This post is sponsored by Aura Frames, and you’re going to be so happy you know about them after you read this post, especially with Mother’s Day coming up when you’re all “What do I get the woman who has everything?” Because I geeked out when I got my frame in the mail.

First, you need to know that I have a master’s degree in Photo Gifts. Well, not really, but if there was a college that offered study programs in my favorite subjects–Christmas, babies, cute shoes, miniature things, candy, rompers, gifts you make with photos–I’d absolutely have at least a minor in photo gifts. Photo gifts are the language of the heart. They win every gift-giving contest, especially with moms because everybody knows if you want to go straight to a mother’s emotional jugular, you give her a photo of her children.

Of course with my research in photo gifts, I thought I knew all the photo gifts that were out there. We know where to get the most beautiful photo books, what framing companies to use, and how to turn a photo into a mug, a mouse pad, a magnet, a journal and a jigsaw puzzle. But I had no idea that there’s a smart digital frame out there that’s not only aesthetically beautiful, but technologically advanced–like we’re talking George Jetson–so you don’t have to fiddle around with loading pictures on flash drives or deleting photos to make room for more. This gorgeous little work of art allows all your family members, no matter where they live, to upload their photos of kids and grandkids and cousins and nieces and nephews and all the people you love straight to your mama’s frame in her living room from an app on their phone, without her having to do a single thing.

Ladies and Gentlemen, you want to wow the moms this Mother’s Day? Get them an Aura Frame.

The frame itself is visually stunning–not the clunky old black plastic things we were all excited about when digital frames first came out. The Aura Frame has clean and simple lines, can fit in with numerous decor styles and comes in a number of finishes (we chose the ivory).

I’m super picky about screen quality when it comes to photo display, and the Aura Frame screen is crystal-clear perfection, auto dimming for the perfect brightness throughout the day and displaying photos as if they were framed prints (you’ll hardly notice a difference!).

The best part about the Aura Frame is how easy it is to share photos using the their simple app. Aura lets you drop in as many photos as you want (unlimited storage!) onto your mom’s frame–instantly, privately, and from anywhere in the world.

For so many moms out there who love seeing new photos of their family but get overwhelmed by social media, this is the ticket! Aura lets you share favorite memories with your loved ones privately, without putting everything on social media. You can invite your entire family to send photos to Mom’s frame, and there’s no limit to the number of people you invite or the number of photos an Aura can display.

So let’s say Little Lucy has a ballet recital in Idaho, but Grandma lives in Maine. You can upload photos of Lucy holding her flowers while the audience is still clapping, and Grandma will look up from her crossword puzzle in Maine two seconds later and see precious Lucy appear in her picture frame on the end table. And if her other grandkid, Max, has a baseball tournament in New Jersey that same night, his picture can appear right after Lucy’s.  And Grandma never had to go on her computer or log onto some site “these millennials” use.

Aura perfectly married elegant design with cutting-edge technology and hit a home run in solving the “what to get Mom” dilemma this Mother’s Day. The Aura Frame is a great gift for multiple siblings to go in on and encourages everyone to share throughout the year. Moms love anything that brings the siblings together, so there you go–another point for you.

Get $50 off your Aura Frame through my special link here or using code KELLE50 at checkout.

And I didn’t convince you, maybe Ellen and Jennifer Garner can. Watch them gush about the Aura Frame too on Ellen:

This post is brought to you by tjmaxx.com. While this was a sponsored opportunity, all content and opinions expressed here are my own. Lord knows I love me some T.J.Maxx.

One of my favorite gifts to give for any occasion is a big ol’ basket filled with love. Not only do they look pretty (no wrapping necessary!), but they’re so much fun to put together–searching for little treasures that perfectly represent the recipient. And while the pressure of finding that one big perfect gift for someone can feel overwhelming, there’s something about treasure hunting for what to fill a basket with that is a doable creative challenge.

So when T.J.Maxx asked me to create some Mother’s Day gifts for some women in my life using tjmaxx.com (What? You can shop T.J.Maxx online?! YASSS!), I went right for the baskets because T.J.Maxx is one of my favorite places to go treasure hunting, and they’ve never failed me in providing rows and rows of unique treasures to select from when I’m filling baskets. I have a T.J.Maxx method–start with the home aisles, move to beauty products, slide through handbags to get to shoes, and end in jewelry. Now, I can do it at home from my desk!

Before I fill my baskets, I’ll tell you my favorite T.J.Maxx secret finds.

1. Big statement rings. I have a couple big artsy rings that always get compliments, and T.J.Maxx is my secret source (so many good ones on their site right now!).
2. Coffee table and design books. I geek out when I find stunning inexpensive gift books.
3. Beauty. I’ve found so many brands I already love as well as great beauty and bath items for travel at T.J.Maxx.

