End-of-Year Chat | Jennifer L. Scott

In today's end-of-year message, I share blog updates, ten-item wardrobe updates, announcements, book news and a very embarrassing story. How did our first semester of homeschooling go? Will I do a ten-item wardrobe video for winter? What's new for the Madame Chic books in Asia? All of these questions and more are answered in today's video.



Thank you to Lisa Donovan Lukas for her beautiful Nutcracker arrangements. I took my daughters to see The Nutcracker last weekend and had the pleasure of sitting in the first row. They were thrilled to see the dancers so up close and even get a peek of some of the back stage action. Lisa's beautiful arrangements bring one of my favorite ballets to my home piano. Thank you, Lisa!

Be sure to check out Melissa55's channel on December 22nd because I will be featured in her musical compilation video playing, O Little Town of Bethlehem, on the piano. Thank you, Melissa! *Updated* You can watch the video here.

News
If you are missing The Daily Connoisseur videos while I am on my winter break, enroll in the eCourse on the ten-item wardrobe. With over an hour of never-before-seen video instruction, notes and quizzes, you will feel prepared to create your own ten-item wardrobe. For those of you who already do the ten-item wardrobe, this course will keep you on track and provide further inspiration. The course is self-paced and includes a lively comment section with other ten-item wardrobe enthusiasts. Enjoy!



On Instagram
At Home with Madame Chic in Poland...

Pewnie wiekszosc z Was zna ten poradnik. Ja tez mam go juz dosc dlugo, ale lubie wracac do niekt�rych fragment�w tej ksiazki, zeby przypomniec sobie jak wazne jest celebrowanie chwili. #wdomumadamechic #jenniferlscott #poradnik #celebrowac #celebrujecodziennosc #nastr�j #nastroj #przedswiatecznie #nastrojowo #ksiazka #bookstagram #book #kochamksiazki #kochamczytac #czytam #jasno #niedzielarano #niedziela #pastelowo #chwila #moment #wazny #swiatelka #corazblizejswieta

A post shared by Monika ?? Fibs?? i Muffi?? Poland (@fibshome) on Dec 17, 2017 at 2:58am PST

...and Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic in good company.

I used to hate to read, but no I love it!, personal enrichment is something that makes me happy, I like learning new things but I don�t like school, reading for me is the best way to learn . At this time Im doing research on the perfect wardrobe, I been doing it for years , but now everything I�ve ever read online is being backed up or contradicted with books , you�ll soon know what�s the verdict . #fashion #wardrobe #capsulewardrobe #parisian #fashiondesign #madamechic

A post shared by Mayra Sissi Biggs (@mayrasissi) on Dec 14, 2017 at 4:41pm PST

Comment of the Week
Regarding Tuesday's Bloopers video, An Old Fashioned Country Life writes, "I love the deciphering look as you hear the background noise!!
"Do I need to tend to that? What level are we at?" look!!
God bless
Mrs.O?"

Mrs. O, that was my exact thought process during that moment. Ha!

I will be going on my annual winter break from the blog and will see you in a few weeks. I am wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. I am excited to usher in 2018 and want to thank you for all of your support this year. You are a wonderful part of my life and I am grateful for you. See you in 2018!



Visit my Author Website

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter


FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Planning for Christmas 2017 + Free Printables

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration! We had an awesome day with family, lots of food and even more gratitude. I hope your Thanksgiving was equally as joyful.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to plan for the holiday season. In my planning post from last year, I show you how I organize our activities and to-dos in list form. This year I did the same thing and created my own custom Daily Connoisseur printables which I am offering to you for free. Simply download the PDF files and they are yours. I hope they help to keep you organized this season.

I have created a Christmas list...


...as well as a Holiday list.


Click here to download the Christmas list. Click here to download the Holiday list. I hope you enjoy today's video as we plan together for the Christmas season.


News
My book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS, will be released in the fall of 2019 from Chronicle Books. Read all about it here.

Take my new eCourse on the ten-item wardrobe. With over an hour of never-before-seen video instruction, notes and quizzes, you will feel prepared to create your own ten-item wardrobe. For those of you who already do the ten-item wardrobe, this course will keep you on track and provide further inspiration. The course is self-paced and includes a lively comment section with other ten-item wardrobe enthusiasts. Enjoy!



