Easy Holiday Style!

The holidays are here and with them they bring parties, lots and lots of parties! And if you are like me, you need a staple piece that will work at the last minute. I’m happy to say that I have found the item that will relieve me from any sort of stress that comes with picking out an outfit for any type of holiday shindig ever!

This skirt is perfect for you petite ladies out there! With the long sheer overlay, it gives you coverage but doesn’t take away any length of your legs with is a major plus! It also goes with anything, I wore it with a striped J.Crew top with a jeweled collar, but you could wear it with a classic gingham or plaid shirt, chambray, or a cute graphic tee to add a little fun!

Top-Similar | Skirt

Holiday Gifts For Her!

It’s my favorite time of year! All of the decorations, smells, the music, everything. I just can’t get enough! The only thing I ever have an issue with is when someone asks me what I want for Christmas…. Like I’ve only been thinking about it all year but now all of a sudden, BLANK! So I’ve put together some of my favorite things at the moment that are beyond cute and  will be sure to last you years to come! 

H A P P Y    S H O P P I N G !

  
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Firecracker Fans!

So how long has it been since I’ve done a crafting post….. too long is the correct answer! Well I’ve certainly missed it and I’m back with one to help kick start you decoration plans for independence day! My sister recently asked me to help her with a styled shoot she is doing soon. She wanted some patriotic fans to help accessorize the photos! So that’s exactly what I gave her!

Step 1: Gather Supplies!

• Festive Paper to match your theme
• Ruler
• Glue
• Stapler
• Wooden skewers

Step 2: Fold!

Begin with the short side of your paper and accordion fold about 1 inch wide. Once completely folded, cut ends at a diagonal (about 45 degrees). Then, while still folded, staple in the center with the staple being perpendicular to the folds.

Step 3: Glue!

Open your fan so that the edges of one side come together and glue. Hold the edges in place until the have dried completely.

Step 4: Handles!

Take your wooden skewers and position them on the remaining sides. Place them on the inside of the folds and glue in place. Use you twine to keep both handles together. And just like that, you’re all done!

You can used the as a centerpiece for a dinner party to replace the traditional flowers. Or you can write guests names on them like I saw on Martha Stewart and use them as place cards!

Easter Treats!

My family always get way into holiday gatherings! I’m talking place cards, table settings, family photos, and so much more! This year I was put in charge of desserts since my sister as seen me baking a lot these past few weeks! So I did some searching on my trusty Pinterest and found some fun ideas! Here are two of my favorites that I put together!

E A S T E R   E G G   B I R D   N E S T S !

• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 large egge white
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups sweetened coconut
• 1 cup Nutella
• M&M Speck-tacular Eggs (or favorite Easter candy)

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

2. Stir together the sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla extract, and salt. Add in the coconut and mix well.

3. With a spoon, scoop up about 2 Tablespoons of the dough and place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Press down the center with your thumb.

4. Bake cookies for 17 to 20 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and press your thumb down in the center of the nests again. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes or until they are firm and set. Cool completely.

5. Place about a tablespoon of Nutella in the center of each nest. Finish decorating the nests and serve.

S L E E P I N G   B U N N Y   C A K E !

• Your favorite cake recipe
• Your favorite buttercream icing recipe
• Your favorite sugar cookie recipe
• 6″ round cake pans
• Black gel icing

1. Bake 2 layers of white cake and let cool completely. Shave off tops of cakes to make completely flat.
2. Ice cake completely and set aside.
3. Cut out bunny ears into your chilled sugar cookie dough and bake until just golden. Let cool Completely.
4. Ice ears with white butter cream completely then add in the pink icing to make the inner ears.
5. Place to slits into the cake and place the ears inside so they stand up.
6. Take your black gel icing and pipe the bunny’s eyes, nose and mouth.

Shamrock Wreath!

Hey guys! St. Patty’s Day is right around the corner and this Irish Girl has a DIY that is super adorable! I love this day because it literally is just an excuse to gather with friends and celebrate my heritage! For this DIY, I didn’t want to do anything too over the top since you all know my favorite kind of decor is anything neutral. So I didn’t want to make anything super green, with tons of tulle or glitter…

What you will need:

• 1 package of Lima Beans (I used baby lima beans)
• 1 Package Split Peas
• Card Stock
• Foam Wreath
• Hot Glue Gun
• Burlap

 

The first thing you will need to do is just start gluing your lima beans all over the foam wreath. You want to make sure you keep them lined up in some sort of order. I did mine on a slight diagonal, it isn’t perfect but still looks neat and clean which I LOVE!

Next you will need to trace a shamrock onto your card stock, cut it out, and then glue your split peas directly onto it! Be careful as the peas are small and you don’t want to burn your precious little fingers! Make sure to clean up any of the hot clue webs left behind!

Now just glue that in the desired place on the wreath. I angled mine in a lower corner! Then tie a burlap knot on top for hanging and you’re all set! A simple but chic way to decorate for St. Patty’s Day!

You can place over your fireplace or do as I did and frame it out above your bed!

Valentine’s Date Night!

The most romantic time of the year is quickly approaching, Valentines day! While it’s not my favorite holiday, I love an excuse to get dressed up and be surrounded with hearts and chocolate! Now I agree that Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to involve a lavish dinner combined with chocolate strawberries (however I wouldn’t be opposed to these!) and rose petals. However I do love dressing the part for this particular day! So to help y’all out, I’ve put together some perfect options for whatever kind of date night is planned, whether it’s a nice dinner, casual movie date, or a romantic night in, your attire will be on point! And I’ve chosen these items from my favorite shops that are super affordable for you ladies!

