I Finally Admit It

Last Thursday night I busted out a super cute outfit for school that was perfect for the arrival of spring. I pulled out a pair of wedges that I'd been dying to wear again, but was waiting for the right weather and outfit. I got home, kicked off my wedges at the spot where we leave our shoes and enjoyed the rest of my evening.

For the last hour of the night, I decided to be lazy on the couch and watch some tv. As I came up our basement steps and into the living room while heading to bed, there on the living room rug, I saw Lilah sitting with both of my wedges, munching on the back of one of them. Immediately, she knew she was in trouble, and she ran down the basement stairs to her daddy, Andrew, to be consoled. Andrew, realizing what had happened, was not going to have it, and upon Lilah realizing her predicament she went right to her crate for bedtime.

I went upstairs, infuriated, and literally threw my shoes into the closet hoping that maybe the next morning the leather would magically be healed with no sign of a dog's destruction. And then I cried. Yes, I cried over that pair of shoes. And, yes, I finally admit it, this is not the first time I have cried over shoes. I cried the first, second, and third time previously that Lilah destroyed a pair of my shoes. She seems to especially like my shoes. Not Andrew's. Only mine. But she hadn't destroyed either of our shoes, or anything for that matter, for over a year. Thus, I thought I was in the clear.

But there is a happy ending to this sad, sad story. And that happy ending comes in the form of not one, but two new pairs of shoes. And again I must make an admission, that maybe, just maybe Andrew is right in calling me Imelda.

And then I got this super awesome package in the mail at school the other day.

You may have seen my joyous remarks about said package here and here. And now if you're in love with these just as much as I am, you can get yourself a pair (or two) as well. Just click through the photos to get to the shoes (if you're not a big fan of yellow, there are other fun colors as well!).

Any new pairs of shoes you just love these days? The best part of both of these is that they are super comfy! What types of shoes are you shopping for lately?

My Style: Wedding Edition

As you know, this past August, Andrew and I got married. We decided that a big wedding just wasn't us, and opted for a short and sweet courthouse wedding with a close friend in tow as our witness. After our wedding, we decided to take an epic trip to Australia instead. For us, traveling seemed to make much more sense in terms of where to spend our money. Travel is something that we both enjoy immensely and we knew a trip would make us a lot happier than a wedding that would be over in just a few short hours.

However, despite our quick wedding affair, we still decided to have fun and be a little classy. Many people commented on our wedding photos and loved our color theme and attire, and some even asked me to do this post (you know who you are...). To be truthful, we always travel on a budget, and our wedding attire was also on a budget... ok, except maybe not the shoes. Buuuuut, would you expect any less from me? So without further ado, here's the breakdown.

Her /// Dress - Nordstrom, $148 // Sandals - Kate Spade, $228 (splurge!) // Clutch - Milo and Molly, gift (similar) // Earrings - Target

Him /// Pants - Express, $59.90 // Shirt - Michael Kors via TJ Maxx, $19.99 // Tie - Macy's, $49.50

The total new cost of our attire was $445.49, which was half due to my splurge for shoes. We had a little money left over from our budgeted travel expenses, and Andrew insisted that I get the shoes and dress that I wanted. He knew that the shoes would be worn more than once and get some good use, so despite my qualms, he insisted I get them. This in itself is amazing as he most recently was heard saying, "You already have too many shoes!" as we browsed the new DSW that opened up nearby. I also say "new cost" because Andrew already owned the pants as part of his work clothes wardrobe.

I chose the mint cork wedges and tie to compliment the clutch that Kristen made for me as a wedding gift. I had initially found a mint dress at Nordstrom Rack that I was going to wear, but in a last minute fit of wedding panic (I say this jokingly of course, as this was the most stressful part of our wedding and it wasn't even really stressful!), I decided it'd be more fun to do a traditional white dress.

For me, this was a bit more than I wanted to spend on our wedding, but at the same time I realize that our entire ensemble cost less than all of the actual "wedding" dresses I looked at. I'm not sure why they can charge more just because it is dubbed as a wedding dress! And with a mere $15 needed to use the courthouse for 10 minutes, why not splurge a little?

Were you on a tight budget for your wedding? Anyone else out there do a courthouse wedding like us? What were your splurge items for your wedding attire?