On Instagram

This beautiful Sunday morning is all about caf� au lait and #MadameChic.???? #TheMadameChicCollection #YouAreHereCollection #YouAreHereMug #Paris #StarbucksParis

A post shared by @tammyfinds on Nov 4, 2017 at 8:46pm PDT

Comment of the Week
Monday's Teatime with Jennifer on the High Fashion Dry Clean Dress caused quite a laugh! Thank you to everyone who watched and enjoyed the video. I did want to send everyone off for Thanksgiving with a bit of lightness :)

Caroline H. writes, "This was a lot of fun to watch! I can't imagine that I would ever buy such a dress- but beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I watched a few fashion shows online and the one thing I just don't understand- why do the models not smile? I saw some exquisite designs but the models wearing these gorgeous clothes looked miserable! If I had the opportunity to wear Oscar de la Renta or any other great designer, better believe I'd be smiling about it. What is the saying? You're not fully dressed without a smile? When you asked who wore the plastic dry cleaning bag better- the answer is you! Just goes to show, even if you are wearing a plastic bag- it will look better if you smile!"

I agree, Caroline. I wish the models would smile too! I don't know how the Moschino model kept a straight face. As you can see from my video, I was not very successful at it!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. I hope you get great use out of the printables. See you on Monday for a video on how I wear leggings and tunics. If you liked my necklace in today's video, be sure to come back for Monday's post because we are giving one away. It's the Zoe Lariat necklace by Stella & Dot, sent to me by my friend Lucy Wheeler. Stay tuned!


Visit my Author Website

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my eCourse on the Ten-Item Wardrobe

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter


FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Christmas Chat 2016

Christmas is two days away, and in today�s chatty video, I wrap up many of the loose ends from past videos, and let you know what I�ve been up to during the month of December.

In the video I share with you:

How my Christmas planning went (and what we didn't end up doing!)

Seek out the arts inspiration including my review of the new Amelie musical, what it was like to take my daughters to the Nutcracker ballet for the first time, and Diavolo dance company�s suspenseful modern dance masterpiece, Trajectoire.

A nice gift idea for men (or anyone, for that matter!) My father loved the Nixplay digital photo frame I gave him for his 70th birthday. I�m sorry I didn�t mention this sooner. But it�s worth mentioning now so you can put it on gift lists for the future.

My postnatal hair loss. I've been wanting to do an update on this for a while!

What I'm wearing on Christmas eve

I hope you enjoy this final video of 2016.

It�s been another wonderful year and I thank you so much for coming along with me and being a part of The Daily Connoisseur. To all of you who have left comments, or emailed me through my author website, even though I have not responded to you individually, I have ready every single message and appreciate every one. Thank you!

News

Life with Dee includes The Madame Chic Collection in her holiday gift guide for this year.

Abigail Murrish includes the Madame Chic books among her favorites of 2016

Comment of the Week
Miss L writes:
Thank you for the recipe! I wanted to make a breakfast casserole for my family for Christmas morning and this is just right. :D
I personally (just myself) haven't made anything specific for my family on Christmas morning, but one time a few years ago my grandma did fried ham slices and homemade cinnamon rolls. They were just right and everyone enjoyed them thoroughly! Yum!
Have a very joyful Christmas!!!

Hi Miss L., my grandmother used to make fried ham and cinnamon rolls for Christmas too. What great memories!

Merry Christmas to all and a very happy new year!

I will be taking my annual break from the blog, but I really look forward to seeing you in 2017, and sharing another year of The Daily Connoisseur with you!

In the meantime, please stay in touch with me over social media (links below). See you there!

With love,

Jennifer x

Visit my Author Website

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter


FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Links may be affiliates.

Holiday Gift Guide 2016

It's time for my annual holiday gift guide. I'm really excited about my choices this year! Let's dive right into it.



Carrot Top Paper Shop
Jenny Williams, founder of Carrot Top Paper Shop, is a talented artist with a brilliant idea. She creates portraits of literary heroines. What a wonderful gift to inspire young girls. With so many dubious role models out there today, gifting a young girl with a portrait or quote from Anne of Green Gables can give her something beautiful to look up to. I adore Jenny's work! She is offering a 25% off discount to all readers of The Daily Connoisseur. Simply use the code, MADAMECHIC at checkout. This code is good through December 20th, 2016. Thank you, Jenny!



Lillian Vernon personalized rolling luggage for kids. My daughters really love to prepare for a trip (gosh, I don't know where they get that from!). They get really detailed about how they pack, so I just know they are going to adore these personalized suitcases with their names on them. The above picture shows various styles from their website.



