Our Christmas Party!

The Saturday before Christmas we hosted a little party. I attempted to keep things simple, but I then realized my "simple" and others perceptions are not the same! Luckily Oliver knew what I meant, he wasn't shocked by my vision or party prep plans. We prepared lots of appetizers and desserts, setting up the bar cart for wine, bubbly, beer, & a signature cocktail!

Surprisingly even to me, I went for a white and silver theme. I have been really into gold tones so I wanted to switch things up a bit for this party. I decided on winter white with silver and sparkly accents. For flowers I went with hydrangeas & Ranunculus with a bit of holly for green and pops of red. I made several arrangements and had them spread throughout the house. I also took leftover ornaments from the tree and placed them in tall vases filled with greenery to continue to theme throughout the house. The tree had white, silver and grey ornaments with a white tree skirt. My wrapping theme this year was also silver, I went with a shiny silver paper with white snowflake tags.

I placed all the food on the dining table with the leaf in it to extend the space. I used various platters to give the table some height and visual interest. Luckily my registry items played well into this theme as we have the "Roulette" setting from Crate & Barrel. My Mom also recently gave me these beautiful trays she bought in Italy so I used those as well.

For appetizers we made bacon wrapped asparagus, crostinis, homemade pretzel dippers with a bourbon cheese sauce, shrimp cocktail, bacon-onion dip, spinach & artichoke cups, a meat & cheese plate, onion dip with homemade bread to dip. My sister in law made almost all of the desserts which was super helpful. She did a great job! Oliver also made this cinnamon bread wrap which was incredible!

We had so much fun preparing for the party as well as seeing everyone! We played heads up which was a total blast! I think it was a huge success and I look forward to next years party! :) 

NYE Style Guides: Accessories

I am a firm believer that accessories make the outfit, so here are a few of my favorites and some pieces I've found online that I think will spice up your outfit! :)

I absolutely love this necklace, I find myself constantly reaching for this piece when I am getting ready. I love that it is a stand out piece but is neutral in terms of color palettes. You can find it on sale as well which always helps!

Here is another staple I wear all the time. I love the sparkle it brings to any outfit!

These were a recent addition to my collection from Clovis (he sure has good taste). I have been wearing them non stop since I received them!

Lastly, I love this necklace from Stella & Dot they have it in gold, rose gold & silver. The detailing on the chain is beautiful which you can't really see in this photo so make sure to check out the site.

Also if you live in the Boston area I highly recommend you check out Jenny Boston. They have several locations- Belmont, Hingham, Westborough, Natick (in the mall) Medfield & a CT location. You can also check out their Facebook page, they do weekly sales on Wednesdays. I always find myself popping in for a last minute gift or something to wear for myself. The prices are very reasonable and they have a large selection of styles!

NYE Style guides: Pants & Jumpsuits

I think when people traditionally think of NYE attire or cocktail attire they immediately think of dresses, however these options will show you that you can go all out without wearing a dress!

NYE Style Guide: The Dress Option

When I was eleven my parents surprised my siblings and I with a trip to Aruba on Christmas morning, we have been taking that trip every year since. In the last few years I haven't been going as often because it can be difficult to get that time off work. There were a few years where I would complain about having to go (I know how crazy that sounds) and not getting to spend NYE with my friends. Looking back I value those memories, being able to ring in the New Year with the people I love most in the world! I am surely missing being there this year, but I will be working so I couldn't go. :(

Regardless of how you celebrate this year you will want to look your best, so here are a few ideas for various settings! I always find I have the most fun when I feel good about how I look and what I am wearing, and of course when I am with people I love & who make me happy!

I love this JCrew chevron dress, I think it is fun and sparkly- perfect for a NYE party! I would pair this with black tights & over sized earrings. It looks like a few other people might be thinking the same thing- it is sold out in most sizes online but I would check your local JCrew store for available sizes!

I love this Express dress, the front is pretty but the back is definitely my favorite part! Even better it is on sale right now for $35!!