I Had An Awesome Post Idea And Failed

Some days I just can't do it all. Those are the days where I have about five million card orders and my grades are due for second semester all at the same time. So then I stay up ridiculously late making cards and grading tests and all of that awesome stuff. Either way, blog posts become less important. So even if I have written on my calendar "Design Inspiration: Super Awesome Packaging Concepts" and have everything together for the post, I still decide to say screw that!

And then because I'm a creative genius, I decide to show off my awesome shoes that I got at the Nine West outlet over the weekend. Yes, not one pair, but four pairs. I have a problem and I'm not afraid to admit it.

That's only three of them. The other pair is like the second one shown, but silver instead. How Andrew let me buy two pairs of the same shoes, but in different colors I just don't know. I think I told him something like, "You know how you have five of the same Old Navy t-shirts, but they're all in different colors? You have to have a bunch of different colors because that t-shirt is so comfortable." I think he then stared at his phone and nodded. Seriously, why hasn't Nine West started giving me pairs of shoes to review on this blog? I feel like I've reached VIP status with them and I'm not getting any love. (Kidding, kidding. Or maybe not.)

Worst of all, I thought admitting that you have a problem was the first step to recovery. Meanwhile, I've admitted my shoe problem many a time before and I am not anywhere close to being on my way to recovery, or even willing to be on that road for that matter.

Then after I tell you for the five millionth time about my shoe addiction, I have to think of other ways to waste your time and entertain you all at once. That's when BuzzFeed helps me out because they came up with this little gem.

I thought those were funny too. Especially numbers eight and sixteen. I mean, I think I'm pretty funny, don't you? ;)

Also, now that I've sent you off to some link in cyber world, now would be a good time to send you to an awesome giveaway that you should enter. I'm pretty sure you like winning stuff. Doesn't everyone?

And just when you thought this post was finally over....

Ok, just kidding. That really was it. And now you know how things go down when I say screw it to cool design inspiration posts. Not good my friends. Not good at all.

How is everyone else doing these days out in blog land? Anyone else feeling super busy or stretched thin these days?

High Fashion Houndstooth Inspiration

It's not the first time I've been inspired by fashion. Remember these cards? This time I was inspired by shoes. Not just any shoes either, but Salvatore Ferragamo houndstooth pumps that I am drooling over.

You all know by now that I have a love for shoes, and I seriously would be a happy woman if I could add these to my collection. I love something a bit crazy and these definitely would do the trick! The sticker price on these? $951.00!

So I decided to get a little bit of houndstooth into my life without the sticker shock.

I think these do the trick for now, but I'll be spending the rest of the morning surfing the web for a pair of houndstooth pumps that are about a tenth of the cost of the Ferragamo pumps. I'll let you know if I find them. :)

5 Reasons Why Not to Wear Yoga Pants

Unless your job requires you to dress professionally, you are probably sitting there reading this blog post while sporting a stretchy, oh so comfy, pair of yoga pants that have seen better days. Let's be honest-- I don't blame you. Those things are probably the comfiest damn things on the face of the earth.

However, after wearing yoga pants most days for a couple of months into self-employment, I realized that it needed to end. Wearing yoga pants was quite possibly one of the worst things that I could be doing for myself, and I needed to break the habit. If you think I've totally lost my mind at this point, I'll convince you otherwise.

1. You shower. Think about it. How many times do you crawl out of bed, throw on some yoga pants, and then stumble to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, never to change out of those yoga pants for the rest of the day? Yup. That was me. And quite honestly, after a while I just started to feel dirty if I still hadn't taken a shower by late afternoon.

2. You feel better about yourself. If you've showered, taken the time to put on a nice outfit, and have accomplished this by 9am, then that's a win. You will feel 200% better about yourself. You won't feel like a slob. You'll feel put together and most likely have a better body image of yourself, which only leads to a better outlook for the rest of your day. It's a confidence booster.

3. You become more productive. Getting out of those yoga pants and into a nice outfit will make you feel like you're on a mission. If you can accomplish that, I guarantee you'll start your day with more motivation to accomplish your goals for the rest of the day. I have noticed that on days that I don't shower and put on real clothes by 9am, my entire day slowly becomes a complete waste. I often like to throw on a cute pair of shoes in addition to getting nicely dressed. Cute shoes always up the ante.

