Thursday, November 29, 2012

Tweed

Shirt - JCrew; Skirt - BCBG (old), similar style here; Shoes - Anthropologie; Bracelet - JCrew
Tweed will always be timeless and it's fun to find unique styles that you can dress up or down. I found this skirt and picked it up. To dress it down, I pair it with a tank top and fun sandals. I especially like tweed skirts around November/December because they can be the perfect piece to pair with a nice top and fun jewelry for the holidays!





Cupcake Break!



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Pinspiring Presents


I love the holidays, I love crafts and I love pinterest! With that said, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite pinspiring homemade gifts for the holidays. These are my absolute favorite gift ideas out there on Pinterest. Some of these are the perfect gifts to make a batch and give to friends and coworkers, while some of these other gifts are perfect to give to close family and friends! My favorite is the serving tray, which involves taking a basic tray and sprucing it up with fun wallpaper and paint!

Serving Tray

Have fun crafting and happy start to your holidays!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Printed Pants

Sweater - JCrew, Jeans - Heart Boutique, Shoes - Christian Louboutin, Purse - Prada, Bracelet - JCrew

This weekend I hit up Heart Boutique in Sacramento for their Black Friday sale and scored a few fun items, including these polka dot pants! Over the past year, printed jeans have been a huge trend and I had to pick up a fun pair for the winter. My recommendation is to find a pair that isn't too expensive since it is very trendy. Heart Boutique has great prices even when they aren't having a sale, which is why I knew it would be the perfect place to find a funky pair of jeans!




Friday, November 23, 2012

C&C Gift Guide


Many feel that after Thanksgiving the holiday season kicks off and with that said, I’ve complied some of my favorite gift items for 2012. All of these gifts range from $10 to $50 and are sure to make that special person smile! Stay tuned for more post on this series including a homemade pinspiration guide and the gift guide for guys.


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving


Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today my husband and I will be making our rounds to both of our families today. We are making gluten free pies for my mom and I am excited to see how they turn out! This holiday is always a wonderful one as it makes you think about what you are thankful for. This year I married my best friend, literally, as we were close friends for five years before we started to date. I am so grateful to have such a loving, wonderful husband who takes the best care of me! I am also thankful for all of my family and for our silly pets for bringing us so much joy. Of course, always thankful for my friendships - the ones I've had for years and even when we are off living our lives we can pick it right back up and for all of the new friendships I have been making here in Sacramento.

Photo by Lyndsay Undseth

A photo from Friendsgiving:


Cheers and have a great day with your family and friends! 

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Dressed Up & Down

Sweater - Trouve; Outfit One: Pea Coat - JCrew; Jeans - Elizabeth and James, similar style here; Booties - Michael Kors; Bracelet - JCrew  Outfit Two: Trousers - Massimo Dutti; Heels - Christian Louboutin; Bracelet - JCrew

Adapting to the cold weather has required me to rethink outfits and how to wear them. I’ve been stocking up on sweaters and have to make them work for my casual wear and for dressing up. I’ve worn my sweater with jeans and some booties to still add a little something to look and with my navy pajama pants to play up the blues in the pattern. My final touch for my winter look? My coral pea coat from JCrew. I didn’t want to pick up a black pea coat this year as I already have a shorter one, but was in search of a longer coat to keep me warm. JCrew has so many fun colors right now and almost all can go with any outfit since they are so vibrant. I scored my coat during one of JCrew’s awesome sales. Right now JCrew has a 25% off sale on sweaters!









Monday, November 19, 2012

Designs and Details

Dress - Anthropologie, Jacket - Anthropologie (old), Bracelet - JCrew, Shoes - Gucci

I picked this dress up and I had to share it with all of you. It’s become one of my favorites in my closet, as I love its mod vibe and the vibrant green stitching of the pattern. I played up the 70s feel by pulling my hair back with bobby pins but brought it up to date with this coat. The one thing I am always looking for in clothes is the little details and this dress and jacket are perfect examples of that. I found this jacket last year at Anthro and fell in love with the pleats on the back. It’s easy to wear for dressed up and down, which is why I picked it up. The same thing happened to me again at Anthropologie when I saw this dress. The zipper and the stitching were too eye catching to pass!















Friday, November 16, 2012

Shopping Smart

I've decided to create a segment on my blog that focuses on tips and tricks I have learned over the years to save on the best clothes and labels out there. As a clothes horse, I have come to learn that there are many ways to get great deals on the clothes that I love to wear. I hope you all enjoy my smart shopper tips and are able to put them to good use!

