8 matchboxes. That is under $6 for a gift, when you wrap these up in a beautiful box and ribbon, everyone is going to think you paid at least $30 for this gift. I don’t care what amazing sales happen this Christmas, you can’t beat that! MOTHER IN LAW I’m looking to spoil my Mother-In-Law this Christmas! She is always on the go, always on her feet so I am gifting her these luxury lotions with these matching socks so she can pamper herself. These lotions were on Oprah’s favorite things last year so they are Oprah approved! Paired with these cute socks that match the boxes, they are going to make a great gift. You can also break this set up and give one tube of lotion with a matching set of socks to several gift recipients on your list! Pro Tip: Shop Oprah’s Favorite Things lists from past years. The items are still so good, but the inventory is so much better. Once Oprah puts an item on her Favorite Things List, they tend to sell out, but the items from the previous year or years are usually back and stock and ready to ship. This way, you get a highly recommended gift, without the stress of fighting off other customers for stock! FATHER My father likes the finer things when it comes to wine, but he’s also no stranger to a McDonalds drive thru! So when I saw this book, I knew it was the perfect gift! This unique wine pairing book illustrates how to pair the fanciest of wines with the most frugal food options. I love it! Paired with a nice bottle of wine and of course a gift certificate to McDonalds, this is the perfect gift! I hope this has convinced you to start shopping early, and if you have already started shopping, let me know in the comments below or message me on Instagram: @veryhappymerry. Very Happy Gifting! … VHM

Sometimes we get stuck in a routine and it can be hard to keep the excitement for everyday activities. Changing things up keeps you on your toes and adds a little excitement to your month! These activities are great to do on your own, with a friend or a significant other. 1. Treat Yourself to Flowers It’s Spring and all over the country flowers are in bloom! Treat yourself to some beautiful flowers this spring season and bring a smile to your face and some life to your home. Splurge on flowers from your favorite florist or build your own beautiful bouquet with some grocery store flowers and a little how-to help from this post! 2. Spring Cleaning Spring also means it’s time to clean and refresh. It’s spring cleaning time, so pick your favorite cleaner, put on your favorite tunes or podcast and deep clean your home. I know, I know, this might not be your favorite activity but you will SO good after you clean the baseboards you’ve been putting off. Or imagine how delighted you’ll feel when you finally dust that bookshelf! That feeling is reason to push through the cleaning. Get a great smelling cleaner to make it an aromatic experience and you’ll enjoy it even more! 3. Get a Mother's Day Head Start I always love to push you to look ahead and get a jump start on your gift giving so let’s look to next month! Have you gotten your Mother a present for Mother’s Day yet? If not, start thinking about what you’ll get her and what you’ll do to celebrate her. What about the mother of your children, what about the other motherly figures in your life who have given you a shoulder to cry on or motherly advice? How are you celebrating all the ladies in your life? 4. Sunscreen Shopping As the warm weather comes, we all want to spend more time outside. Let’s have that time be safe and protected with some sunscreen! It’s time to check your stock of sunscreen—do you have enough, do you have any, is it expired? Maybe it’s time buy a new bottle for a new season. What’s better than an excuse to browse Sephora for body sunscreen, facial sunscreen or even a little makeup with an SPF? 5. Road Trip If you haven’t planned a big vacation for this year, it could be time to think small and stay closer to home. A spring road trip could be just what’s needed! Depending on where you’re located look at a map and do some Google searches about what’s within a 3-6 hour drive of you for a weekend getaway! Find new ways to enjoy your month and remember to celebrate everyday! ... VHM

