Hosting with Hot Chocolate

          

Since it is my first holiday season back at home, my high school friends and I plan to have a holiday party to celebrate. Everyone will bring an appetizer or dessert to accompany a night of cocktails, games, and gifts. I think a great little addition to the night would be a Hot Chocolate Bar. All you need are marshmallows (those snowmen on sticks are adorable!), pirouettes, whipped cream, & sprinkles. I may even get ambitious and try to recreate the Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate in the middle (recipe here). If you're not the party type.. this would be a great idea for Christmas morning, too! 

images via {here & here}

Mid-Afternoon Sappiness: The Vow

This movie trailer gets me every time. So much so that I have played it about 10 times today. I plan on dragging my boyfriend to this in February when it comes out- too cute!

Lusting After...

These Sam Edelman Marina Platforms. I think they are the perfect holiday shoe since they can  really make a statement yet they're subtle enough to wear year round. It is taking all of my will power not to order them up from Shopbop for the weekend. 

How To: Hang a Gallery Wall {via Glitter Guide}

If you've never been over to The Glitter Guide- you really to make it a priority to do so. It combines a bunch of truly talented individuals and touches on fashion, beauty, lifestyle, shopping & trends. I constantly go visit the site if I'm feeling particularly uninspired. This week they did a feature on how to hang a gallery wall which you can find here. Some of their tips were to pay attention to size, practice, and make sure to change it up. I will be taking all three of these things in to consideration when decorating my own apartment.

Thankful

{image via }

Things that I'm insanely thankful for {besides the usual}:

Peppermint Mocha Lattes

Singing in the car with the boyfriend

Deciding on the perfect present for someone

Glitter 

My new booties I plan to wear for the next 5 days

Getting together with old friends 

My first official day off from work since I started

Buying swimsuits in November {for an impromptu trip to Mexico}

Finding a song you want to listen to all day long 

Comfy scarves and cozy socks 

The feeling you get when you pay off a credit card 

Drinking a glass of wine with my mom 

A baby brother to go see the new Muppets movie with

Sunday's 

S'more Crazy

If you follow me on Pinterest you will notice my latest obsession with all things sweet. I could eat a piece of cake for every meal. While I love a nice slice of pie around the holidays, there is something about s'mores that really peaks my interest. They're simple, sweet, and remind me of childhood. These very well  may be the reasons I've been stalking the internet the past week for a unique recipe. Below are three different takes on the classic treat; I am seriously considering making the middle recipe for dessert on Thursday.

S'more #1

S'more #2

S'more #3

Cheers to the Weekend!

Thanksgiving is less than a week away and the Holiday season is in full swing. Every weekend there is some sort of event to attend. While I love a good get together, I am definitely one to be timid at a party where I don't know very many people. I think Kate Spade New York has got the right solution to that problem- grab your self a glass of bubbly & you're an instant social butterfly. 

Happy Friday!

Holiday Dress Hunt: ASOS Edition

If you've never shopped on ASOS you definitely need to start. The selection is overwhelming and the price points are fabulous. The best thing about the site is that you can search by sleeve length, color, style, etc- which makes finding the perfect party dress a piece of cake! I am currently on the prowl for a couple Holiday/NYE dresses and all of these are in the running. Happy Shopping! 

Editorial: Jennifer Lawrence

These photos really speak for themselves. Jennifer Lawrence first caught my attention when I heard she was going to be starring in the movie adaption of one of my favorite books, "The Hunger Games" (yes, I'm one of those people). She has this beautiful "girl-next-door" thing going on and is absolutely stunning (that hair!). I would definitely consider her the new young Hollywood. 

25% off, I'll take it!

Jcrew has had a 25% off promo going on all week and these are a few of the things piling up in my cart..

Untitled #2 by abona19 featuring a a line mini skirt

J Crew striped top
$98 - jcrew.com

J Crew texture coat
$350 - jcrew.com

J Crew a line mini skirt
$85 - jcrew.com

J.Crew y3 shoes
$228 - jcrew.com

J Crew facets jewelry
$68 - jcrew.com

J Crew cashmere shawl
$98 - jcrew.com

J Crew buckle belt
$60 - jcrew.com

J Crew cashmere glove
$48 - jcrew.com

Tah- Dah!

The perfect Holiday nail polish. 

Stylish Duo

Just like the every other 20-something, I have been following Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen since they could barely walk. It is truly amazing how much they have grown, and their Elizabeth & James brand (named after their siblings) is one of my absolute favorites. They recently just landed their very first Vogue cover and also took home the title of "Best Dressed" by the mag. And to be quite honest,  I think the best of their work is still yet to come. 

{image via olsensanonymous}

Check out this great interview on Net-A-Porter: http://www.net-a-porter.com/magazine#/116/13

Fall Feeling

Well, it's official- Fall is finally here in Chicago. I realize that Fall began almost two months ago at this point, but up until now we have been blessed with 50's and 60's and sunshine. Now it's 40 degrees and I have to spend 10 extra minutes each morning chiseling my windshield free of frost. I love October-January mainly for the holidays, hot chocolate, winter boots & scarves, the first few snowflakes, and all of the shopping. Once February 1st rolls around I'm pretty much over it. So here's to enjoying these next few months and all of the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha's that come with them.

images via weheartit browndresswithwhitedots joannagoddard

A Particularly Mundane Wednesday

 

"I've discovered that the most amazing things happen to you when you are standing around sharpening a pencil or doing something equally mundane, thinking absolutely nothing exciting is ever going to happen." - Jean Van Leeuwen

quote via Little Reminders of Love, image via Patterson Maker

Happy Birthday, Piperlime!

Today is the 5th anniversary of Piperlime- a great website to get affordable and designer fashion. For their birthday, the whole site was 20% off which naturally meant I needed to purchase a thing or two. My favorite purchase of the day was these Steve Madden Tanngoo booties I nabbed for only $64! Here's how I plan to style them once they arrive:

Tanngoo by abona19 featuring lace up booties

J Crew sheer top
$98 - net-a-porter.com

Michael Kors faux fur vest
$130 - michaelkors.com

J brand skinny jeans
£120 - farfetch.com

Steve Madden lace up booties
$80 - piperlime.gap.com

Marc by Marc Jacobs link jewelry
$98 - marcjacobs.com

Forzieri gold jewelry
$848 - forzieri.com

J Crew 14k jewelry
$20 - jcrew.com

Hanging Baubles

Even though I moved home from college 6 months ago, I still haven't officially "unpacked' my room at home. While I don't live out of a suitcase by any means, there is simply no organization. One of the places most in need of help is my ever growing collection of jewelry. It currently sits in a crumpled pile on top of one of my dressers and takes me about 10 minutes to untangle a necklace. I have been perusing the internet for weeks and think I've finally found some inspiration to try this weekend.

{Vintage door knobs & framed plywood}

{A towel rod with hooks}

{Small details added to an already sparkly display}

Images via Pinterest

Emily Schuman + Stylemint

This video of Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere is adorable. I've been a fan of MK & A's Stylemint for a while now and plan on ordering the Broadway tee after this post. For those of you that don't know, Stylemint is a site that features exclusively designed t-shirts every month for only $29.99. It's free to look so I would definitely recommend checking it out!