Baking Spirits Bright

Holiday shopping is so much fun, isn't it? I love spending time scouring websites and stores in search of the perfect present. I actually pride myself on my gift-giving abilities. I don't like the thought of phoning it in and giving a loved one something generic. Fortunately, there are a lot of options available to me so that I can always find something truly special.

For many years, I've turned to ModCloth for gift items that are quirky, unique, and fun. My apartment is actually filled with housewares and office supplies I've found on their website, including dish drying racks, measuring spoons, candy dishes, silverware, mugs, and lots of other home accents. And while I've definitely purchased presents for others from their site, I'm always tempted to keep these items for myself. This time, I actually did – oops!

One of the things I knew I needed was this beautiful vintage baking book! I'm a big fan of The British Baking Show (and of baked goods in general), but I have virtually no skills when it comes to baking. I'm making a concerted effort to get more comfortable in the kitchen and this book looked so delightful... so I had to treat myself (literally). All of the recipes sound amazing. Maybe I can even add one of the cookie recipes into our holiday baking repertoire this year! For now, enjoy the sight of these cut-out cookies I made on a whim and have been eating ever since. And let me know what your favorite cookie is for this time of year – I'd love your input!

Outfit Details

Holiday Nights Knit Sweater: c/o ModCloth

Potluck Hostess Plaid Skirt: c/o ModCloth (similar)

Heels: ModCloth (similar)  ||  Brooch: similar

Gifts and Housewares

The Vintage Baker: c/o ModCloth (available here)

Writers and Their Cats: c/o ModCloth (available here)

Llama tea towel set: c/o ModCloth

Gingerbread house Pyrex: Target

Hearth and Hand candle (Fir and Leather): Target

I think the holidays are hard for a lot of people. I've always really loved them, but the last few years have included some sad times. This year might be sad for other reasons. I'm trying not to think about that, though I'm not always successful. Still, I am really looking forward to celebrating with my parents and with my friends. Focusing on finding just the right thing for everyone on my list has been a welcome distraction. Now I just need to wrap everything (and watch some Christmas movies)!

If you're still looking for some great gift ideas, ModCloth's Holiday Gift Guide has you covered. Plus, they're running a great sale through today (40% off orders $100+) that can take the sting out of holiday spending. They've already sold out of a lot of items – including just about everything I'm wearing or showing off in this post! – so don't wait too long! 

Have a great start to your week!

GIVEAWAY: Holiday Memories with RetroViewer! [CLOSED]

Happy December, everyone! I don't know about you, but I'm already gearing up for the holidays. My tree is trimmed, I'm planning to bake cookies and make latkes, and I've done pretty much all of my holiday shopping. I absolutely LOVE finding the perfect gifts for people I care about. But if you're stuck on what to get one of your nearest and dearest, I may have the perfect solution.

Some of you may remember this post from October wherein I talked about RetroViewer – a nostalgic viewfinder that you can customize with your own images and text. I filled mine with photos of my closest friends and had a ton of fun creating it. I commented at the time that I thought this would make THE coolest gift. And now, you'll have the chance to get one for yourself (or for someone on your list)!

Here's the deal: one (1) lucky winner will receive their own Image3D RetroViewer. You get to choose the body color and customize your reel with seven (7) images – and you'll get free shipping, of course. You can include the photos that mean the most to someone you love and give it to them for the holidays... OR you can treat yourself and put it under your own tree to open! It's totally up to you. Learn more about how to enter below (it's easy, I promise).

Giveaway rules: This giveaway runs from now until 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, December 6. Because you'll need to get your order in by December 10 to get it in time for Christmas, I made this giveaway a bit shorter in length than others – so don't wait to get your entries in! This giveaway is open worldwide, but you must be a follower of my blog to enter. The winner will be contacted via email (so provide a valid email address, please!) and must respond to that email within 24 hours; otherwise, a new winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced via the widget after their acceptance has been confirmed. It will be up to the winner to place the order for their RetroViewer (with the complimentary promo code provided by Image3D) in time to comply with holiday shipping restrictions. Thank you for your support and best of luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Merry and Bright

Merry Christmas Eve, friends! I've always loved the holidays, but I've been really looking forward to Christmas this year. I've been listening to Christmas music for the past month and I'm infatuated with all my little decorations. (By the way, I got my pink Christmas tree here – it doesn't look like it's in stock right now, but they have some other fun colors and styles!) I'm probably going to leave them up for as long as humanly possible to keep the cheer going for a while.

