{Outfit} Monogrammed Crossbody

I was soooo excited when Marley Lilly sent me this adorable monogrammed cross body bag. Is it not the cutest thing ever? I'm absolutely obsessed! If you haven't heard of Marley Lilly (if you haven't please go to their website right now!) they sell the cutest monogrammed products! You'll absolutely fall in love with every single thing on their site and want it all! This purse is so adorable and I love the fun green hue it's in. It's a great size to hold a lot of things in. I could securely fit my wallet, car keys, and a few extra little things inside. Trust me, I love my navy Rebecca Minkoff mini mac, but this is a great (inexpensive!) alternative to an adorable cross body bag. I tend to never wear cross body bags actually across my body, but I like them just on my one shoulder. I'm also sporting this adorable Marley Lilly statement necklace. I kid you not every time I wear this necklace out I get a ton of compliments and people are always asking me wear it's from! It's definitely a conversation starter! Btw, I'm running out of locations to have outfit shoots. It's pretty ugly here in Chicago because it's cold, but there's no snow! Hopefully within the rest of break I'll have some time to find some prettier places to take pictures!

 Necklace // Clutch // Coat // Sweater (old, similar) // Skirt // Flats

Xo

Blogger Bliss {Gal Meets Glam}

I haven't done a post like this in I don't even know how long! Today I'm featuring one of my absolute favorite bloggers, Julia via Gal Meets Glam. She is, truly, glam. I'm absolutely obsessed with her instagram @juliahengel! Her blog is incredibly fabulous as well (I'm seriously in love with her blog design). 

Her style is incredible and can we please just take a moment to talk about her hair? The color is absolutely gorgeous and I'm obsessed with the waves she wears almost every day! If you're just learning about her blog definitely go explore her site because you will instantly fall in love. 

Xo

Merry Merry

It's Christmas! I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas Day and enjoy every minute of it. Every Christmas my family sleeps in late, wakes up and opens presents, then enjoys a to die for delicious breakfast. Seriously, it might be my favorite part about Christmas Day! Later on we head over to my relative's house to spend some more time with family. Christmas Eve is definitely a ton of fun, but Christmas Day is definitely more relaxing. I'm looking forward to sitting by the tree (and fireplace) and hopefully watching a few favorite Christmas movies. Sorry, I've been slacking (again) on my blogging, but I'm getting right back into it. And believe me, I've missed it. 

Also, today marks the ending of my #countdown2blogmas collab! I so enjoyed collabing with so many lovely bloggers this Christmas! Be sure to check them all out because they are fabulous!

I wish you all a very merry Christmas from me to you!

Xo

Surviving Finals

You got this! You can make it through finals :)

Tis the season (of finals!). Final exams are next week for me and you can bet I'm stressing out. To be completely honest, I have thought about pretty much everything except for the actual tests themselves! There's just so much going on that it's hard to even look that far ahead (it's only next week!). Is it just me or do teachers seem to pour on the work at the end of the semester? I'm not sure what their logic is there...but, I do have some tips to help you survive finals! Finals are probably my favorite/least favorite times of the year. For first semester finals means that Christmas is finally here, and second semester means summer! Yet, finals are extremely stressful and often difficult to survive. Here are my best tips, but trust me I'm no expert.

+Prioritize

Luckily some of my classes this year don't have final exams, but just final projects or papers. Because of this I know way ahead of time what is expected for these papers/projects. In the interest of time, I try to get these done before I prepare for my other exams. Then I can opt for the remainder of time to studying for my exams!

+Take productive study breaks

Cramming a bunch of information in all at once is not going to stay fresh in your mind for the test. Be sure to take breaks often enough and have them last around 15-30 minutes. Take a snack break and load up on fruits and veggies to keep you energized. Or workout for a quick study break! Whatever you do, be productive!

+Get enough sleep

I know sleep is pretty much nonexistent during the week of finals, but getting sleep is usually better for you than staying up that extra hour to cram information. You'll be better off taking that hour of sleep to perform better on your test. You can't do well on your exam if you're sleeping!