For Mother’s Day, I picked three special moms in my life I wanted to honor, and once I started clicking around tjmaxx.com, I found so many perfect gifts that represented each unique personality. The baskets easily came together on their own.

The baskets I used were less than $20 and were the perfect size to hold and display a collection of gifts. Bonus: They’re perfect for being repurposed for home storage.

Each basket included one of these frames which I’ve been buying from T.J.Maxx for years. I love the thin gold frame and clean white double mat. I had photos I had taken of each of my mom friends’ families, so the frames made a nice personal touch in each basket.

The final basket themes:

Farmhouse Kitchen Basket – cloth napkins, apron, copper ladle, individual baking dishes, City Farmhouse Style coffee table book, framed family photo

Spiritual Solitude Basket – midnight clay teapot, journal, a book of short essays, candle, matches, framed photo, and I slipped in several wrapped teabags from my own collection

The Best Friend Basket – clutch purse, cookbooks, planter (I potted a plant in it), framed family photo, journal. 

I love these individual sized baking dishes–perfect for a family night of little chicken pot pies.

My favorite thing about giving baskets is that the unveiling of treasure gets drawn out, and it takes a little time for the recipient to go through each little thing that was chosen just for them. Everything in these baskets captures the essence of each woman I love, and I can’t wait to celebrate them this Mother’s Day.

This post is sponsored by Clorox.

Every Saturday, I venture out by myself while Brett watches the kids for my “hour of power” which includes a coffee, sometimes shopping but always flowers–a trip to either our local U-pick field for snapdragons or one of my favorite stores for inexpensive fresh flowers to replenish the vases in our home. Having fresh flowers in our house brings such a simple but significant boost of happiness in my life, but there’s one small problem–we’ve got two Class 5 Sneezers in our family. Brett and Lainey suffer from major allergy issues–itchy noses, red eyes, sneezing (Lainey once sneezed ELEVEN times in a row) and sensitive skin which not only puts a damper on my flower obsession but presents some other tricky predicaments for everyday living like choosing what products we use in our home, how often I need to dust (never enough) and whether or not we can open our sliding glass doors for some fresh air. When it comes to handling the allergy issues in our home, Brett gets passionate. He’s practically an Allergy Fighting Superhero, added to his growing list of self-appointed titles (see also: certified meteorologist, expert in Amazon crap-we-don’t-need buyer, safety dad). Thankfully, with a little mindfulness, we don’t have to give up too much to keep the allergy reactions at bay. I’m partnering with Clorox® today to share a few tips and practices that we use in our home to address the allergies.

Use Fragrant Free Detergent

This tip is especially important for Gagoo. Who’s Gagoo, you ask? Gagoo is Lainey’s beloved puppy blanket she’s slept with since she was a baby. This thing has been pressed against my child’s cheek more than anyone in our family and gets washed once a week. For as much skin contact Lainey has with this puppy and her sensitive skin, Clorox offers their new Clorox 2® Free & Clear Stain Remover & Color Booster Packs, a 3-in-1 formula which removes tough stains the first time, brightens colors, and helps fight odors while being gentle on the senses and skin. For some families with sensitive skin and allergies, it’s hard to find a fragrance-free, dye-free product that actually works, but when you pair Clorox® 2 Free & Clear formula with your favorite detergent, you can actually remove 4X more stains and brighten 2X more than using detergent alone. Behold, the laundry dilemma solved–bright clean whites and vibrant colors with no irritants!

Watch What Fragrances You Bring in the Home

Back to my flower obsession. While I still buy them, I have learned that certain flowers are better than others. Daisies and sunflowers have a lot of plant pollen, so they usually get moved to the lanai. And I learned the hard way (poor Brett) that gardenia are way too fragrant to bring inside the house. Daffodils, zinnias, tulips, roses, snapdragons and hydrangea don’t have airborn pollen or overpowering scents, so our sneezers are much more tolerant. As for candles, I don’t buy anything with strong floral scents and try to stick to citrus and earthy/leather fragrances.

Dust Patrol

The first thing we do when the allergies kick up is do a good thorough vacuuming of the house, especially in areas where dust tends to collect and/or near where we sleep–baseboards, nightstands, behind the bed, etc.

Allergen Patrol 

Brett’s good at this one because it involves weather watching, and he’s all over tracking that. Most weather app reports give pollen level predictions, so when we know there are a lot of irritants in the air, we keep our windows closed, limit time outdoors and put our car air conditioning on recirculate.

For more information on Clorox 2® Free + Clear Stain Remover & Color Booster Packs and how to safely and properly use them, you can visit the Clorox® site. 

Gagoo’s up for another wash this weekend, and I have 21 mismatched socks to sort through, so you know where I’ll be ringing in the weekend…Happy Friday, from my laundry room!