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! :)