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Hope everyone had a great New Year. I'm taking some time off to focus and recharge, and plan a wedding!

In the meantime, you can follow along on Instagram.

Top Most-Read Posts of 2014

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.

Top Recipes

{Arugula, Pears and Candied Walnut Salad}

{Skinny Chicken Pot Pie}

{Pineapple Cheese Casserole}

{Spicy Turkey Chili}

Top DIY Posts

{DIY Chippendale Chair Redo}

 {DIY Faux Malachite}

{DIY Gold Etagere}

Top Home Decor Inspiration

{Men's Study}

{Organizing Your Dream Closet - DIY Closet}

{Choosing The Right Sofa}

{Peacock Chairs}

Wishing you all a happy New Year!

Hello, Vaulted Ceilings

Man do I love vaulted ceilings. 

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.

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Deck Your Nails - Holiday Style

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.

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Want some more color for your holiday manicure? Check out this tutorial from Julep that inspired the gold glittered nail beds in my nail look.

Gift Guide No. 3 - Plant Presents

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.




1. Urban Outfitters Hanging Terrarium // 2. Furbish Studio Floral No. 4 Print // 3. Metallic Crackle Plant, Plant pictured Aloe Vera // 4. Chinese Evergreen // 5. Handpainted Windowsil Pot Anthropologie - Plant pictured Pothos // 6. Ceramic Moonstone Ivy League, Home Depot // 7. Nate Berkus Black and Gold Accent Table // 8. Laboratory Flower Vases, Urban Outfitters // 9. Mixed Succulents in Gray Planter, Target

Shop The Post

Holiday Party Ready

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.

1. Aldo Czarnecki Heels // 2. Anthropologie Stalasso Earrings // 3. Anthropologie Bejeweled Jiminez Cardi // 4. Sabine Sequin Mesh Miniskirt // 5. Trina Turk Francine Pant // 6. OPI Kit Holiday 2014 Collection

What To Buy At Anthro's Sale Right Now (Extra 20% off)

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.

Sales To Shop

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.

1. Quilted V-Neck Vest // 2. Chloe Gold Trimmed Ankle Booties // 3. Burberry Brit Bosworth Quilted Patchwork Coat // 4. Stuart Weitzman 5050 Flat Boots // 5. Factory Toggle Coat // 6. Mini Waverly Cross Body Bag // 7. Jodi Booties // 8. Bobbi Brown Deluxe Eye + Lip Palette // 9. Women's Ludlow Blazer // 10. Sam and Libby Ankle Booties // 11. Sleek Suede Over The Knee Boot // 12. Kate Spade Gramercy Bracelet Watch // 13. Crossbody Quilted Handbag

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!

J.Crew Factory 50% off Everything
Nordstrom - 40% off 
Ann Taylor - 40% Off with code ShopAnn
Target - Buy One, Get One 50% off - Boots, Handbags & Wallets
J.Crew - 30% off with code HOLIDAY
Bloomingdales - 30% off select styles + $25 off every $200 you spend 
ShopBop - 25% off with GoBig14
Joie - 25% off Sitewide with code Thanks
Serena and Lily - $50 off every $200 with code GETSTARTED

Rum Pecan Pumpkin Pie Minis

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. 

What You'll Need:

Muffin tray

1 package frozen pie crust (should come with 2)

Pumpkin Filling Ingredients

1 can pumpkin  (15 oz) - Can be found a Whole Foods around Thanksgiving time

1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg, beaten until frothy 

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of ground allspice

Rum Pecan Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup, grade B

1 medium egg, beaten

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon light rum

1 pinch ground cinnamon

3/4 cup pecan pieces

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!

Gift Guide No. 2 - Gifts For Her

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.