Do you keep gifts in your house that aren’t for anyone but that are around just-in-case? Just in case you forget a special occasion, just in case you don’t have time to grab a gift on the way to a party, just in case money is tight and you have to buy a gift you didn’t plan for? Some people have a “gift closet” where they keep items that will make a great gift to grab and go. If you don’t have a gift closet, gift shelf, or a gift drawer, let me start your collection out with an extremely versatile gift: coasters! If you’re thinking that coasters are a boring gift, let me assure you that they are not! They are available in so many colors and styles that there is truly an option for anyone. Coasters are a good gift to keep around because they can be easily paired to make a GREAT gift. Coasters + Home Décor Book = Housewarming Gift Coasters + Bottle of Wine = Hostess Gift Coasters + Whiskey Stones = Father’s Day Gift Coasters + Champagne + Orange Juice = Birthday Gift Coasters + Glasses + Decanter = Wedding Gift Truly, they are great for any occasion! Below are great options to start your gift closet or add to it: These coasters make it easy to stay prepared for any gifting occasion or be ready for a get together at your place! Very Happy Gifting! … VHM

Ok, you’ve gotten all of your treats in order and you’re ready to assemble your basket but you need a little guidance—don’t worry! We’re here to help. You’ve already tackled half the battle let’s just get your great gifts looking gorgeous! Step 1: Grab all of your Gifts Have all of your gifts all laid out in front of you and available. This makes assembling the basket much easier so you don’t have to run around the house looking for the gifts you purchased. Step 2: Gather Your Materials What you’ll need is the actual basket itself, paper stuffing, paper shred, ribbon or twine, cellophane plastic gift wrap and sharp scissors. Step 3: Add Stuffing Start by adding paper stuffing to your basket. Add the crinkled paper to the bottom of the basket. This paper doesn’t have to be anything fancy, this can be crumbled newspaper if you have it! The paper stuffing should fill the basket up at least halfway. This allows the gifts to be seen in the basket and sit up high, versus being hidden by the basket itself. Step 4: Add Paper Shred Add a layer of paper shred to your basket, on top of the paper stuffing. This gives the gifts a nice bed to sit on that looks visually appealing while also giving adding stability for the gifts on as you place them in the basket. Step 5: Add Your Gifts Now it’s time to add your gifts! Yay! Add your gifts to the basket in an attractive way. I like to add the largest or tallest item to the basket first. I usually add this to the back center of the basket and arrange the rest of the gifts, by descending height, on either side. Imagine an equilateral triangle in the back row of your basket. Now that the triangle is in place, add gifts in the foreground of the basket and triangle—these should be shorter smaller gifts. A little overlap is perfectly fine, but as long as the gifts in front aren’t taller than the gift in back, your basket will look great. Step 6: Wrap in Cellophane After every last gift has been added to the basket, it’s time wrap the basket in cellophane. For this step you will need the cellophane, ribbon or twine and sharp scissors. Move the filled basket off the surface you’re working on for a moment while you lay out the cellophane. I always find with cellophane you need more than you think, so allow for a lot of space. After you roll out the cellophane, but before you cut it to size, place your Easter basket in the center of the rolled out cellophane. With the basket in the very center, make sure the ends of the plastic can come up and touch each other. You’ll not only want the ends to touch each other but you’ll also want to have at least six inches of additional cellophane length, beyond where the plastic meets at the top of the basket. This allows for that beautiful plume of plastic at the top of the Easter basket! If your basket is large enough or an odd shape, you might need to do this twice, if so follow this step for the basket’s length and width so you’ll have two sheets of cellophane. Step 7: Cut and Tie Now that you have enough cellophane to cover the entire basket, gather all ends of the cellophane at above the top of the basket. With one end of your twine or ribbon in hand, pull each side of cellophane as tight as you can to rest on top of the basket handle or of the tallest gift. Wrap the ribbon or twine around your handful of plastic and tie a knot or a bow. If you have enough dexterity, tie a beautiful bow. If not, tie an initial knot or ribbon or twine to contain all of the cellophane pieces. Then go back and trim the ends of the knot and tie a beautiful bow over knot. (Optional) Step 8: Heat the Cellophane For smaller baskets, you’re probably good to go and good to gift after step 7! For larger baskets you might be ok to stop at step 7 as well. But if you had to use more than one sheet of cellophane and you want to clean up some of the additional folds of plastic around the bottom of your basket you can do one of two things: Option one, you can use a blow dryer to turn the cellophane to shrink wrap around the bottom of the basket. The heat will make the plastic shrink down into a tighter, crinkled silhouette. Start with the blow dryer on the lowest heat and far away from the basket. Gradually move closer to the basket while not burning the plastic. Going slow will help you get an idea of how the plastic is crinkling and the direction to angle the blow dryer. Option two, if you’re worried about how the crinkle will look after the blow dryer, an easier option is to wrap a wide ribbon around the basket to hide some of those cellophane folds. This option is easier since the effect of the heat on the cellophane is harder to control if you’re newer at this technique. Hopefully these steps will give you the confidence to create your own gift baskets for any time of year! Very Happy Gift Baskets! … VHM