I personally can't pull off the crop top trend but this sure makes me wish I could! I love the peek of skin with black and sequins! Another Express find- these are sold as separates so you can mix & match all of the different crop top and skirt styles!

This dress is from the Kate Spade Saturday collection, check it out here. I love this dress, its structured up top but has movement in the skirt. I also love that its on sale using the code SALEAWAY



If dresses aren't your style keep an eye out for my jumpsuit & pant options post to follow! :)

Holiday Hiatus

I would first like to start by saying I am so sorry for the little holiday hiatus I took. We had the best Christmas, it was so lovely to be home and be with family and friends! I don't think I realized how different the last few years away from home were until we were back.

I worked the beginning of the week which meant I was off for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day! Christmas Eve was spent wrapping up the last few gifts we hadn't finished yet and baking some Gingerbread men for my Aunt & Uncle's house. I used the recipe from my gingerbread cupcakes but chose to do just the men this time around, they were a huge hit!


My Aunt and Uncle have hosted Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember and it is one of my favorite parts of the holiday! We head over for dinner on the earlier side, followed by exchanging gifts. My Aunt always thinks of the most thoughtful gifts, this year she made Oliver a Baltimore Ravens blanket (his favorite football team) and got him a book on curing and smoking meats (he thinks he is going to have a smokehouse someday), he was elated!

After gifts we tidy up, put out appetizers and desserts and start some FFF (forced family fun) the best part about it is there is nothing forced about it, everyone looks forward to it in fact! Our family friends come over for this part of the night and we play games late into the night.

Christmas morning we headed over to my brother & sister in laws house for breakfast in our PJ's. They started hosting last year however we were in DC so this was our first year attending. We do a gift exchange with my family every year, picking names on Thanksgiving Day. I find it my personal mission to figure who has who every year, this year was at 80%- not too shabby! My Mom had me this year she got me a few calligraphy supplies suggested from the class we took together which was awesome as well as a few sparkly things as well :)

Oliver and I stick to just stockings every year, this year he did a wonderful job! Clo got his Mum a pair of earrings- such a thoughtful pup! :)

Overall we had a wonderful Holiday spent with family & friends! We now both have pretty nasty colds, so we have spent the last few days recovering and snuggling with Clo!

What are some of your favorite Holiday traditions? 

GiGi New York Clutch: My Friends & Family addition

I blogged about this when the sale was going on and have been using this clutch non-stop since! I have worn it for date nights, lunch dates & even to run errands!

There are so many things about this clutch I love so I am going to list them out!

1. The size- I really appreciate that it fits everything (and even more) that I need.
2. The leather is really great quality- it soft & supple, feeling very luxurious
3. The color: I love this color for the season but can really see it working year round
4. Gold details- If you have read anything about my Thanksgiving plans you'll know I LOVE gold and the zipper & monogram are the perfect accent to the piece
5. The monogram- I was super hesitant to change my name because I just loved my old initials but I love the "R" in my name now, especially because it meant I got one fantastic husband :)

Thank you to GiGi New York- you have made my go to clutch and gained a loyal customer! If you haven't checked out their site head over there now, they have amazing variety, the quality in the product is indisputable & who doesn't love the personalization option? 

All that glitters: Holiday Attire

There are parties of all kinds during the Holiday season; Ugly sweater parties, Casual cookie exchange, Christmas PJ parties & of course my favorite, the Chic wear-anything-that-glitters-party! We are of course hosting the last example!

I have been so excited about the party preparations- decor, floral, food, drinks, I nearly forgot about a key detail, attire! I have been checking out some options online, I had also received my second Stitch Fix hoping it would have something with a little sparkle for the party however no such luck!

So here are a few things I am looking into for the perfect party outfit! As the Hostess I feel it is my job to set the tone for the night, and I always feel my best when I love what I am wearing, so here goes the search!

I'm not totally confident I could pull off this jumpsuit but I am most definitely going to give it a shot when I head to Nordstrom before the party! :)

Holiday Treats

Tis the season to replace all things pumpkin with gingerbread flavoring! I had actually never made anything gingerbread flavored, so I was excited to try something new!

In typical Martha fashion there were many components to said recipe, in fact I had mistaken the "see page 302 for icing" as the icing for the cupcakes when in fact it was the icing for the gingerbread men to top the cupcakes, talk about amateur hour! This realization occurred of course after I had carefully crafted a grocery list, returned home, and it was well past 11pm the night before the party. I can assure you there were a few choice words from my mouth at that moment!

After a deep breathe I decided I would finish the cupcakes and icing for the cookies I didn't realize I still had to make (and seriously contemplated purchasing), pour myself a generous glass of red, and call it a night. Sunday morning I got up early and put the finishing touches on the cupcakes and headed to the party! Several people at the party said they loved them, including three children. You know it's really good when a kid says something, they have no vested interest in making you feel better :)

I did make one substitution, which I have noted on the recipe! They still tasted great, and for some reason fresh nutmeg can be hard to find at 11pm on a Saturday night :)

Hope you enjoy making these for your next Holiday gathering! They will definitely be making an encore at Christmas Eve!

For Cupcakes: makes 22 cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tbs ground ginger
- 2 Tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (I just used ground nutmeg spice)
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tbs unsulfered molasses
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350, add paper liners to your cupcake tin. Mix all dry ingredients together EXCEPT sugar. Cream butter & sugar together until pale and fluffy, then add molasses followed by eggs and lastly vanilla beating until combined. Slow speed on mixer and slowly add in the dry mixture beating until just combined. Pour into your cups until 3/4 full and bake for approximately 25 minutes. My oven tends not to cook super evenly so I turned my tin around halfway through the baking time.

Icing (for the cupcakes): makes 4 cups
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 pound (4 cups) of powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions: Beat butter on a medium speed until creamy, reducing speed and add sugar until fluffy, lastly adding in vanilla and mixing until combined.

Gingerbread boys & girls: makes 4-5 dozen 2 inch cookies (if you're making just the cupcakes I recommend you half the recipe)

-5 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp plus one 1tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp plus one 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cups unsulfered molasses

Directions: Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt & spices. In a separate bowl cream together butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy then add eggs and molasses to the mixture. Reducing the speed add in the dry ingredients beating until just combined. Put dough into disks, wrap and place in freezer until firm, at least one hour. Remove dough onto a floured surface and roll out until 1/4 inch thick, return mixture to freezer for 15 mins. Preheat your oven to 350, remove dough from freezer cut out the men using a 2 inch cookie cutter and place them on a parchment paper lined tray baking for 8-10 mins until crisp.

Icing (for the gingerbread men):

- 1/2 lbs (2 cups) confectioners sugar
- 1/8 cup plus 1/2 tbsp of meringue powder
- 1/4 cup of water

Directions: With an electric mixer beat all ingredients together until smooth, approximately 7 mins. Add water if needed, should be thick enough to hold ribbons on the bowl. I made mine to watery at first so I added a bit more confectioners sugar. Add food coloring of your choice, the recipe called for pink and blue to make boys and girls. I just did all red which looks a bit pink in these photos.

Ted Baker Beauty

This may look familiar to you if follow me on Instagram, I tried it on a while back and absolutely loved it! However I had to wait for it to go on sale before I could commit to it!

Luckily, Lord & Taylor had a sale which included Ted Baker which doesn't happen very often so I snatched it up as quickly as I could! I love the lace detail on the sleeves, as well as the silhouette the lace sides give it.  I am looking forward to styling this with jeans, black skinnies & a skirt with tights! So many options!

I also love these pieces from Ted Baker!

Foodie Paradise: Portland, ME

I loved visiting Portland so much I needed to give it the credit it was due in it's own post! I  mentioned before on here that we were in Maine for a little getaway for Oliver's birthday.

