A Charging Valet Station

Organization is the key to having a lovely home. Everything we possess needs a place of its own, which saves time, energy, frustration and money. (Have you ever re-bought an item because you couldn’t remember having one, or find it?) Sometimes the cords for all of our devices look sloppy. This faux leather charging valet station from Brouk organizes and hides those unsightly cords.
The cords of up to 4 iPhones feed into one main cord, which pokes out of the back to plug into a wall. Store all the other cords in the drawer. Plus, park a few other essentials such as house and car keys, or sunglasses there as well. The charging station comes with a 4-prong power strip and cord and is available in 6 colors.

Home Depot sells an attractive bamboo charging station ... nice, sturdy and inexpensive to house both iPhones and an iPad.

As you can see here on Amazon, there are a few different looks and price points of valet charging stations to suit every home. Consider it another great holiday gift ideal.



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Scottish Shortbread

Photo: Nikki

When I was a teenager, I began helping my Mama make Christmas cookies. Mostly, we worked separately, not together. One person might peer into the kitchen to see how it was going, but the cookie baker did her own thing, while the other person walked in and out. Over the years, some cookies fell to my Mama to make, and she would ask me to make certain varieties I hit upon that she liked. 

My Mama made the best butter cookies, and I don't know how to make them since she always did it. Plus, I don't have the patience to decorate them. The cookie varieties I make are done the moment, I pull a tray out of the oven. After I bake a cookie, it's annoying to have yet another step before they are ready to eat. I've mixed, laid out the dough, baked, washed bowls ... I mean, the work is done. Mom can handle starting over to decorate baked cookies. Her butter cookies are festive and delicious. What a fancy-pants, fusspot ... going back to decorate done cookies.😊

Well, this year for first time, I made a butter cookie for Christmas. But bah humbug, I'm still not going to decorate it. Therefore I made Scottish Shortbread. Same ingredients, but no colored icing, no sprinkles, no chocolate chip eyes. Just a good traditional butter cookie. Here is the recipe:

Scottish Shortbread

Photo: Gooseberry Patch

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (= 4 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar (= 2 ounces)
1 cup all-purpose flour
a sprinkle of salt
Extra flour for the rolling surface.

Optional: I add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds (none are in traditional Scottish Shortbread). 

I can't get the dough to form a ball without the egg. My mom never makes butter cookies without vanilla, and my friends like the ground flax seeds, so lately I add some to all the white flour recipes I make. (For authentic Scottish Shortbread, leave these optional ingredients out.)

Directions:

1) Cream together the butter and sugar. Add vanilla and egg if desired.

2) Combine the flour and salt. Toss in 2 tablespoons of optional ground flax seeds.

3) Add the dry to the wet ingredients until you produce a dough. 

4) Knead for 5 minutes. If the dough gets soft, refrigerate it for a few minutes, then knead again for a minute before rolling the dough out flat on a surface. Aim for 1/2 inch thickness.🎄👑🐫

5) Cut into 1-inch width rectangle stripes. Eyeball it. Place on an ungreased baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Prick the cookies with a fork.

6) Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Sometimes there's nothing better than a simple butter cookie. I will enjoy making these Scottish Shortbread cookies for Christmas (and teas during the year). If you must be a fancy-pants, fuss-pot (Mom) dip half of each shortbread cookie in melted dark chocolate mixed with a bit of cooking paraffin.

For a Christmas batch, I tossed in 1/4 cup of ground walnuts and 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds.

Double or triple the recipe for Christmas cookies. A single portion is the perfect amount to bake for teas. Tastier than most store-bought cookies and easy!

Photo: Mother Earth News

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Beauty Advent Calendars

Many retailers offer Countdown Advent Calendars or 12 Days of Christmas Calendars with gifts of makeup and/or skin care. For a beauty enthusiast, receiving an advent calendar of beauty items, one per day, feels like winning a lottery! Here are the top 2 impressive ones: 

1) Let's begin with the holy grail from Liberty (see top photo↑). Expensive at £169, which is $226.22 for 24 days of gifts. A click on the Liberty link here shows you what a magnificent presentation it is. The makeup and skin care contained in it is top-notch of lesser-known, up-and-coming brands giving a beauty aficionado the chance to discover fantastic new products. Wow, people are selling just the empty box on eBay for $60 bucks!