Now I chose 2 looks for a nice dinner out on the town. The first dress is your more traditional red lace dress that is always a hit. It is a classic and would look perfect with statement earrings to give it some sparkle! The second dress is a playful pink dress that is definitely flirtatious!

Red Dress   //  Pink Dress

This next option is my favorite and I actually purchased it for myself to wear on this very special day! Since I’m a natural redhead, I tend to stay away from wearing too many reds and pinks. This berry dress is perfect for me and anyone else who is not exactly a #1 fan of those two colors (Fun Fact: it comes in those traditional valentine’s colors too!)! Pair it with  a snazzy statement necklace and it will be a great outfit for milkshakes and a movie with your amazing date!

Berry Dress

Statement Necklace

While it’s fun to go out and about with your loved one for Valentine’s Day, sometimes a cozy night in is all you need! But hey, you can still have some fun dressing up for your one and only! Here are some cozy cute options for you to wear for a homemade meal and desserts on the couch!

The key for this look is to just add little heart pieces somewhere on your outfit! I love my heart elbow patch shirt and you all did as well so I decided to share it with you all again here! It’s on sale but going fast! I love these jeans, and they’re FREE! Just take a pair of jeans you don’t wear too often and apply fabric pant to them in heart shapes! Super cute idea and it updates an item you already have in your closet!

My Heart Shirt  //  DIY Jeans

Silver + Gold

So I had a well deserved day off today and I used my time to catch up on some Christmas Shopping and sister time! While I didn’t plan it, I felt very festive with my outfit today! Silver + Gold are my new two favorite things to combine right now and it’s perfect for the holiday season! I also loved the way my brand new (seriously, they were delivered to my doorstep this morning) faux leather leggings made the look so sleek + clean!

Sweets By The Dozen!

To be honest, I will be a happy camper if I never see anything related to sugar for a very long time! My sister decided she wanted to host a Christmas Cookie Exchange Party which required each guest to make 8 DOZEN cookies!! She’s lucky I love her and that I was able to find time to do it all haha!

I decided to make a classic sugar cookie in the shape of snowflakes mainly because sugar cookies are my favorite and my obsession with snowflakes is real! Now I do admit, I made this more stressful on myself than necessary, but I had a vision and couldn’t break away from it!

I used just your basic sugar cookie recipe!

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Softened Butter

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Tsp Almond Extract

1 Egg

3 Cups Flour

2 Tbsp Baking Soda

Then I chose to use the royal icing to make a very clean and wintery look for my cookie and this is what took most of my time.  It is very detailed and I probably should’ve chose a time where I didn’t have to decorate 8 dozen cookies…. But they turned out just how I wanted them!

2 1/4 Cups Confection Sugar (Sifted)

2 Tbsp Lite Corn Syrup

2 Tbsp Milk (May need to add more but be careful not to add too much)

The first few times you might want to outline your cookie until you find the right technique/amount you need so that the icing doesn’t pour over. Use a toothpick to guide your icing to each corner and let it settle.

Then it’s time to dress up your cookies!  I went with pearls and silver glitter sprinkles from Williams-Sonoma to create a glamourous look! I absolutely love the way they all turned out!  They sparkled and just really stood out!

Holiday Glitz!

It’s that special time of year with the best parties around, TACKY CHRISTMAS PARTIES!! Now whether you are attending a traditional Tacky Christmas Sweater Party or just a Tacky Christmas Party, my favorite accessory to dress up your outfit is the perfect headband! When I was in college my head band consisted of being wrapped up in festive ribbon with a larger than life christmas bow hot glued to the side. It was a wonderful look, just check it out below!

However, this year I wanted something a little more glitzy and glamourous!  So what that’s where the gold and stars come in! Here is how I put together a fun, festive, sparkling holiday headband!

First, take some gold glitter paper.  I purchased mine at Michaels for about a $1.50.  I love this paper because it saves you from the frustrating mess that comes with loose glitter. Also grab a star cut out to make sure you have the perfect star every time.  I purchased is at Michael’s as well for about $10!

You’re going to want to cut our several pieces and glue them together so that the glitter shows on both sides.

Now I took and old basic black headband and wrapped it up in gold garland for extra sparkle. Then lined the top with a few stars to create a mini tiara look.

Now you will need thin bracelet wire (can find at Michael’s in the jewelry section for $3.50) and some scissors. You’ll want to cut the wire in to small, medium, and large sections, with multiple of each!

Take your remaining stars and use hot glue to attach them to the tops of the wires so they look like mini fairytale wands straight out of a disney princess movie!

Wrap them around your headband so that there are multiple tiers of stars. Remember that you don’t want it to be too perfect. It feels more magical when not every little detail is in place!

And bibbity bobbity boo…… you have the perfect holiday headband full of glitz and glam! Add some fun gold garland and you’re all set!

Turkey Day Tablescape!

And just like that, my favorite holiday has come and gone! I hope you all had and AMAZING Thanksgiving and Black Friday! My family, as usual, got really into the decorations this year and I thought I would share with you all the really fun place cards I created from scratch! I saw the gold wishbone place card holders on pinterest, and decided I need to make some of my own!

What you’ll need is wax paper, air-dry clay, gold spray paint, and cookie sheet (optional)!

What you’ll need to do first, is roll your clay into a ball. Then split it in half and roll each half into a snake.

Take the tops of each half and wrap them together. Form it into a rectangular shape. Then take the ends of each half and squish them together with you thumbs to make them flat and round!

Place your wishbones on a sheet of wax paper to dry overnight.  Make sure to make a slit at the top of the wishbone with a knife for the place card to sit in!

Now take some metallic gold spray paint and go to town! Cover top, bottom, and sides!

And you’re all done!  I fell in love with how they all turned out! They really brought the whole tablescape together with a super holiday feel!