Happy New Year

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful New Year. See you in 2012!

♥ Jen

Comfort in Taupe

Eugenia Kim Marina Captains Hat, House of Harlow Antler Bangle, House of Harlow Triple Arrowhead Ring, Kate Spade Dune Peep-Toe, Target Mossimo Denim Jegging, Chloe Sunglasses, Stella & Dot Cleo Fringe Earring, Balenciaga Giant Velo Hamilton handbag.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday. Now that Christmas has passed and winter is in full swing, I tend to gravitate towards clothes that feel so comfortable and warm. I'm currently lusting after anything taupe...out of the ordinary since I really love anything black. Here is some inspiration for me the next time I go shopping.

♥ Jen

DIY- Holiday Makeup Cranberry Eyes

Have a holiday party or family get together and want to look festive? I have created this super simple look perfect for the holidays. Feel free to use colors you already have to recreate this look.
These are the products I used:

Urban Decay Naked Palette- Colors Buck (matte dark brown), Hustle (dark purple), Half Baked (gold) and Virgin (pearl color)

NYX Rust eyeshadow

NYX Shadow Trio in Ultra Chic

Urban Decay Primer Potion

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Rust

Smashbox Mascara

Urban Decay Zero Black Eye Liner- not pictured

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick- 045 Raspberry

Milani- Mai-Tai Blush
1)First prime you eye. This insures that the eyeshadow will stay in place and prevent creasing.

2) Using your jumbo eye pencil, fill in the 3/4 most outside of you lid just to the creasing. Smooth with your finger. Do not pay attention to how it looks right now, this is used to intensify the color.

3) Using a small shader brush, apply cranberry eyeshadow over jumbo eye pencil on lid. Use a fluffy brush to blend out any harsh lines.

4) Using a crease brush, use Urban Decay Buck and blend into crease.

5) Using a small brush, use Urban Decay Virgin on brow bone for highlight.

6) Using small shader brush, place Urban Decay Half Baked into inner eye lid.

7) Using a blending brush, blend Half Baked and Rust so that there are no harsh lines.

8) Using a small brush, Sweep NYX Ultra Chic (center shadow) into corner of eye and a little under the tear duct.

9) Using a domed crease brush, intensify outer corner of eye with Urban Decay Hustle.

10) Line you upper and lower lashes with eyeliner.

11) Use your favorite mascara to finish your eyes.
To complete the holiday look, I used Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Raspberry and Milani's Mai-Tai blush.
I love how this look turned out. It is very festive you can wear it with a pair of jeans or a glamorous holiday outfit. Let me know if you try this look out. Happy Holiday!

♥ Jen

Peanut Blossom Cookies

Peanut blossoms cookies are by far one of my favorite holiday cookies. Simply making them gives me so much holiday spirit. They are super simple to make and are always a big hit in our house...they never make it more than 2 days before they are completely gone! I followed these instructions, but added a few of my little touches here and there. To make them extra sugary (my signature), roll them in a few coats of sugar. I usually do this 2 or 3 times.
Use a small melon baller or scoop for perfect sized cookies every time. Extra sugar coating!
Save time, unwrap and prep your kisses before the cookies come out of the oven. Press kisses into cookies right when they come out of the oven. Let them set for a few hours so that the kisses harden up again. I love to have a few right out of the oven when the cookies are still warm and the chocolate is a little melted. Do you have a favorite recipe that you make each year for the holidays?

♥ Jen

DIY- Hot Mulled Cider

Nothing warms me up on a cold chilly night like hot mulled cider. This recipe is super simple, quick and makes the house smell so warm and inviting. This would be perfect for a holiday party or family gathering. Here's what you'll need:

8 Cups of Cider

4 Strips of Zest from one Lemon

2 Cinnamon Sticks

1 Teaspoon of Whole Allspice Berries

1 Teaspoon of Whole Cloves

Make sure you use Apple Cider instead of Apple Juice.Mix all of the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Then remove from heat, cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Then ladle into mugs, leaving any solids or spices behind.
Grab your favorite holiday mug, pour some hot cider and garnish with a cinnamon stick. Perfect Holiday bliss! Let me know if you try this recipe!

♥ Jen

Holiday Gift Guide - Under $50

Nate Berkus Metallic Sequin Pillow, Design Sponge At Home, Capri Mercury Glass Candle, Urban Decay Naked Palette, Jonathan Adler Owl Salt & Pepper, Kate Spade Playing Cards, Marc by Marc Jacobs Ring, Crystal Stretch Bracelets, Kate Spade Iphone Cover, Tocca Candle, Deborah Lippman Nailpolish, Anthropologie Ikat Mini Bowls.

Everyone is always looking for great gifts that are under$50. Whether you are looking for someone who enjoys things for the home or is a fashionista, there's many different things to choose from. I hope Santa leaves some of these under the tree for me :-)

♥ Jen

Weekend in Pictures

This weekend we decorated our house for Christmas. This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love all the decorations, music, food and spending time with friends and family. Here are a few snapshots from the weekend. Comfy attire :-)
One end of our buffet. I love Betsey Johnson, and her ornament this year was a mixture of pink and cheetah print....love it! You can find it here or at Macy's stores, plus a portion of the sale goes to The Make A Wish Foundation.
To reward ourselves for all of our hardwork, I made pumpkin bread. It was super yummy and made the house smell soooo good. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

♥ Jen

DIY- Anthropologie Inspired Necklace

Last week I received a copy of the Anthropologie Issue 12, 2011. I was inspired by a necklace on page 4. I already had some of the pieces so I went to work. Here is my version.
Page 4, Anthropologie Issue 12, 2011. Golfo De Paria Necklace.
Image via Anthropologie.
What you'll need:
Looping round nose pliers
Pliers
Nipper or wire cutter
Slab style Stone
about 2 inches of wire- I used 18 gauge craft wire
Chain
2 Jump Rings
Lobster Clasp

Using your loop round nose pliers make a loop.
Add two strands of chain. The inspiration photo has two chains, so that is what I chose to do. You can add one only if you would like.
Close the loop by wrapping the other end around the loop. I added two loops.
Thread wire through the bead.
Continue by repeating the steps above to complete.
Add the clasp using your two jump rings and your finished!
Let me know what you think. What have you been inspired by lately?

♥ Jen

Not feeling crafty? Find this over in my Etsy shop here.

Linking up with Thrifty Decor Chick

DIY- Vintage Sleigh turned Holiday Glam

Last week I came across a wonderful gold vintage metal sleigh that I knew had sooo much potential to be glamorous! After I cam home with it I ran off to Michael's for some supplies. This was super simple and took about 15 minutes to complete.
Here's what you need:
Mixture of holiday plants- Poinsettias, ornaments, pine cones, or other pretties!
Garland- the amount will depend on the size sleigh you are working with. I used about 4 feet
Glue Gun
Wire Cutters
You can use whatever glue you want, I just love my glue gun!
This is the vintage sleigh I picked from the thrift store.
Cut however much garland you need to wrap and put in the sleigh. I did not glue down this part as it stayed in there good by itself.
Cut different pieces off your flowers and other accessories. I first stuck everything in without gluing just to see the placement and move around items if I wanted to.

Once you have everything where you want it, pull each item out and begin gluing them into the green garland.
Then just keep working around the sleigh. It just came together so pretty!
Here's the top view. All finished! I love how easily this transformed into something glamorous. It looks wonderful on the end of our buffet. All in all I think this cost less than $10 for the sleigh and the supplies....love budget friendly ideas! What items have you transformed this holiday season? Let me know, I would love to hear.

♥ Jen

Linking up over at Thrift Decor Chick

DIY- Silver and Black Drape Earring

Earrings are my favorite way to accessorize any outfit, and this silver and black drape earring is perfect for the upcoming holidays. This may take a little bit of time if you are just starting out making jewelry as the small chain is a little hard to work with, but the outcome is fantastic!

Here's what you'll need:

Basic pliers- you may need two to open and close the chains, and jump rings

Small link chain- you'll want to choose something small & light so that the earring is not too heavy

(2) Eyepins

(5) Jump rings

(2) Beads or stone of your choice

(2) Earring wiresPut the eye pin through the bead and make a loop at the end.

Make (5) different lengths of chain for each tier of the drape and (2) pieces that will go from the bead to the earring wire.Thread the (5) different length chains onto a jump ring then attach the jump ring to one end of the bead.Repeat the above step and attach. Next, attach the (2) pieces of chain that will go to the earring wire onto the end of the bead.Attach the earring wire and your finished! Super simple and totally unique! Wouldn't this make a fabulous gift for the holidays?
♥ Jen