Kohl's: Your One Stop Shop

This weekend, Matt had an interview in Oklahoma, so we headed North for the weekend.  Given my love affair with all things OU, I jumped at the chance to go.  Our travel plans changed once we got there, which allowed us to have time to stop in Dallas on our way home to see several of my longtime friends.  It also allowed me to celebrate a reeeeally special event with my best friend Jordan.  Jordan and her mom own a dance studio, and they just moved into a fabulous new space, and in true diva style, they threw a cocktail party to celebrate the occasion.  (Reason number 526 we're friends; we think just alike.)

Now, I'm always up for a good cocktail party, but the problem was, I had NOTHING to wear.  Sure, I had packed cute stuff for Oklahoma, but nothing cocktail appropriate.  Matt tried to persuade me to wear jeans saying "no one ever dresses up these days, they'll be people there in mom jeans and sweaters, etc" but I wouldn't have it.  I REFUSE to wear jeans to cocktail party.  I don't care if their lined in diamonds, I.will.not.do.it.   If other people choose to, fine, but I simply refuse.  (Judge me if you want.)  I begged Matt to run to the mall, but even as a begged, I knew we didn't have time.  So with an hour until the party and nothing but jeans, tops, and sweaters, I headed to the one place I knew I'd be able to find everything I needed for an affordable price and where I could be in and out in under a half an hour.  What is this place I speak of?  Kohls.

Now some of you might already love Kohls, but I'm going to guess the majority of you turn up your nose at the standalone not-quite-department-store store or simply forget it's even there.  But I'm blogging today to convince/remind you of its awesomeness.  Now I'm not going to lie and say it's my first choice of shopping spots or the place I'd run if I won the lottery, but I am saying that it deserves a solid second look from people.  I tend to follow the same pattern when I shop there and stick to certain items and brands.  It's a big store, so I don't look at everything, just what I know I like.  For clothes I browse Simply Vera by Vera Wang, LC Lauren Conrad (remember how much I heart her), Elle, and sometimes Daisy Fuentes.  I always browse their accessories, home decor, dishes/glassware, and candles (they have super steals in this department.)  Once in a while I also check in on their sleepwear section.  So check out some of the things I spotted and grabbed in my fifteen minute shopping spree (yes, literally, fifteen minutes.  I grabbed what I could, and vowed to return the things I didn't end up wearing.  I'm hoping Matt forgets about that return vow.)  I've also included some of the things I just love there right now in general.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the best part about Kohl's is everything is always on SALE!

LC Lauren Conrad Asymmetrical Dress (on sale for $39.99)

You all already know about my obsession for both Lauren Conrad and for bows, so put them together and I just can't say no.  I think this dress would be fabulous for holiday parties with gigantic blinged out earrings.  (Yes, I said blinged out.  Sue me.)

Elle Boyfriend Jacket (on sale for $41.99)

I have been hunting for a cute black little blazer for what seems like 2 years, and this one is super cute.  Unfortunately, it didn't fit me the way I wanted, but since we're all built differently, I'm hoping it will work better for one of you.  It would look fab with skinny jeans and a great pair of boots or booties.

 Simply Vera Sequin Organza Top (on sale for $31.99)

Shine is oh so in this season and I think the combination of shine and feminine detailing in this top is divine.  I'd rock it with black skinny jeans and heels for going out or with a black pencil skirt and cardigan for the office.  The Kohl's in Dallas didn't have this, and you better believe I'm going to the one in my little town tonight for this top.

LC Lauren Conrad Shaker Cardigan (on sale for $41.99)

I don't think they should call this a cardigan, because it looks so much thicker than a traditional cardigan.  I love wearing creams and winter whites for some odd reason, and I'm getting warm and cozy just looking at this sweater.  I'd pair it with skinny jeans and brown riding boots.  Delightful.

LC Lauren Conrad Strapless Dress (on sale for $28.99)

Though the name of the dress is a serious snooze (really Lauren that's the best you could do?), this dress is a perfect basic in every way.  Every girl needs one, two, or seven black dresses in her closet, and this is a good one to add.  The fabric says casual and the cut is fairly neutral, so you have lots of room to play with the dress to make your look what you want.  I ended up wearing this to the cocktail party with black tights and a gray cocoon sweater that I'd packed for the weekend, along with black patent round toe heels, a cute black bow headband that I got at Kohl's, and gigantic bling earrings.  Super cute and versatile (and for less than $30), what's not to love?

Simply Vera Chiffon Top (on sale for $29.99)

I am always (and I mean always) looking for black tops to go under cardigans.  My staple work wardrobe consists of pencil skirts and cardigans, but I try to avoid just wearing a plain cami underneath, instead favoring a top with some pizazz or detail.  This top is perfect for that task! The light fabric and the detailing around the neckline make me melt with glee.  I love love love this and will be adding it to my "under cardigan collection."

