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Fab Top Five

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fab top five christmas gift guide

The most wonderful time of the year comes with the responsibility to purchase gifts for the secret santa exchange, teachers, family members etc.

This month the Fab Top Five is giving you our top picks for easy and affordable Christmas gifts for the plethora of people on your list.

As a busy mom on the go here are my picks for must have items to make life stylish and convenient.

Gift Guide for Moms on the Go

 

  1. While waiting at a lesson and listing to a podcast or talking on the phone hands free these gold earbuds and microphone set are everything for just $9.99
  2. Don’t take a chance on remembering those spur of the moment thoughts and tasks. This Kate Spade notepad is perfect to keep in your purse or car – $14
  3. Keep your pens, lipstick, earbuds or any other necessities in this “All the Stuff I Need” pouch that you can grab and go when you don’t absolutely need your purse – $12
  4. I have discovered the crossbody bag and it is my favorite for hands free everyday use – $39
  5. For drinking on the go this mug not only steeps tea leaves but can also take fresh coffee grounds. Great for that tea and/or coffee lover on the go – $15

Lashawn’s Top 5 Gifts for the Photographer in Your Life

Photographer Gift Guide

  1. FujiFilm X100t Mirrorless Camera  http://amzn.to/1OI2USK
  2. Canon 24-70 f/2.8L II Zoom Lens  http://amzn.to/1IqKBSA
  3. Artifact Uprising’s Lay Flat Photo Album http://bit.ly/afuprisinglayflat
  4. The Kelly Moore Esther Bag http://bit.ly/kellymoorecamerabag
  5. Manfrotto Compact Travel Tripod  http://amzn.to/1IqLb2K

Bernetta’s Top Five Favorite Things

Christmas Gift Guide

  1. Apple Watch Sport 38 mm in rose gold $380  http://amzn.to/1XyjnjS
  2. UP3 by Jawbone activity tracker $140 http://amzn.to/21v9UJC
  3. UP3 by Jawbone activity tracker $140 http://amzn.to/21v9UJC
  4. EMU Australia Little Creatures boots $85 http://amzn.to/1Ip13Tq
  5. LuMee Phone Case $49.95 http://amzn.to/1NHtdv7

Kita’s 5 Gifts Under $50

Kita

  1. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime: Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper! 17.99  http://amzn.to/1QjUS4m
  2. Swissmar S8117 Universal Can Strainer 16.95 http://amzn.to/1Q4Povx
  3. WeMo Switch, Wi-Fi Enabled, Control your Electronics from anywhere, Compatible with Amazon Echo 42.00 http://amzn.to/1N7LWdP
  4. PowerLine PowerCup 200/400 Watt Mobile Inverter with USB Power Port 90309 27.00 http://amzn.to/1Tpbzui
  5. Amazon.com Gift Cards – In a Gift Box – Free One-Day Shipping 50.00 http://amzn.to/1PDYS0Q

MJ’s Top 5 Gifts for Girly and Geeky Toddlers

MJ

  1. 8 Piece Tegu Pocket Pouch Magnetic Wooden Block Set, Tints http://bit.ly/Tegu8PC
  2. Geeky Girly Tee $18 http://bit.ly/GeekyGirlyTee
  3. KidKraft My Dreamy Dollhouse with Furniture $114.99 http://bit.ly/dreamydollhouse
  4. Ferrari 458 Italia Radio Control Vehicle $19.97 http://bit.ly/RemoteFerrari
  5. Basic Roominate $19.95 http://bit.ly/roominatebasic

 

*This post contains affiliate links

 

Featured Living

{Fab Top Five} Top 5 Back to School Teacher Gifts

While my children have completed their first week back in school, others will be going back in the weeks ahead. While shopping for school supplies consider picking up or crafting a fun back to school gift for your child’s new teacher. The week before school started was all kinds of crazy so my children will be making theirs this weekend. Teachers are such an important part of our kids lives that a quick note or gift of thanks or even a recommendation of a free grader that will help decrease their workload will go a long way in starting a great relationship with your child’s teacher.

Here are a few fun and easy gifts to put together to show your child’s teacher how much you appreciate them.

Tickled Pink: Grab a pink mason jar and fill with fun items a teacher might need for her personal use. Chapstick, hand lotion/sanitizer, and nail polish are just a few ideas of what you can put inside. Get more ideas and the free printable HERE

 

Mason Jar Teacher Gifts

 

Thanks A Latte: Super cute. Great for gifting a gift card and travel mug. Find the instructions and printable HERE

Back to School Teacher Gifts

 

Customized Printable Art: These are great for a teacher’s desk or to hang in their office. For only $7 you can order this as a digital file, print yourself and place in a frame. Customize your order at this Etsy shop

Back to School Teacher Gifts

 

Fun Gift Card Holder: With budget cuts we all know that some teachers have to dig into their pockets to make sure their students have what they need. A kind gesture of a gift card to Walmart or Target would be appreciated I am sure. Find instructions and this printable HERE

Back to School Teacher Gifts

 

Succulent Desk Planter: Add some color and life with a easy to maintain succulent. This ruler box will take a little handiwork but is so cute. Find the instructions HERE

Teacher Gifts V

 

Be sure to go and visit the other four ladies of the Fab Top Five for their takes on all things Back to School!

LaShawn @ Everyday Eyecandy: Top 5 Ideas for Back to School Photos

Kita @Kokoa Magazine: Top 5 Non Sandwich Lunch Ideas

Bernetta @Bernetta Style: Top 5 Household Changes When School Starts

MJ @ Fab Haute Mama: Top 5 Pinterest Boards for Toddler Homeschooling

 

 

 

 

Beauty

Fab Top Five – Top 5 Drugstore Beauty Finds for Spring

With each season beauty brands give us the best they have to persuade us to purchase the next hottest color or formula for the upcoming season. Reeling off the deep colors from Autumn and Winter the bright pastels and happy colors are welcomed.

As I mentioned in my Milani post last week, I am really looking forward to adding to my beauty arsenal. While I’m not submerged in beauty products around here I do have a few favorites to share. Seeing that I am cheap, I have yet to splurge on some of the bigger items so I stick to my CVS or Walgreens for the majority of my beauty product purchases.

Living

Five Ways to Support Your Favorite Online Influencers

I get questioned often about how to start a blog, and the inquiry seems to come on the heels of a discussion about how do bloggers and vloggers make money. The general consensus seems to be that people think people who make money on the internet simply sit at the computer, type a little of this, add a picture here or there and be done.

…..if only it were that simple. Trust me it is a tangled web of marketing, and SEO, and design, and photography, and editing and networking…..oh and writing/recording

Many of your favorite bloggers and vloggers incur a number of expenses including time away from their families to provide you with a little laughter, product recommendations, travel tips, fashion inspiration, etc. In the event you don’t know how online content producers get paid, it’s by pageviews which happen with that little click of your mouse.

Those clicks transfer into influence which brands like, which ultimately transfers into opportunities and dollars.

Running a website consists of hosting, domain and SEO fees. Cameras, lenses, and editing software. Those conferences we attend to learn about what consumers want from the internet? Travel fees.

As much as many of us love to blog and have extended our hobbies into a living or side hustle, it is just that. We are attempting to make an unconventional living doing something we love while needing to feed our families, save money, or get out of debt. It is our job.

Supporting your favorite online website or influencer is pretty simple. Here are three tried and true ways to show a little internet love

| CLICK THE SHARE BUTTON: Ever come across that recipe or outfit or DIY project and you stopped to leave a comment about how you are going to try or buy that thing. Go a step further and click the share button. Viral videos and posts go viral because enough people shared it.

No, that recipe may not be of a 3 month old baby bouncing on beat to a popular song but that information touched your life somehow and may be of use to someone else. A simple share goes a long way in putting that website or blogger in front of other people.

| PURCHASE SOMETHING FROM AN AFFILIATE LINK: There is a particular Youtuber that I absolutely love and she provides basic tips and links the products that she uses on Amazon. I always buy the products I need to recreate what she is doing. While I may be able to find them fairly cheaper somewhere else, she took the time to make it convenient for me, a very busy woman. That’s worth an extra dollar or three out of my pocket and into hers.

| SIGN UP FOR THE EMAIL LIST & READ: Most of your favorite bloggers have no intention on spamming you. If you are interested in the content, a newsletter may go out once a week with all of the top posts combined. Click around and read, those page views help in the grand scheme of things.

| FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA: In this game, numbers count…a little more than they should, but they count. Follow on the channels you frequent and like a post here or there

| LEAVE COMMENTS: I need to do better at this one. Creating content can feel like you are in a room by yourself until you look at the numbers and see people are reading. I know we are all on our phones and leaving comments can be cumbersome but every now and then if something touches you leave a comment. Tell them how much you enjoyed that post, or how useful that hack was. I can’t speak to everybody who lives their lives online, but for me I absolutely love comments. It’s like I’m not having a one sided conversation with myself.

Don’t let the trolls win. Be nice and leave a comment every now and then.

There you have it, five simple ways to show a little internet love when you can. I speak on behalf of all online influencers when I tell you a little bit goes a long way.

So to follow my own advice those lovely ladies in the photo are a few of my blog friends that have turned into family. We all blog about a variety of things. Go explore their sites to see if they may have some information that is of use to you!

Lashawn, Aaronica, and MJ ( left to right)

See you tomorrow!