4. They're an incentive to work out. If you're like me, you love fashionable workout clothes just as much as any other type of clothes. Choosing a few pairs of yoga pants that you really love can be an added incentive to be active and sweat it out. If you work out, then you get to wear your yoga pants. Use them as an incentive to be active, not to lounge around the house.

5. You have more reason to shop for cute clothes. What's the point of shopping or buying fashionable items when you never wear them? Not wearing yoga pants all day makes me more excited about what I can do with my day to day wardrobe. I love being able to dress for my mood. For example, if I'm feeling like a rock star businesswoman that day, I choose a blazer and pumps. And, knowing that I'll actually be wearing the clothes I purchase makes it easier for me to justify buying them.

I've stuck my guns with the No Yoga Pants rule for a few months now and it's a game changer. Of course I indulge on the weekends and have at least one lazy day because we all deserve that. However, I've jumped ship on the yoga pants during the week. Have I convinced you yet? Are you guilty of wearing yoga pants non-stop?

Too Many Choices

I have a problem here, people. And when I say I have a problem it only means one of two things. A) I have a serious addiction to something (like shoes) or B) I have a decision that I need to make and good old indecisive me can't make it. I'm not writing about shoes today, so we're going to have to default to letter B on this one.

I've been doing a little spring shopping lately and wanted to add a few more lightweight scarves to my wardrobe. However, I have a problem (as mentioned before) and I can never decide on just one. I claim that this is genetic. My mom and I are Victoria's Secret clothing shoppers. I don't mean the slutty shirts that show off your boobs or midriff. I mean the normal shirts, dresses, pants, etc. Why? They actually fit. They are good for tall people like us. I realized this weekend that I have picked up on a genetically passed down trait. I looked through the VS clothing catalog for an hour over coffee and picked out a few things. Next, I migrated to my laptop and started adding things to my online shopping cart over another cup of coffee. Finally, I looked at my shopping cart and noticed the total amounted to $668 and I gave up.

I mentally talked myself back into this online shopping by telling Andrew that he had to look at everything in my cart. Thirty minutes later and I had whittled my way down to a much, much smaller price tag and a few items for spring including a couple new bathing suits for my summer sun addiction. My indecisive nature made me take FOREVER while online shopping. This is genetic. I promise. If you could ask my dad right now he would probably tell you that he may or may not have to do the same thing I made Andrew do this weekend.

Now. I did a good job. I ordered my shirts and swimsuits from VS. I made it in and out of Gap in record time on Sunday with some great items. I have had a successful spring wardrobe update, except for my scarves. And Andrew? Andrew was no help this time. I think he seriously had overload from the whittling down of VS clothing.

So here goes nothing. I love this beautiful shop Gertie & Baxter. I can choose two scarves. Two is what I am allowed without Andrew probably making a comment. True story.

 1 // 2 // 3

I think I need to at least get number 2 since it's the only one that is pink. However, I am undecided about number 1 or 3-- I love them both. I can't have both though and really two mint scarves is probably impractical.

Which would you choose?

Luck

This past weekend, we went shopping. We don't go shopping very often, but when we do, we go all out and get the big staples that we need for our wardrobes. The time had come for Andrew to give a good ol' boost to his wardrobe. He was in desperate need of pants for work. He had shrunk a pair of khakis and a few sweaters in the wash (go figure). In addition, his best dress pants had been ripped this summer in a horrific bike crash. He and friend had been biking home from work together when a woman opened her car door right in front of Andrew. He quickly had to swerve, crashing and causing his friend to crash as well, and ripped a huge hole in the knee of his pants in the process. Regardless, a shopping trip was in order.

This is how Andrew shops: 1) Go to Gap and Banana Republic. 2) Try on one pair of pants at each location. 3) Declare the shopping trip as a failure. 4) Out of frustration and a final hope, go to Nordstrom Rack and buy dress shirts instead even if they aren't really needed.

The good thing? Number 3 didn't happen this time. Pants were bought at Gap and Express (oooh, a new store instead of Banana Republic!) and they were happy purchases. The bad thing? Number 4 still happened due to not having shirts that matched the new pants and due to shrunken sweaters that needed to be replaced.

Off to Nordstrom Rack we went and dress shirts and sweaters were picked out. However, each and every one of them needed to be tried on. I waited for about twenty minutes before I gave up all hope and assumed that Andrew had fallen into the depths of the dressing room for the rest of eternity and headed over to the women's section. I wasn't supposed to do this. You see, I am supposed to be on a bit of a shopping hiatus. It may have to do with the fact that I like shoes too much.