I had intended to add more lovelies to this post, but after six pieces, I can see I'm getting carried away (and we didn't even get to housewares or accessories!)  I guess that means you'll just have to head over to Kohl's and see all the goodness for yourself :)  Seriously people-who-I-know-are-still-doubting-me, consider Kohl's!  You can't possibly leave that store without finding something you just have to have.  Happy shopping and let me know what you find!

Candle Turned Molten Lava

This is what happens when you leave a candle unattended and burning too long.  A candle that you used your best Shabby Chic-ness on to make cute and pretty.  I had this vintage ashtray from my grandmother, which I nestled a cream colored candle in the middle of.  Later, in a pinch for an overflow jewelry holder, I started sprinkling jewelry in the lip of the ashtray turned candle holder.  Pretty, pretty, pretty.  Fast forward several months when we hosted Matt's student mentors at our apartment.  I lit this candle in my bathroom for a little ambiance, and then played party hostess.  In a freak candle melting accident, this wax leaked out the side of the candle, creating a molten lava effect on my precious vintage jewelry.  I found it five hours later.  Tear.

Now I didn't exactly pay attention in history class (ok let's be honest, I didn't pay attention at all), but I believe a similar thing happened in Pompeii, Italy bizillions of year ago, creating a freaking preservation site in the ancient city (reenactment photo below.) 

I actually had the chance to visit Pompeii a few years ago.  But instead of visiting this all day...

I chose to stare at this all day...

Duh.  That was a no brainer.  My dad toured Pompeii alone that day, and although the thought of him touring the freakishly preserved city alone made me kind of sad, not sad enough to pass up laying out here all day...

But back to this...

I need a plan to rescue my candle covered jewelry.  Perhaps I'll try this...

Or this...

If those don't work and I get desperate, I'll try this...

Awesome.  Should be an adventure filled weekend.  Note to the wise, don't leave a candle unattended.  Unless you enjoy molten lava covering your treasures.

UPDATE: A huge thanks to a comment from Heather who pointed out that "metal jewelry + microwave = FIRE."  She suggested this...

"Try freezing the wax. It will become brittle and you can break it off of the jewelry."  Thanks again Heather.  To recap for other readers who may be as clueless as me, metal and fire are NOT a good combo :)

My Parents' Grown Up Christmas Tree

Last weekend, I posted in the wee hours of the morning about my anxiety over Christmas decor (I realize there are bigger things in life to be stressed about.)  I just wasn't happy with my current Christmas decor at home.  After I posted, vented, and then decided to just embrace and use all of the things I love, I was ready to decorate.  The only problem?  I was at my parents house in Houston, so my own home and stuff wasn't exactly accessable.  (Ok, it wasn't accessible at all, duh Allison.)  Anyway, with all that decorating energy and inspiration, I had to do something, so I decided to tackle a couple of projects around my parents house.  My mom always does Christmas big around our house, so she doesn't need a lot of help in that department.  My parents house look pretty fantastic, especially at Christmas.  But the one tiny (ok, glaring) thing that needs help in their house is their Christmas tree.

My parents are seriously the most loving parents on the planet.  My brother and I have been SO blessed to have parents who love and support us as much as they do.  Our family is super close, and that is definitely because of my parents and the tone they set in our family.  (Ok, I'm getting off track, as usual.)  Anyway... because the love us sooo much, for years, they gave up much of their house to the kids, especially at Christmas time.  Our macaroni creations, playdo ornaments, and scary santa interpretations got their place in the house.  This is especially true for the Christmas tree.  Felt, fun foam, and popsicle stick ornaments hung all over the tree, usually with our picture slapped in the middle.  One year, I had this weird obsession with making these beaded ornaments (they were hideous) and for some reason, I felt compelled to make like, 27 for my mom.  Those all made it on the tree.  Glitter was typically globbed on every part of every ornament I made (I've always loved bling, what can I saw?), and there are 800 ornaments that say "baby's first this, big sister 1992, baby's first loose tooth, Ryan loves Santa, blah blah blah."  And I have no doubt that my parents thought these little things were cute and and loved them at the time.  (I'm sure you can all tell, I don't have children.  I don't quite get the whole, "everything they do is so cute" thing.  I'm sure things will change when I have kids of my own.)  We were also fortunate/cursed to be forced into introduced to collecting Crayola ornaments.  My grandmother LOVES collecting things, especially ornaments, so that usually translates into her buying tons of ornaments for everyone else.  Two of her favorites that were sent to us every year: the Crayola collection and the White House ornaments.  I could not even count how many of these ornaments we have.  Combine that with 57 billion "#1 teacher" ornaments that were given to my mom, and well, you get a pretty crazy tree.  Ok, crazy was too nice of a word.  Jumbled, random, not pretty are all better options.  Now don't get me wrong.  Growing up, I thought our family tree was the most spectacular thing in the world.  It was beautiful, special, and seeing all my homemade glittery, pasta creations made me beam with pride.  But fast forward to now.  I'm 25, my brother is 17, and my parents are in a new phase.  Do we reeeeeally need to be surrounded by glittery macaroni and "baby's fourth Christmas?"

