**This post is sponsored by BRIKA, but all opinions and views are my own.***

One of my favorite things about the holidays is the fact that I get to shop for gifts for the family, friends, secret santa exchanges. One of my absolute favorite people to shop for is my sister-in-law, Jenny! We both love the colors grey, yellow, pink, gold, polka dots, and fun patterns. She has the BEST eye for design and photography showcased in her home decorating and photos she posts on Instagram! I pretty much shop year round for her and like to give her a bunch of little gifts throughout the year and especially at Christmas! She’s also super generous at giving back to not only our family but to others as well.  She runs an Etsy of super cute hair accessories and small sewn goods and 50% of the proceeds goes back to Love Without Boundaries Foundation.  Jenny is one of the sweetest people I know with one of the biggest hearts out there!

Recently, I discovered this new online shop called BRIKA, which features the works of authentic makers, designers and and artisans and has the most gorgeous modern little pieces you ever did see. I thought they’d go perfectly in line with Jenny’s love with all things modern and classic.  So inspired by Jenny, I’ve created 3 Gift Guides For Her at a $50, $75 and $150 total price point from all items on BRIKA.  So depending on what budget you are working with this year, you can totally find all your gifts on BRIKA at different price points!

Banner by Urban Bird & Co. ($14)
Vase by The Object Enthusiast ($36)

Tea Towel by Fig & Tulip ($18)
Pouch by Flowie ($18)
Notable Gift Set by Earmark Social Paper Goods($25)

iPhone Case by Pencil Shavings Studio ($39)
Scarf by Sea & Stone($60)
Planner by Sarah Pinto($20)
Coasters by By The Coastal ($30)

BRIKA not only has items for the women in your life, but they also have men’s products, baby products, fur pet products, paper goods, home goods and so much more!  They’ve even got a section for earth-friendly and local gifts as well.

{GIVEAWAY}

BRIKA has so graciously offered to host a GIVEAWAY for one lucky reader to win a $25 BRIKA gift card!  All you need to do is:

1. Head on over to the BRIKA site.

2. Sign up to join the community  (you will get a $5 off coupon code just for signing up).

3. Browse around for holiday gifts and leave a comment on this blog post with the answer to this question “Which gift from BRIKA would you give to a special individual, and who is that person?”  Please leave the URL link of the product page of the gift!  That’s it!

Please enter the same email address to join the BRIKA community as you leave in your blog comment.  This contest will end on December 20th at 10AM PST.

As mentioned in last week’s teaser post, the #DSWShoeHookup giveaway has already taken over the blogosphere and it’s about to make it’s mark right here on lil ole Sandy a la Mode.  DSW has kindly gifted me with the Coconuts Britain Boot to review and I must say, these are a great staple flat boot for dressing up or dressing down, but most importantly, being comfortable and warm.  Some of the reviews mention that the calf runs narrow, but for me, it was just a snug fit.  Plus, I don’t like having too much of a gap or space in my boots anyways.  Anyhow, DSW is hooking up 5 winners with a pair of shoes ($50 gift card) and 5 other winners with the NY Times Best Selling book, “Do You Speak Shoe Lover?  There’s 49 other bloggers that are a part of this, with a handful of giveaways that have already ended, but there’s still plenty of time to enter on all the remaining blogs and possibly get yourself (or someone else) a new pair of shoes for Christmas.  How awesome is that?

DSW was one that I would frequent in college and when I first moved to Missouri, I was so happy to have one near my house as well.  My favorite section of the store is always the clearance section, well that’s where I start, and I can most times find a shoe I like for a great deal.  But my absolute favorite pair of shoes I’ve gotten from DSW are a pair of Steve Madden nude flats that I’ve worn out like crazy and probably need another pair ASAP.  I’ve also always had the DSW Rewards card because the you get $10 for every 1500 points you earn deal, free shipping on orders over $35, advance news of sales, and birthday certificates, those things sealed the deal for me.  Not to mention, the membership is free and it’s not like getting a credit card or anything, it’s just a rewards program.

