black lace cocktail dresses

via forever 21

dolce&gabbana dress from here

image via banana republic

pretty. classic.

major crushing

bottega veneta

jimmy choo

...a girl can wish...

last minute inexpensive christmas gift

water bottle + chex mix = cute, easy gift

pretty forever 21 dresses

pretty sure this would be classified as a sexy red dress.

even though it looks a bit scandulous, i actually really like the look of this dress. i think it looks way more expensive than it really is (it's less than $30!).

a satin blazer and some nice, strappy heels would make it look fabulous.

it would make a nice new year's eve outfit.

cute necklaces

they would make cute stocking stuffers. all less than $10.

cozy up next to a window

i've been taking some much needed time for myself. relaxing is sometimes really hard to do. it's hard to get myself to stop thinking. i think way too much. it's not healthy.

i've started reading The Time Traveler's Wife (anyone read it?) in places that resemble this:

image via pink wallpaper

image via brown turtleneck sweater

image via black eiffel (jenna lyons home)

check these boots out

so chic.

comes in 3 different shades.

via j. crew

candy cane christmas cupcakes

i'm sure these would be a hit at any christmas party!!

Candy Cane Christmas Cupcakes

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk (low fat is fine)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 tsp peppermint extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.In a large bowl, mix together eggs and sugar until mixture is light and creamy and the sugar has mostly been dissolved. Stir in milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and peppermint extracts.In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Pour into wet ingredients and whisk just until batter is smooth. Measure out one cup of batter and place it back in the medium bowl. Add red food coloring to this bowl and whisk to incorporate.Put a spoonful (approx 2-3 tsp) of the white batter into the center each cupcake paper and let it spread slightly on its own. Put a spoonful of red batter in the center of the white. It will push out the other batter and, as it sits for a moment, will also spread itself. Alternating spoonfuls of the two batters and trying to keep the amounts as even as possible (after the first layer, I used smaller amounts of red and white with each spoonful), repeat the technique until all the batter has been used up.Bake for about 15 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of each cupcake comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

4-oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp milk

2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar

green food coloring (optional, but recommended for the holidays)

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and butter. Beat until smooth, then mix in vanilla extract, milk and 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar. Beat until very smooth, then gradually blend in additional sugar until frosting is fluffy, thick and easy to spread. Beat in up to 1/2 tsp green food coloring to dye the frosting, if you wish.Frosting can be spread onto the cupcakes or piped on using a piping bag.

this yummy recipe is from baking bites

my favorite holiday movies

1. home alone

2. chirstmas story

3. love actually

4. mickey's christmas carol (yes, it is a cartoon)

5. when harry met sally (not a traditional pick, i know)

my new crush...

gerard butler

a pop of color would be nice

these beautiful and colorful winter coats will definitely stand out among the sea of black during cold days

...stand out in a good way, of course.

from victoria secret

image via

image via here

kate spade

image via here

vibrant colors make me happy.

bright and modern

one of my favorite blogs to read is house no. 8! i'm pretty sure i've read her entire blog from start to finish :)

i came across this pic in one of her older posts and thought i would share it with you:

so bright. so festive. so modern.

love.

eva longoria

i'm loving her one strap black cocktail dress.

carrots...made fancy

i've never seen carrots look so pretty.

image via happy mundane

quote

"with the right perspective, life is actually very wonderful. really it is."

-NieNie

white

my life is a bit hectic right now. i'm going out of mind with exams.

stress, studying, stress, schedules, stress.

i'm trying to counterbalance all the stress by doing things i love, like spending time with fam/friends (and blogging!), but it's definitely a challenging time. so challenging, in fact, that i find myself being drawn to simpler things. white has always seemed simple to me.

so, i'm loving white right now... image via here

image via here

image via here

via simply grove

via desire to inspire

oh jeez...

sometimes i feel like i am the only person left in this world who isn't married or engaged or in a serious-about-to-get-engaged relationship! my goodness. i can't be the only one out there. did all the single girls go into hiding? but in all seriousness, i get so happy every time i hear of a friend getting engaged/married. it's such a sweet moment in life. but on a personal note, i think everything has its time. and currently, i am in no position to get engaged/married. grad school has consumed every moment that i have. i'm either in school, studying, or sleeping. and when and if i have time to do other things, i usually have this nagging feeling inside that i should be studying. it's horrible. i should also mention that i am currently in the middle of preparing for finals. therefore, there is an underlying tone of fear, nervousness, exhaustion and desperation in everything i do during this time period. and that includes blogging. eck. i just hate this.

eh.

oh, my feet hurt.
black friday was exhausting.

more than just food.

it's a beautiful day to give thanks.

image from country living

why are clothes getting ugly?

just in case you want to add more weight to your thighs...you know, the saddlebag look.

the metallic leggings extend to wrap under the foot!...oh dear.

both pieces from forever 21

quantum of solace movie review

i saw the new james bond movie during it's opening weekend. i was so excited to see it! however, i wasn't as impressed with it as i was with casino royale. i suppose that's the reason it has taken me over a week to post my review on quantum of solace.

anyway, here are my thoughts on the movie:

-great action movie, but...

-too many chasing scenes, too little dialogue (i missed bond's wit and charm in this movie)

-the new bond girl, olga kurylenko, is absolutely gorgeous

-daniel craig's sexiest body part = his lips

-the ending seemed a bit too abrupt

-judi dench...such a classy and powerful woman

-the plot line could have been a bit less...messy/all over the place

-very few romantic/sex scenes in this movie...very different from other bond movies

-definitely need to have seen casino royale to understand the tone of this movie

don't know if i would recommend spending $10 to go see this movie at the theatre. if you're not a major bond fan, i would wait till quantum of solace comes out on dvd. but being the major fan that i am, i can't wait till the next one comes out!

not so mellow yellow

this is just SO perfect. ugh.

image via unpretentious style

guess where this lamp is from...

...isn't it cool?it's from deLiAs. i blogged about their stuff before, but i thought i would share another good find. the lamp is so modern and looks so much more expensive than it really is (only $39). i could even see it in a guy's apartment.

pockets please

this dress is so adorable.

oh, the pockets!

oh, the price ($75)!

lucite tables

via coco+kelley

via style & grace

via domino

via here

via here

via alkemie

i haven't decided if i like these clear tables yet. they seem to be quite popular right now. they have the potential to look very glamorous or...cheap and plastic-looking from far away (sorry, i had to say it).

coasters would be needed. that's for sure.

pecan pumpkin filled pancakes

i found this recipe on the williams-sonoma website.

Ingredients:
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup pecan pumpkin butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) melted unsalted butter, plus more for cooking
Directions:
visit the website for the directions!

an ebelskiver pancake pan was used to make these bundles of yumminess. but i was wondering if a pancake puff pan would work as well! i'll be honest, i actually sat through the entire infomercial for the pancake puff pan. oh the ideas that raced through my head! has anyone actually ordered one? what do you think?...i'm seriously thinking of getting one :)