I tried to approach this topic with my parents a few years ago, and they freaked out.  They went on and on about how special our family is, what this tree means to us, blah blah.  I completely understood, because I love those ornaments too.  They're special not just because my brother and I made them, they were given as gifts, etc., but because we have so many memories of hanging them on the tree, opening presents around them, etc.  I wasn't advocating getting rid of these ornaments or not putting up them up; I would cry if that happened!  I just wanted to see us have two trees.  One for the fun foam photo ornaments and one for another, more cohesive "grown up tree."  A tree that reflects how beautiful the rest of the house is at Christmas.  (My mom really does a crazy good job with the rest of the house.)  My parents refused.  I'm not entirely sure what this was about, but I have a few guesses.  Change is scary in itself, but when it's with family and Christmas traditions, it's even scarier.  I also think my parents thought I was going to try to create this giant, formal, stuffy tree.  None of those words describe my parents or the home they've created.  Their house is very warm and comfortable, full of color and well worn antiques.  Very Country Living if you will.  I had no intention of creating something formal or stuffy, but it's there home, not mine, so I backed off.

This conversation kept on for the past two years.  I approached it again this year and got a similar response.  So I thought I'd start small with my mom and introduce some ribbon wrapped around and throughout the tree.  Her lips kind of pursed when I mentioned it, but I don't think she had the energy to argue that day, so she let me buy the ribbon.  (She rarely lets me pay for anything when I'm home, so I thought this was further proof of her resistance.)  I assured her that if she didn't like it, I would take it down, no questions asked.  When we got home that evening, my dad and brother were gone and my mom went into the kitchen to put away groceries, clean etc.  The tree was already up, but undecorated, so I told her I would get started on wrapping the ribbon before we put up all the macaroni, photo, Crayola, and White House ornaments.  Small steps, Allison, small steps.  As I wrapped the ribbon, I could feel my mom checking it out behind me.  No comments, no protesting.  All good so far.  After I finished wrapping the tree, I asked for opinion, and again reminded her, "If you don't like it, tell me, I'll take it down, no hurt feelings."  She was a little slow in her response, but said with what I think was 95% genuineness, "I like it, I really do.  I can't wait to see what it looks like with our ornaments."  (I'm pretty sure that other 5% was still a little resistant.)  But I'll take 95%, small victory for me!  Woo hoo!  She went back into the kitchen, and I seized my chance.

I furiously started hanging what I thought would look good.  I didn't care if she eventually said take it all down, I wanted to give her a chance to actually see the tree I thought she would love.  I knew if she just saw it, she would love it.  So I hurried while she worked in the kitchen.  I hung red berries, cream and red tin ornaments, red button ornaments, and cream and red plush felt hearts (professionally made felt ornaments, not Ryan and Allison hot glued felt ornaments.)  I found two strings of red wooden beads laying in a box and hung those as well.  My mom had some really beautiful red country ornaments that she bought in England, and I hung those too.  I added some elegance to balance out the country using both silver and red glitter globes (the grown up version of my glittery macaroni), and it tied in perfectly with the red and silver ribbon I used earlier.  I added some whimsy hanging candy canes that my mom had sprinkled in glass containers throughout the house and tied red and black checked ribbon on the ends of several branches.  It looked SO GOOD!  I cannot even express how beautiful it was.  I was actually kind of shocked, because I'd never done a tree like that and I wasn't using an inspiration picture or anything.  I just used what my mom already had laying around.  A few minutes later, I felt my mom standing in the living room.  I turned around to find her gazing at the tree.  I didn't even have to ask, I could tell by the look on her face, she loved it.  But because I'm nosy and wanted to hear, I asked, "Do you like it?  If you don't, I'll take it down, I don't mind."  With 100% genuineness this time, she said, "Allison, it's beautiful."  She went on and on and gushed about it, and of course, I processed to ask about and point out each little detail.  "Do you like this, do you like this?"  (I'm kind of needy when it comes to hearing positive things about me or my work.  My parents/husband/friends/boss/dog are all well aware of this.)  But I could tell she really really loved it, and so did I.

Isn't is pretty?  I l-o-v-e it.

Close up view of some of the red, country treasures that my mom already had.

