Consider revamping your old New Year’s eve dress with the floating Gem Bib from DoloresPetunia:

Bib necklaces can seem intimidating at first, but they are an easy way to update your wardrobe, as they are both fashion-forward and comfortable.

“To anyone who mentions “style feeder” for the month of november when placing an order I will take 10% off of the total.”

For My Sister:

This jeweled headband is made from vintage pieces, making it one-of-a-kind.

For My Mum:

My mom and dad have a black lab they love dearly, and my mother likes to find little home decor items or the like that have subtle appearances of their dog. She’d really like these adorable holiday greeting cards.

The vase is another good find: it’s all handmade porcelain, and the yellow interior would match the colors of the living room and sitting room in my parents’ home.

For Dad:

My dad is notoriously hard to shop for. It’s not that he’s picky, it’s just difficult to find something useful or meaningful that’s not power tools, ties or cuff-links. This gorgeous photograph of Nova Scotia, Canada, where he grew up, would be perfect framed in his home office.

Okay, I know, cufflinks are so freaking cliched, but these are made out of vintage typewriter keys, for goodness sake. So cool.

For My Fiance:

You’re thinking, “Teacups? Seriously?”

I’m not crazy–my fiance is a strange bird. He enjoys shopping for home decor and looking at decorations and paint ideas. He could spend hours in Ikea. I’m not kidding.

This teacup set is really unique because one, it’s handmade, and two, it’s designed specifically with items you may find in video games (weapons, health elixirs, etc.) My fiance is not only a video game fan, but also works in the industry, so this is really ideal for him.

The soaps are a super stocking stuffer. My fiance hates body wash and gel because, and I quote, “They don’t clean well enough.” He’s a big bar soap fan, and these have the scent of frankincense and myrrh: how appropriate for Christmas!

The last item is a set of skinny ties. My fiance loves skinny ties and refuses to wear “regular” ones. I often hunt around vintage shops to see if I can find any, but since they are becoming more popular, it’s getting harder and harder to pick them up at a decent price. Etsy.com has lots of skinny tie options, and many of them are vintage, which is even better.

For Anyone!:

I love these earrings (hello, fiance!). They are affordable, beautiful and really organic-looking. Any friend would adore you for buying them these.

For a dog-lover in the family or among your friends, you can’t do much better than a doggy bowl platform as well-designed as this.

If you know a photographer, or just someone who appreciates photography and cameras, this necklace is a good bet.

One of my favorite Etsy finds is a set of Harry Potter-themed journals based upon classes that Harry and friends attended at Hogwarts. This journal–”Defense Against the Dark Arts”–is my favorite of the set, but they are all lovely and have really unique graphics and typefaces.

I like the color of this vintage-style scarf, and it makes getting dressed a cinch, as you just pull one end through the loops and it stays in place all day.

• What are you buying your family and friends this holiday season?

• Etsy.com

Etsy.com is addictive. With hundreds of thousands of items, you are literally guaranteed to find multiple things you absolutely musthave. Luckily, almost everything on etsy.com is quite affordable.

My favorite things to buy on Etsy include jewelry, vintage clothing and paper-related products. Most of these things are either re-worked new pieces (like American Apparel shirts with appliques) or created from scratch/by hand.

When buying jewelry from Etsy, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you are buying a genuine pearl necklace for around $20, contact the seller for a guarantee. Although it may be vintage and being re-sold for a steal, you want to make sure you aren’t buying something cheap or poorly made. There are so many quality sellers on Etsy that there’s no excuse for something that may fall apart or not live up to your expectations.

Keep an eye out for really unique items. One of my favorite things I’ve found on Etsy were bracelets with letters all over them made with different fonts…sort of an jewelry-themed ode to typography, if you will. The seller is taking a hiatus right now, but keep an eye on her shop space. You’ll want to pick one of these up when she starts producing them again!

Vintage clothing/items are another good thing to look for. There are plenty of home items and trinkets to be found at a steal of a price, and there is some very good vintage clothing. Just keep digging until you find a seller you like and then bookmark it!

The great thing about Etsy is that you are dealing with real people, not a large corporation. If you become a regular buyer, you can start a dialogue with the seller and maybe get alerts to new items before anyone else.

• Alloy.com

Don’t be put off by appearances: Alloy may seem like your average teeny-bopper clothing site, but it’s actually a fantastic resource for reasonably-priced cute clothing and has an amazing denim selection that every woman should look at.

I always give Alloy a rave review when people ask me where I got my pants or jeans. They carry every size imaginable. Many of their pants go up into the high-20’s plus sizes — and they also carry petite and long inseams. We’re talking long, long inseams: up to 37”, which happens to be the inseam I buy.

Some tips: look for stylish, fashion-forward clothing, not necessarily the stuff that’s marketed directly at the teen audience. Stay away from anything too cheap-looking.

As far as jeans are concerned, make sure you consult the size guide, because Alloy primarily goes by Juniors sizing, which means you may have to buy up a couple sizes from what you normally wear.

The shoes are another good section on Alloy. They copy designer looks at a really great price (usually less than $30), so give that a look.

Any question about jeans or pants? Let me know…I’m a veritable expert by now.

Check back next time to see my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE online shopping site. See ya!