The Perfect Outfit for a Holiday Soiree

If I was on Gossip Girl,  this would be my Christmas outfit:

Red long sleeve mini dress  with an oversized bow (Maria Garcia Hohan)

Statement Necklace: Dannijo rhinestone and chain necklace (Dannijo)

Shoes: Nude strappy suede platform sandles (Jimmy Choo here)

Bracelet: Gold stingray textured chain bracelet (Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) at Net-a-Porter)

Bangles: Hammered bangle set (Jigsaw)

What are you wearing for the holidays?

Holiday How To: Salt Dough Ornaments & Gift Tags

This winter I decided to revive a holiday project that I did as a kid:  salt dough ornaments.  Not only is this a super simple project, it uses items you already have in your kitchen (double easy). I made a bunch of these to use as gift tags, but with a hook, they will easily translate to the tree.

The recipe is simple:

Salt Dough Ornaments

• ½ cup salt
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup water

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 250

2.  Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ~1/4 inch thick.    Cut out shapes with cookie cutters (just like sugar cookies)  I used a glass to get simple circles.

Optional: Use a stamp to imprint a 3-d message or image onto the ornaments.

4. Use a drinking straw to poke a  hole for a ribbon or ornament hook.

 5. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 1.5 hours.

Optional: Paint.  I used a wash of green acrylic paint to give the gift tags I made a bit of color.  In the past I've also spray painted them and modge-podged them for a shinier affect.

Let me know if you have questions! 

Holiday How To: T-Shirt Pom Pom Ornaments

Each year I like to make ornaments to add to my tree and I wanted to share a quick and easy project with you guys that you can make using old t-shirts: 

1.  Starting with on old t-shirt (or in this case a tank top) cut and rip 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide strips. 

2.  Once you've ripped the shirt into a pile of knit strips, you're ready to make them into a pom. It's OK if the t-shirt strips are varying lengths and widths.

3.  Wrap the strips around your a piece of cardboard slightly bigger than the width of the pom-pom you want.  When you hit the end of a strip, just layer the second strip over the end and keep wrapping around.

4. Once you have layered on the strips of t-shirts, pull the ball off the cardboard and tie an additional strip tightly around the center with a double knot.

5. Squeeze the scissors into the layers of t-shirt strips and cut them in half.  

6.  Now,  you should have a slightly lumpy looking pom-pom.  From here, fluff up the edges and then trim it into the an even shape.

Finally, tie it onto an ornament hook or present and you've got a festive handmade holiday decoration!  

In the Mood for Velvet

As we enter the holiday party season, we also enter the season of velvet.  I'm pretty averse to velvet most times of the year, but I think the fabric has a special place between now and new years.  I especially like velvet pieces in classic black and navy paired with simple menswear inspired pieces like white button downs and classic trousers.

My current favorites from left to right:

Midnight Velvet  Tuxedo Blazer– I think this tuxedo inspired blazer is a perfect holiday investment that  you can pull out in December for years to come.  It’d be perfect  with jeans and a white blouse or thrown over a simple LBD. ($115  at TopShop)

Striped Velvet Dress – I love these velvet stripes and the sheer sleeves make it a bit sexy while still appropriate for a work or family party ( $140  at House of Fraser )

Maroon “Hagette” Stretch Velvet Pants – All these trousers need is a white button down and a festive statement necklace ($245 at Tory Burch)  

Rosa Velvet Heel – I love the gold heel! I’d pair this with a simple black dress and piles of gold jewelry. ($115  at Juicy Couture)

Holiday Style-Edition: Custom Christmas Cards from Minted

Have you bought your Christmas cards yet?

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the cards.  For many people, Christmas is one of the only times a year where they step away from their computers and actually HAND WRITE  letters and cards to their family and friends and to me, there's nothing better than getting a beautiful note in the mail!

Minted is one of my favorite sources for custom cards and paper goods.   They have a large community of designers that contribute from around the globe which I think tends to make their assortment of card options a little bit nicer than other photo-centric sites that offer custom cards.   They also print on beautiful thick matte paper that is much higher quality than what you can get from many places.

So,  if you haven't bought your cards yet, check them out! 

I love these colorful (kind of Kate Spade-esque) stripes:

They also give you tons of flexibility to customize the inside, back of cards and envelopes.

 

Plus,  custom cards don't have to include photos. They have some lovely options that you can customize with just your name  and personal note.

 Now, time to get stamps....