But I hadn't forgotten about the fun foam, the photo ornaments, and the Crayola ornaments out in the garage.  I love those things, no matter how gaudy and ugly some of them are.  So the next morning, my mom went to Walmart and bought a cheap 4 foot tree.  We took is upstairs in the second living area, wrapped it with ribbon (she liked the ribbon wrapping so much, she wanted it done again), and hung all the special, childhood treasures on the tree.  As my brother and I finished hanging the ornaments, we both stepped back to admire the little tree and all the special memories that hung on the tree.  Seeing them so tightly packed together was pretty neat, and as my parents came upstairs, they both commented on how much they loved it.  It really was a precious little tree.

A little wacky, but oh so special.  I really do love every ornament on this tree.

Family photo central.

What a babe!  Lol, and now you allllll know I'm not a natural blonde :)

So, after several years, my mission was finally accomplished.  And though it might sound like this mission was selfish, it was really about the fact that I knew my mom would LOVE the two trees.  She spends so much time and effort on making their house "homey" and beautiful, I knew she would love a tree that was just that.  Her Facebook status the next day was further proof: "We finally did a grown up tree in the family room and it is AMAZING ! I use the term "we" because we said yes, but our AMAZING daughter did all the work. The tree looks like something out of a magazine :) Why didn't I give in to this earlier?" All good things happen in time, and I guess, Mom, this just took some extra time.  So here's to my parents for being open minded and patient with a little coercion and sneakiness, and to their new beautiful tree!  Ok fine, and to meeee, for making it so beautiful :)

Party Pretty

There ain't no holiday without ALDO by Samara996 featuring Calypso

Holiday parties are among us, and that means we all have an excuse to shop!  Woohoo!  (Who am I kidding, I don't need an excuse to shop?)  I'm not a fan of stuffy, obligatory holiday parties, but I heart heart heart fun Christmas parties, with good friends, good food, and lots of laughter.  My criteria for a good party ensemble is something that makes you look and feel special.  It doesn't have to new or expensive, but I think that it should make you feel a little more sparkley, a little more merry, and a little more special.  I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't save the "good stuff" for special occasions, because let's face it, life is a special occasion!  I adopted this motto with my everyday wardrobe a year or two ago, and have seen dramatic results in how I look and feel on those plain old ordinary days in the office.  But something about holiday parties gives me the green light to look and feel extra extra special.  I don't know if its the eggnog, the extra sparkle from the Christmas tree, or the jolly attitude that accompanies the season, but something about holiday parties gives me the courage to try a look that I might have been somewhat apprehensive of before.  I wouldn't think of wearing anything but a dress (I'm not saying everyone has to be like this, it's just my preference.)  I love dresses anyway, but they are a must for holiday parties.  I also usually tend to favor more whimsy for holiday parties.  (Last year at my parents' Christmas party, I debuted my giant owl necklace that I bought at a street market in London.  Rave reviews from most of the ladies, and a "what the hell" look from my husband, lol.  Guys just don't seem to get the whole whimsy thing.)  Anyways...I am getting off topic...back to my holiday party dress post...

Here are a few things I've been eyeing for my upcoming holiday parties.  (This is not to suggest that I have a full social calendar or a full wallet to actually buy these things, but a little inspiration goes a long way right?) 

Victoria's Secret Split Neck Sequin Dress

I think this dress is to.die.for.  It's a little slouchy, a little vintage, and a lot sparkly.  I would pair it with black tights and a pair black booties (BCBG makes greeeat ones).  Ugh, I want this dress.

Anthropologie Longest Night Dress

Though the black is simple, the neckline is anything but.  This definitely calls for a simple and slightly messy chignon and some delicate gold studs and several stacked gold rings.

ABS Illusion Yoke Sequin Shift Dress

Love the sparkle of the dress.  A pair of black tights and black leather bomber jacket would add the perfect contrast of toughness to all this glitz.

 

Anthropologie Roped Posies Necklace

If you don't want to splurge on a dress or already have a simple black dress that you love, think about a statement necklace.  I live for (ok that's an overstatement, but you get it) statement jewelry.  I just throw on all black (a la People's Revolution), a statement necklace, my diamond studs, and I'm out the door!  Anthropologie has the best statement necklaces hands down!  I got a white one similar to this one about a month ago and have gotten rave reviews on it.  Plus, it makes you feel like you're wearing an art piece (and well, you kind of are!)

Anthropologie Aflush Necklace

Love the unbalanced look of this piece and the pink is a somewhat unexpected but welcome touch.  Me likie :)

Chiffon Florette Headband

Still don't want to spend the money on new bling?  Totally understandable (we're in a recession people!)  Think about making a statement with a fabulous headband or pair of jeweled hair pins.  Though I am generally not a fan of Forever 21 (nothing EVER fits me there!  I love it on other people; it just looks weird on me) they certainly have the best headbands around!  And for the price, you can afford a few or afford to buy an oversized bow or feather headband that you'll only wear a few times.  I've also seen some good ones at Target, although they're not all on the website.  I am loving loving loving headbands this season (see an earlier post on that here.)  I think its my revenge on the orthodonist who made me wear headgear.  Headbands are my updated, attractive version of headgear :)  (Don't worry, I didn't wear it to school, only at night.  I told him crooked teeth were better than social isolation at school!)

So, now that you know what's got my eye this holiday season, what about you?  What are you planning to wear to celebrate the season with friends and family?

Ornament Wreath

I have seen this Christmas project all over blog world (Eddie Ross, Just a Girl) but just got around to doing it myself.  It was one of those projects that I read about and thought, omg, how easy is that?  Then after getting the supplies and getting  home, I thought, omg, what have I gotten myself into?  Heeeeelp!

Although I'm pretty happy with the end result, don't let those other blogs fool you.  This was no "five minute craft project."  Luckily I have an incredibly artsy husband (the sewing machine on our wedding registry was thanks to his asking) who helped me through it.  If you want to try this project for yourself, I recommend visiting one of the two sites above.  They give super specific instructions with pictures.  I intended to take pictures at every step, buuuut after the confusion and frustration set in, that went right out the window.  And for those of you who aren't super crafty, I'll give you the real scoop about how to survive this project!  See the confusion process here :)

After reading about the project online, I rushed to Hobby Lobby and the Dollar Store to snatch up ornaments on sale.  I was debating doing a silver and red color scheme or a brown and gold color scheme, but luckily Matt (aka: artsy husband) suggested using all four colors in one wreath.  A much better idea.  After I laid all these ornaments out, I had my omg moment.  I was looking at all this glittery globes thinking, what in the world have I done?!

Start by hot gluing the tops of the ornaments in place.  No matter how sturdy you sweeeear those little suckers are, they are not.  Glue them in place, but encircling the top the top with a gob or two of hot glue.  You won't see the tops of the ornaments once they're on the wreath, so don't worry if they look janky and messy.  Also, no one bothered to tell me to use PLASTIC ornaments.  Maybe everyone just assumed I'd figure that part out, but ahem, you know what they say about ass-u-me.  I was ready to stock up on glass ornaments when my husband talked some sense into me.  (Again, crafty sidekick needed for this project.)

To help the hot glue drying process, I got out my muffin tins and set them in there to dry.  I doubt my friend Katie had this in mind when she bought me the Crate and Barrel baking set for my bridal shower, but hey, use what you've got!  Depending on how hot your glue gun is, the ornaments should take about five or so minutes to dry.

Now here's where things got crazy for me.  I can't do the next several steps justice, so please, utilize the professional crafters instructions for these steps.  However, I do have a few more tips.  One, do not use a white hanger.  It shows through like crazy.  Go for a copper dry cleaning hanger or something like that.  Two, use several different sizes of ornaments.  This will help fill the in the gaps.  Three, if your wreath looks slightly lopsized at the end (our first attempt did) offset it with a bow around the 2 o'clock position.  Instant fix!

Now for our finished product...(I know you're just dying to see...)

Not bad huh?  This was our second wreath, which is now hanging on my parents' front door.  We also made one for Matt's sister for Christmas (which we celebrated over Thanksgiving.)  So what do you think?  Think you can give it a try?  Remember, grab a sidekick (preferrably a crafy one) to help you with this project.  Even if they're not crafty, they can at least lighten the mood when you have your own OMG moment.  And if all else fails, you have someone to abandon the project and grab a glass of wine with if this wreath project goes sour :)

All kidding aside, I think these wreaths look super cute and they also make great gifts for friends and family.  Just remember to give them early so your loved ones can enjoy them for the next couple of weeks!  Happy wreathing yall!

Too Funny Not To Share

Do you ever have encounters or moments that are so funny you can't possibly keep them to yourself?  You know, those moments that are so unpredictable and so awkward that you can't help but die laughing every time you replay the moment in your head?  I had one of those moments this weekend, and it made me laugh so hard, I have to share it.

