2015 Resolutions

Via

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not one for making or sticking to resolutions for the new year. But I do like to try and think of a few goals for the upcoming year, whether they be personal or more general, and I wanted to share them with you today. And put them on the internet for everyone to read to help me stick to them a little more. 
1. Move. It is absolutely no secret that I want to get out of Connecticut, and more specifically, New England winters. While I may have a few plans (realistically, dreams)  up my sleeve, I have nothing set in stone to move in 2015... yet... but I am making sure this one happens. I've lived in the town I was born and raised in for 24 years and it's time for a change of pace and I couldn't be more excited for this next adventure. Stay tuned... 
2. Be more organized. While I'm not a complete hot mess, I could be wayyy more organized. One good example is my purse. Why do I have cinnamon in my purse right now? I have no idea (okay, I do.. and I swear it's not that strange...), but it's there, along with a few other odd things, but that could be a whole post for another day. I have purchased a 2015 planner to help stay organized and on top of everything going on. I feel a 2015 cleaning purge coming on.
3. Blog more. I want to really keep up with my outfit posts in 2015, so I am planning on dedicating more time to taking photos and recruiting some photographers (aka bribing friends and family members to let me pretend I'm a model for a half hour). 
4. Be single. This is probably the complete opposite goal of every other almost 25 year old girl, but I want to take an entire year to be single (sorry, Mom!), and do whatever the hell I want. Especially if I'm going to be in a new city! But I will preface this with, if someone comes along, I won't not see what happens. 
5. Travel. And then travel some more. I'm already lucky enough to have been able to take pretty spur of the moment trips to new cities but I want to see more. I definitely want to get back to Europe before I'm 30 (Wait. That's in only HOW MANY YEARS?!). And while 2015 probably won't hold out of the country trips, I want to go to at least 5 new cities/places this year. 
What are your 2015 goals? 

Old Factory Candles + Giveaway

I hope everyone had a great holiday and is enjoying some time off and relaxation! I know I am. My Netflix and I are really building a strong bond over the next week. 
I'm teaming up with the lovely people at Old Factory Candle for a giveaway today! I have the "Coffee Shop" set which I especially loved smelling while wrapping some Christmas presents a few days ago. These seriously smell so good and I love burning them on a weekend morning so my house smells like a coffee shop. Which is pretty ironic coming from the girl who used to work in a coffee shop and despised coffee and the smell was only associated to work. Now I can't get enough of either! 
Even though New England has been unseasonably warm lately (no complaints here),  these will be perfect to burn throughout the upcoming winter months or can be the perfect little hostess gift for all the parties this time of year. 

And now for the fun part! I'm giving away a set of Old Factory candles to one lucky winner! Check out their Facebook page and their Amazon site then enter below and comment which set is your favorite! Vacation? Romance? Man Cave? Let me know! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post was sponsored by BrandBacker, but as always, all thoughts are my own and genuine. 

Merry Christmas!

It's the most wonderful day of the year! Wishing you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas full of love and laughter!  
(This is a picture of my coworker and I in our natural habitat celebrating the holidays at work)

Friday Five: Holiday Traditions

Can you believe this is the last Friday before Christmas?! This year absolutely flew. I feel like it was just last Christmas. I am so excited to go visit my best friend in NYC tonight. We have complete opposite schedules and it gets so hard to make plans. So, to be able to find a Friday night that works for both of us is pretty exciting! 
'Tis the season of traditions. I thought I'd share a few of my favorite holiday traditions today, old and new, because I feel like the next week is full of them! 
Cutting down a tree. While sometimes traumatizing (have your dad come out of the garage revving a chainsaw and cut down the pine tree in the front yard and tell me you wouldn't cry...), this is a tradition we never miss. The weekend following Thanksgiving is created to trek out into a tree field and find that perfect tree. No matter how cold, warm or icy. (See this year's outfit here). 

'Twas the Night Before Christmas. While this hasn't happened in years, one of my favorite Christmas memories is sitting on my grandpa's lap on Christmas Eve and having him read The Night Before Christmas to me. Always while wearing my new Christmas pajamas left out on my bed by magical elves after church. 

The Nut and Ball Roll. Bear with me here... What is a completely innocent tradition of making Christmas cookies with my mom and sisters, somehow turned into a mix of dirty innuendos while asking for help rolling balls in nuts and dipping rods in chocolate. Ever since, the day of marathon baking has been referred to as the Nut and Ball Roll. Which probably shouldn't be normal terminology in anyone's house... 
The Christmas Eve Dual. Ever since I can remember, my brother and I would have a "sword" fight with the empty wrapping paper rolls. At 24 and 29 years old, we (embarrassingly?) still do this. Although much more difficult now that most wrapping paper rolls come without the actual cardboard rolls now! (Thanks, everyone, for "going green"). And let me just say, I have never, ever won and am always awarded the title of "Christmas Loser". 

