With tomorrow being the last day of 2014, let's take a look back at the top recipes, DIY and home decor posts for the year. Interested in seeing more posts on a certain topic in the new year? Please comment below.
A few weeks ago, we went to a friend's house who has a vaulted ceiling living room going into the kitchen. Not only does it add great space to a smaller room, but it allows for awesome possibilities with statement light fixtures.
Can't help but dream about the possibilities with the beautiful spaces.
I love the holiday time and this year made a point to soak up every second of it. We put our Christmas tree up right after Thanksgiving and started playing Christmas music just as early. So when Julep reached out to me to share how I deck my nails and outfit for the holidays I had to share. I love how the holidays and particularly New Years are the perfect excuse for metallic, glitter and sequins. I painted my nails white and added glittery gold in an arch on the nail beds. I'm obsessed with the look, and it was really easy to do. You just paint the white base first and add the gold with a french tip art guide or by hand. What You'll Need:Andrea, Brigitte, Base Coat, Top Coat.
Why'd I pick white and gold? It's my favorite pairing and can go with any outfit over the holidays. Here are some of my favorite metallic looks.
Plants are in - you're either a long time plant owner who knows there's more out there than succulents (plant people ARE the new cat lady) or you've pretty much killed every plant you've ever owned...and then you found succulents and snake plants (guilty as charged). There might be a third type...those of us decor fiends who spotted fiddle leaf fig trees on the pages of our worshiped magazines and we were determined to garden like our grandmas.
Whichever "type" of plant person we're talking about, plants can make a great gift for the holiday season. Here are some great plant gifts ideas. I threw in a plant painting in case you or your gift receiver really are plant person type 2 (no judging)- because hey, pictures of plants are pretty too.
This really is my most favorite time of the year. The Christmas spirit, the holiday parties and the time with family is hard to beat. And for the more simple things in life...it's also the perfect excuse for sequins which are always a blast to wear. Here are some of my favorite jeweled and sparkly picks for the holiday season. And good news - a lot of retailers have continued on their Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals making it easier to splurge or dress for the occasion.
Anthropologie is my end-all-be-all favorite store, and has been for pretty much the past 15 years (one of the perks of having an older sister with good taste). For Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Anthro is offering an extra 20% off it's sale items. I just rounded up my 20 favorite picks and got out with two purchases of my own. Sometimes the sale at Anthro can be a bust with out of season styles, but they have some really great items on sale now for the season.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales are awesome, but with so many going on it's hard to pick and choose the best deals and honestly a bit overwhelming. With deals on pretty much all of my favorite retailer's sites, Black Friday/Cyber Monday are when I like to stock up on some of the bigger price tag items my closet needs for winter time. Outerwear, boots, handbags and beauty. These are my top contenders. Shop the image - it's clickable! Or find the links below.
ONE I love the color of this vest mix with black for a neutral look or navy for a peacock inspired outfit. TWO I am obsessed with these heels. The camel color is a staple and the gold rim makes them unique but classic. THREE Love the navy color and collar to keep your neck warm. FOUR These boots are a splurge. Despite the price, they are an international best seller and Stuart Weitzman boots are known for their comfort and quality. FIVE I love the look of this coat, the toggle closure and the mid-thigh length. Plus you can't beat getting a winter coat for $129! SIX Love the cobalt blue color and size of this bag.
SEVEN I am a big fan of booties, maybe even more than sandals. Like the uniqueness of the metallic color and the height of the heel for everyday. EIGHT I am a total sucker for holiday beauty packs, and Bobbi Brown is one of my favorites. NINE I could always use more versatile blazers. I like the length and the color of the buttons. TEN I just got these shoes from Target. They were a fun trip down memory lane as Sam & Libby shoes were pretty much all I wore growing up. They are cheap (even without the deal) and comfortable. ELEVEN Love the cut of these boots and I'm a sucker for suede boots. TWELVE I personally love two-tone jewelry especially when it comes to watches so you can wear this classic watch with gold or silver daily. THIRTEEN I am shocked this bag is from Target. It looks like an expensive handbag and it's only $24.99 before the deal!
SALES TO SHOP:
If you're a blogger too or love photography and are interested in investing in a professional level camera like a DSLR. Amazon has some amazing deals on Canon's this Black Friday. I have the Canon Rebel T3i with the 18-55mm lens and love it!
Thanksgiving is around the corner and could not be a more welcomed break. Sign me up for some red wine and turkey please. Thanksgiving in my family is about the most relaxing time of the year. We play football, do puzzles and go to bed super early. It's amazing. I got a jump start on my Thanksgiving duties this week by making these yummy mini pumpkin pecan pies to bring to our Thanksgiving dinner.
Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature - around 20 minutes depending upon how cold it is to start. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine all pumpkin filling ingredients into a bowl and set aside. Combine all rum pecan sauce ingredients and set aside in a bowl.
Once the pie crust is room temperature unroll bowl pie crusts. Use a glass around 3/12-4 inch diameter (I used a tea cup) or a cookie cutter to cut the circles. You can either use muffin cups or grease the muffin pan lightly with butter and just use the tray. Line the muffin cups with pie crust dough. Fill each cup with one spoon of pumpkin filling, should be about halfway. Then add one spoonful of the pecan mixture to each cup making sure to get at least 3 pecans in each one.
Cook for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let cool and serve!
Tomorrow I'll be sharing a gift guide for my favorite retailers Black Friday sales!
Thanksgiving is a week away and with that - Black Friday and Cyber Monday! Last week, I shared a Gift Guide For Guys, but also talked about how much I loved shopping Cyber Monday for the first time last year to get some of my Christmas shopping out of the way. I work in Marketing and my job always gets really crazy during the 4th quarter as we wrap things up before the new year. The past 2-3 Christmases I have been so crazy beforehand that by the time Christmas vacation came around so did some kind of cold. This year I am definitely going to be taking advantage of the sales and sharing my picks with y'all so we can all spend more time in front of the fireplace than in our cars in transit from Lenox Mall.
UNDER $50
Splurge Worthy
ONE Do you know GiGi New York? These bags are on the top of my gifting and wish list as I really believe a gift you'd want yourself can make the best gifts for your close girlfriends. TWO A monogrammed necklace is classic and the personalization adds a nice and thoughtful touch to your gift. THREE Coffee lovers could always use more coffee mugs - love the pop of color and the quote - it's so true! FOUR Pretty much every city is going through a "Polar Vortex" as we speak, so a pretty scarf feels like a no brainer everyone would love. FIVE I love these, super cute champagne glasses for celebrations like New Years, the holidays, birthdays and engagements. SIX Thought this was a fun dish for storing your favorite jewelry and can add a pop of gold.
SEVEN This is definitely a more splurge item, but a great classic and staple piece for any girl's wardrobe. EIGHT Love the color mix in these Bauble Bar earrings. NINE Ah, I love this bench too. I saw it at Target over Halloween and have been trying to figure out where I could use it in our small apartment. This one is a keeper! TEN After buying black candles for Halloween I love the look and they are really hard to fine. I love this brand for it's chic label and smell. ELEVEN We make a lot of meat and cheese plates are our home. This one is really useful with a marble portion for cheese and wood for meats. TWELVE I pretty much love everything from Paper Rifle Co, but thought this was a fun calendar for the traveler on your list.
Last week, I was talking about how much I love a black statement wall in the bedroom. This week check out this killer dark wall in the dining room! I love the feel of this room - cozy, glamorous, vintage, modern and interesting. Lauren from Studio Sven was featured on Apartment Therapy for her beautiful home that mixes antique and modern items. I was blown away with the style mix in every room and had to share. There are even some IKEA pieces in the mix that I challenge you to find, because she does an amazing job of using the method usually used in fashion of mixing inexpensive and expensive things to pull of a high end look.
I can't believe it's already time to think about gifts for the holidays. Did this year go by fast or what?! Last year, I did something new with shopping for gifts. For the first time, I actually shopped online during Black Friday/Cyber Monday to get some of my Christmas shopping out of the way. It was AMAZING. No lines, no crowds (that you can see) and sales EVERYWHERE.
CT and my anniversary is in December about a week before Christmas, so I'm always on double gift duty around the holiday season and always looking for gift inspiration. This is the first gift guide of the series this year since I personally think guys are the most difficult to shop for I'm sharing theirs first. If there are specific gift guides you'd be interested in - please let me know. These shopping guides are for y'all!
The Allen Edmond shoes are definitely a splurge item, but are high-quality leather that molds to the foot. Great to dress up at work with a suit or make more casual with a pair of jeans.
This Mezcal is seriously amazing. CT and I have been on a huge Mezcal kick, and this is the best we've had so far (no worm in the bottle too, score!). If you're not familiar with Mezcal, don't let my worm reference scare you. Mezcal is a liquor made from agave like Tequila that has a much smokier flavor. It can be mixed like a margarita or made into a smokey cocktail with grapefruit or bitters. It's delicious.
The Billy Reid sweater was a Christmas purchase last year, and CT loves it! It's soft and stylish without being too bold of a shawl collar.
The Go Pro...where do I begin. Guys are just obsessed with these. We were at a wedding the other weekend where CT brought his and it was a total dude magnet. The best deal I've seen is Costco because you get the Go Pro and a bundle of accessories. If you're not a member of Costco, I'd keep my eye on Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Walmart and even L.L. Bean for Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals.
Thought this flask was a fun and a good gift for guys who bike. The shoe care kit is something I feel like every guy should have for keeping they're shoes nice or for last minute fixes to scuffed shoes for a big meeting, and you can't go wrong with a nice razor that gets a close shave.
One of the biggest downfalls of renting is not being able to paint the walls (or choose the carpet, it's a close competition). Black bedrooms have really caught my eye recently. They make a dramatic statement but just look cozy for the winter months. I also love the simplicity of these rooms and how easy they are on the eyes without sacrificing style. Mix the black walls with a pop of color or a faux fur.
{Choosing The Right Sofa}