Every Friday morning Krystavel (one of the student mentors that I supervise) and I go to Starbucks.  It's a standing date.  No matter how busy I am, I won't miss it.  I love her, I love lattes, so clearly, it's a priority.  This past Friday was pretty busy at the Starbucks across from campus, and Krystavel and I chatted as we waited patiently to get to the front of the line.  As we got to the front of the line, Krystavel stepped up to order.  The blonde barista was slightly overtalkative, but not wanting to be a scrooge, I just went with it.  "Can I have your name?" she asked.  "Krystavel," my coffee companion replied.  "Wait, what?" the barista asked.  Used to having to repeat herself, Krystavel responded with her name again, and the barista asked her to spell it.  "K-r-y-s-t-a-v-e-l."  The barista replied, "OMG, what a cool name!  That is soooo awesome, I love it.  It's so much cooler than my boring name!"  Krystavel politely smiled, although I could kind of tell she was thinking, ok lady, chill out with the name stuff.  Then I stepped forward to give my order (I splurged on a grande peppermint mocha.)  "And what's your name?" the barista asked.  I replied, "Allison."  "OMG, that's my name!" the barista replied.  Ummm, hold on, pause.  Let the moment sink in.  Didn't she just say her name was boring?  Yes.  And did she just admit that her name is the same as mine?  Yes.  Riiiight.  I waited about three seconds, just staring at her.  About that time her eyes got big, realizing she just called my name boring.  She tried to recover, scrambling to correct herself, but there was no possible way to recover.  I just laughed and smiled and said thanks.  As Krystavel and I waited for our drinks, I tried so hard to control my laughter, but I seriously couldn't.  It was so unrehearsed, so awkward, so perfect, that I couldn't not laugh.  And since it was so unrehearsed, so awkward, and so perfect, I couldn't resist sharing it with you :)

Success with Charcoal

I want to preface this post with the fact that I swear I have more to do with my life than get manicures and try out new dark nail polish.  Since I started my blog three months ago, I think I've blogged about dark nail polish three times.  I swear I have a life.  I promise, I really do.  However, this whole experimenting with dark polish has been such a process (now I am sounding like I have no life, process, seriously?  I scare myself sometimes.) So from black polish hater, to black polish lover, to mud-meets ink-meets lilac color gone wrong, to now, its been quite a journey.  But alas, I have FINALLY found the perfect dark nail polish.  And  mean perfect.  To all the people who are out there saying, "There's no such thing as perfect" I say yes there is.  And it's in a little bottle OPI bottle.  Its name: Baby It's Coal Outside.  (Cue the J.Simp/Nick Lachey tune.)  It's color is oh so charcoal, almost black, and with the slightest bit of shimmer glitter shine flutter (that's right, I made that up.  None of those words were appropriate, so flutter it is.)  It gives the traditional black just the slightest softness and is super easy to wear.  I've gotten it several times in a row now, and I have a feeling it won't be leaving my nails till mid March/  So for all those dark polish lovers out there, you have have have to try this color.  I know I'm certainly hoping for "coal" in my stocking this year!

I tried 890 times to snap a good picture of my own nails, but after all 890 attempts failed, I grabbed this one off the internet.  See what I mean about the "flutters?"  Perfection!

Christmas Confused

It is 3:00 in the morning, and I have been laying in bed awake for the past hour.  Something has been on my mind, something serious.  It's been keeping me away for a few days now; thinking about it instantly brings about anxiety and uncertainty.  I've tried to talk to friends about it; I've read every resource I can find online.  Nothing seems to help.  What is my problem you ask?  What is my serious, wake me up at 2:00 in the morning problem?  My Christmas decorations are confused.  They're lost, they're not making sense.  They're having an identity crisis, or perhaps more honestly, I'm having a Christmas decor identity crisis. 

I have literally laid in bed for the past hour tossing and turning about this.  Every year I look forward to putting up my Christmas decorations.  As soon as Halloween hits, I'm ready for the tree, the greenery, the cinnamon spice candles, the jingle bells, I'm ready for it all.  But I force myself to wait, and my hectic school schedule usually supports that decision.  But the minute Thanksgiving is over, all bets are off, the Christmas bins come out, and the madness begins (madness I'm more than happy about!)  This was no different this year...at first.  As soon as we got back from Arizona, the Christmas tunes started.  (They actually started on the seventeen hour drive back to Texas, but the guys almost killed me, so they only lasted an hour or so.)  The Monday morning we were back, I was running late for work, but don't kid yourself, I had time to switch out all pumpkin spice candles for the festive cinnamon spice and country Christmas scents I love so much.  I straightened my hair to Mariah Carey Christmas and drove to work rocking my favorite B. Spears Christmas jam.  I longed for my Christmas decorations that were in storage at my parents house, and because I have the best mom in the world, she drove up Wednesday to deliver the bins.  Oh the joy!  So that day at work, I did nothing productive (at least by my bosses standards; I think Christmas planning is quite productive), and instead spent my day dreaming about all the beautiful things and projects I would take on that evening at home.  But as I began to lay out my plans, I began to get confused about the look I wanted.  Well, not the look I wanted, I know what that is.  Silvers, golds, and pops of red.  Berries and candles.  Greenery and lights.  Yeah, I know that look.  But that's not the problem.