+Study with others

For some people, studying alone is their go-to. Personally, studying with other people helps me think of other things that I wouldn't have before. It can be tempting to get off topic, so be sure to pick your study group accordingly. 

+Be confident

Don't let your nerves get to you! I'm not the one to have testing anxiety, but I definitely know people that do. If you're really stressed during a test take 3 deep breaths and continue on. It can be difficult to remain sane while taking a test, but if you're confident going into it you can often do better.

Now please...tell me your tips to surviving finals? I need them too ha ha!

Xo

Staying Fit During The Holidays

I find it extremely difficult to stay healthy during the majority of the year, but it's especially difficult to stay fit during the holidays. But, I've compiled a few tips to help stay fit during the holidays! It doesn't have to mean limiting yourself, but just remember these tips during the holidays.

+Everything in moderation
Clearly, there's an abundance of sweets during the holiday season. Just because you want to maintain your health doesn't mean you need to cut out all sweets. Opt for just one cookie instead of three!

+Stay motivated
Working out doesn't have to be a drag. Grab a buddy and get on a system so that you have each other to keep you motivated to work out. Also, if you need a cute new holiday party outfit to motivate you, by all means go for it!

+Stay hydrated
Personally, I love drinking water. But, if it's not your favorite thing, get in the habit of drinking it! If you despise water, drink a light tea instead! Be sure that you're flushing your system and drinking plenty of fluids (this is going to keep your body healthy from illness too!).

+Look for inspiration
Be sure to follow my fitness board on Pinterest for easy inspiration of workouts! Also, check out a few of these youtube videos further discussing how to stay fit during the holidays!
 one // two // three

This is my second post in the #countdown2blogmas collab! Check out all of the other fabulous ladies that have been posting as well!

Marissa :: Jamie :: Carrie :: Alex :: Cathleen

Xo

Holiday Inspiration Board

It's the first weekend in December and I'm sure everyone's trying to decorate their home for the holidays! I've tried to decorate my room to the fullest because I'm especially trying to get into the holiday spirit this year. I've strung the lights, hung the snowflakes and added some candy canes to give my room that extra Christmas vibe. But, I was still looking for more. I came up with the idea of a Christmas inspiration board. I've compiled a few fun images that would look great on a bulletin board, framed and nailed on the wall, or strung from some twine across the wall. The possibilities are endless and these graphics are all super festive!

Happy weekend!

Xo

The Pom Pom Hat + Styling

I've been seeing pom pom hats everywhere this winter season! And I've easily become obsessed! I own only one pom pom hat, but it's fair isle and just the cutest thing! These hats are so adorable, but they're also super warm and toasty (always a bonus in Chicago)! I've combined a few of my favorites (along with a few other cold weather essentials) and ways to style cold weather accessories.

I'm absolutely obsessed with these pom pom hats! And the cozy winter gloves that I featured as well. The cable knit mittens are just too cute!

Check out a few ways to style pom pom hats!

And I'm even more obsessed with how these fabulous ladies styled their pom pom hats! Carly looks absolutely adorable in that santa pom pom hat! So cute!

Xo

Gift Guide :: For The Blogger

Here we are at the start of the Christmas season! It's time for the holiday gift guides to begin! I'm doing several this year, but feel free to explore the archives from my old blog including this post with more options for gifts for the blogger. 

As a blogger I know there are many things that I, along with other bloggers would love to receive for Christmas. Is it weird to say there's just an overall style of bloggers? I'm sure any blogger would adore receiving any of these items for Christmas!

click on the image to be taken to all of the links

Can we just take a minute and discuss how adorable that pillow is? I guarantee any blogger will fall in love with it! I'm obsessed with the brunch money clutch because oh how us bloggers love to do brunch!