This vintage ornament print dress is one of my favorite holiday purchases this year. It seriously goes perfectly with my tree and I'll definitely be wearing it tonight for our family festivities. I've mentioned this before, but Christmas Eve is really a bigger deal for us than Christmas Day. We eat a lot of delicious appetizers (like meatballs, cheese fondue, shrimp cocktail, and – new this year! – latkes) and open the majority of our presents to each other. It's a special tradition that I cherish even more as I get older. We actually don't even know what we're doing Christmas Day. We've often seen a movie and gone out for Chinese food, but I think we may end up going even more low-key... which is totally fine by me, to be honest. Whatever we do, I'll just be glad to be with the ones I love.

Outfit Details

Ornament Print Jenny Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing

Christmas Ornament Lapel Pin: c/o Kate Gabrielle

Gold Heels: ModCloth

Have a very happy and safe holiday! Wishing much love to you and yours.

Marshmallow World

I've been showcasing quite a few traditional-colored Christmas outfits here on the blog, but today's post is all about the pastels. It's very fitting, considering the color of my perfect little tree this year. I don't normally take photos indoors, but between the weather, limited time, and wanting to show off this pastel pink goodness, I decided to quickly snap some photos in my living room. You can't really see all of my holiday decorations here (and I have very few wrapped presents under the tree, as you can tell), but I still wanted to share a bit of my home with you – as well as some photos of this adorable little two-piece Christmas set.

Tree topper: West Elm  //  Pusheen ornament: similar   //  Bike ornament: Anthropologie 

I've admired Violets in May for quite some time now but never had a chance to place an order until recently. When I saw this minty green top and skirt (yes, they're separates!) with its little candy canes, bows, and pom-poms, I had to order it immediately. I'm kind of between sizes right now, so I actually ordered a size up; I'd rather have something too big than too small, since I figured I could always belt the skirt. As it turned out, the skirt fits perfectly, but the top is actually a bit too roomy (which never happens). Although it's not super noticeable, I think I'll probably get it tailored in the future just for comfort's sake. I love that you can wear the straps crossed in front if you want to, but I opted to wear it in the halter style for these photos.

Outfit Details

Peppermint Holiday Two-Piece Set: Violets In May

Shoes: Irregular Choice  ||  Hair Flower: Stardust Dames

Remember I said I had another colorway in this shoe style? I couldn't resist these icy heels!

We did our writing team white elephant gift exchange at work today, and tonight I'll be wrapping presents and baking cookies at my parents' house (and hopefully watching a holiday movie). I can hardly believe that Christmas Eve is this Sunday. That's when we actually do the bulk of our family celebrations. I know that's not typical for most families, but I actually love Christmas Eve way more than Christmas Day! I have one more holiday-themed outfit to post, which will go up either sometime this weekend or on Monday morning... so if you happen to be waiting with bated breath, stay tuned. ;)

Have a great rest of your week!

March Of The Toy Soldiers

Christmas Day is in just one week(!!!) and I'm going into holiday spirit overdrive! The run of the musical I was in closed yesterday, which means I'll be cramming a lot of preparations into this next week. I still need to wrap all of my presents, bake cookies, and watch a few choice holiday films (like White Christmas, A Muppet Christmas Carol, and Little Women – which may not technically be a Christmas movie but it's a tradition in my family). I just hope I can find time for it all!

Although I didn't get to see The Nutcracker this year, this outfit reminds me a lot of it. I never got to style this dress on the blog last year (it arrived so close to Christmas that I just didn't have a chance), so it's making an appearance this year. I love how snuggly and comfy it is... and how perfectly it goes with my new Irregular Choice heels! I know these shoes aren't exactly a practical purchase, but OMG, I had to have them. Best of all, Ashley and I get to twin in them! (See how she styled them here.) FYI, there's also a matching clutch that lights up!

Outfit Details

Holiday Harlequin Genevieve Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing

Hair flower: Stardust Dames  ||  Belt: similar

Shoes: Irregular Choice

Have a great start to your week!