Outfit Details
Turtleneck Sweater: Madewell
Pants: Forever 21
Boots c/o DSW
Bag: Phillip Lim
Earrings c/o Loopsway
Bow Bracelet: J.Crew Factory

{GIVEAWAY DETAILS}

• Five (5) winners will each receive one (1) DSW gift card via email in the value of $50, and five (5) other winners will receive one (1) copy of Do You Speak Shoe Lover?.
• Contest open to US residents only.
• Limit one winner per household/per family from the 50 blogs participating in the promotion.
• Enter in Rafflecopter widget below. Mandatory entries must all be complete for your entry to count. Once completed, it will unlock optional entry options.
• Giveaway ends on Saturday, 12/12 at 11:59PM CST, winners announced on 12/13.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don’t forget to check out all the other giveaways and bloggers involved here:

I’d like to introduce to you my new J.Crew Factory quilted coat.  I actually bought this a few months ago in California (but didn’t need to wear it there and lugged it all the way home) and I must say, I wear it pretty much all the time now.  The green color I feel is actually a great neutral and goes with a lot of my outfits!  And I am pretty much wearing it ALL the time!

And this Zara scarf?  Well you know I wouldn’t be a proper fashion blogger without owning it (or a variation of a plaid scarf). I love the Christmas-y colors, the blanket like size and holy heck is it warm and cozy!

I’m not really sure how I tied this scarf, I usually love playing around with new ways of wearing scarves and I totally could probably not replicate this again, although I wish I could!

Outfit Details
Sweater: Target
Coat: J.Crew Factory
Scarf: Zara
Bracelets c/o Daily Dose
Pants: J.Crew
Shoes: Blowfish Shoes
Bag: Coach

And for those of you who don’t watch X Factor, oh my goodness, the couple Alex and Sierra are amazing and you must listen/watch the song “Say Something” that they performed last night.  I couldn’t stop listening to it for 2 hours straight, gave me chills and brought me to tears, it was THAT good!!

Outfit Details
Blouse: GAP
Jeans: 7FAM
Scarf: H&M
Rings: Forever 21
Camera Bag c/o JoTotes

Since we’re smack dab in the middle of “holiday season”, it also means that everyone is always in a picture taking mood (well for me, it seems like I take even more pictures around the holidays).  I know sometimes I revert to using my phone for pictures, but I promised myself that I wouldn’t have Austin’s whole childhood documented in poor quality phone photos and that I need to take some Canon 50D pictures of him at least a couple times a month!

And what makes it even easier to carry around my camera, lens, cleaning wipes, as well as my daily essentials like wallet, phone, lipstick, keys… is this gorgeous Missy Mint bag!  First of all, it’s my first ever mint bag and I am in LOVE with the color.  The bag itself has a ton of padding, removable velcro inserts that snap in easily so you can create your own sized compartments, and tons of pockets.  It’s truly a high quality bag, super stylish and I love carrying it around (on my arms or crossbody – score!).

{GIVEAWAY}

And guess what?  The amazing people at JoTotes are offering one Sandy a la Mode reader $100 shop credit to their store!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to ALL readers and closes on December 11 at 11:59PM CST. Good luck!

You know I couldn’t let another Fall/Holiday season past without getting some family photos done. These photos were taken a couple of weekends ago at a local park/outdoor historic museum and I couldn’t be happier with them.  These days, Austin’s mood (he’s currently 23 months) or if he will smile in front of a camera or not is always a toss up and you never know what you will get.  Thankfully, on this day, he was in a GREAT mood and did tons of smiling and laughing for us!

Swinging him became his new favorite activity… and he really didn’t want us to stop.  Like I said, anything to make him smile…

Here’s our outfit details in case you were wondering.  Sorry, don’t have specifics on my husband’s outfit, except that his sweater is from Banana Republic!

My Outfit
Dress c/o Riffraff
Scarf: H&M
Boots: Target {similar}

Austin’s Outfit
Button Down: Zara
Cardigan: H&M
Pants: GAP
Shoes: Target

All photos taken by the talented Cassandra Castaneda Photography – a Kansas City based wedding and portrait photographer!