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