As expressed on the jewelry dish, odds and ends are just fun little things. The majority of these things are odds and ends. To be honest, I just love adorable little things (and I'm certain many other bloggers do)! Like this pencil pouch that has one of my favorite quotes "more issues than vogue". How fun and cute it is!

Xo

Reinder Cookies

One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is bake cookies, but honestly who doesn't love doing that? Making reindeer cookies every year is a tradition for me, and why not include y'all in on the fun! These cookies are seriously too easy and fun to make! They turn out looking so adorable (and a perfect desert to bring to a holiday party) and they taste even better than they look! 

You'll need:

+sugar cookie dough (I use pre-made because I'm lazy, but feel free to make your own recipe)

+holiday m&m's (red and green)

+pretzel twists

1. Follow the directions on your cookies for oven temperature and bake time.

2. Before you put your cookies in the oven place two pretzels on the top of the cookie. Then use 2 green m&m's for eyes and 1 m&m for the red nose.

3. Bake according to directions on cookie packaging.

How cute are these cookies? And they're slightly addictive...

And so #countdown2blogmas officially begins! Stay tuned for more posts!

Xo

Holiday Survival Kit

Oh hey there! I've been MIA for quite some time, but I'm back and I won't be leaving! So, it's officially the holiday season! I'm actually squealing with excitement because Christmastime is always the best time of the year! I've already decorated my room complete with a mini tree and gold snowflakes hanging from the ceiling! And Christmas music is on repeat (I'm totally obsessed with the Kelly Clarkson Christmas album!). 

It's time for holiday shopping and I've got a few gift guides coming your way! Of course I went Black Friday shopping as it is one of my favorite traditions! My cousin and I ended up heading out at 9:30 and not coming home until 5 am (oops!). We scored some pretty great deals including 60% off at J.Crew Factory and 75% off at Sperry! Although I did more personal shopping than Christmas gift shopping...but I've already started thinking about the gifts I will be purchasing for my family and friends this year. Stay tuned for some great gift guides coming soon! 

With all that said, I definitely have a few essentials that are needed to survive the holiday season! I was inspired to write this post by Man Crates! If you haven't already heard of it be sure to check out their site. They will be sure to do you a huge favor in helping you pick out gifts for the men in your life. Each gift has to be opened with a crowbar to reveal the fun goodies inside! If you're anything like me you find it extremely difficult to shop for men and it's Man Crates mission to end the difficulties associated with buying gifts for men! 

Who doesn't love a chunky knit sweater for the holiday season? I actually picked up an adorable red one from Costco (LOL) for only $30! I was describing different outfit ideas to my dad to convince him to buy it for me ha ha. A chunky scarf is the perfect addition to any outfit this holiday season! In previous years I never seemed to wear scarves, but this year I've purchased my fair share!

I'm always on the lookout for the perfect seasonal candle and it's officially time to transition out my fall candles to winter ones! Yankee Candle and Slatkin and Co. definitely have the best selection of scents! Also, cozying up with book and lighting a candle is the perfect way to spend a day snowed-in! These super cozy pajamas from J.Crew are adorable and I'm obsessed with the holiday colors!

My bean boots have been my obsession ever since I purchased them in September. I wear them pretty much every chance I get and they are perfect! And I can't even begin to explain how many compliments and questions I get whenever I wear them! These fun plaid socks add the perfect pop of color too!

A few miscellaneous essentials include peppermint bark from Ghiradelli and the Michael Bublé Christmas album! Let's be honest, I only go into Ghiradelli to get free samples #noshame. Their peppermint bark is honestly the best thing to snack on during the holiday season (although not the healthiest option). And can we just discuss how perfect Michael Bublé is? His voice is angelic and his Christmas album has to be my favorite for the holiday season!

PS today starts #countdown2blogmas! I'm collaborating with several other bloggers to share plenty of posts regarding the holiday season! Be sure to stay tuned for our countdown to Christmas collab!

Check out the other ladies I'm collaborating with!

Marissa // Cathleen // Jamie // Carrie // Alex

What are your essentials to survive the holidays?

Xo!