Off I went anyway with the intention of looking at sweaters for myself. Key word "looking." As I got to the first rack of sweaters, I noticed a familiar looking coral and red striped article of clothing. No, it couldn't be. But it was!

via Free People

The $108 sweater that I posted about last week was sitting on that rack, calling my name, for only $50. I know that this shopping trip wasn't supposed to be about me and that I was only allowed to buy things I needed (plain long sleeved shirts to layer under sweaters and a pair of jeans), but I didn't care. I was buying that sweater, damn it. And apparently, Andrew must have had the best shopping experience of his entire life, because he happily walked over to me as I clung to my sweater and told me that it was not only ok that I got the sweater, but that I could get another new pair of shoes too. Talk about luck!

P.S. If you haven't tried your luck at my most recent giveaway, there's still time to enter! You could win a $25 gift card to a super cute boutique and do some shopping of your own!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all! I'm really looking forward to what 2013 has in store and I have a whole new list of goals I want to accomplish. A new year is always so incredibly inspiring, yet it is often hard for me to stick to what I want to get done. I know I'm not alone in this.

Looking back on my goals for 2012, I was able to accomplish most of them. At one point in time I had over 200 items in my shop which was a big one on the list. I'm back down to 190 and would consider that a pretty awesome success. I well surpassed my sales goal of 400 (thank you, thank you, thank you guys!!!!). I didn't design a website, but I started working on a Storenvy shop which is definitely in its infant stages. The studio is still a work in progress, but is mostly set up. I did pretty well with posting more than three time a week on this blog and it has grown much more than I had expected (again, thank you guys!!!). And last but not least I came up with a new packaging concept for my cards and stationery that I love and my customers love.

So what are my goals for 2013? (This is going to be a long one. Just warning you? And no fancy schmancy photos, sorry.)

1. Stop apologizing for not blogging when I just simply haven't had the time. See how I didn't apologize at the beginning of this post for being MIA over the holidays? I have a life sometimes people! We all do!

2. Stop being embarrassed about my Etsy shop and blog. You may not know that I'm embarrassed by it on this blog, but in real life I struggle. Andrew is always trying to promote me and it embarrasses me. Sometimes I think my friends think I'm crazy and that they think what I'm trying to accomplish are just pipe dreams. The reality is that once my student loans are paid off, I will probably quit teaching and do what I do creatively as a full time endeavor. Most of my friends give me that look like, "that's really cool, but I think you're completely nuts and not being realistic." The truth is that I hate working for institutions and don't want to feel stifled like I do now. I am resourceful with money and could easily live on a very small salary-- my parents, both self-employed, taught me well in that regard. They also taught me to do what I do because I love what I do. I'm not sure I love teaching anymore. Bottom line, if I continue to feel embarrassed I'm holding myself back. Ok.... super long, but I'm done now. :)

3. Be healthier. I'm talking about exercise and stress. I eat very healthily and always have. I lack a regular exercise schedule and tend to exercise in spurts. I want to be more consistent. I also need to make it a priority to find ways to deal with stress. Lately stress has been a major problem and has wreaked havoc on my health. That will end. It has to.

4. Double my sales for my shop again this year. If I did it in 2012, I can do it again, right? ;)

5. Design at least 20 new stationery sets. I've been focusing a lot on greeting cards lately because they are so fun to come up with! However, I've missed designing stationery and find that kind of a design to be a completely different challenge.

6. Enjoy Baltimore again. Several years ago, the architecture firm Andrew works for wasn't doing so well due to the recession. Pretty much every architecture firm out there suffered during the recession. Recession meant pay cuts so we stopped doing a lot of things that we did regularly that required money. We used to go to the coffee shop every Saturday morning or go on day trips around the area or in the city. We stopped doing those things because we didn't have the money. The pay cuts were reversed a few years ago, yet we never got back into these routines and we've missed them.

7. Read more. Maybe a book a month? I've already started doing this in the last few months, but I want the trend to continue.

8. Be in my first craft show. This was a goal last year that never happened. Part of it is because of lack of time. Another part of it is fear. I'm kind of scared to take that leap, but it is a leap I need to take in order to take my business to a new level.

