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Showstopper Gifts - 2020 holiday gift Guide

10/31/2020

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Need a gift for that very special person? We chose our top 3 gifts that will wow your friends and family.​
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Italian Leather Bags

Nothing says quality like real designer leather bags crafted in small batches. Will last for years and easy to show off. Makes a great gift for those who like to switch up their bags with their fashion. 
Browse Italian Leather Bags
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Luxury Soy Wax Candles

Beautifully crafted candles in classy vessels that will impress anyone. Hand poured and uniquely scented. Makes a great gift for those who love candles, for these are elevated candles.
Browse Luxury Candles
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Upcycled Designer Clothes

Make heads turn with upcycled chic clothing. Each piece is one of a kind and designed with style and the environment in mind. Makes a great gift for the fashionista who appreciates wearable art.
Browse Designer Clothing

Need More Ideas?

We have more items that will wow everyone on your list.
Browse More Show Stoppers
2020 Holiday Gift Guide Main Page
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Gifts for Kids - 2020 HoliDay Gift Guide

10/31/2020

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Fun gifts for the kids on your list.​ We've chosen our top 3 most popular gift picks for children. Loved by Kids, parent approved!
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​Crocheted Animal Hoods

Fun plush animal hoods are not only great for warmth but also for dress up and playtime. Parents can request custom made animal hoods in their child's favorite animal. Foxes, Racoons, Sharks, Unicorns, Dragons, Koalas. any animal you can think of.
Browse Animal Hoods
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Adjustable Kids Rings

Cute and colorful rings that will delight any child. Rings can be formed to almost any child ring size. Come in a variety of whimsical designs. Makes a great quick gift or stocking stuffer gift.
Browse Rings
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Kids Patchwork Clothing

Colorful tops and dresses for all occasions. Each piece is unique and one of a kind. Dresses and tops can be custom ordered to suit your child's taste.
Browse Kids Clothes

Need More Ideas?

We have a wide collection of handmade items for kids
Browse Kids Items
2020 Holiday Gift Guide Main Page
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Gifts for the Home & Office - 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

10/31/2020

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​For some, 2020 was a great time to start renovating, redecorating, or moving into a new home. We chose our top 3 Gifts for those who love decorating their homes and offices.
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​WOOD BARREL PENS

A special pen that will last a lifetime! Barrels are hand turned wood and are refillable.  Makes a great gift for professionals like doctors, lawyers, teachers, or writer.
Browse Pens
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​Accent Pillows

A fun and functional way to add comfort to your home or office. Can be used as a back pillow for your Zoom Meeting! 
Browse Pillows
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​Wall Clocks

These wall clocks adds some class and style to any home or office.  A great gift for anyone who has a home office, or a professional office that they enjoy decorating.
Browse Clocks

Need More IDeas?

We have a wide range of home décor items to choose from.
Browse Home & Garden Items
2020 Holiday Gift Guide Main Page
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Gifts for Relaxation - 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

10/31/2020

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2020 has been a very stressful year for a lot of people. We picked out our top 3 gift picks that help with Relaxation.
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CBD Infused Chocolate

​​Handcrafted locally, these infused chocolates are an easy and delicious way to take a break and chill. A great gift for chocolate lovers. 
Browse Chocolates
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CDB Infused Bath Bombs

A beautiful blend of CBD, Lavender, and Chamomile. Will turn your tub into a instant home spa. Makes a great gift for those who love baths and could use an incentive to chillout.
Check out CBD Bath Bombs
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CBD Suite Dreams Softgels

A great gift for that person you know needs a good night sleep. A formulated blend of CBD Melatonin and other ingredients designed to lull you into a more relaxed sleep.
Check out Suite Dreams

Need More Ideas?

We carry a variety of CBD products in our shop.
Browse CBD Products
2020 Holiday Gift Guide Main Page
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Gifts for Spiritual Balance - 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

10/31/2020

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​This has been a tough year for so many.  For this gift guide we chose our top 3 gift picks for those who need Spiritual Balance. 
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​Reiki Arura Cleansing Kit

Aura cleansing is a great way to dispel negative vibes in your space. Treasure Box comes with sage, selenite, wood smudge stick, and more.  Makes a great gift for those who also like crystals, astrology, and similar subjects.
Check out Kit
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​Awakening Yoga Mist Spray

For the yoga enthusiast who could use a boost. This aromatherapy spray helps to gets you in the mindset and mood for yoga. Can be paired with crystals, a new yoga mat, or other yoga related items for a gift set.
Check out Yoga Spray
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​Reiki Charged Jewelry

Wire wrapped gemstones that have been cleansed, charged, and ready to wear. Choose a stone that matches your recipient's intention.
Browse Reiki Jewelry

Need More Ideas?