Gingerbread Houses. Every year, my friend hosts a gingerbread house decorating party, and this is honestly one of the events I look forward to the most during the holiday season. We have pounds upon pounds of all different candy and "decorations" for the houses. It's so fun to get creative, catch up with old friends and maybe indulge in a few mimosas. I've gotta get an idea of how I'm going to decorate before the big event this Sunday! Check out the spread from last year! 

What are your favorite holiday traditions? I bet you don't have a nut and ball roll.. 

GlamST

Happy Wednesday! 
So, I got to try out this really cool new makeup app, GlamST. Remember that Barbie make-up game where you got to dazzle up Barbie's face? Well this is the same thing, but with your own face and you can actually see what products are used and buy them if you like the look! Not only that, but you can get ideas on how to look like gorgeous celebs (hello, Blake Lively - is this one step closer to being as perfect as you??) Super cool. This will be so useful with the upcoming holidays.  You'll need to upload a selfie. 

Then set your face, eyes and mouth. 

        

You'll get to pick all different looks - glamorous, fresh, trendy, etc. These are my favorites: 

Fresh

Glamorous 

Trendy

And then here's me as Sienna Miller... Aren't we identical?! ;) 

                                     

 

To get the look, all you have to do is press the little makeup button on the bottom left corner and you have a whole range of items to recreate the look! Talk about handy.

All in all, this app was really neat. It took a few times to get the dots aligned to my eyes and mouth so the makeup was applied correctly and I didn't have red teeth, but once I got the hang of it it was so fun! I'll definitely be using this for some NYE looks where I'll went to venture out from my traditional makeup routine. I'll be sure to post my inspiration and then the final product!

Download GlamST for iPhone here
Or use it online here!

Have you tried out GlamST? What do you think?!

Gift Guide: Gifts That Give Back

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'Tis the season to be giving! In my head, I had this whole plan to do a bunch of gift guides to post during the month of December, and now its 10 days until Christmas... 
So, I'm going to post my favorite gift guide: Gifts That Give Back. We all get caught up in making wish lists and finding the perfect gift for everyone on your list, that it's easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas (looks like all those years of Catholic school are coming out right now...). But over the years, it's doing something for someone else or giving back that truly has made me feel the best during the holiday season. So, why not give back while crossing off items on your list? 
1. Georgetown Cupcakes. Buy the Hope for Henry gift assortment (a dozen cupcakes) and 100% of the proceeds go to Hope for Henry, a cause that helps children with life-threatening diseases. $30 
2. Support a friend. Know someone who is running a race for a cause? Or even a stranger? Donate to their page. They will not only appreciate the support, you will be contributing to a great cause. Need an idea? Donate to one of my BFFs NYC Half Marathon page for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (shameless plug). Any amount helps
3. Finnegans. Have a beer lover on your list? Finnegans turns beer into food by donating 100% of the profits to provide fresh food to families in need. If anything, pick up a case for the holiday party you're headed to (or for yourself - it is a charitable act after all). $10 for a 6 pack
4. Headbands of Hope. If you're new to the blog, this is a cause close to my heart as an HoH representative. For every headband purchased, $1 is donated towards cancer research and one headband or buff is given to a girl or boy with cancer. $10-$25
5. Toms. I'm sure you all know about Toms, but for every (cute!) pair of shoes purchased, a pair is given to someone in need. $54
6. Target Sweatshirt. Target and Toms teamed up this holiday season, and each time this sweatshirt is purchased, a blanket is donated to someone who needs it. There's a whole section on Target.com with all different items to give back this holiday season. Definitely worth checking out. $22
7. Alex and Ani. Shop by charity or by bracelet for a huge selection of different charities to have a portion of your purchase be donated. $28
8. French Milled Baby Soap. Don't let the description of baby soap fool you. This soap is great for sensitive skin (children or adults!) and 20% of the proceeds go to charities benefiting children, such as St. Jude. $12
Sorry for the long-winded post, but I wanted to give a description of all the items. If you're done shopping, consider doing something small like donating a toy to Toys for Tots or even just buying the person behind you their coffee in the morning. Let's spread some Christmas cheer :) 

Friday Five

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... 
So, I love Christmas. Always have, always will. Like, spent the day cutting out Christmas props for our office Christmas.. sorry.. holiday.. party (Twice, to be exact, because I realized too far in that I should have printed them on card stock...) and making detailed party planning spreadsheets kind of love. 
In honor of my favorite time of year, my Friday Fives for the month of December will be holiday themed. This week will be my top 5 all time favorite Christmas songs, which was extremely hard for me to narrow down (in no specific order - that would be way too hard). I usually strictly abide by the day-after-Thanksgiving rule when it comes to Christmas music, but I have to admit, I cheated a little this year. 
Baby, It's Cold Outside. Specifically, the Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey version. I know, I know, the relationship is over, but it's still one of the best versions out there, hands down. 