9. Travel more. This might mean less impulse buys (think clothes and shoes, especially shoes) and more saving. I'm good at saving money already, but I probably could save even more if I backed off on the shoe addiction. After spending time in Colorado over Christmas, I realized that we could be doing a lot more of that. I seemed quite fine with paying a ridiculous amount of money for the new booties that I desperately wanted when that could have been half of a round trip plane ticket to somewhere awesome.

10. Take more photos. I've been slacking off with this because I've focused so much on my greeting cards and stationery. I miss photography. I need to get back in the routine of taking my camera with me everywhere and not being afraid to use it! Anyone up for a photo challenge? I'm thinking that may be just the kick in the butt that I need!

These are my main goals for this new year. If you've made it this far, I'm pretty impressed. I hope the rest of my blog posts in 2013 are a fair more entertaining!

What goals or resolutions do you have for 2013?

Hello Fall!

It is no secret that this dear old blog needs a little life support at the moment, or maybe a good dose of CPR to at least revitalize it. I've been missing from the blog world for about a month after school took over my life. Between all of the lesson planning, grading of papers, coaching basketball, taking a grad class, AND last but not least keeping up with the continually growing shop, my poor blog has taken the biggest hit of all.

With the arrival of fall, I've decided to try to get my butt back in gear with this whole blogging business. Fall is my favorite time of year and there are a few things that I've been loving lately.

Post-season playoff games for the Baltimore Orioles! Baseball well into October is something that hasn't happened here since we've moved to Baltimore (or even well before then) and the excitement in the city about the O's is pretty awesome! Baseball fans or not, people are getting excited about our baseball team.

via ESPN

Time to get those boots back out! And by getting the boots back out, that also means buying two new pairs to add to lot. Sorry, but I couldn't choose just one of these. In all fairness, I did have some pretty spectacular coupon codes and some leftover money on an Amazon gift card to help me out so that I wouldn't break the bank.

Steve Madden via Amazon

Steve Madden via shoes.com

Also exciting? Popcorn and apple cider! I have a delicious peanut butter popcorn recipe that I'll have to share with you all in the future. I eat way too much of that stuff during these fall months.

While fall in Baltimore is usually pretty warm well until November, this coming week we'll finally be having some of those cooler temperatures that I truly love. Despite tomorrow's weather (lots of rain) I'm loving this outlook for the next few days!

And of course, I can't wait until the leaves start to change! Combine that with some cool, crisp weather and some weekend hiking and I'll be a happy girl.

I just can't help but love fall. It is most certainly my favorite season. What are looking forward to this fall?

Red Pants and Turquoise Obsessed

So I'm doing it people. I'm back again in front of the camera, frizzy hair and all. This is all part of my multi-step program of getting over my irrational fear. I had been on the hunt for the perfect pair of faded red pants. Let's just say that I had spotted a pair while doing a little online window shopping, but they were no longer available. So the hunt began, and I was fully satisfied when I found THE pair at the end of a very long day at the mall. (Thank you Gap. Why didn't I just go to you first like I always do. I know I shouldn't have trusted all of those other enticing stores at the mall. You were always the one.)

Shirt: Gap / Pants: Gap / Shoes: Nine West / Earrings and Ring: c/o simplyFABulous / Sunglasses: Michael Kors

So red pants. Check. 

As you may or may not know, I also have a bit of an obsession for turquoise. So what could possibly be better than turquoise jewelry? I almost squealed when I got this lovely package from my blog friend Evanne and had to snap a little Instagram.

LOVE! The earrings are so incredibly lightweight (well they're feathers, obviously) that you forget you are wearing them, and they add such a pop of color to an outfit. And the ring (which is definitely my fave!) is a complete statement piece. After wearing it to a party the other night I'm pretty sure almost everyone that I talked to complimented me on it. With this outfit, the turquoise added the extra pop of color against the faded red while fulfilling my need to include the color in my outfit, yet again. 

Thanks again to Evanne for the beautiful pieces! Not only did she make my day, but she got me back in front of the camera. ;)

P.S. Want those earrings or ring? Use the code rowhouse14 and you can get 15% off in Evanne's shop! :)

Bright Corals

I've definitely jumped on the coral obsession bandwagon. No doubt about it. It started with this nail color and a shirt that I picked up at Old Navy the other day, and ended with about five other things in coral that I bought in the same day of spring/summer clothes shopping. Here are just a few more things I've found that are just as fabulous!

via Essie

via Old Navy

via Gap

How about coral painted walls? We already accomplished this look in our kitchen a few summers ago.

via Country Living

via Handbag Heaven

Of course shoes are a must!

via Nordstrom

via The White Ribbon

via Voz Clothing

Have you jumped on the coral loving bandwagon yet?

