Hi Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday with all of your friends and family! As you can probably tell from my absence these past couple weeks, I have had a very busy Christmas as usual and on top of that I caught an awful bug. I was sick for a couple of days following Christmas. It was awful! I am doing better now and am back to work! It is amazing how fast the holidays always fly by and now New Years is just a couple days away!
For Christmas this year we threw a fete the weekend before Christmas for all of our friends. It was so much fun to be able to catch up with all of our friends before the craziness of the Holidays since we are all so busy with our families. Last year we had both a Christmas and New Year’s Party, but I think we want to take it easy this year and do something different. That same weekend I took my sisters and cousins to Minneapolis “Holidazzle Parade” as well as the Macy’s Annual “A Day in the Life of an Elf” animated walk through display. Macy’s has it every year and I have been taking my sisters ever since I can remember. It is a lot of fun and has become a Christmas tradition of ours.
As Mike and I spend each new Christmas together we learned how to better blend our Christmas with each of our family together. Well, its not so much a matter of blending, but a matter of time management. As hectic as it can be we somehow make it work and I still believe next year will be better then the last. And that is probably what makes it go by so fast. We have so much scheduled on Christmas Eve that it’s a miracle that we make it to our destination, much less make it there on time. So as we are rushing and stressing about making it to each event on time, the day just pass us by and next thing we know we are home, passed out in bed. That’s our Christmas for you. Exhausting to say the least, but also very fun and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
Well I hope you had a less hectic, but equally wonderful Holiday! I have some fun Holiday pictures to post, but haven’t gotten around to uploading them yet. I am just slowly getting back into the swing of things. In the mean time enjoy this pretty little New Year’s Eve look I put together! Do you see yourself toasting to the New Year in this beautiful J.Crew ensemble? I love everything about it from the beautiful sweetheart neckline, to the bustier bodice and the beautiful plum color. Just darling! I’ve also added a few pretty baubles to make the look more glamorous and sparkly! Perfect for New Years don’t you think? To top the look off I think this YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipstick in # 7 Le Fuchsia is going to make your lips pop.
Happy Friday! Here is lovely “Holiday Gift Guide” for all the gourmets in your life. Don’t you just love that nautical apron? And how about that quirky mustache corkscrew? If you want something that is more personalized, that customizable lucite tray is a great option. I just love trays. They are so versatile and are a great way to organize and display things. The recipe box is just darling and the fuschia chop knife is amazing! Be sure to check out my other “Holiday Gift Guides”!
I am just in LOVE with the Tiffany Holiday Ads this years. Each one is so beautifully done and I adore them all. I don’t know which one is my favorite. It is possibly the one with the family below or the couple sitting at a Cafe outside and of course the one above with the guy pulling the Christmas tree.
Do you have a favorite one? Also watch this video. It makes me so happy. I am a sucker for Christmas music and this video is so beautiful. I think it is going to be a favorite of one for years to come.
I am sure you have seen these photos already, but I wanted to share anyways. Here are the two official Engagement photos that were released of Price William and Kate Middleton. I watched when they announced their engagement on television and can’t wait to see the wedding! Although I liked watching the news coverage of the engagement, I did not like it when every news outlet talked about it and especially when the tabloids get way too invasive and talk gossip about Kate Middleton. Some of the things they show goes way too far in my opinion.
The photos were taken by Mario Testino, Princess Diana’s friend last month at St. Jame’s Palace. Kate is wearing a cream blouse above that she already own from a British brand Whistles. The blouse is no longer sold, but Whistles is re-releasing the renamed “Kate” blouse, as a limited edition in early 2011. The dress below is also from a British brand Reiss. It is the belted “Nanette” gown that is from the brand’s Fall collection last season. As you can imagine, the remaining stock sold out over the weekend of the gown and it will be available again at the end of January as part of the brands SS11 collection.
“I take it as a real endorsement of the British brand- she went for a premium British brand, rather than a British designer. I think that’s important; she could have gone for any designer in the world. I think she went for us because it meant she was able to wear something luxurious, something of a good quality, that’s appropriate for the current climate.” – Reiss Brand Director Andy Rogers
I love each of the piece she picked out and have always thought she had great style ever since I started seeing her in magazines years ago. It will be a lot of fun to see this wedding come together. I am sure it will be a wedding of a lifetime. One that everyone will remember watching.
As you may have noticed, I’ve been working extra hard lately on my blog posts. I kinda of felt bad that I slacked a little bit the week before. I have been planning on doing those “Holiday Gift Guides” ever since November, (here is the link to the “Glamour Girl“, “For Him“, and “$25 and under“). So I am working twice as hard this week to finish all my “Holiday Gift Guides”, so that I can share all my great gift ideas with you guys in time for the Holidays.
This post is not quite a “Holiday Gift Guide”, but it can definitely be used as one. It is just something that I really love, bows and I thought it deserved a posts of its own. I just adore things adorned with a bow and these are just some things that are too sweet and pretty not share with you guys. So I hope you like it! And if you love bows as much as I do, take a peek at my “Holiday Party Looks Part 2” that is inspired by a very pretty dress that may or may not have a bow on it.
Happy Sunday. It has been one crazy day for us yesterday! Minnesota had a huge snow storm on Saturday and we were hit with about 20 inches of snow. It started snowing around midnight Friday night and didn’t stop until Saturday evening until 7 pm. Mike and I had a lovely Saturday evening planned. We were going to go downtown to watch the Annual Holidazzle Parade and also see the Macy’s Annual “Santa’s Toy Shop” Christmas display, followed by dinner, and staying overnight at a hotel and Dim Sum Sunday morning. We planned this last month and of course we picked the weekend that had the biggest snow storm of my LIFE! You just have to smile at it. I was in awe at the amount of snow. I was about up to my hip and if it weren’t for my new awesome Steve Madden “Iden” boots, Mike would’ve had to carry me on his back. We just stayed in all day and ventured out to go to dinner, almost everything was close at 6pm, but we were lucky to find a restaurant that was open. We were thinking of trying to see a movie, but of course all the movie theaters were closed, so we just headed home and spent the evening together making extra special hot chocolate and watching tv shows. It turned out to be a lovely Saturday night in and we had fun anyways. We are planning on rescheduling everything, but it will be a little difficult since Christmas is so close.
So Christmas is literally right around the corner and I’ve been really inspired and in love with pink Holiday decor this year. This even inspired me to incorporate some pink into our usually silver and turquoise Christmas decoration. We are having a Christmas party next Saturday with our friends, so I am planning on adding more fun and festive pink party decor. And I have all these wonderfully pink inspired Holiday photos to share with you today. I hope you like them.
The photos below are from Martha Stewart Living Magazine December 2010 Issue. Perfect for a Holiday party don’t you think? Very fun and glamorous. I love the jewel tones especially.
The rest is a random sampling of photos. Enjoy!
These next few photos are absolutely Stunning!! I am really in LOVE with the mix of purple, teal, and fuchsia.
Happy Saturday! Did you know that it is 14 days until Christmas? That’s only two shopping weeks left. I hope you are all getting your Christmas shopping done early this year and not leaving it until the couple of weeks before, like me. But to be honest with you and it may not come as a surprise, but I LOVE shopping so I don’t mind taking it slow and finding the right gift as I come across it for the right person.
One thing that is very helpful with Christmas shopping is doing research prior online for gifts. It is easy to just go and pick it up in stores, but nowadays stores have so many great promotions going on online during the Holidays that you can usually find whatever you need for less online including free shipping. This is nice because it saves you the hassle of braving the cold and the crowd and I always love it when I receive a package at my door steps. Have I also mentioned money saving websites like Ebates or My Lucky Rewards and Shop At Home? Not only can you find useful coupons on these sites, but you can also get money back with each purchase you make online. All you have to do is set up a free account with either of these sites and before you make a purchase you go to either of these websites and search for the online store you are making your purchase from. If the store is listed, it will show what percentage of your purchase you get back. You then click on the link that leads to the online store and continue checking out like normal. That’s all you have to do. Sometimes its not much back, like 3% or something and other times it is 12%, so some stores are worth it more then others. I like Ebates the best because they offer the largest selection of stores, usually have the highest percentage back, and also mails out checks faster then the other sites. You can also set up your PayPal if you have one through Ebates and they will just deposit it into your PayPal account to use. It is so convenient! I still like using the other sites because they offer some stores that Ebates does not have and also a higher percentage cash back sometimes, especially with Shop At Home. This is just something I found earlier this year and I love using it. It saves me a little money here and there and all I have to do is to take an extra step and shop through these sites.
Well, here is a little Gift Guide with everything priced at $25 or less. I’m a little behind on these, so please forgive me. This is my favorite time of year and I have so much going on. This Gift Guide is perfect for friends, co-workers, as stocking stuffer, or white elephant gifts. These are a few of my favorite things and they are mainly for all the lovely women in your life. I think that each item is an amazing find, especially for $25 or less. Those Kate Spade Polka Dot Coasters in particular are fabulous and that Merona gold watch too. What a steal right? Isn’t it great that Jonathan Adler offers such wonderful chic gifts for such a great price? Love Love that umbrella. I also adore those Penguin Hardcover Classics Book. My favorite one is Pride & Prejudice of course! Mike got me several of them as our paper gift for our first year anniversary and I absolutely love them. I want every single book that they have, but I need to finish reading all the ones I have first. They are just very beautifully designed covers that are so sweet. I plan on having these forever and passing them on to my kids. Not only are these books classic stories that will be continued to read and loved by everyone for years to come, but they also have a special meaning for us. I am sure any friend would love to receive one of these book. Especially if you know what their favorite book is. Enjoy!
Target is once again debuting a new designer collaboration line. This time it is with William Rast, the fashion brand from Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala. The collection will feature shirts and jackets for both men and women as well as leggings and skirts and of course William Rast’s signature premium denim. The pieces will range from $18 to $200 and will debut in-stores and online on December 19th until January 22nd. I am not in love with the clothes featured, but will definitely check it out. I’ve always liked William Rast denim so I’m sure I will be able to find a few pieces of denim. The tan leather jacket in particular looks great. I really like the pairing of it with the dressy skirt or dress. It would be a very versatile piece to have.
Here’s a fun look to brighten up your day! This is a very glamorous and feminine look inspired all things girly; bows, purple, and sparkle. I hope you like it! Have you tried out any of the new OPI’s Burlesque nail polishes? The one feature in today’s “Holiday Party Looks” is so fun and sparkly. The collection includes five other glittery polishes. Perfect for any Holiday party or special occasion.
Lace + Blush 
