2025 Alcohol Ink Ornaments & Customized Gift Sets

The holiday season is officially upon us !

This season I have a limited amount of hand-painted alcohol ink glass ornaments and customized gift sets. New this year is the ability to customize your ornament with a name for orders placed in advance. The metallic ornaments in gold and silver are always the fast seller.

I am continuing to explore some new application techniques for the best pops of color and metallics. Each glass ornament is unique and variation is a natural part of the process.

Each gift set includes a bottle brush tree, (colors vary), a seasonal scented candle, and hand painted ornament. This year each ornament will have a jeweled hook attached. If you want a customized name please note such during preferences when placing your order. There will be an additional $4 added.

Let me take the guesswork out of some of your holiday gifting as we find ways to make the season a little brighter for one another. These make the perfect gift for house warming, teachers, and the office.

All orders can be shipped for an additional charge, or contactless pickup is available in some locations. I will also be setup at some local holiday craft fairs, so add yourself to my email list for updates on locations for November and December.

My family and I thank you for supporting this little seasonal small business! 🎁

Holiday Gift Sets and Customized Ornaments

$25.00

Colors of the season, hand-painted alcohol ink ornaments, and seasonal gift sets. Each set can be customized with that special someone in mind near or far. Available for purchase this holiday season is a single ornament at the 3.25” size with or without name and large customized gift sets.

Large gift sets include:

• 3.25” glass ornament with 2-3 colors of choice

• Additional $4 for custom writing in black

• 1 bottle brush tree

• 1 holiday scented candle, or unscented candle.

• Gift box is wrapped in twine and gift tag included

If you’d like a customized gift, please specify as you place your order or email colleen@siskar.com

Contactless pickup offered local to Buffalo or $12 shipping.

*Place orders by December 5th for Christmas delivery.

The perfect gift for co-workers, teachers, new home owners, and family.

Please note: Each ornament is unique and variation in design is natural.

Size:

Select Size 3.25" Ornament Large Gift Set 3.25" ornament with name

Purchase

2021 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale- Items Worth Purchasing

I blinked and it’s already mid-July! I remember this time last year my baby girl had just rolled over for the first time and now she’s practically running circles around me. This time of year Nordstrom has their anniversary sale. It gets a lot of attention because many of the items don’t often go on sale and are for the fall season coming up. Typically sales are for end-of-season merchandise, so this is a great time to stock up on items for the upcoming fall season or to check off gift ideas for the holidays.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the sale and very quickly purchase items you may not necessarily need, but hope to wear, then question later. I definitely recommend checking what you are looking to replace as some staple pieces in your closet and choose wisely so you’re not impulse buying! I typically list a few items worth replacing for the upcoming fall/ winter season and see if anything matches that from the sale. After purging many items after our move, I am only purchasing timeless items worth the savings and can be used year after year or for a gift.

Right now the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is open for Nordstrom cardmembers of all levels. I put in my purchase a few days ago and can report back once everything arrives. The sale will open to the public on July 28. If you don’t have the card I would not recommend getting it just to shop the sale for early access or for a double points day. Throughout the month items get returned and do often get restocked. I recommend checking the 2 am-9 am EST window if there’s a must-have item you’ve been eyeing. I’ve noticed that’s when items are being restocked. If you have an account you can create a wish list of items and set restock alerts by email.

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I repurchase a few items each year or recommend based on use and the value for its price. I purchased some of these in years past and see they often only go on sale during the anniversary sale window. I figured sharing a few photos and reviews of the products may help in your shopping experience. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments or follow along with me on Instagram for more items I’ll be sharing.

Home

Barefoot Dreams In The Throw Blanket

This Barefoot Dreams throw is also nearly half the price of the one at the anniversary sale and makes a great gift! However, check the size you prefer, as the overall size of this version is a few inches smaller compared to the one above. Being as tall as I am I prefer the larger one and so does my husband so we just got one to match our bedroom so we can quit stealing the big one from one another.

Diptyque Candle Set

This set is wonderful because each one comes with a lovely scent that lasts. I love to grab one of these each year and break up the set to give with a gift. The scents are strong so even the travel size goes longer than I expected within a room.

If you like a fancier handsoap you can’t go wrong with this jumbo size Jo Malone, hand and body soap. These rarely go on sale and also would work well for a newlywed or housewarming gift as they are luxurious.

Baby Ideas

Baby Giraffe Blanket

There are a few items that I spotted on sale for an expectant mother or if you’re looking for a thoughtful baby gift that is used for everyday use. At first, we used many little swaddles with our daughter, but now that she is older, she loves the soft and plush feel of this Little Giraffe blanket.

She was actually in tears last week that I didn’t let her sleep with it. I don’t blame her, it’s super soft and cuddly and has without a doubt has become a household favorite. It is on the higher end for a baby blanket but has held up in delicate often washing and makes for a luxurious baby gift for a little one. There are some simple colors and ones with prints this sale. Little Giraffe does their one sale every so often, but I found this price to be the most reasonable for this blanket option.

Uppa Baby Vista Stroller

This stroller has gotten so much use already from the newborn stage, through car trips with the car seat option, and the seat it comes with for our now toddler. We were gifted this stroller from my parents and were so hesitant about it with the price tag, but we snagged it on sale and couldn’t be happier. The overall quality and ease of this stroller is top-notch. It also comes with a netting and rain cover which came in handy when we were living in the city and now the burbs. It is usually quite expensive and Uppa Baby strollers only go on sale at the end of the year to make room for new versions. Again, another registry option or worth gifting as a group for new parents to be.

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Fall Closet Staples

Barefoot Dreams Cardigan

These are my go-to cardigans every fall and winter. They work great with leggings or denim and are so soft and wash well. The quality is great as the lush blanket and for that reason, I snagged two at the past sales.

Stud Earrings

These are my go to stud earrings that are great quality. I have worn them in the pool, in the shower, and clean them along with my diamond jewelry. I have the gold pair and snagged silver this time around since they really have lasted over the years.

I also have worn this horn necklace layered with smaller necklaces and it’s a great length for that purpose if you like to layer.

Next week I’ll cover what is still in stock as the sale opens for public access.

Happy shopping!

Baby Proofing Tips & Tricks

When we made our move into our home one of our first priorities was creating a safe space for our baby girl. In hindsight, creating our baby registry safety items and all the newborn needs should definitely have been a priority. It’s very easy to become pulled into all of the sweet little clothes and nursery pieces, but in reality, your child’s health and safety are always what is most important. With so many products on the market to sift through it can be hard to know where to begin, and what products will be the best suited to babyproof your home for the many stages a little one transitions through.

Through experience, I learned the best time to start babyproofing is before your little one arrives where you can scan through each room.

There will always be never-ending to-do list items and a lack of sleep once your little arrives, so starting early and taking the safety precautions room by room is the best way to get started without feeling overwhelmed by the tasks. I’ve put together a few tips to help you get started if you have a little one on the way or have a baby that is moving toward becoming mobile with crawling or pulling him or herself up for walking.

Another great resource to seek out is How to Baby Proof Your Home in a Weekend. This concise article provides practical safety information and how-tos for creating a safe space for your baby to explore.

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Safety Starts Outside

First off, begin by scanning the outside of your home. Yes, that’s right the outside. If emergency services were to need to reach your home, make sure your house number and access to your home are available. Once inside, go through each room making. a list of potential hazards. You will want to see things from your little one’s point of view, so don’t be afraid to get down on your hands and knees to look for exposed outlets, rugs that may need pads, and any cords from devices that need to be removed.

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Baby’s Nursery

It’s an exciting time creating or designing the space for your little to join one day. Now you want this special place to not just bring comfort, but peace of mind that no matter what stage your little is in they will be safe within their room.

Aside from a mobile that can be installed safely from birth-when baby can sit up there are a few other nursery pieces that should be avoided altogether, or removed once the baby is crawling. Blanket ladders have become a popular home furniture item, but its leaning structure and layering of blankets can pose a risk once the baby is crawling and trying to pull themselves up. The same goes for faux floor plants that could easily tip and floor lamps that can become a fire hazard if tipped. Be sure to plug all outlets with outlet safety covers within the nursery and throughout the home. Depending on how often each is used there are different options that cover the entire outlet and cover or ones that cover the outlet.

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On All Floors…or Fours.

A smoke and carbon monoxide detector should be installed on each floor of the home. Don’t forget to check/change the batteries, such as during daylight savings. I loved this set because it has a 10 year battery life. A way to remember to check in with batteries is to set an alert in your phone on these dates as a reminder to check their functioning. I recommend this option, as it is a two-in-one and finding one with long battery life.

Take a look at all exposed cords and move them along with power strips out of reach of your little one best as possible. A common tip is covering the outlets with safety covers. This is a massive pack of the simple press in covers that can be removed easily. If there’s any furniture that has sharp corners or edges there are corner protectors that are removable that can be applied with an adhesive. Additionally, in the kitchen finding a way to make sure cabinet doors, stove knobs, and drawers cannot be pulled open is also essential once your little one is on the move.

We went with the magnetic option for the cupboard door safety locks since you cannot see the safety lathes from the outside. This set comes with 20 magnetic baby proofing pieces for drawers and cabinets.

For the stove knobs, the choices were less "hidden” so we went with this clear option that came as a pack of 5. The cap is easy to open, stays attached, then clips closed easily while cooking. Now that our little one is reaching up to touch these they were a must have. We also try to use the back burners more than the front ones in case of a spill or boil over.

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There are many other areas to later consider the more mobile baby becomes and tall! These areas include bathroom cabinets with cleaning /beauty products, toilet seat covers that cannot be lifted, door knobs, and top and bottom of stairwells for baby gates.

I hope this summary of items and spaces can best support you in your baby proofing phase of parenthood!