The problem is, I am married.  Ok, lol, being married is not the problem (I have an incredible husband and am so blessed) but being married means sharing and comprising (uggggh, who knew?) and well, I'm not always the best at those things, particulary when it comes to my home and its style.  Before I got married, I was the princess of Shabby Chic.  My apartment was an advertisement for the Rachel Ashwell style.  Clean whites, precious pinks, faded florals, rich creams, uhhh, it was to die for.  My mom and I spent the summer before I started graduate school playing, shopping, and treasure hunting for my apartment.  (See that story here if you haven't read it)  It was perfect.  I moved in to my first solo apartment and was in heaven.  It was girly, pink, comfortable, and gorgeous.  Sigh...I loved it.  But then I met Matt (my fabulous husband), fell in love, and got married.  I knew from the beginning though that Matt would never go for the Shabby Chic style I loved so much.  Matt's apartment was more modern, manly, and filled with lots of art.  He loves brown (I hate brown), and I used to tell him his house looked like an ad for UPS.  Brown carpet, brown couch, brown pillows, it was slightly out of control.  So when we moved in together, I knew we'd have to comprise.  Bye bye pinks and creams, bye bye browns and browns.  Matt and I worked hard to find a style and a color palette for our home that we both loved.  He isn't one of those guys that says, "Go ahead honey, do what you want with the space."  He cares about the house, has a style, and I LOVE that about him.  Sure, I miss my pinks, but I really love that we have a home we created together, a home that we both love.  (Home = tiny rented apartment, but still, it's "ours.")  So we settled on a look that I think is very hotel chic.  Slate blue/grey walls, white and yellow accents, a graphic floral rug (sounds like an oxymoron, I know), lots of frame and pictures, its something both of us love.  I even got in a fuchsia pillow on the couch.  Marriage hurdle number one, tackeled!

But finding this same balance for our home at Christmas is different.  This time, it's not so much a battle between Matt and I's style, but a battle within myself to figure out how to mesh our style with the Christmas decor that I love so much.  Oh yeah, and also balancing that with Matt's ONE Christmas decor demand.  (Ok, demand is a strong word, but with my current distressed state, it seems appropriate.)  He wanted a blue and silver themed Christmas tree.  (Ewwwwww.)  We went back and forth about this last year, I fussed that blue and silver aren't Christmas colors, and U threw a borderline fit in the ornament aisle of Hobby Lobby (real mature, I know.)  A blue and silver tree?  That isn't Christmas?!?  I protested for a while, thinking back to my childhood memories of my home at Christmas.  My mom always did the country Christmas thing, lots of red berries, greenery, nutcrackers, you know, normal Christmas things.  Beautiful Christmas things.  Clearly blue and silver were not present in that picture, at least not together.  But as we stood in Hobby Lobby, I realized it can't be all about me, relationships are about compromise (groan), and considering Matt gives me 99%  free reign at Christmas, I guess I could consider his demand wish of a blue and silver tree.  So away we went with blue and silver ornaments, as I prayed for the best.  In the end last year, our little tree was precious.  We leaned more heavily on the silver, and with ribbons and bows on the tree, it looked girlier and prettier than I thought.  Plus, I guilted Matt into letting me put on these white and silver glittery butterflies since I had given up my red tree.  He wasn't (and still isn't) crazy about them, but marriage is about compromise right?  :)  (Amazing how we can love and hate that statement depending on whose favor its in.)

So as I sat in my office Wednesday preparing for decorating that night (why is this post so long?) I tried to envision a beautiful cohesive look that would unite our blue and silver Christmas tree with the rest of the house.  I felt like the red berries and greenery just didn't work with our blue and silver tree.  So I dreamed up a home with lots of silver and glittery white.  Fearful that wouldn't be enough pop, I thought about incorporating some more bright nontraditional Christmas colors into the mix.  You know, the fushias, lime greens, purples, etc that some people use at Christmas.  Not my usual taste, but it could work.  Great, done, happy with the idea.  I went home that night excited for our new Christmas look.  I was embracing the no red in favor of a more contemporary, apartment inspired look.  (I decided we'd move towards a more traditional red, gold, silver Christmas scheme when we get our first house.)  As the tree started to go up, I became giddy and filled with excitement.  New Christmas decor, here we come!  Five minutes into the process, I hated it.  I pressed on, with sweet encouragement from Matt, who knows how much I love Christmas decorating, and wanted to see my happy.  After we got the blue and silver tree done, my mood picked up, but as we moved on to the rest of the house, it went downhill.  The greenery and red berries from years before were still in my bins, and I kept them there, opting for my  new "contemporary wonderful Christmas."  After a few hours, I had silver ornaments in every glass container we owned, jingle bells and candles in my new glass hurricanes, and our silver Merry Christmas letters across our tv console.  I looked around and HATED it.  Hated.it.  It wasn't Christmasy, it wasn't festive; it was boring.  It was sterile.  If it weren't for the tree, I might have guessed it was March, July, or any other month besides December.  It was awful.  Feeling defeated, I gave up and called it a night.  As I sulked to our room, and Matt kept asking, "But what's wrong, you love decorating for Christmas?"  He was right, I do love decorating for Christmas, but this new contemporary wannabe thing, for me, just isn't Christmas.  I need red, I need greenery, I pine cones.  That is Christmas decor to me!  But I don't know how to make that work with a blue and silver tree.  I've never been one to need matchy matchy, but the red berries, the greenery, and the pines cones seem like they won't be cohesive with the blue and silver.  I don't want my apartment to look disheveled and haphazard.  I don't want it to be Christmas confused. 

