A playlist for my fellow old souls:
‘Oldies + Other Gems’ 👵🏼💎🎶
When you wake up in the morning turn this on, add a fluffy robe, cup of coffee, and *poof*…you’re transported to the 1940’s 😉 (pairs well with wine too haha). Feel free to share it if you love it 🙂
This is is a guide I’ve slowly been adding to over the last few months as I came across any unique, creative, or meaningful gifts that had a little extra sentimental value to them. Gift-giving is the opportunity to turn love and appreciation into physical keepsakes that let the people we love know how much they mean to us ❤️ With so many people prepping for the holidays early this year, I wanted to get my favorite gift guide up first! By the time December rolls around it’s usually too late to order these types of gifts that require a little extra time and customization. Get started on these early this year so they arrive in time with zero stress 😌 Would love to know if you order any of these, let me know in the comments on IG tonight!
I posted about this adorable candle company a little while ago on my stories ~ Scripted Fragrances. A super thoughtful way to customize a set of candles for a friend is with their personalized candle gift set. They have 6 collections to choose from: states, cities, birth month, wellness, seasons, and pets! And a portion of proceeds from each candle are donated to charity 💛 (you can use code OLIVIA at check out for 10% off).
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This is one of the things I got Conner last year. I love this idea because photos are like a time capsule. This is the exact book I made for him (7×7 book in grey with 50 pages). The quality is amazing and they offer customization options like premium fabric binding, custom gold foil lettering, and words on the spine.
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I got this beautiful necklace a few months ago from my talented friend Nicole Rose (who also made my engagement ring!). I’m in love with this necklace – it would be the most special gift for mom, sister, or a friend. (Mine is the 18k diamond cross pendant in rose gold with a 16″ chain).
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I framed one of John’s favorite quotes through Minted for his birthday this year and just really love this idea. Vows, quotes, prayers, poems, etc.
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Framebridge is always my favorite for custom framing anything. Last year for Christmas we updated Nani’s family photo wall with brand new frames and she LOVED it. They can frame anything from a letter or old photograph to a small keepsake item. The second pic are the Chicago prints I had framed in our NY apartment.
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My favorite slippers from Lands’ End! My best friend got me these for Christmas last year with my soon-to-be new initials. We were cracking up because it looks like the slippers say ‘HO HO’ when I’m looking down at them but it’s really OH (Olivia Hempel) lol. They’re on sale right now for only $35.96 with code RAKE. Pretty true to size, I’d say just a little snug.
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My siblings and I got this for my parents for Christmas last year ♡ It’s so beautiful in any room. View the website to see how beautiful it looks framed in gold.
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Baublebar’s best selling custom bracelets! Make a wrist stack and spell out whatever suits you. A name, a phrase or cute symbols. Mine say Mrs. Hempel 🙂
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Our wedding planner did this for us when we first got engaged and we loved it! Ours read ‘The Hempels’. Merry Christmas Mom & Dad is cute too.
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Looks so beautiful over a chair or on a couch corner.
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Got this for friends who just moved into a new home together 🏠
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For all the plant lovers! The Sill has a really great selection of ready to ship house plants.
Love the idea of sending a fresh wreath for the door (find them here).
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Good for literally anyone – a home staple.
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I loved that you could add a little hobby to each person’s mugC
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The best smelling Christmas candle you will ever purchase.
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Evelyn Henson’s personalized travel print can be customized with all places you (or someone you love!) has traveled.
A little over 5 months ago, we packed our bags for what we thought would be a short trip home to see our families and get some fresh air outside of NYC. I packed leggings, 2 sweatshirts, 1 dress, and pajamas.
….May turned into June…and all the sudden it was fall…
And that ‘short trip’ turned into nearly half of year away from NYC 🤯
New York is such an incredible place in normal times. I spent my days running all over town shooting with John, meeting friends for drinks, going to coffee meetings, brand launches, trying new restaurants with Con, and stopping by a cool event every night of the week. My first year and a half there was a complete marathon, I can barely process all of the awesome things I got to experience in those 18 months.
Then March hit like a brick and everything came to a hard stop. Quarantine in NYC is much different than most places. Living quarters are tight, no backyards, porches, gyms, and hardly any nature. The reason people pay SO MUCH money to live in these compact boxes on top of each other is because of the opportunity that exists outside your apartment here. There was no denying New York had changed, and as sad as it was, we felt our hearts changing every time we saw something on the news about the city we barely recognized.
Our lease is ending soon, so we made the decision to go back to New York for the last few weeks to pack everything up in a U-haul and move out.
We’re still waiting to know when NYC (and Conner’s office) will reopen, but for now we’re just doing our best to go with the flow and take things day by day until we have more answers. John is also moving out for the time being until the dust settles 😢 I still don’t think I’ve totally processed it all yet, but we’re all so happy to be headed back to New York to enjoy it for these last few weeks before life changes again. Then it’s back to Indiana to spend the next few months and the holidays! It’s so bittersweet, but we know it’s the right thing for us right now.
It’s uncomfortable to live in the middle of so many unknowns…especially while trying to plan a wedding. I’ve realized the only thing I can do is get more comfortable with not having our plans for the future figured out. That was one question so many of you asked on IG messages – what our future plans were for buying a house, settling down, kids, location, etc. If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that the best way to fully live your life fully is to enjoy what you have while you have it. We can’t always wish our current season away waiting for ‘some day’. I’m so excited for what our future holds, but I am really loving this time in our lives so much right now, even if it’s not where I thought we’d be. So if you’re worried about your own timeline right now, I hope it makes you feel better to know I literally have zero plans for the future at the moment 🤷🏼💕
Never in a million years did I think at age 29 I’d be moving back in with my parents and my future husband…but after 2020 idk if anything will truly surprise me anymore 😅 The last 5 months have been an unexpected slice of heaven in small town Indiana. I mean having a BACKYARD! A front porch. GRASS. A car?? Driving to the grocery store (a trunk🙏🏼). The drive through! Space to workout. A driveway. FRESH AIR…I can’t believe how much more I appreciate the little things a Midwestern town has to offer after living in one of the biggest cities in the world.
It’s been a blessing for us to have all this time with my parents and Nani. When we drive back home to Indiana, I’m so excited to start working on a few interior projects in my Mom’s house I can’t wait to share with you ~ and we already can’t wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas at home! Plus wedding planning is so much easier at home with my mom ♡
We’re currently en route to NY as I type this. It’s SO CRAZY to think I left my entire life there (with a weekend bag 😅) almost half a year ago.
Who knew I needed so little to be so content.
It’s a good reminder that when things feel uncomfortable and God seems silent, you’re most likely right in the middle of exactly what He’s trying to teach you. Use these uncertain times as an invitation to seek Him more diligently. The timing will be perfect and eventually we’ll see – the only way to truly appreciate joy is by experiencing difficulty along the way.
(Say hi on Instagram tonight if you read and you’re in a similar situation of uncertainty ♥️ )