This is a Story

It is Saturday morning, and we all need some light reading. The head is foggy because you haven't yet had a full cup of coffee and you might still be stuffed from eating too much Indian food the night before (but it was sooooooo good!). Oh wait, that's my life I am telling you about. Either way, this is a story about a cat and his love affair with a toy. Meet Finn (if you haven't already).

Say hello to Finn's toy. (Ignore the dog hair on the floor. It's the latest home decor craze, didn't you know? And nearly impossible to get rid of.)

That doesn't look like a toy, you say? Well clearly you haven't had a cat before if that doesn't look like a toy. That, my friends, is a mangled plastic spout from a half and half container. It was ripped out of the container by Lilah, our resident chocolate lab, about six months ago. And from that moment on, it has been Finn's favorite toy.

Finn spent three months obsessing over this toy. It was by his side at all times. He would even cuddle with it while he would sleep.

He would carry the toy in his mouth around the house everywhere he went. He could not leave this toy out of his sight. Sometimes, he would lose the toy under the pantry or bedroom door and he would wait patiently by the door until we would open it for him so he could retrieve his beloved toy.

Then the tragic happened. After three months of his love affair with this toy, the toy suddenly vanished, nowhere to be found. We checked the pantry and the bedroom closets-- the usual culprits. For over a week, every time we would go near the pantry or bedroom closets, Finn would sit anxiously by the door awaiting the retrieval of his toy to no avail.  Finally, he gave up and two months later he found a new toy-- a red ring from an apple cider jug. This toy became a mediocre replacement for a few days until he gave up on it. We even tried to give him a new half and half container spout, but he didn't want it.

Five days ago, a miracle happened. Finn's favorite toy emerged from inside the box of garbage bags sitting in the pantry. How it got into the box in the first place is a mystery. However, the only thing that matters to Finn is that he has his toy back. He's back to his old obsessive ways-- pushing the toy under the pantry door, waiting for you to open the pantry door, and then swiping around the corner to retrieve his toy.

He carries it in his mouth, drops it next to Andrew's shoes, and stalks it from a distance before pouncing and going in for the kill.

And when he's not playing with his toy, he keeps an eye on it to make sure it is still there.

 And that, dear readers, is the story of Finn's love affair with a plastic spout from a half and half container. (I think our cat might need some psychiatric help.) The end.

Saint Nicholas Day

Growing up it was tradition that not only did we celebrate Christmas, but we also celebrated Saint Nicholas Day on December 6th. This tradition is where Santa Claus, as we know him, originated. My mom grew up in Belgium and brought the tradition of celebrating Saint Nicholas Day to our family. The night before we would lay out our shoes (or in the normal tradition your wooden clogs). In the morning, there would be small gifts left from Saint Nicholas if you had been good and some sticks in your shoe if you had been bad. Usually we would get a Christmas ornament, some marzipan, speculoos (the most wonderfully tasty spiced holiday cookies you could ever want!), chocolate, an orange, and that sort of thing.

After going off to college, my mom still sent me St. Nick's packages in the mail on December 6th. As I left to go out on my own after college, I still wanted to celebrate the fun tradition, so I still continue to leave a little something for Andrew for when he gets up in the morning. I can see now why my mother probably had so much fun with this tradition. For me, picking out the items to include are so much fun! Here is a look at some of the things I included in Andrew's Saint Nicholas Day surprise this morning.

An ornament! And I found this fantastic handmade ornament from My Hideaway-- perfectly simple and bold in color. It will fit right in with our tree that we'll be decorating this weekend. Mary has so many cute ornaments in her shop, but I loved the color scheme of this one.

via

I like to include tea because it always seems like a cozy thing to have handy in the colder months. Usually I buy Celestial Seasonings, but this year I couldn't pass up this tin and the wintery name of this tea!

via

I added a candle as well for the same reason as the tea. I always associate candles with this time of year. And the coziness factor is much better with a few candles lit around the house.

via

It is ridiculously hard to find speculoos in this neck of the woods, so I went with a few Pepperidge Farm holiday cookies instead.

via

Some Ritter Sport chocolate is a must!

via

And I added an orange to the bag as well.

via

Once I decided what to give Andrew for Saint Nick's Day, I put everything together for him in this fabulous recycled paper holiday bag from Pier 1.

via

And of course, I'll be enjoying the cookies, chocolate, and tea with him! ;) Have you ever celebrated Saint Nicholas Day? What are some of your family holiday traditions?

The Outsider

I'm going to be honest with you guys today. I am an outsider. Part of that has to do with the fact that I'm a complete introvert. The other part of it has to do with the fact that I hate cliques. Growing up, I was never part of a group. I had a few very close friends and lots of acquaintances. I didn't like the social groups that developed in high school-- you know, the jocks, the nerds, the stoners, the preps, etc. I thought they were pointless. Why couldn't everyone just get along?

I was never popular, and if I was, I didn't know it. I got along with all types of people and was fine with that. What I wasn't fine with was when someone that I got along with in one class ignored me in another because the the rest of their group was present. That was middle school and high school. Me, the outsider, that tried to get along with everyone because it was what I thought was the right thing to do. I was, and still am, genuine. That is who I am. The superficial quality that some people seem to be able to pull off is just not me, nor will it ever be.

Recently, I've been a bit absent from this blog world. I liked to use the excuse that I just didn't have the time. I have been strapped for time, but not any more than I was last year during the school year. I did some thinking for a while this weekend and realized it had to do with a lot more than that. I love blogging because of the interaction with others, the community aspect. However, recently, I've grown to feel frustrated with what seems to be an ever-growing problem of cliques within the blogging world.

On blogs and on twitter, I see only certain people talking to other people within a small group. No worries, you might think, I'll just ignore your tweet even if you have something good to say because you're not in my group. Or, I'm not going to give you special treatment even though you are my blog sponsor because you're not in my group like some of my other blog sponsors. Or the good old tweet that says, "I DMed you!" as if there is some big secret that no one else can know, yet everyone MUST know that you are having this secret convo so that the others won't feel in the loop. Seriously? Just DM the person without announcing it, for goodness sake! It's all a bit like this:

Yup, I totally said it. It's all a little bit like Mean Girls.

Here's the thing-- it's perfectly acceptable to have your own group of friends. However, having your own group does not mean that you have to ignore, be rude to, or patronize those that aren't in that group. In addition, just because someone isn't in your blogging clique doesn't mean that you shouldn't give them a chance as an individual. Bottom line-- there is no need to treat people poorly just because you aren't part of their group. At least take the time to get to know the person! Give them a chance!

If someone comments on your blog, give them the benefit of the doubt and go check out their blog. They might have something fabulous to say. If someone sponsors your blog, take the time to get to know them. Don't write a post about them as if you were great friends without even taking a moment to email them and find out a few things about them. (This actually happened to me once. I paid to be a sponsor, the blogger never contacted me, and then the blogger wrote that I was such an awesome person that they would totally want to hang out with. Talk about awkward.) And when a new blogger tweets you or follows you on twitter, put yourself in their shoes. Reach out to them instead of being rude, ignoring them, and not giving them a chance.

I don't expect you to be friends with everyone that you meet, but I expect people to be civil toward each other, to be kind to one another. Otherwise, you run the risk of missing out on one of the most important aspects of blogging-- getting to know new and interesting people.

My Style: Spring in January

Top - Gap // Cardigan - Express // Jean - Worn // Scarf - Gift // Shoes - Nine West // Bag - Steve Madden

It's hard not to want to do a little dance when the sun is out and it is 60 degrees.... in January. Something about this weather made us want to do it all this weekend. And we most certainly did do it all. The weekend was made complete with a date night on Friday, a Home Depot run, watching the Syracuse basketball game with a friend on Saturday, a trip to the architectural salvage yard, some "spring" cleaning, homemade pizza, and of course Downton Abbey. Not to mention all of the other odds and ends that we were able to sneak in somehow or other. I'm telling you, spring-like temperatures in the middle of January are practically like a whole new lease on life.

Anyone else able to enjoy a beautiful weekend like us? What did you get accomplished this weekend?

P.S. There are still a couple days left to enter into an awesome giveaway!