All I Want For Christmas Is You. Obviously, this is a no brainer. Whenever I hear this song, I have a specific memory of belting it out with my best friend in her kitchen when we were in middle school, which makes me love the song a little more. 


I'll Be Home For Christmas. I never really cared about this song until I went to college, and all of a sudden I couldn't wait to go home for Christmas break and see my family and old friends. Ever since, it's become a favorite. 


All I Want For Christmas Is A Real Good Tan. I'm all about a white Christmas (but on Christmas only) but I think I may be more about white sand on Christmas. Kenny Chesney nails my feelings of spending Christmas on a beach in this tropical tune which is now a Christmas classic for me. 


It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas. Every single time I hear this song, I think of my grandpa. I can still picture him and hear him singing this as he would walk into my parents house during Christmastime, or when there was fresh snow on the ground, and it always makes me smile. This song always gets me into the Christmas spirit. 


And for a bonus song - Baby! It's Christmas by Jessie James Decker. It only came out this year so I felt like it didn't have the right to make the official list, but this song has been on repeat. Especially in my car. Such a good belt out song. 


What's your favorite Christmas song? 

Joy

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I had so much seeing friends and family I don't get to see very often and eating way too much. And even after a nice long weekend, Monday somehow showed up just a few days too soon. 
I'm sure like many of you, this weekend was spent getting into the Christmas spirit. It's a holiday tradition not to be broken in our house that the weekend following Thanksgiving is spent cutting down the family Christmas tree. And every year, at least one of us dresses extremely impractically for this activity. I (very wisely) wore an old pair of boots so I wouldn't ruin a new pair. Well, turns out this very well loved pair of boots lost any and all sort of traction on the bottom through the years. Let's just say it was the first time in a long time that there was actually snow on the ground. There were hills and there was ice... 

 Outfit Details: Sweater: Old Navy (old) | Plaid shirt: T.J. Maxx, similar here | Jeans: T.J. Maxx (Joe's), similar here | Boots: Baker's (old), love these | Hat: Lord & Taylor, similar here | Coat: J.Crew Factory (on sale!) | Scarf: Target 

Did you start getting into the holiday spirit this weekend? 

Friday Five: Black Friday Edition

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving full of family, friends and delicious food. I know I did! I'm lucky enough to have today off from work and thought it would only be appropriate to share my top 5 Black Friday deals I've been shopping (Christmas music blaring - it is the day after Thanksgiving, after all) before spending the day with the fam. But first, a few from yesterday... 

My friends and I woke up bright and early to run a Turkey Trot. Nothing like earning your Thanksgiving meal! 

Naturally, we had props at dinner. Who doesn't? 

1. Old Navy. Totally guilty of stocking up on plaid shirts and a few staple shirts and sweaters. Everything is on sale up to 50% and get an extra 15% off your purchase using GRAVY at checkout. Bonus: Free shipping over $50!

Favorite finds: plaid shirt, fair-isle sweater, my absolute favorite workout pants

2. Gap. 50% off EVERYTHING with BLKFRIDAY at checkout. Gap has stepped up their game the last few years and has been added back on to my list of staples for basic sweaters. There's definitely some great deals here. 

Favorite finds: Plaid pants, over-sized sweater, this great vest 

3. Nordstrom. If you can, stop into a Nordstrom today and get an additional 20% selected sale items. Nordstrom is the best for gift giving, too, since their return policy is so awesome. 

Favorite finds: Kate Spade watch, Hunter boots, Ralph Lauren jacket 

4. Express. 50% off everything. Express is especially great for NYE dresses and outfits, so this is the perfect time to scoop something up instead of waiting until a few days before! 

Favorite finds: faux leather leggings, burgundy hat, flared skirt

5. Bauble Bar. 15% off 2 items using FRIDAY15, 25% off 3 items using FRIDAY25, 35% off 4 items using FRIDAY35. No explanation needed here. Everyone should shop Bauble Bar. However, their earlybird sale was actually better than their Black Friday sale, which is a bummer! It's so tough to know when you're going to get the absolute best deal. 

Favorite finds: monogram necklace, pearl bib necklace, pearl cuff bracelet 

This is by no means an extensive list of all the great deals going on, but just a glimpse at my browser history for the past few hours :) 

Have you found any great deals? I'd love to see them! 

Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend!