HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Today I broke my cardinal rule of Thanksgiving outfits: always wear something flowy and forgiving.

For some reason, when I woke up, I rejected my free flowing outfit that I picked out a month ago, instead opting for a pretty tight (but very stretchy) dress from Anne Taylor.  I have no real reason for that decision, I just woke up feeling completely not in the mood to wear what I thought I would. Does that ever happen to you?

I love this dress, and even though by the end of the night and a serving of thirds (from the dessert table) I was a bit concerned about my very visible "food baby," it was comfy and warm all day long!

To compensate (or at least try to) for the potential post-turkey and pumpkin pie issues of this outfit, I wore this large Cardigan from SheInside that has become one of my favorite pieces. It is really a hybrid between a coat and a sweater, as it does have a bit of weight to it.  If you have never checked out SheInside before, you should. They have TONS of awesome pieces for really reasonable prices.  

I also wore my Dolce Vita wedge booties that are super comfortable and come in great neutral colors. I love them so much I am tempted to order this similar pair from Nordstrom (Nordstrom is having awesome Black Friday sales by the way...)

I also wore something that I thought was very appropriate for the holiday: this headpiece from anthropologie:

Normally I am not into hair accessories at all because my hair is super thick and unruly- any attempts I make to jazz it up in any way are usually futile. Needless to say, this was a bit wild for me. But, I thought this looked ok today; it made me feel very festive. Maybe you will see it again next Thanksgiving.

Mom & Sister

All day long I have been trying to make a mental list of things I am thankful for, and I am realizing that it is basically impossible for me to do that because the list would go on for infinity & beyond. 

That being said, here are some things I am particularly thankful for today (in no particular order)

Ben

Family

Food

Friends

Socks

Free Speech

Education

Freedom

Roof over my head

Health

Faith

Hope

The Future

The Past

The Present

A warm bed

Heat

Coffee

Dogs

.... and all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

xo, 

Grace

Pre-Thanksgiving Style!

Hi friends! Happy Thanksgiving Eve! I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is tomorrow.  I hope you have all had safe travels home or to family members/friend's homes. If you are leaving tomorrow (like me!) have a safe trip.

I love this time of the year (November & December) because it is most usually filled with time spent with family and close friends. For me, this means getting to spend time with my beautiful older sister, Kathleen, who is in Medical School, and always extremely busy working hard!

Tonight, she let me style her for a casual dinner out with friends from high school.  I would describe her style as very eclectic, so I wanted to pick some items with fun textures, reflective of her own personal style.

We started with this pair of wedges from francesca's that she recently purchased and we both love. 

Using the lace pattern in the leather wedges as a jumping off point, I chose a lace dress from forever21, and then a flowy, red, knit sweater with cable detail in the back to layer over it.  The look is finished off with a pair of gold earrings from Stella and Dot, slate grey tights, and metallic clutch from Elaine Turner.

 Enjoy!

xo, 

Grace

Great Gifts Under $50!

Hi everyone! I hope that you have all had great weekends. Mine was wonderful and went by so fast... I am in Florida visiting Ben and the time has just flown by. 

Thinking about how fast time moves gives me a bit of anxiety about my upcoming Christmas shopping (which I have hardly started)! It will be time for Christmas and Hanukah before we know it, scary and super exciting at the same time!

Here are some of my favorite gifts this year for less than $50. They are mostly for women, but my next gift guide will hopefully be some gift ideas for men! Enjoy and let me know what your favorites are!

1. Bobbi Brown Luxe Sparkle Powder $44// 2. Alex & Ani Charm Bangle $28// 3. C. Wonder Polka Dot Cake Stand $48// 4. Belkin WeMo Switch 49.99// 5.Happy Socks Set of Four $45// 6. Ceramic Jewelry Tray $19.50// 7. Baggu Duck Bag $26// 8. The Tie Bar Set of Three $45// 9. Acrylic Set of Three Staking Boxes $29.99//

1. This powder from Bobbi Brown looks great on everyone, adding a bit of shimmer and sparkle to any look. I put some on my cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose and love the way it catches the light.

2. I love Alex and Ani's bangles, and many of them are under $50! They expand so are easy to put on and fit many wrist sizes. Something I love about this gift is that it is a bit more personal; you can select a charm that is particularly applicable to the recipient of your gift. See some of my favorites on my personal wish list on Pinterest.

3. Obsessed with this C.Wonder cake stand! I use cake stands for many things that have nothing to do with dessert, including a stand for my makeup and a platform to put candles on.

4. This gadget from Belkin allows you to turn on/off lights with your smartphone or iPad! All you need is wireless internet. This would be great for nights when you don't want to get out of bed to turn of the lamp you turned on six hours ago, or when you are away from home to keep potential burglars away.

5. These Happy Socks are so cute and I love that they come in a set of four. They also have the same style of set for men.

6. This tray from J.Crew is so cute and a great price.  People could use it for earrings, or a catchall for other small objects.

7. Baggu bags are wonderful, and this Duck Bag is great for toting around anything you could ever need. It is lightweight, durable, and comes in tons of colors/patterns.

8. This set of three ties from The Tie Bar is a great gift as they are handsome looking ties that would be a great addition to any guy's wardrobe.

9. These Acrylic Boxes are perfect for stylish desktop organization, makeup organization, or even a place to stow pretty baubles.

xo, 

Grace

Gift Guide 1: Cozy Comforts

Hi guys! So today marks the first post in a series of "gift guide" posts I will be doing through early December. I decided to start off with "Cozy Comforts" because I am inspired by the chill in the air this weekend!

My next one will be gifts under 50$.

Let me know if there are any categories of gifts you would like to see featured in the coming days. 

From Top Left to Bottom Right

1. Artifact Uprising Photo Book 17$-70$ // 2. Juicy Couture Velour Robe 98$ // 3. Sundance Cashmere Pullover 248$ // 4. Mark & Graham Cashmere Slippers (Free Monogram) 78$ // 5. Elaine Turner Stella Rose Metallic Bag 278$ // 6. Jonathan Adler Holiday Candle 38$ // 7. C. Wonder Lucite Pet Bed and Pillow 48$-248$ // 8. West Elm Owl Tea Collection 11$-23$ // UGG Slub Knit Leggings 65$ //

1. I love giving (and receiving) any kind of photo book, but Artifact Uprising makes incredible ones that literally turn your memories into art. If you have never made a photo book before, they are super easy to make and order. All you have to do is upload your pictures to the website and design whatever layout you want. 

2. I love robes in general, but I decided to feature this one from Juicy Couture because I like the length of it and think the subtle ruffles are cute. It also has a nice weight to it, not to heavy or thin.

3. I am a huge fan of Sundance Catalog and this pullover would go with so many outfits (over sweaters, on top of leggings/skinny jeans, etc). You can't go wrong with cashmere!

4. Speaking of cashmere, I love these Mark and Graham slippers. You can also get them monogramed for no additional charge-- comfy and thoughtful!

5. As a huge Elaine Turner fan, I think this bag is fabulous. It zips up for on-the-go convenience, and the one strap makes it easy to cary. The rose gold adds an effortless elegance. 

6. Jonathan Adler makes hands down the best candles ever. This one is no exception and makes a fantastic gift for anyone on your list!

6. We can't forget puppies list!! I chose this C. Wonder bed because it has great comfort for your pup (or cat?), but is really stylish at the same time with the lucite frame.

7. This tea set from West Elm makes me want to cuddle up and sip tea with my friends while watching Harry Potter...

8. These UGG Australia leggings (NOT shearling lined) are so soft and would serve as great PJ's, but honestly I think I would wear them out in public. They are stretchy and cozy!

Let me know what you think and have a great Saturday! 

xo, 

Grace

CUTE Holiday Sweaters!!

Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday- we are getting closer to the weekend :)

I recently purchased two sweaters from Lauren Conrad's collection for Kohl's that I just love. I don't  have much experience with Kohls because we do not really have many around here, but when I saw on LC's website that she was selling a collection, I thought I would check it out. Fortunately, I was not disappointed!  I remember watching Lauren on Laguna Beach (seems like forever ago...) and then on the Hills and have always thought she has really cute style.

The two sweaters I ordered are the blue Penguin Sweater and the blue fuzzy Heart Sweater. They are both on sale, which makes me incredibly happy!  I picked these two specifically because I am always on the search for festive clothes for the holiday season, and thought these had just enough cheer to make them perfect for upcoming nights by the fire & Christmas tree drinking hot chocolate. There are lots of other holiday appropriate options on the website.

The fuzzy heart sweater is super fuzzy and warm, but it does not shed at all.  It is soft and not scratchy.

I love this penguin sweater!!! The color is perfect for winter, and the penguin is wearing a tiny bedazzled bow tie. This could be a fantastic alternative to the "ugly Christmas sweater"... a holiday sweater that is actually cute! 

I orded them both in a size up from what I would usually wear because I plan on layering long sleeves underneath them when it gets really cold.  The sleeves are slightly long because of this, but it really doesn't bother me to just roll them up. 

Happy Shopping!

xo, 

Grace

PS: I also love the Dot Sweater and Ooh La La Sweater!

Outfit of the Day

Hi guys! I hope you have had great weekends so far. Tonight, I went out to a nice dinner with three of my close friends. It has gotten colder here, so I needed to wear a semi-casual outfit that would look cute and also keep me warm. Of course, I immediately turned to my pink cardigan from Calypso St. Barth that my mom gave to me two years ago. This is probably my favorite sweater because it is a lightweight cashmere that is simultaneously warm and not heavy. Also, it's my favorite color: Pink!

I paired it with a pink leather belt with a bow on it from Forever 21. I love Forever 21 for budget friendly pieces that serve as fantastic accents to any outfit!

I wore those two pieces over a black dress from H&M (from a few years ago), a pair of black leggings, and boots from Corso Como. These are my favorite boots because they are incredibly comfortable and go with so many of my outfits (they also have memory foam soles!!). I have had them for three years now and they look as good as new!

I also wore one of my favorite necklaces, a Tiffany heart Key that was a gift from Ben.
Finally, I finished off the look with this Marc By Marc Jacobs tote that was a gift from my mom. I love the hot pink color!

Let me know what you think! Happy saturday night!

xo, 

Grace

Nail-Polish, Red Cups, and Blackfish

Hi Everyone! It has been (almost) two weeks since my last post... (un?) fortunately my Senior year of college has been much more busy than I anticipated!
So here is a crash course of what I have been up to recently. Get ready for picture overlaod:

1. Halloween: I had the amazing opportunity to go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in Disney World's Magic Kingdom.  I dressed up in a make-shift Minnie Mouse costume and the whole night was amazing. It was probably the best Disney experience I have had; the decorations were incredible and everyone was in costume!

Then, I came back to North Carolina for actual Halloween, where I did not dress up, and the night of Halloween I desperately sifted through my closet searching for anything orange I could possibly wear. I ended up wearing all black and used my ONE orange article of clothing - this Kate Spade bag. I was surprised this was the only orange object I own!

Finally, I forced my boxer Bella to pose in front of some festive pumpkins. 

2. I learned how to make the world's tastiest cake. My boyfriend's grandmother is an incredible cook and makes this legendary cake that has the creamiest home-made chocolate frosting. It was just an honor to observe it being made... I suspect my attempts to replicate it will never measure up to hers!

4. I got this amazing Essie nail polish called the For the Twill of It. It was a Halloween gift from Ben's mom and I love it.  In some lights it looks purple and in others it looks like a gun metal grey- awesome.

5. Then, November 1st rolled around and Starbucks red-cups came around!!! Hurray!!! I love this time of the year because every time I get coffee I am remembered to be in a good mood by the festive red cups. I know it may sound silly- but it is totally true!

6. I watched the Incredible documentary, Blackfish. This documentary is so eye-opening, shocking, and a must see. Basically, it is about Orca Whales in Sea World, but touches on so many issues of the inhumane treatment of animals and ethics in general.  It is now on iTunes! Watch it now!!

7. I wore a lot of sweaters and scarves. It has started to get really cold here (really cold is 40's to me) and so I have been transitioning in my fall wardrobe. I am a huge fan of layers so It is exciting to get to wear them now. 

8. I started to get my Christmas stuff out!!! Hurray!!! I've already gotten comments from people that I am doing this way too early but I would rather get started now and have things done to enjoy them when it gets closer to the time to celebrate the season.

Thats all for now! I hope you had great weeks and you have an even better weekend!

xo, 

Grace