As some of you have probably realized from my blog, Anthropologie and Kate Spade are two of my favorite places to shop. The one downside? They can be very pricey; however I've found a couple of ways to get around paying the high prices as these two stores put a lot of their items on sale. It requires being patient and to keep track of the items you are interested in, but if it's something you truly want, you will make it work and if not, then it's a good thing you didn't buy it at full price.

Kate Spade



I absolutely adore and obsess over Kate Spade. Their clothes and accessories are the epitome of chic and cheeky in my opinion, but it's tough to own a lot of Kate Spade when you are on a budget. After lusting over many items online and subscribing to their email list, I found out that they have their online sample sale about every two months, which has major discounts - I'm talking up to 75% off! Kate Spade tends to do themed lines every couple of months and needs to clear out inventory for their new themed purses, clothes and accessories. You wont be able to find classics like their wedding accessories and shoes or anything that is not seasonal, but for many other items they are often listed on the sale! I have been able to score two very nice purses for over 50% off the original price this way! Kate Spade emails out the link to  enter the online sale or if you like them on Facebook, they will often post the link to the sale as well!



Anthropologie



I kept going into Anthropologie and finding clothes that I had purchased marked down, which is the worst! After a while I decided to start taking down the style number in my notes on my iphone and keeping tabs on the items. Anthropolgie's website has a majority of their store items online, which makes it easy to see when it goes on sale. Even better, they often do 30% off sales on their sale items, which makes an even bigger difference! The trick is to keep the style number and your size and to call their 1-800 line to see which stores have it in stock, call the store and have the store ship it to you. Many stores actually ship for free (Anthropologie has Nordstrom level customer service!) which is even better. That's how I scored my new trench and two new pairs of shoes!

Just recently I was able to buy my trench for $65 (originally $168) and two pairs of shoes for $39.99 each (originally $178 and $158!). All three were definitely worth the wait!




Tuesday, November 13, 2012

My Guide to Apple Hill


This past weekend my husband and I went up to Apple Hill, as it is a tradition we've kept up since our first date! I've never been up in November and while the air is definitely a bit chilly, it is definitely the best time to go! All of the beautiful fall colors are in full swing and the crowds are not as insane as they are in late September/October. If you are in the Northern California area, you must make a trip up in the next couple of weeks to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the delicious food! Below are some of my favorite spots to visit.




This cute winery is a walk away from the popular High Hill and Boa Vista ranches. The team at the winery is very kind and helpful even when it is packed! We stopped in to taste some of their yummy wines and relax. My personal favorite is the Riesling (not the signature) as it is very light and flavorful!



After you have some wine, you must take a moment to walk over to the vineyards to take in the spectacular view they have right there at the winery. My husband and I actually took our engagement photos here and at High Hill. You can see some of those shots here.








After some wine we went over to High Hill, a popular Apple Hill spot. We spent some time taking blog photos here because of the beautiful backdrop and picked up some Pink Lady apples, my absolute favorite!  This spot is a great place for kids because they have fishing and pony rides here as well.






This is the place to go for food! We walked onto the patio and we couldn't stay there without ordering the garlic fries! I also picked up a slice of apple pie and and an apple doughnut. Oh my gosh they were so good, I practically inhaled my pie! They also have lots of jams, unbaked pies and other treats to take home, although I tend to head over to Boa Vista for treats. 




Jack Russell is a great spot to end the afternoon - they have ales, meads and ciders that are well known through the area. The brewery has lots of picnic tables as well as a patio area to relax with friends while you enjoy your beverage. While the pumpkin ale is what they are known for, I actually loved their meads. My personal favorite is the semi-sweet blackberry mead. You can even get a flight of the meads/ciders to taste while in their awesome cave. 




Our last stop is always Boa Vista since we hit it up to pick up pies, salsas, apple butter and of course, their apple wine. I recommend that before you head back down the hill that you stop here to at least pick up the apple wine. It has amazing flavor and is the perfect addition to holiday dinners. We also picked up two pies to bring home to family and friends since they also make some pretty stellar pies. My favorite pie is the dutch apple pie!

 

Don't wait - make a trip up to Apple Hill and enjoy all of the fun and beauty this area has to offer! Click here for a map of the area with all of the different ranches and spots included.