So you’ve gotten your Easter plans written in stone and the day is planned out! You’re attending a beautiful Easter meal at a friend’s or family member's home and you can’t wait to dive into all of the holiday goodies! But do you have a lovely gift to thank them for hosting this event and feeding you (and maybe your family as well)? Don’t worry! I’ve got you covered, here are some great gift ideas for the Easter hostess! TEA SET I love this tea set as a hostess gift because it’s the perfect gift to say, thank you for doing all of this work here is a little gift for you that will help you relax when all of the festivities are over! This simply beautiful tea cup, paired with ten tea infusers is such a nice way to show your gratitude! WINE CHILLER If you were already planning on bringing wine to the party anyway, why not bring it over in this lovely hostess gift? This elegant wine chiller will keep a bottle of wine chilled for hours! Don’t be surprised if your wine is opened immediately upon receipt! CAKE PLATE I love giving a cake plate, especially if you were asked to bring a dessert! Bringing a cake, pie, cupcakes or cookies in a stunning display dish, that you won’t have to worry about bringing home with you is an excellent way to give the gift of dessert AND the plate! Whether you’re hosting the Easter festivities this year and want to add a few items to your own party collection or are giving these items to the hostess-with-the-mostess, I hope you have a great Easter! Very Happy Easter! … VHM

What’s Easter without an Easter egg hunt? The fun of searching, scouring and finding the treasure hidden inside Easter eggs is a holiday highlight, for sure! But what about the adults in the room? Do you miss the fun of finding Easter eggs and treasure hunting? Fear not, we have a solution. An adult Easter egg hunt of course. After the kids find all of their eggs, filled with candy, dollars and cents, it’s time to fill up your eggs with adult goodies and hide them for friends to find. Need ideas for what to fill your adult eggs with? We’re posting great ideas for Easter egg fill starting with the eggs for the ladies in your life. EGGS First, you’ll need some “grown-up” eggs. For this egg hunt let’s skip the smaller eggs that are normally filled for children’s Easter egg hunts. These eggs from Target are larger than your average Easter egg. They’re perfect for filling with girly treats for the women in your life. FILL Now that you’ve gotten a decent size egg to fill, it’s time to add some treasures! For these eggs we went with these Voluspa candles that are small and macaron shaped. They are delightfully sweet smelling and come in perfect, spring pastel colors. With their petite stature they fit nicely into these large Easter eggs. TREATS You can’t have an Easter egg without having a sweet treat inside! And what delicious treat pairs nicely with a macaroon candle… a macaron cookie! Sweet and delicious, they are available in so many colors and flavors from your local bakery. These I purchased from the bakery in Whole Foods in colors and flavors to match the candles. Now that you have the key components of an adult Easter egg, the possibilities are endless! Here we’ve broken up a set of candles and matched them with macaroon cookies but you can add almost anything small to these eggs. Break up a lipstick set and pair it with lipstick chocolates or Hershey kisses! Grab pretty nail polishes and pair them with painted chocolates. All of these options would be great for an adult Easter egg hunt! Very Happy Easter! … VHM