I managed to surprise him which is a big deal, only because I am notorious for not being able to keep surprises actually as a surprise. I have given him just about every gift for every occasion except his wedding gift, beforehand. I also love to figure out surprises myself, so really there is minimal surprise all around!

So Portland...we stayed at an amazing hotel in the heart of the town called, Portland Regency Hotel & Spa. I was fortunate enough to find a Groupon so it was super cheap, but not lacking in luxury! The photo of the hotel is from their site, I wasn't able to get a great picture & wanted to do it justice!

My only misstep in preparation was I forgot to pack bathing suits for the hot tub & sauna. To be fair I was packing in secret and I did not have the slightest clue where Oliver put his suits! So unfortunately we skipped the hot tub and hit up some pre-dinner cocktails instead!

The North Point is where we kicked off our night. We literally stepped out the front door of the hotel and were right there. I loved the dim lights & decor so we headed in for drinks & the best cheese and charcuterie plate around! If you saw my Instagram I posted a photo of our drinks!

Oliver was super happy because they had loads of cider on tap, I went for the Ginger St. Germain- it was amazing! I snapped a little photo of the description hoping I can recreate it at home!

After our pre-dinner snack we took a little stroll around the neighborhood, I loved the quaintness of the town which is very much still a working port!

Dinner was at Street & Co and it was simply delicious! I have to be honest we were pretty full after our cheese & meat plate, but I am so glad we didn't skip dinner. I had clams that were to die for, Oliver went for Arctic Char which I had several tastings of! What I also loved about this place was the decor, it was a stone building with rustic decor & loads of candles, perfect date night spot!

While we were eating it felt like the temperature dropped 15 degrees so we practically ran back to the hotel and snuggled up in our Spa robes & called it a night!

The next morning, waking super refreshed we went to a bakery Oliver follows on Instagram called Scratch Baking Co. He hopes to someday open a bakery/cafe with some sort of cycling component to it so he is always checking out places that inspire him. The bakery was really cute & trendy, we were quite obviously not regulars, but they were welcoming nonetheless.

We went for a quick, and I do mean quick, stroll on the beach by the Birthday Boy's request! You can tell how windy it was by both of our hair, it was also absolutely freezing!!

















After the beach we headed South to our sweet boy Clovis who I think had been waiting for us by the window! My Mom sent us this picture while we were away, talk about tugging on heartstrings! 

If you haven't been to Portland I highly suggest making plans to go soon! If you have been what are some of your favorite places? Have you been to any of the restaurants we went to?

Fantastic Finds: JCrew & Barbour

I wrote about Oliver's birthday briefly, mainly due to the fact that the post was published before his actual birthday & I had a few surprises up my sleeve!

We went to the outlets in Kittery, ME on Monday (his actual birthday) which he knew about. It is only about an hour from us and we wanted to check out the Barbour Outlet. We spent a good amount of time in there checking around & found him an awesome wax jacket so he was super happy! After that we checked out a few other stores. Le Creuset has an outlet store and we found these awesome salt & pepper shakers, I know so wild! ;)

We also went into Orvis where I found a Barbour jacket as well. Talk about a splurge day! I really love the jacket, especially the country pattern on the inside, it reminds me so much of Oliver's family home in the South of England.














I spotted the JCrew Factory store from across the road and could not resist. The people that work in that store are amazing! I tried on endless pairs of jeans, none of which fit. One of the women who worked there mentioned she has a hard time finding pants as well because of her height, she was the same height as me. She recommended these pants which I am IN LOVE with! 

I have never owned a pair of pants I didn't need hemmed before! I got them in black & navy, however I tried on the navy when I got home and for some reason they don't fit the same. I plan on switching them out for a different pair, maybe one with a fun pattern!

I also got this sweater which I've had my eye on for quite some time! Loved adding this to my closet!








I got to the register and could not have been happier, everything was 50% off and an additional 15%! Talk about a deal!