twinkle twinkle

we are having a few friends over for new years eve...nothing major but we will have lots of champagne & bubbly drinks...even a little jungle juice (going back to the college days i guess). i might even get the boys to purchase some little fireworks, since they are newly legal here - for now. since it will be pretty laid back, i'm tempted to cozy up in a big sweater & leggings, but it's new years eve! can still be comfy...but must sparkle!

via glamorous little side project, the bottom of the ironing basket, studded hearts, fashion gone rogue

mushy image of the day

via once wed

i have been missing the boyfriend hardcore over the holiday.  he has only been gone a little over a week.  a week too long!  it is nice that we have some time apart...it reminds us not to take each other for granted.

my favorite combination

combine just about anything with beautiful horses, & i'm in.  i'm still a huge horse nerd...i'd still probably ask santa for a pony. so obviously, if you combine gorgeous fashion (in this case, capes!) with a gorgeous horse, i'm sold. i would love to lead my horse thru new york city...could you imagine being a part of this shoot?

 via {a glamorous little side project}

the stars, the moon..they have all been blown out

i'm completely obsessed with florence + the machine.  i have been listening to her 'cosmic love' over & over & over. how gorgeous is the video?? it's a must.

what seasons?

it is still relatively warm here in good 'ol AZ. these few outfits combine the wintery comfort look i long for, but wouldn't make me want to tear my clothes off after walking across the street for a coffee...

via all the pretty birds, moodboard

holiday parties

this weekend is the weekend of holiday parties! we have our annual cocktail party & a girlfriend's birthday out on the town tonight.  saturday is my work party & fancy night out at our local hangout.  amazingly enough, i am almost positive i have my full outfits picked out - definitely a first.

ONE / TWO / THREE

dress: halston heritage / willow / marchesa

jewelry: kara ross bangle / zoe earrings / swarovski ring

shoes: brian atwood / yves saint laurent / givenchy

'tis the season

it's raining in arizona today. :) i would love for it to be cloudy & rainy up until christmas day...it makes it feel more like winter here.

 a few of my favorite (holiday) things:

 i think it is safe to say that lights are my very favorite part of the season

 

 cuddling up in a chunky sweater with hot coffee or cocoa

 handmade christmas cards (doing mine tonight)

via dress,design,decor, plush palate, a cup of jo, decor8 (i might have missed some...eeks)

style icon

totally have a girl crush on joanna hillman, senior fashion market editor for harper's bazaar.  the way she mixes pieces is just incredible.  there is this sense of tempered edge to every single one of her looks.  that red lipstick...deadly.  & i love her ever-present stack of bracelets.  i could keep going...

i can't stop looking at this pairing...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

via studded hearts, who what wear, all the pretty birds

icy

friday the boy & i made an accidental discovery.  we had planned to go to a display of lights in a historic district about 30 minutes away...but it didn't end up working out (we went the next night though!)  i was upset,  so to salvage the night, we decided to meet up with some of the boys at the bowling alley downtown.  when we got there, we found there is an outdoor ice skating rink set up in the little courtyard! we rented some skates & ended up skating for about an hour before bowling.  maybe because the boy is going back to a snowy michigan for christmas or the fact none of my extended family will be around for christmas this year, but i am really bumming about spending another christmas in arizona (i mean, it was about 80 degrees today.  nice for the 5 hours of yard work i did saturday, but not great for a christmas-y feeling!)  the ice skating & hot cocoa after really put me in the christmas mood.  needless to say, the night was saved!

i don't really have words for this last one...

pantone

2011's colors from pantone...the color of the year is honeysuckle.  pantone's take on the color: "energizing honeysuckle lifts spirits & imparts confidence to meet life's ongoing challenges."  i'm not really a pink person, but if wearing honeysuckle is going to help me accomplish things with an upbeat attitude this coming year, let's shop!  i am just naturally drawn to silver peony, peapod & russet together.  what are your favorites?

erin featherston, rebecca minkoff, nanette lepore, ella moss

white christmas

my boyfriend's mom just sent me some photos from their little farm in michigan. i almost cried...i want a white christmas (& horses!) so badly. how gorgeous is their house?! obsessed would not be too strong a word here...

 their home is so perfect

 julie, with charlotte & a paint i haven't met yet

taffy!  i love the snow all over her face.

gold velvet

i'll be honest. i grew up always saying i was NEVER going to wear gold! (or velvet, for that matter. i had a velvet dress with a peter pan collar when i was younger...can you say alexa chung?  stylish then & i didn't even know it.) obviously a lot has changed.  for instance: this erin featherston for juicy couture velvet gold dress is nothing short of amazing.

image of the day

 decorated my tree last night. it is a sad little thing, so bare. i would love a real tree, but they dry out so fast here. one of my very favorite parts of christmas decorating is unwrapping all the ornaments & laughing at our terrible homemade ornaments (who knew pretzels could last 19 years?!), the photos of us with santa (i have an amazing one where i am just screeeaming) & the momentos that still decorate our tree after all these years. decorating the tree helps me to center myself...directing my attention away from the materialistic, consumer christmas & bringing me back to what christmas is really about.

more important

dallas clayton

my kind of party

who needs clubbing in vegas when you could have this little bachelorette party instead?!

via yes,please