Chatbooks is a new app that I am loving! You can create photo albums from your smartphone. You can either create a custom album (which would make a great gift, especially for family far away), or create a series from your Facebook or Instagram pictures, or from the "Favorites" on your iPhone. Click this link to get your first book for free.
I recently started the "favorites" series where Chatbooks send me an album every time my phone accumulates 60 favorites. I received all 8 volumes of my favorites yesterday and I love them. I suggest getting the hardbound books, they seem more durable than the soft cover (which I have ordered in the past).


Buns, Braids and Twists by Christina Butcher and The New Braiding Handbook by Abby Smith. These books make fun and interesting presents. It's fun to try the hairstyles on yourself and others.


Personalized stationery makes a thoughtful gift. It doesn't have to be the fancy kind, a simple notepad can be very appreciated. I made mine on Zazzle.



My gift guide could not be complete without mentioning The Madame Chic Collection. It truly makes the perfect gift! If you have loved reading the Madame Chic books and know someone who would love them too, this is an affordable and attractive way to buy all three. Buy it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

I do hope you check out today's video for more on all of these gift ideas.

News
Ballerina, Kathryn Morgan, features The Madame Chic Collection in her annual holiday gift guide video. Thank you, Kathryn!

If you missed my appearance on Nippon TV's THE MOST USEFUL SCHOOL IN THE WORLD, you can see it here.

Comments of the Week
Isabela writes: Hi Jennifer,
I really liked this planning video. I think scheduling minor activities, like baking or going to the movies, would be helpful during summer breaks too, so I wouldn't lose all my leisure time binge watching on Netflix.
Also, My aunt just bought tickets for the nutcracker for us! I'm so happy that I wanted to share it with you. Many great solo dancers from around the globe will perform, including a principal dancer from the Royal Ballet in London, who, like me, is Brazilian.
I Love your books,
Isabela

Thank you, Isabela! Yes, I find that planning for all holidays and breaks in a similar manner to what I showed in Monday's post makes for a fun and meaningful time. Have a wonderful time at the Nutcracker!

Laura W writes:

Jennifer, seeing this list brought back so many memories of when my boys were little. I especially loved the movie night. We had a Friday night movie night too! Just like when I was little, Sunday night seemed to be the T.V. night with homemade popcorn or black cows and watched the Walt Disney Show and the F.B.I. These shows date me but such happy times.

Hi Laura, movie night means so much to my children. They look forward to it every week! There's something about the routine and anticipation of it. I loved hearing about your movie nights when your boys were younger. Thanks for sharing!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. Let me know what your favorite gifts are this year. I would also love to hear a memory of your favorite gift as a child. Remember, your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog!


Visit my Author Website

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter


FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Links may be affiliates.

Planning for Christmas 2016

In today's video, I show you how I plan for the Christmas season.

After many years of hectic Christmases, I have found that planning and organizing as much as I can makes for a less stressful season and allows me to accomplish much more.

My process is two-fold. First I make a list of everything I need to do and would like to accomplish, including activities with the children. Then I input it into my calendar, everything from the smallest activities (like making hot cocoa), to the biggest ones (like seeing the Nutcracker ballet).

Scheduling the calendar like this gives us all something to look forward to and provides structure. It also helps me to prioritize family time because spending quality time together can often get pushed down the list amidst all of the business.

I hope that you enjoy this week's video! If you would like to see more planning videos from me in the future, please be sure to let me know.

A few things I mention in the video:

Free holiday printables for children from Activity Village. This is a great resource for fun crafts and activities for your kids this holiday season.

My video and blogpost on how to make your own citrus ornaments. These are inexpensive, natural and so fun to make!

News



Thank you to everyone who tuned in to Nippon TV's The Most Useful School in the World this past Saturday!
If you missed the show, you can watch it here.

The Madame Chic Collection is the perfect gift! Order yours in time for the holidays.



Comment of the Week
Yvanna writes:

Just a big thanks - came across your Ted talk tonight which led to a binge on your YouTube videos - during which my house and closet has been transformed, and my 10 item wardrobe is pretty much figured out. I have a massive pile of clothes to donate tomorrow! Also can't wait to read your book & book recommendations. Thank you, it really is just what I need right now for so many reasons. May God bless and protect you as you continue to inspire people xx

Yvanna, thank you so much for your kind email. I love meeting people who have found me through my TEDx talk. I'm so happy to hear your closet has been transformed! I'm excited for you to go on this journey.

Be sure to check back this Thursday for my annual Daily Connoisseur Gift Guide.



Visit my Author Website

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter