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Creating a School Auction Basket
I had to create a couple of auction baskets for my kid’s classes for their school fundraiser. Thought it would be fun to share with you what I came up with – with our class families’ help, of course!
For my son’s class, the teacher and I decided on a beach day-themed gift basket. After scouring Pinterest I found some great ideas that incorporated using a cooler as the basket base. After finding a reasonably priced cooler, it was time to pack it full of the fun stuff!
Our school colors are yellow and black, so I did mostly black and white items (my fave) mixed with a little bit of yellow as an accent.
- swan float $21 – a classic, and always fun for the whole family
- paddle ball set $28 – I like the understated look of this wooden set
- insulated tumbler $20 ea – this brand is definitely trending right now, love the clean lines
- mesh tote $10 – perfect for beachy days, as the mesh let’s the sand filter right out
- cozy striped beach towels $12 ea – These are great quality for an amazing price
- frisbee $8 – always fun to play at the beach
- skimboard $48 – this one has pretty good reviews and is a great price
- igloo cooler $35 – this is a great price for a good looking cooler
- beach ball $4 – love this adorable black and white one
- sunblock $17 – mineral sunscreen is the best
- cooler packs $20 for 2 – gotta keep those cooler contents cool!
- sun hat $20 – I have one of these and it offers great coverage and looks great
For my daughter’s class, we thought it would be fun to do a backyard campfire theme, so a fire pit packed with all the s’mores fixings, insulated mugs, hot coco, cozy blankets, s’mores forks, etc. Here’s a picture of how this one turned out.
Check out my Tiktok and IG account to see a video of the baskets 🙂
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link. Thank you for supporting the affiliate posts and sponsors that make this blog possible!
Easter Basket Ideas for Tween Boys
Continuing on with our Easter basket ideas for older kids, here are some ideas for older boys. My son is almost 10 and these are some of his favorites and/or wants.
- This mini waffle maker is key for school morning breakfasts in the morning. We also love this “just add water” batter mix to go with it $13
- How fun does this fidget pen look? $17
- My son gets a kick out of this screaming goat $10
- This smaller Rubik’s cube has got to be easier to solve $7
- A good screen cleaner is a must-have $14
- This funko mando keychain is adorable $15
- This is a very cool looking weather predictor! $17
- A 10 ft charging cable $40
- A good quality basket you can use over again $24 (on sale!)
- A nice wallet that they can use for years to come $35
- A visually appealing wood puzzle is always a good choice $10
- Kanoodle is a kid-fave in my house $13
- A amber-hued book light for night-time reading $15
- An extra game controller is always in demand $26
- These ear hooks help those ear pods stay put $10
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link. See more of our Easter posts here! Thanks for reading!
Holiday Looks for the Family
This post is brought to you by Walmart.
This holiday season really kicked it into high gear as soon as Halloween was over. I swear each year the holidays start earlier and earlier. We’re a bit behind over here in the Broussard household. We still need to get family photos taken and Christmas cards ordered. I’ve been pouring over our closets thinking of what we can wear for pictures this year – seeing if inspiration hits.
I’ve also been browsing websites looking for fun gifts as well as outfits for the family this season. I like to map out what we wear ahead of time for family photos, Thanksgiving and Christmas just to make things a little easier on everyone.
One of my favorite places to find reasonably priced gifts and clothing is Walmart. They always have such a huge assortment of clothing, gifts, and items for the home. I always find what I need and never leave disappointed. I always prioritize natural materials when buying clothing for myself and my family and Walmart has a great selection at even better prices – and you know I can’t resist a good deal.
This year I also found myself drawn to nostalgic prints and traditional cuts & patterns. Who doesn’t enjoy a good fair isle or cable knit sweater? A few hot trends are fun too as long as it’s not too much 😉 But this year I think, we’ll go a little more traditional. Here are some of the looks that caught my eye this season at Walmart! Click on the item below to go to the product page.
Do you plan out your family outfits for the season too? Would love to know what themes or colors were your favorites this year. And just for fun, here are a couple of family photos from over the years – We try to go for a different look each time.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link. Thank you for supporting the affiliate posts and sponsors that make this blog possible!
Ten Tips for Shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
It’s time to take a quick break from your summer adventures and shop Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale! It’s not too late to get early access and get a Nordstrom credit card if you don’t already have one. This sale is one of only two sales I make sure to shop each year. It’s perfect for updating your wardrobe for the cooler months as well as preparing your kids for back to school!
The sale is definitely overwhelming for most, so I wanted to break down my top tips for getting the best deal and find what you need. If you’ve read my other post, you’ll know some of these but I’ve made some improvements to my shopping strategy since then! Here’s a list of my tips (in order):
one | get a nordy card
First things first, in order to get priority access you’ll need a Nordy card. If you don’t have one get one asap so you can be ready. The best items get snatched up in a hurry and you want to shop the sale as early as possible!
two | double your points
Once you’re logged in, scroll down to your rewards and click on “Personal Double Points Days” and make sure your shopping day is registered as your double points day! More points equal more Nordy rewards – store credit, earlier access, etc!
three | make a list
If you tend to get carried away during sales like this, make a list of things you actually need. Go through your closet and home and make a note of things you still need or things that need to be replaced. This will help you from mindlessly browsing the sale and buying items you don’t need. I also keep a list of gift items, never hurts to get a head start on those holiday gifts! Remember to make a note of the recipient’s size and color preferences!
four | follow your faves
Ok, ok… I know, this seems obviously, but seriously, make note of the influencers that embody your personal style or have the same body type that you do. Make note of what they recommend to buy and follow along when they do live try ons. The Nordstrom Anniversary sale is HUGE. Why waste your time scrolling through page after page of items when you can have your favorite influencer do it for you. When I tell you I spent 3+ hours going through all the products I’m telling you the honest truth. Most people don’t have time for that 😉 One of my favorites is Crystalin Marie. Would love to see who you follow!
five | browsing best practices
If you decide to peruse the sale yourself, do all of your browsing beforehand. Don’t wait until the day you have access. Nordstrom thankfully gives us full access to browse all of the items (and prices) beforehand so you can know exactly what you want to buy when you’re granted access.
Also when browsing, be sure to use those filters. For example, if you are browsing “women’s clothing”, filter out items that might not pertain to you (ex maternity items). Nordstrom’s filters are there to make your life easier. Believe me, scrolling through 14 pages is a lot easier than 30!
six | check out the recos
The Nordstrom site has pretty robust product recommendations. When on a product page on your lap/desktop be sure to check the right-hand side for similar products. You can also scroll down for more recommendations, for example, the matching top to the bottoms you’re browsing. They even have style boards with whole outfit recommendations, if that’s your jam.
seven | your wishlist is your bff
See something you like? Be sure to select the color and size you want and add it to your wishlist! Add it all, even if you’re unsure, you don’t want to be stuck wasting time trying to search for that “maybe” that turned into a “yes please”. Once you finally have access you can just click on over to your wish list and easily add everything (size/color preferences and all) into your shopping bag to check out.
Also super important to know, when an item in your wishlist sells out before you’re able to buy it. Keep it in your wishlist so you can keep checking to see if it comes back in stock. Things go in and out of stock in the blink of an eye throughout the sale due to restocks and returns, so don’t lose hope!
eight | buy it all
I’m serious! Just add everything into your shopping back and checkout as fast as you can. Products in your shopping cart are not reserved, so it’s survival of the fittest (or the fastest). Don’t even look at the total, because if you’re like me, you’ve added multiple colors, styles, and brands into your cart. Once everything arrives then you can narrow it all down to what you’re actually going to keep. Nordstrom makes returns SO EASY.
nine | checkout more than once
If there’s an item on your “must-have” list or a product that you think might sell out fast, I wouldn’t hesitate to add it to your cart and check out now. Don’t worry about the rest of your wishlist yet, get those priority items as fast as you can. Then go back and shop for the rest! There’s no penalty for making multiple purchases!
ten | pick up in person
If you live near a Nordstrom store, I would highly recommend picking up your items in person. You’ll get them faster that way AND you’ll get a $10 reward from Nordys. PLUS you can check out those sale items in person which will help you get a better idea of quality and fit.
Here are my top recommendations from this year’s sale as well as what I bought! Let me know if you’d like to see everything when it comes in and what items I’ll be keeping or returning.
purchased
for the home
gifts and accessories
health and beauty
matching sets
bottoms
tops
outerwear
pajamas and underwear
shoes
girls
boys
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link. See more of our sale alerts here! Thank you for reading!
2019 Gift Guide | Kids
Don’t forget to check out all of my gift guides here! I’ll be posting the latest and greatest gifts for women, men, children, tech, pets, teachers, hostesses and more, so stay tuned!
[Read more…] about 2019 Gift Guide | KidsSouthern California Road Trip to Universal Studios with GetAround
At the tail end of summer, we decided to fly down to Los Angeles for a week and take a road trip down the coast. We hadn’t planned any major traveling this summer so it was nice to getaway and plan some summer fun! And I’m finally sharing the trip with you guys – I know a bunch of you wanted to know our itinerary and where we visited!
[Read more…] about Southern California Road Trip to Universal Studios with GetAroundSale Alert | 30% off Furniture Sale World Market
This post is in partnership with World Market.
As you’ve probably seen on Instagram. I’m slowly updating my office in time for fall. Even though it’s been a long, long time since I was in school…there’s nothing like the first thought of fall to make me feel like getting my office in order. And the rest of the house for that matter, giving your home a new look for the fall entertaining season always feels like a win-win!
If you’re like me and like to plan ahead, World Market‘s there for you 😉 They’ve got a great sale going on right now: 30% off Reg-Priced Living, Dining and Home Office Furniture with code: FURNDEAL30. It’s running until September 2nd too, so no excuse to have your offices, dining rooms and living rooms in top-form by the time the first day of fall comes.
Here are some of my top picks on sale! I might have to finally bit the bullet and get that drum table I’ve been eyeing for months!
one | two | three | four
five | six | seven |eight
nine | ten | eleven | twelve
thirteen | fourteen | fifteen | sixteen
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link. Thank you for supporting the affiliate posts and sponsors that make this blog possible!
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