Easter is almost here! If you haven’t gotten your Easter act together yet, here are a few premade, ready to ship Easter gifts to add to your holiday, but hurry because shipping windows are closing. SHERRIES BERRIES Chocolate covered strawberries are a sweet treat for any occasion, but these bunny and carrot decorated strawberries are perfect for Easter. Whether you’re sending them to a loved one or adding them to your Easter table, they are sure to delight! MOUTH.COM Mouth is a go-to source for food gifts and this Easter in a Box, box does not disappoint. This is a great gift for anyone who can’t make it to your Easter celebration or for a host of another Easter celebration that you can’t make it to. This shippable Easter basket substitute contains adorably packaged treats that will make your recipient happy and hungry! COMPARTES If you’re looking for gourmet chocolate, look no further than Compartes! If you’re looking to impress anyone this Easter may I suggest this chocolate Easter basket. Yes, you read it read that right, an edible, chocolate Easter basket! The basket is edible, as are the treats that fill this basket. You’re welcome! These gifts will make a statement whether you’re sending them to your favorite friend or family member or keeping them for yourself to adorn your own Easter table! Very Happy Easter! … VHM

Easter is so much fun, big family meals, egg hunts and let’s not forget Easter baskets! Filling up a basket with a child’s favorite Easter candy and spring treats is almost akin to Christmas in April! But let’s get everyone in on the springtime spirit! For the ladies in your life a sweet treat on Easter would be a springtime self-care basket. A great selection of goodies that will spoil and pamper her would be a great Easter surprise for any friend, sister, mother or mother-in-law. Here’s what’s included: CANDLE For this basket I chose this candle. If you’re working with a color scheme choose any beautiful candle that smells and looks great. For this self-care basket you’ll want something that puts them in a relaxed mood. SLIPPERS Speaking of relaxing, fluffy slippers are the cherry on top of any cozy, relaxing outfit. Gift them a cute pair of slippers to put their old, beat up bunny slippers to rest! I purchased these slippers but these are also great! WINE It’s wine-o’clock somewhere, and that’s what time it will be when you give her this basket! Let her linger in luxury with lovely libations. SWEET TREAT No Easter basket is complete without sweets! Whether it’s cookies, candies or the ever popular peeps, add a little sweet to this sweet basket. BODY CARE For this basket I included hand cream, body scrub and body lotion to add some body care to this self care! Any additions like a bubble bath, bath salts or a bath bomb would also be perfect in this basket. Combine some selection of these items and you will definitely make someone’s Easter! Very Happy Gifting! … VHM

What’s Easter without an Easter egg hunt? The fun of searching, scouring and finding the treasure hidden inside Easter eggs is a holiday highlight, for sure! But what about the adults in the room? Do you miss the fun of finding Easter eggs and treasure hunting? Fear not, we have a solution. An adult Easter egg hunt of course. After the kids find all of their eggs, filled with candy, dollars and cents, it’s time to fill up your eggs with adult goodies and hide them for friends to find. Need ideas for what to fill your adult eggs with? We’ve posted great ideas for Easter egg fill starting with the eggs with the ladies in your life but now let's get to the guys! EGGS First, you’ll need some “grown-up” eggs. For this egg hunt let’s skip the smaller eggs that are normally filled for children’s Easter egg hunts. These eggs from Target are larger than your average Easter egg. They’re perfect for filling with great treats for the men in your life. FILL Now that you’ve gotten a decent size egg to fill, it’s time to add some treasures! For these eggs we went with Gentleman Jack minis. Give him a little whiskey to wet his whistle, with their petite stature they fit nicely into these large Easter eggs. TREATS You can’t have an Easter egg without having a sweet treat inside! And what delicious treat pairs nicely with whiskey... chocolate! Sweet and delicious, any chocolate would go nicely but I've added Ferrero Rocher chocolates to my egg. You can find these at your local grocer or drug store. Now that you have the key components of an adult Easter egg, the possibilities are endless! Here we’ve paired whiskey and chocolate but you can add almost anything small to these eggs. Pair some hot sauce mins and crackers for a yummy snack Easter egg. These options would be great for an adult Easter egg hunt! Very Happy Easter! … VHM

