Dear Santa….

Sharing some items on my Christmas wish list!
Some items have already been purchased because I couldn’t wait until Santa delivered them under the tree on Christmas lol

Dear Santa

 

1.Christmas Pajamas I am a really big fan of pajamas, especially Christmas ones! I purchased these from Old Navy on Black Friday because they are so cute! With my birthday rewards from Victoria’s Secret, I purchased these because I didn’t have a set of traditional plaid Christmas pajamas. And any pajama lover will say they are a must have! They came with free slippers, so I could justify buying another pair !

2.Socks Getting older I realize that buying the things we need in life are not that much fun to buy and they cost money we may not have ourselves. Every year I get a new pack of socks in bulk from Costco because I like to start every year with a fresh pack. But these camp socks from J. Crew are so cozy and cute! I get way too excited for new socks every year, but hey it’s $10 I didn’t have to spend!

3.Boots My Calvin Klein black riding boots are from Sophomore year in college and I still love them even though they are falling apart. When it rains, my feet get soaking wet and the heel is cracking making an annoying sound when I walk. After hours of searching online, reading online reviews and stalking people on Instagram, I decided to splurge and buy the Tory Burch boots on Cyber Monday. They were so sooo cheap that I couldn’t let this deal go unused!

4.Coat I have been drooling over this coat for months! My parents bought it for me this week to put it under the tree and with my employee discount it was a bargain! I see everyone on Instagram wearing it and when I tried it on I knew it was coming home with me. I sized down to get a more fitted look because the coat is boxy. I got a 00 for reference.

5.Coffee Cup If you want to get me a realllly cheap gift that I will love forever, it would be a coffee cup. My current coffee cup collection is really growing and taking over our kitchen at the moment. There are new Christmas coffee cups from Target that are adorable, but I also get them at TJ Maxx or HomeGoods. If you want a cute gift for a friend, get a coffee cup and a box of K Cups! It is something they will actually use and everyone needs coffee!

6.Jewelry Lately I have been wearing more jewelry and not just because it is part of my dress code! I love anything Kate Spade, but I also have my eye on this piece from Tiffany. I saw it in the recent Bridget Jones Diary movie and just stared at it the entire movie wanting it! If you have a small budget but want to get something nice for a friend, a cute bracelet or earrings from Kate Spade are a great gift under $30 but it is nice enough without having to get them much more.

7.Swell Water Bottle I gave them to my parents as gifts, but I realllly want my own! I like to get friends practical gifts they will actually use, and it is cute enough that people will actually carry it around. A lot of my friends now are on a health kick, so this is a great gift for them!

8.Pom Pom Hat It will only be in style this year, but it is so cute that I want my own! I love the white one with the brown fake fur on the pom. I mean, it would be a perfect match to my coat! If you want to get a friend a cozy gift, you can get them a pom pom hat and a scarf set. Something practical and will be used all winter long.

9. Sephora I find that there is a lot of makeup that I want, but can’t justify spending the money on myself. Sephora has great makeup kits that fit every budget this time of year that are a WOW present. If you get a girl friend anything from Sephora, she will love you forever!

10.Cozy Knit Sweater It is a preppy classic that any preppy girl will love. It’s great for lounging Sunday mornings on the couch and at the office. J. Crew always sells them, but I found a cheaper alternative at Old Navy and I hope Santa gives me one for Christmas.

11. Flannel Sheets Again, there are a lot of things we need in life, but we may not want to spend the money on ourselves. On my wish list this year are Flannel Sheets from Martha Stewart at Macy’s. If you know someone who recently got their own apartment, flannel sheets may not be something they have money for, but in the winter they are a must have. They do make getting out of bed in the winter a bit more difficult!

 

Christmas Trees and Red Cups

I was driving around doing errands on my day off work and drove past the nursery where we get our Christmas tree every year. I decided to pull over and walk through the forest of trees. I have a horrible feeling that with my work schedules I am going to miss picking out a tree with the family this year. I can’t believe it’s already December 1st!! There is still so much I want to do this holiday season and I feel like I’m running out of time

It’s hard to think about Christmas with this warm weather lately. Hopefully we get some snow soon!!

Thankful on Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great turkey day. I am still stuffed and eating leftovers for every meal. If you have been following along on social media you have been seeing my house under complete renovation. We are talking about taking down walls, installing new floors and a fresh new coat of paint. Two days before Thanksgiving we had the floor guys finish and our house was finished. We had one day to move furniture back in and decorate the house for Thanksgiving. We were all exhausted staying up late after work to get it all finished, but it looks like a real home now.

I’ve been working like crazy lately and enjoyed sleeping late on Thanksgiving (9am). My house smelled like turkey and stuffing, it was the perfect day. My family and I spent the morning last minute cleaning and setting the table for dinner. I wanted to just wear my Lululemon leggings and a sweatshirt to dinner. I searched my closet and decided to wear flare jeans from White House Black Market and a silky shirt I usually wear to work. I threw my Target blanket scarf on as a shawl and used it as a blanket when we all crashed on the couch after dinner.

My mother is actually Martha Stewart! She spent the whole morning baking pies following Martha’s recipes. 

But first, coffee!

I am so happy to have our home furnished and renovated for Thanksgiving!

I am so thankful to have a finished house for Thanksgiving. We already have a Christmas tree up and a few other Christmas decorations are popping up. I cannot wait to share our home for Christmas with you!

Black Friday Sale Alert

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I am making a list of my favorite Black Friday sales that are a must this year. I love to take advantage of Black Friday sales to get ahead on  Christmas shopping for friends and family. This year I will be working a nine hour shift at J. Crew (my feet already hurt from thinking about it!) and will miss most of these sales. But I will be in my bed on Monday with dirty hair and wearing pajamas for Cyber Monday!! Let me know if I am missing a sale that I cannot miss!

Happy shopping!

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J. Crew – The whole store is 40% with the code HOLIDAY

J. Crew Factory- The whole store and website is 60% off, free shipping if you spend $5o.

Madewell- 25% everything

Bath & Body Works – To Be Announced…

Kate Spade – Be sure to check out the surprise sale for 75% off

Gap – 40% off everything with the code GIFTTIME

Loft – 50% off everything

Express- 50% off everything

Jack Rogers- Up to 50% off everything

Target- shop for a good cause

Sephora-  beauty kits are on sale for $10, $15 and $25. If you were ever interested in trying a product, now is the time to get it

H&M- 60% off select items

Nordstrom- A lot of Tory Burch and Kate Spade on sale!

Old Navy- Everything is 50% off!

UPDATE:  11/25/16 I just finished eating some pumpkin pie and already went online to check what sales Nordstrom has going on going. I just purchased THIS watch because it is 52% off.  because I neeeeeded it and couldn’t let this deal go by. I bought the gold one last year and I am still obsessed with it.

UPDATE: 11/26/16 Alarm went off at 7am on Black Friday and after breakfast my mom and I headed to the mall. I had limited time to do shopping since I had to be at work at noon, so we went with a game plan.img_3023

MACY’S Tis the season to look glamorous and party ready even if you are on a budget. One of the hardest parts of buying new makeup every year is picking out items that go together to make a complete look. The Lancome limited edition holiday kit is the perfect makeup collection for the year. Every Black Friday we go to Macy’s and get their holiday beauty kit, a years worth of makeup for only $60 with any purchase. I have had my eye on the La Vie Est Belle perfume for over a year and finally swiped my credit card and got it. Cvzi6CNWgAAVc87.jpg112016_LANCOME_BRAND_SHOP_Featbnr3_1267590.png3915750_fpx.jpegWith my purchase I got this amazing beauty kit and I cannot wait to try this! This is technically my birthday present so I’m waiting until Christmas to take it out of it’s pretty box. 

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Nordstrom: I took advantage of the free shipping and the low prices on designer items after Thanksgiving dinner. I already bought the Kate Spade watch that was on sale for $100 that I have had my eye on for a while. There are also some Tory Burch and Kate Spade bags on major sale right now. The best part is you can do all of your shopping online while in bed!

Old Navy: I love the pajamas this year and I had to stop in for some holiday pajamas! The whole store was 50% off and it’s a good time to stock up on basic tees and leggings. I’ve been drooling over a scarf for months and found it at Old Navy for $10! Sold!! It looks just like the one I almost bought at Nordstrom the other day. 

J. Crew Factory: Flannels are a must for fall and with the whole store at 60% off I bought myself a new flannel. It is so hard just to buy a few things when I want everything! If you buy one thing at J. Crew Factory, it should definitely be a vest.

Last Minute Halloween Costume

This year for Halloween I am stuck in bed after surgery, so I thought I would share last years last minute Halloween costume on the blog. Last year, it was freezing outside and I did not want to be one of those girls who showed up with very little clothing on at a bar on Halloween.

With clothing I had in my closet and a printed out Starbucks logo taped to my stomach, I went as a cup of Starbucks coffee. I used a white tee shirt, white skirt, brown leggings and a brown infinity scarf wrapped around my stomach. My “purse” for the evening was a bag from Starbucks and a drank beer out of a Starbucks that evening.  I was really committed to the theme! Super easy, super affordable and even warmer!

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I hope everyone is having a fun Halloween this year! I will be in my bed eating a Costco sized bag of candy by myself binge watching Friends on Netflix !

Office Makeover Reveal

This post has been a long time coming, and I decided it is time to finally reveal a room I have been working on for a few months now. This little space on my floor has always been an awkward space that gets filled with clutter and was a room with little purpose. I always called my office, but I never actually spent any time in there. With the upcoming move, we are all looking at the rooms in our house to see how we can update them. This project is not 100% finished at the moment, but I am really happy how it turned out so far. I still need some of the trim to be painted, a few books need to go away and a good vacuum, but this space has completely changed!

The last time I touched this space was back in middle school when we first moved into the house. I chose baby blue and brown as my colors and I promise they were the “in” colors at the time!! The dark brown made the space look smaller and things got lost in the space. The artwork on the walls was mix matched and the space was just so blah.

Everyone knows my obsession with the TV show Fixer Upper, and after a few episodes one day I saw the magic of a fresh coat of paint. In the basement I found some paint from a left over project and started to prime over the brown color. Of course I started to paint at 8pm and was up all night covered in paint on a Friday night.

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I started by removing all of the furniture from this room to start fresh.With everything out of the space, it was easier to envision what I wanted the space to look like. At first I wanted to paint the space white, a complete opposite of the dark brown that was there before. The space gets very little natural lighting so I needed to stay away from dark colors. I then decided on a Behr Ultra Eggshell color that wasn’t completely white but still had a bit of color. img_1746

The cabinet is something my parents have had since before I was born! It was painted pink for my baby room and last year I painted it grey to match my guest room. I decided the guest room was overwhelmed with furniture and decided to bring it out here. I am not sold on its current color and will probably paint it again. Just haven’t decided what to paint it yet.
The mirror was a last minute purchase at the town rummage sale. I walked past it and I needed it. I knew it was what the space was missing. The mirror opens up the space and allows the natural light to bounce off the walls. Did I mention this mirror was only $5?? I spent days in HomeGoods trying to find a good mirror or statement piece that fit my budget. Just another reason why you should always shop in thrift stores, GoodWill or antique stores to find a piece no one else has for a reasonable price. img_1747

This became my new favorite wall! I knew I wanted to create a gallery wall above my desk. I took every piece of artwork I had and put them in a pile on my floor. I decided to go with a black theme with my artwork with bits of color. I framed the post card you get with Kate Spade purchases and put up my artwork that matched. Again, I wanted this space to be simply so I tried to add a gallery, but not have too much crowding the wall.
The desk is my Great Aunt B’s that has been in my family for a long time. The desk is not practical at all and no one wants it- but how can you get rid of a family heirloom??The desk is in amazing shape even though of its age. My mom suggested we paint it white but I love the small details, even the water marks and fading over the years. img_1758img_1751

Desk Accessories
One of the hardest parts of not being in school anymore is not going out an buying new school supplies every fall. Not being a student did not stop me from going to Target to pick up a few supplies though. I love the chic office supplies Target always has and purchased the Oops eraser for some desk art. The clip board is from the dollar bin at Target from earlier in the summer and the planner is also from Target.

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This planner is from Target and only $12! I was going to get my usual Lilly planner, but I needed a planner ASAP one day and this one ended up in my shopping cart one day. It reminds me of a Kate Spade one but only a fraction of the costs. It has each day separately with times, to do lists, and some cute quotes. Since I am no longer a student, this is all I need to keep track of doctor appointments and lunch plans with friends. img_1759

Like all adults, I now pay bills. I try to pay everything online and set up automatic payments to avoid fees or headaches. I got this little organizer for a few dollars from Target and I like to put all of my monthly bills in it so I know what I still need to pay. Even though I am new to adulting, I still have a handful of bills that need to get paid every month. If I don’t stay organized, they would never get paid!img_1753img_1749

When I first came home from college I had boxes of books from college. In this space I wanted to have them on display. I worked really hard in college and wanted to put a small fortune of books on display and not hidden. My mom helped me one day to put the books away in the bookcase and she now understands why I was so tired in college. I was always reading a book and then writing a paper on it!img_1755

This little side table is for added storage since my desk doesn’t really offer it. To prevent over crowding on my desk, I have my pens, markers, and a small filing system for my paperwork on here.

One of my biggest priorities before I started this project was downsizing. I got rid of everything I could, I donated office supplies to my job and tried to have very little on my desk. It is amazing how much more room I have when I no longer have 10 of the same thing or a desk drawer stuffed with extra post it notes!img_1750img_1754img_1756

I will continue to make changes to this space, fix the trim and add my personality to the space more, but I love the results so far!