So after two days of thinking, looking at other blogs with awesome Christmas decor, and missing my red, I think I've decided to say, "The hell with a cohesive look, I'm doing what I love."  I'll keep the blue and silver tree, because my husband loves it and we made it together, but the rest of this plan is crap.  It's going out the window.  When I wake up, I getting my garland back out, putting my berries up, and going with what I love.  I don't care if its cohesive, I don't care if it misses my Pottery Barn hopes and dreams, it's about using what I love.  So after all that thinking, all that anxiety, and all that planning, I'm back to square one of Christmas decorating.  And I couldn't be happier about it!

Thankful Thursday: DJ Meegie

So I know I'm pushing my Thursday expiration (it's 11:21 as I'm beginning to type this), but I couldn't miss my weekly post, especially since this person makes my life so delightful.  In a girly, cute version of David Letterman's Top Ten, here's why I love love love my dear friend Miguel.

10.  He let's me call him Meegie.  I gave him that nickname, and as much as it sounds like a nickname for a five year old, he still lets me call him Meegie (although I had to promise to never call him that in front of our professors.)

9.  He makes the BEST playlists in the world.  I swear, he could be a DJ if the Ph.D thing doesn't work out.  Or he could combine the careers and become Dr. DJ (I claim royalties now if that sticks.)

8.  He makes me laugh really really hard.  On a daily basis.

7.  He drove all but one of my shifts on our 34 hour round trip to Arizona for Thanksgiving.  Granted, I had to bribe him with food....(which leads me to 7b...)

7b.  He makes me feel like my cooking is better than Sandra Lee, Paula Dean, and Rachel Ray combined.  He got the word out about my "legendary" banana nut bread.

6.  We share a secret of the "lady in beige."  (It's a secret, so no, I won't elaborate for all you curious followers.)

5.  He manages to be dear, dear friends to both my husband and me, separately and as a couple.  I can't imagine how difficult/annoying/confusing that must be at times, but he makes it work and is an incredible friend to both of us.

4.  He stands patiently in stores as I try on every headband they sell.  He continues to stand there patiently as I try them on for another twenty minutes :)

3.  He calls me on my crap when I deserve it.

2.  He loves Spoons as much as I do.  Even better, he lefts the cashier punch my punch card for his yogurt.  (Free hot pink Spoons t-shirt, here I come!)

1.  He is one of the few people in the world who gets me.  And I mean really gets me.  I don't have to pretend, explain, or elaborate, he just gets me.  It's pretty dang hard to find a friend like that.  So for that, and all the other nine reasons, I am super thankful for my funny, fabulous, and treasured friend!

Hugs on Matt and I's wedding day.  Miguel delivered Matt's gift to me :)

Happy Birthday Britney!

Just wanted to take a second to wish my BFF Britney (needs no last name) a happy birthday.  (Ok, she isn't technically my BFF, because she doesn't know me, but I'm pretty sure if she knew me, we'd totally be best friends!)  Anyway...anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Britney Spears.  Did you get that, LOVE.  I have seriously been her number one fan since day one.  And I'm not talking about the screaming, crying, uncontrollable, psycho stalker fan, I'm talking about the faithful follower, believes she can do anything, deeply supportive fan.  See the difference?  Tooootally not the same type of fan.  So to reiterate, I'm the second type of number fan one.  Not the crazy one, the classy one.  When others thought she lost it and was pop tart history, I stood up for her and said we would she would show them.  And when others said that "Britney's back" I scoffed reminding them she never left.  So, while some of you blog readers may think I'm slightly insane, no worries, I'm just a super super super fan (which in some people's books makes me a slighlty insane.)  Nonetheless, I want to give a huge birthday shout out to Miss Britney.  Happy birthday from your biggest fan and BFF that you just haven't met yet :)