Easter is so much fun, big family meals, egg hunts and let’s not forget Easter baskets! Filling up a basket with a child’s favorite Easter candy and spring treats is almost akin to Christmas in April! But let’s get everyone in on the springtime spirit! We’ve already shown you how to create an Easter basket for the ladies in your life, perfect for a little springtime self-care, but don’t think we forgot about the guys! We’re put together a curated and caffeinated selection of goodies for the guys. Here’s what’s included: COFFEE + COFFEE SCOOP For this basket I picked up a bag of Peets Coffee, but feel free to grab your recipients’ favorite brand and roast. I paired it with a cute scoop to portion out the coffee grounds. FRENCH PRESS If you have great coffee, you’ve got to have a great way to make it. It might seem old school but it’s worth it! MUG + THERMOS After the coffee is made, he’s got to put it in something right? So add either a mug or a thermos if he’s on the go, or hey add both like I did here! SWEET TREAT No Easter basket is complete without sweets! Whether it’s cookies, candies or the ever popular peeps, add a little sweet to this sweet basket. Combine some selection of these items and you will definitely make someone’s Easter! Very Happy Gifting! … VHM

Little trinket and decorative boxes make great gifts for any occasion. You can find these stunning boxes at any home décor, vintage shop or flea market. Finding a great box is easy, you just have to keep your eye out for stunning materials such as marble, alabaster or stone. Or unique patterns and shapes also make great gifts. So why do I think that that these boxes are such a great gift? Because it is one of those beautiful things that we all love and admire but that we’d never buy for ourselves. These boxes look amazing on a coffee table or on a shelf in an etagere while providing chic storage for trinkets, television remote controls, phone chargers or keys. The best part of giving these boxes is twofold, you can give them as a gift itself or you can fill them with another gift! Beautiful jewelry, a watch, an engraved pen or another keepsake would all be gifted in such a lovely way in one of these boxes. After you’ve decided whether to give just the box or add something special inside, you now can decide weather to wrap it or just tie a ribbon around it. These boxes already look stunning so wrapping is optional! These boxes are a great go-to to make gifting easy. Give the gift of chic storage or add a little more! Very Happy Gifting! … VHM

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! On a day when everyone is feeling lucky, I want to remind you on how to stay lucky… Stay prepared. We’re almost through the first quarter of the year which means we are getting closer to Christmas! I know, I know, it seems like a long way off but it comes faster than you think. If you’re following along my plan of buying one gift a month then that means you have three gifts under your belt already. Great job, keep it up! You should be starting with purchases for the most distant relationships and working your way through to closer relationships. This helps keep your ideas fresh for you loved ones that might mention great gift ideas in conversation. But for those you don’t converse with on a daily basis, you can get great gifts early. These might be your neighbors, mailman, in-laws etc., just getting a few people off the list will really come in handy this December. If you haven’t started at all, I urge you to download my gifting spreadsheet and start jotting down some ideas! Spending an hour just thinking about a few people in your life can help yield some ideas. Were you talking to your mom the other day and did she mention anything that might be a good gift? Here are some ways to start brainstorming. If you’re looking for a source of inspiration, let this site be your guide! Just because a gift is listed on a Valentine’s Day Gift Guide, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t make a killer Christmas gift too! Go through the posts on this site and look for great gifts regardless of the occasion. Christmas is coming (cue the dramatic music: bum, bum, buuuuum)! But really, it will be here before you know it and you don’t want to save everything to the last minute. We know that last minute needs will inevitably come up during the holidays. That’s why it’s smart to get what you can get done, finished and out of the way. When you admire those who have it all together during the holidays, and you think, “they are so lucky!” Remember, luck favors the prepared—be prepared. Very Happy Gifting! … VHM