{from the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another}

today {and every day} i am thankful for

my incredible husbandwhose kindness, generosity, and overwhelming love
never cease to amaze me

my sweet motherwho is the most self-sacrificing person i know
always encouraging, always smiling, always with a kind word

my family
we are a close-knit group,
and i am so blessed to have them all.

wonderful friendswho make life that much sweeter


who or what are you thankful for today?


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bright tights

one of my favorite things about cold weather

is the chance to break out some of my brightly colored tights.

with colors ranging from cobalt to mustard to emerald to bulldog red,

there is a pair for every skirt or dress in my closet.

sometimes it's difficult to incorporate colored tights into ones wardrobe

without looking like a box of crayola crayons.

here are some of my favorite inspiration looks:

from magazines:

images: the little bit

from other bloggers:

image credit: nicole hill gerulat via rockstar diaries

image credit: lookbook.nu

image credit: taghrid

from anthropologie {of course}:

image credit: breakfast at anthropologie

my best advice for wearing colored tights is to do one of two things:

1. stick with one color and play with varying shades

{ie, pink & red in the first photo; yellow in the fourth photo}

2. pair two colors that compliment each other

{ie, purple and yellow, blue and white, gold and green}

what is your advice for bright winter tights, my lovelies?

xoxo

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{something funny to brighten your day}

my bestie sent me this during a stressful week,
and i loved it, so i'm sharing it with you.



this is so my life with cooper.
xoxo


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finishing touches

with the cool weather setting in

and the thanksgiving holiday around the corner,

i have started to think more and more about christmas presents.

{things to give, not receive!}

this year i decided to make all of my presents in the kitchen.

although a bit nervous about this rather large undertaking,

i think it will be a fun, personal way to give one of the things that i love the most,

the comfort of homemade, delicious food.

i am still tweaking the recipe list,

{check back for a detailed account later!}

but i have started to think about packaging a bit.

i know i want to find some mini mason jars for one of the goodies,

and i stumbled upon nice package when looking for finishing touches.

the site has adorable tags, twine, boxes,

and anything else you may need to wrap sweet little gifts

{or even do a bit of decorating}

i love these metallic tab stickers, especially as a garland on a brown box

personalized award ribbon tags

to make brown paper packages that much more special

this pennant bunting is simple and sweet

i love the personalized simplicity of it all,

and i think it is quite perfect for the types of gifts i will be giving this year.

stop by nice package and look through their creative gift wrap ideas.

which one is your favorite?

xoxo

images courtesy of nice package

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in the spirit

thanksgiving and christmas are my favorite holidays,

and this year is even more special since it is

mine and husband's first christmas as our own little family

we did a small amount of christmasing this weekend...

i succeeded in decorating our mantle

and placing a small tree in the kitchen,

and we will put up our tree over thanksgiving.

needless to say, i am quite content.

here are some of my favorite christmas ideas:

mini trees

source: apartment therapy

these adorable gift sets of cocoa and cookies from rosanna, inc:

{inspired by her grandmother's vintage holiday stickers}

i love giving cocoa and goodies as gifts...

stay tuned for more about this in an upcoming post(s)

source: rosanna, inc

ornaments made from old christmas cards

source: martha stewart

a wall tree

perfect for small spaces, but still so festive!

source: apartment therapy

household items as tree ornaments

i love the old clock faces and letters,

and how fun would those vintage utensils be on a tabletop tree in a kitchen?
source: country living

where are you finding your christmas inspiration this year?

xoxo

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things i love: guy scarves

every girl loves a well-dressed man,

especially when he has just a bit of style.

you know the kind i mean... not too over the top,

but just a hint of something different.

among my favorite ways for guys to accessorize

{although i am quite sure husband never thinks of accessorizing himself}

is with a scarf.

from the casual look of scarves with jeans

to cozier winter scarves and coats,

to finishing touches on a suit,

i simply adore my man in a scarf.

image via Le 21eme Arrondissement


images via jcrew

image via the sartorialist

image via zara

image via the gap

what about you, my lovelies?

what is your favorite thing for your man wear?

and for you fellows out there,

how do you feel about scarves?

oui ou non?

xoxo

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{weekending}

this is the first weekend in quite a while

where i don't have ridiculous amounts of work to complete.

woohoo!

needless to say, i already have my weekend chocked full of things i want to do:

bake raspberry cream cheese breakfast buns

go for a long trail run in the gorgeous 70 degree sunshine

image credit: Flickr

stop into h&m and check out the jimmy choo collection

image credit: wwd

finally make it to see where the wild things are with husband

take time to paint my nails

image credit: the gloss post

decorate our apartment for christmas

image credit: martha stewart

granted, i may spend the weekend lounging around with husband,

baking, sleeping, and just being at home.

what are your plans for the weekend, my lovelies?

xoxo

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sequin sensation

something that i cannot currently {or ever} get enough of:
sequins

i have always gravitated toward sparkly, shiny things,
{i blame it on my ballet days of sparkly pink tutus... or just my innate girliness}
and sequins are pretty much always at the top of my list.
that being said, i am in heaven with the current sequin trend.

sequins add a layer of glamour to any outfit,

from casual jeans and a blazer to a party dress for the holidays,

and they are showing up everywhere from the runway to ann taylor loft to F21.

here are some ways to include sequins into your wardrobe:

i will definitely be breaking out some of my favorite

sequined items for more than just holiday parties,

but what about you, lovely readers?

will you be exploring the new sequin trend

or do you think these pieces are just too over the top?

xoxo

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unique

all of you know that i like a lot of color in our home,
from quilts to walls to furniture and accessories,
but i also need for our home to be comfortable, cozy, and inviting.
sometimes it is hard to find the line between stylishly decorated
and a bit too cluttered.
i am definitely not a minimalist when it comes to home decorating,
but sometimes a few unique pieces can say quite a bit.
that is my favorite way to decorate...
to find unique things that i love and incorporate them into our home.


it can be something as big as architecture and wallpaper/painting:
{unfortunately i can do neither of these things currently,
but i am really looking forward to being able to in the future.}


it can be an eclectic piece of furniture:
{my personal favorite is finding unique, mismatched reading chairs}
{i love how the twinkle lights mimic the glow of a fireplace}


it could be mixing eclectic rugs with other patterns or styles:
{i love the bear skin rug and dainty chandelier in the top photo,
and the mixing of patterns in the bottom photo.}


or it could be something as simple as unique vases or wall hangings:
{i love the maps on the wall in this cozy den
and would really like to add some to our office.}


i think that it is also important to note that
these kinds of rooms don't have to be accompanied by a high price tag.
as much as most of us would love to walk into anthropologie
and furnish our homes with their couches, chairs, and chandeliers,
it is really just not practical.
besides, i think vintage and antique items have more character.
{sorry anthro.}


i know i am a nester,
so most of you may not care about all these home-inspired posts,
but ina garten summarized my feelings perfectly
when she said this about her home,

"all day long i feel as though i'm batting back the baseballs that are being hurled at me: decisions to make, places to go, cranky people to deal with... and when i come home, i want my house to feel serene and beautiful, like the way you feel when you get into a bed piled high with down pillows: you're safe.

a good home should gather you up in its arms like a warm cashmere blanket, soothe your hurt feelings, and prepare you to go back out into that big bad world tomorrow all ready to fight the dragons."




images found here
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