We have more Reiki and Self Care items in our Shop.
Browse Self Care Items
2020 Holiday Gift Guide
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Gifts For Foodies - 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

10/31/2020

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For the person who loves flavor, food, cooking or baking. We chose our top 3 gift picks for Foodies. Choose a couple of items and make a fun and unique gift basket. Or add to a gift of cookware, kitchen utensils, or even on their own.
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Mug Cakes

The BEST mug cakes we've ever tried! Satisfies that craving for cake in under 2 minutes. Comes in 6 flavors:
  • Snickerdoodle
  • Apple Spice (Vegan)
  • Lemon Poppy (Gluten Free)
  • Triple Chocolate 
  • Chocolate Peppermint
  • Gingerbread
A great gift idea for those who love cake but who have a tight schedule or too busy to bake.
Browse Mug Cakes
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Roselle Ginger Drink

An exotic drink that is delicious and functional! Can be enjoyed by itself, used as a drink mixer, or use in a recipe like a smoothie, dressing or jam! A great gift for the mixologist who likes exotic cocktails, the foodie who loves trying new flavors, or the cook who loves working with new ingredients. 
Check out Roselle
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Artisanal Chocoaltes

These artisanal chocolates are not only delicious, but are also guilt free! Crafted with exotic ingredients, are gluten free, and have no added sugar. A fantastic choice for health conscious chocolate lovers or people who love sweets but have dietary restrictions.  
Browse Chocolates

Need More Ideas?

We have lots of hand crafted small batch gourmet treats on our website.
Browse Gourmet Food
2020 Gift Guide Main Page
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5 Fun Halloween Activities (that You can do while Social Distancing)

10/7/2020

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Halloween is on the way, and things are still…weird. Said weirdness will, more than likely, interfere with many of the traditions of the holiday. Still, we can’t let these unprecedented levels of Weirdness put a complete kibosh on Halloween Fun! To that end, we present to you, in no particular order… ​5 FUN HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES (THAT YOU CAN DO WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING)​​
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​1. Halloween-themed Arts and Crafts

When it comes to family activities, there are few as versatile as Crafting. Pumpkin painting, slime making, paper ghosts and pipecleaner goblins, there’s something for everyone! Younger kids with short attention plans? Lollipop Ghosts! Just take a Lollipop, wrap it in a tissue with colored ribbon, and draw some eyes with marker. For something more off the beaten path, we recommend Halloween Melt & Pour Soap Making. Make your own soaps using moulds of Ghost, Skulls, Bats, and other thematically-appropriate icons. If you’re interested, we offer a DIY Kit on our website.
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2. Candy Hunt

​Since traditional Trick-or-Treating is likely not an option this October, we’re here to offer an alternative. Something to scratch the itch for the childhood experience of going on an adventure, with sweet and colorful treats as the reward. Borrowing a page from the Easter playbook, host your own in-house Candy Hunt! This can be as simple as hiding treats around the house or your back yard, but if you’re willing to get into the holiday spirit with something more elaborate, here’s some ideas;
For Energetic Kids - A ‘Monster Mash’
Fill balloons with candy, stickers, etc, and have the kids dress up as Monsters to stomp on them! You can use orange balloons and green ribbon for “Pumpkin Busting,” paint spooky faces on the balloons for something more Ghoulish, or even paint them with buildings to let the kids Godzilla Stomp their way through a candy city!

For Brainy Kids - A Scavenger Hunter!
To get that feeling of Adventure that kids get from Halloween, hide candy around the house, and give your kids clues to track it down! The riddles themselves will differ depending on what hiding places you have in your house, and whether you can tie them to memories you and the kids made at those places, but here’s some pretty universal ones to get you started!
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I’m on your Left and your Right, hopefully I’m not too tight.
Answer: hidden in a shoe

I have a sound that goes beep, and though I do keep time, my main function is to heat.
Answer: in the microwave

I have a big mouth, but I don’t gossip, even though I’m involved with everyone’s Dirty Laundry
Answer: in the washing machine

I have 4 legs but no feet. When you get tired, have a seat
Answer: chair (under, behind, etc)

I’m in the kitchen, and you’ll never eat me, but your 4 legged friend loves to greet me
Answer: pet food (best put candy in plastic bag)

I’m quite dirty, but can be beautiful too, you’ll find me in colors, like reds, pinks, and blues.
Answer: Potted flowers (again, best put candy in plastic bag)

​​I’ll keep you cool on a hot sunny day, but don’t forget to put me down, or I’ll blow away.
Answer: in an Umbrella

You’ll fill me up and then drain me when done, adding bubbles always makes me more fun.
Answer: in the Bathtub

Inside here you will find coats and shoes. Keep it organized so you know whose are whose.
Answer: in the Closet
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3. Trick Out the House (It’s a real Treat)

Who says decorating the house should be limited to the outside? Bring the spirit of the holiday into your home, by filling your home with Holiday Spirits! Miss that feeling of wandering around the neighborhood and admiring all the decorations? Share the pictures of your decorations with your friends, and encourage them to do the same. You can even go so far as to film Virtual Tours of the house ,to show off how Spooktacular the place is! If you’re looking for some unique decorations to get you started, we offer a selection of artisan Painted Wood Signs and Paper/LED Light Halloween Banners at our website.
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4. A Backyard Family Costume Party

Miss that feeling of being surrounded by people in costumes? Assemble that group of people yourself! Get your social group together, and party the night away! We recommend checking out this page from the CDC on Halloween actives and best practices. If your costume doesn’t already include a mask, we do offer Halloween-Themed Face Masks, to help you stay in the holiday spirit.

Still, a party isn’t a party unless there’s games to play, so here’s fun party games you can play while social distancing:
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Mad Libs
This game was created back in 1953, but the creators couldn’t decide on a name for it until 5 years later (given the nature of the game itself, the irony is palpable). Think of it as the original Cards Agains Humanity. There are a few different version of the game, but for social distancing purposes, we recommend the original version. For those new to the game, the rules are as follows:

  1. One player has a “Mad Libs” sheet, which contains one or more paragraphs worth of text (generally a brief story) where many of the key words and phrases have been omitted, and have been replaced with a placeholder telling you the type of word that should go there (noun, verb, adverb, etc). This player will NOT show the sheet to the other players, until the end.
  2. The player holding the sheet will call out the types of words needed to fill in the blanks, and the other players offer words of that type. (The other players can either take turns calling out words, or they can just call them out whenever they think of something, and then the group decides what they like best). The player holding the sheet fills in the blanks of the paper with the words they chose.
  3. Once the Mad Libs sheet is fully filled out, one player will read it out loud, and everyone will bask in the absurdity of what they’ve written.

Radial Beer Pong (Alcohol is Optional. For kids, call it “Ring Ball”)
Here’s where social distancing can act as a game-mechanic. For those not familiar, the rules are exceedingly simple (its WAS designed with drunk people in mind). Just toss ping-pong balls (or similar small objects) into those Red-Plastic Party Cups to score points. Generally, this is played with the player seated at one end of a table, and the plastic cups at the other end. However, in the Radial version, multiple players are situated around a set of cups, and all try to get their balls in. Due to social distancing, as more people join the circle, the circle greatly expands, increasing the distance the balls need to be tossed. If you find it’s too far to get the balls in reliably, you can switch to “Horse Shoe Rules,” where you get points for how close you managed to get it. To tell people’s balls apart you can either have them take turns, or draw on the balls with maker.
Note: To further guard against infection, players should wear gloves when handling the cups and balls. Good news if your costume already has gloves!

Human Inflatable Bumper Bubble Ball
This is essentially just soccer (or “Football” outside the States) with one essential distinction: the addition of Body Bumper Bubbles. These are a human-sized plastic balloon that goes around your body, acting as a giant bumper. This a real thing that exists in the real world.
Caution: The bumpers will help to enforce social distancing, but they’re also unsafe in other ways (for a variety of obvious reasons). We highly recommend adult supervision with kids.
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5. Stories of the Season

