My favorite things

My card exchange group was tonight. This group has been so fun to be a part of. I love that through the group I still get to see some of my favorite people from my old neighborhood, my best friend from high school, my best friend from across the street and my two sisters. It is definitely a diverse group! Love too that we can see each other just every other month and we easily fall back into conversation and laughs.

Our assignment tonight in additional to making cards was to bring a basket of your five favorite things to exchange with someone else’s five favorite things. I am such a material girl—there are easily thousands of things I could count as favorites, so thought as of January 2010 what things are really speaking to me. Here is what I came up with:

One ~ The Perfect Bath

I have loved taking baths since before I can remember. My Mom would order us to take a bath growing up if we felt tired, professed depression, couldn’t sleep, get warm, etc., so it is kind of my go to winter stress reliever. Next to a really good workout, a great bath can put me in a really clear frame of mind. I feel like I get some of my best ideas just being alone without phones ringing or people constantly needing me.

I love listening to music pretty much anytime and anywhere, so had to put together a playlist of some of my favorite quiet tunes. I also love a huge liter of partially frozen water to offset the steamy heat. Put a bottle of water in the freezer a few hours before your bath. Yum. I also love a huge stack of magazines, catalogues, books and my Kindle. Included a Vogue as this month’s gave me a lot of creative inspiration. Lastly, you have to have a great bubble bath. I am really partial to the 3 in 1 products from philosophy. Spicy Gumdrop and Candy Cane are my go to scents right now. Mash them up for icy heat goodness.

Two ~Traveling

So anyone that reads my blog, befriends me on Facebook or follows me on Twitter knows that I have been obsessing non -stop about my upcoming trip to Paris. I have been dreaming about going for years since my first Art History class in high school. I am heading to the City of Lights in March for my first overseas trip. I am envisioning the art, the outdoor bistros, the pastries, the cheese, the Metro, the chocolate, the architecture, the language and positively swooning over it all. So, had to include a small silver replication of the Eiffel Tower.

Three~York Peppermint Patties

Cold York Peppermint Patties could be one of the greatest treats on the planet. I usually have a small stash of them hidden in the fridge away from my family. They really need to be the full size ones though to get the perfect proportion of the dark chocolate to the mint. And, they really must be cold.

Four~L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Hand Cream

Discovered this the first time I stayed at a Four Seasons. These are their toiletry products (another reason staying at a Four Seasons is beyond pampering). It is hands down the best hand lotion you can find anywhere. It is a combination of shea butter, honey and almond and jaw dropping wonderfulness. Plus, it comes in the most beautiful little silver tube (I really love great packaging, LOL). I have a tube in every purse I own.

Five ~ Fashion

I have been crushing on all the fabulous fashion lately. Clothes are the one thing that get me up in the morning. I love figuring out what to wear to work, finding the perfect jewelry and shoes, etc. I am kind of boring as I only shop at a really only a handful of stores that I know instantly will have perfect details, draping and that little extra to make something over the top cute.

I have been drooling over Miss Ruby Sue’s accessories for a few months. Flowers, tulle, grosgrain tied necklaces have been totally inspiring me. So, included a really cute flower headband in my box from Motley Handmade Designs Etsy Shop as I couldn’t quite justify a creation from Miss Ruby Sue’s yet—even for myself!

My cute sister Joey got my box, so hope you enjoy some of my favorites!

In honor of my favorite things for January, leave me a comment and the first five comments (if I get that many!) will win a Perfect Bath CD complied by me!

My last thing I shared with the group were my cards. I made really simple Valentine’s Day cards using some cute new brushes from Designer Digitals and House of 3. I emailed these to FedEx Kinko’s to print (love laser color copies so much more than ink jet); punched two holes in them, and attached to a cellophane bag with some cute ribbon. An easy and cute gift for a teacher, visiting teachers, a little unexpected gift to lift someone’s day, etc.