2) Estee Lauder - Created another festive package. The multi-dimensional star is a big ornament made of sturdy cardboard with 25 hidden compartments of goodies! Estee Lauder is the parent company of several famous cosmetics: Not only the Estee Lauder line, but Clinique, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Aveda, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, Smashbox, Michael Kors and GlamGlow, therefore the holiday star contains 25 wonderful products from all these lines! Cost: $270 per box. 

Good luck getting your hands on the #1- Liberty or #2- Estee Lauder Advent Calendars as they are wildly popular. At this point, I'm seeing them marked up in price on eBay. (Make a mental note to look for next year's Limited Editions in October 2018.) But don't fret ... there are tons of other fetching Advent Calenders with makeup and skin care items that are equally desirable, not as pricey and still available. Here are some to consider:

3) Ole Henrikson 12 Days of OLE Glow Skincare Advent Calendar - From Denmark, an assortment of 12 cleansing and nourishing skin care products, including mini sizes of facial scrub, botanical moisturizers, hydrating gels and anti-aging serums. Sells for $49.

4) Ulta 12 Days Of Beauty - A box of fun, trendy holiday tinted and generously sized blush, crayons, illuminators, glitter eyeliners, matte lip cream and metallic lip gloss. Price: $13.50

5) NYX Professional Makeup Lippie Countdown Advent Calendar - 24 days of NYX's most loved lip colors, including glosses, creams, matte and bright vamps. Usually $65, but $45 at Ulta.

A fun roundup of the Best Advent Calendars of 2017 can be watched here.

Something for every budget. Any of the choices make pleasing gifts! More is not always better, but it's certainly gooood.😉


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Gifts For Travelers +

Do you have family who flies? Two awesome holiday gifts for the folks in your life going on a long flight include: 

1) The Trtl Travel Pillow - It is half the size of the usual travel pillow and designed to support the neck by holding it in an ergonomic position during rest. The soft felt-like fabric is machine washable and comes in 4 colors. Moreover, a passenger looks like a normal person using one.

2) Go2 Elite Compression Socks - For men and women, these colorful stockings reduce the swelling and leg pain many flyers experience due to high attitudes. They are 15-20mmhg compression stocks that are also perfect for people who stand on their feet all day, runners and athletes, as well as, pregnant women. Available in 30 colors and patterns. They are made of the highest quality fabric but sell for less than the usual cost, which helps your wallet as compression socks need to be replaced after repeated use.

Great quality, price and benefits, plus stylish for all your family and friends who find themselves Up In The Air. Or buy them for yourself.

The travel pillow would be great for long car rides also, and the compression socks to go on long hikes in the mountains and walks on city pavement. Whether up in the air or down: prevention is better than a cure! Be good to the body, and it will be good to you!


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QBracelet With iPhone Charger

Photo: Bloomingdales

In the coming weeks, THE SAVVY SHOPPER will again feature a few holiday gift ideas in case you're stumped. Here's one that comes at different price points.

Look at this genius and stylish QBracelet. It's really an iPhone charger made of stainless steel, available in 3 colors: rose, white and yellow gold. 

Open the bangle at the hinge to get to a lightning connector that can boost your battery life by 50%. There are 2 sizes: small (to fit most women) and medium (to fit most men). The built-in lightning connector charges Apple iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6 Plus, 7 and 7 Plus. A thoughtful gift for tech-savvy fashionistas who like their bling. Cost: $149. 

Here are several more budget-friendly bracelet chargers (some will also sync your smartphone) for folks who wish to leave their cables and cords at home too. The same idea for under $10.

Beaded ones come in white, naval, black and a rainbow of other colors. The black hue looks elegant and rich, yet bright colors are playful. Paying less, you can splurge on more than one hue to match your outfits.

Here is a lovely pearl charger bracelet to show the variety of styles. Make sure you read all the Amazon customer reviews to ensure your choice works with your device and generation, or else you risk buying a mere piece of custom jewelry. Around $15.

Perhaps a man will want something plainer as we don't see many of them wear bangle bracelets. Below, the Three Legs Flat Bracelets are sleek, colorful bands suitable for both men and women. About $10.

These iPhone charges make fun, affordable and unique stocking stuffers. Stay tuned for more gift ideas!

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