Home Scary Movie Marathons have been a staple of Halloween since the explosive popularity of VHS Players in the 1980s. Horror fans are all too eager to post their own ‘Top 5/10/40/10,000 Halloween Films” list, even in the middle of July! However, for families with younger children (and/or people who are just sick of looking at screens) indulging in these Spooky Spectacles is not a viable option. For a low-tech, more Family Friendly experience, we recommend utilizing the OG mass-market conveyer of fiction: Books! Whether you’re reading to the family while you gather ‘round the fire (that’s playing on your laptop), telling the story to your child while they’re tucked into bed, or just handing it over a young reader to help them develop a love of literature, everyone loves a good Scary Story! Here’s a few of our personal recommendations…

The Bunnicula series, by James & Deborah Howe
Horror Intensity: Mild
This series that was published from the late 1970’s to the early 2000s, follows the adventures of Bunnicula, the Vampire Rabbit that sucks the juice out of carrots. The series is told from the perspective of the family dog, Harold, who interacts with a whole cast of animals and pets. The story’s laid-back tone and dry sense of humor makes it a friendly entry into the horror genre for kids, while also having enough wit and charm to endear it to adults.

The Goosebumps series, by R. L. Stine
Horror Intensity: Medium
An unmistakable fixture of the 90s, this Horror anthology was popular enough to be adapted for the screen, both big and small. When you picture an American kid reading a scary story by flashlight under the bed covers, these are the types of books they’re holding. The stories are mostly disconnected from each other, with only a few of them getting direct sequels. Much like the aforementioned Horror Movie Fans, Goosebumps fans are all too eager to post “Top X” lists of their favorite entries in the series, so there’s plenty of resources to help you pick which ones to read. While generally not being too scary, the series was always intended for “Middle Readers,” and some may be too intense for younger children.

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
Horror Intensity: Extra Spicy!!!
This is story about a young girl (the titular Coraline) who travels through a doorway to a seemingly perfect version of her life, only to find out it’s an illusion by an Evil Being intent on trapping her. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the stop-motion film adaptation from 2009. I enjoyed that film greatly, however, it does not capture the deeper emotional horrors of the story. What truly fuels the horror of the story isn’t the physical danger presented, but how vulnerable and identifiable the main character is. Neil Gaiman does a masterful job of capturing the insecurities and frustrations that children experience as they transition into their adolescent years, and the way her “Other Mother” preys on those feelings speaks to the anxiety we all feel about being taken advantage of. Especially by someone with a familiar face and an offer “too good to be true.” Recommended for Middle School and up, and only the ones who can handle more intense content.
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    All our items are handmade, locally sourced, or crafted in small batches by artists, makers and entrepreneurs in our community and can be purchased Online or in-person at our shop in Montclair, NJ.
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    Creative and Instructional Craft Classes, Workshops, and Camps taught by Local Artists. We have classes for Adults and Kids with many of our craft classes online or in-person in Montclair, NJ.
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Montclair Shop

547 Bloomfield Ave
Montclair, NJ 07042
Kristen@TheEclecticChicBoutique.com
​862-221-0644
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Wednesday thru Sunday:
11:00 AM to 7:00 PM

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  • Home
  • Shop
    • Shop Now
    • E-Gift Card
    • Custom & Personalized Gifts
    • Earn Rewards
    • Download Our App!
    • Jewelry Repair & Repurposing
    • Zero Waste Fashion - Upcycling & Repurposing
  • Blog
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Press
    • Our Montclair Shop
    • Customer Reviews & Testimonials
  • Class & Event Schedule
  • Craft Classes
    • Class & Event Calendar
    • Private Craft Classes >
      • Jewelry Making Classes >
        • Specialty Jewelry Making Classes
      • Bath & Body Classes >
        • Soap Making Classes
        • Scrub and Lotion Classes
        • Candle Making Classes
      • Sculpture & Wood Art Classes >
        • Wood Art Classes
        • Mosaic Classes
      • Crochet & Sewing Classes >
        • Crochet & Knitting Classes
        • Sewing Classes
      • Painting & Drawing Classes
      • Reiki & Energy Healing
      • Cooking & Baking Classes
    • Group Classes
    • Virtual Classes
    • In Person Classes
    • Class Policies
  • Craft Parties
    • Book a Party >
      • Birthday Party
      • Wedding Shower
      • Baby Shower
      • Corporate Event
      • Holiday Party
      • Fundraiser
    • In Person Craft Parties
    • Virtual Parties
    • Backyard Parties
    • Party Policies
  • Contact
    • Subscribe to Stay Updated
    • Vendor Membership
    • Pop Up Space
    • Lovlee Chic Artisan Markets
    • Returns & Exchanges